Editing The Family International (section)

=== The Family of Love (1978–1981) ===
The Children of God was abolished in February 1978, and Berg renamed his group "The Family of Love"<ref name="Niebuhr-1993"/> In what Berg called the "Re-organization Nationalization Revolution" (or RNR).<ref name="Chancellor-2000-10">{{cite book |last1=Chancellor |first1=James D. |title=Life in The Family: An Oral History of the Children of God |date=2000 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |page=10 |isbn=9780815606451 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FXHyOwK9IEC&q=flirty |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906003943/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Life_in_The_Family/5FXHyOwK9IEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=flirty |url-status=live }}</ref> Berg reorganized the movement, dismissing "more than 300 leading members after hearing unspecified 'reports of serious misconduct and abuse of their positions."<ref name="Niebuhr-1993"/> Reportedly involved were The Chain's abuse of authority, and disagreements within it about the continued use of [[Flirty Fishing]]. The group was also accused of sexually abusing and raping minors within the organization, with considerable evidence to support this claim. One eighth of the total membership left the movement. Those who remained became part of a reorganized movement called the Family of Love, and later, The Family. The majority of the group's beliefs remained the same.<ref name=Origins>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefamily.org/dossier/statements/origins.htm |title=Origins |website=The Family International |access-date=2016-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429042335/http://www.thefamily.org/dossier/statements/origins.htm |archive-date=2009-04-29 }}</ref>

The Family of Love era was characterized by international expansion.

After 1978 Flirty Fishing "increased drastically"<ref name="Chancellor-2000-11">{{cite book |last1=Chancellor |first1=James D. |title=Life in The Family: An Oral History of the Children of God |date=2000 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |page=11 |isbn=9780815606451 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FXHyOwK9IEC&q=flirty |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906003943/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Life_in_The_Family/5FXHyOwK9IEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=flirty |url-status=live }}</ref> and became common practice within the group. A Mo Letter from 1980 (ML #999 May 1980) for example was headlined "The Devil Hates Sex! --- But God Loves It!".<ref name="Chancellor-2000-17">{{cite book |last1=Chancellor |first1=James D. |title=Life in The Family: An Oral History of the Children of God |date=2000 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |page=17 |isbn=9780815606451 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FXHyOwK9IEC&q=flirty |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906003943/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Life_in_The_Family/5FXHyOwK9IEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=flirty |url-status=live }}</ref> 
In some areas flirty fishers used escort agencies to meet potential converts. According to TFI "over 100,000 received God's gift of salvation through Jesus, and some chose to live the life of a disciple and [[missionary]]" as a result of Flirty Fishing.<ref name=Origins /> Researcher Bill Bainbridge obtained data from TFI suggesting that, from 1974 until 1987, members had sexual contact with 223,989 people while practicing Flirty Fishing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bainbridge |first=William Sims |year=1996 |title=The Sociology of Religious Movements |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-91202-0 |page=223}}</ref>