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Power Meets Prayer at DC 'Family' House

C Street House members believe they 'transcend morality'

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 21, 2009 2:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – The C Street House, the Capitol Hill religious enclave that Mark Sanford, John Ensign, and Chip Pickering have in common, is more than a residence that happened to shelter three lawmakers involved in recent sex scandals, writes Jeff Sharlet in Salon. "If sexual license was all the Family offered the C Street men, that would merely be seedy and self-serving. But Family men are ... followers of a political religion that embraces elitism, disdains democracy, and pursues power for its members the better to 'advance the Kingdom.'"

Though the 74-year-old Family once mulled registering as “a lobby for God's Kingdom,” its founder decided it would wield more influence through personal connections to politicians, says Sharlet, who wrote a book on the Family. "The more invisible you can make your organization," its leader preaches, "the more influence you can have." Current advisees include Sens. Tom Coburn, Chuck Grassley, and Jim DeMint. The chosen look out for one another in many ways, Sharlet writes; protecting each others' secrets is only one of them.

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133 C Street S.E., a red-brick structure registered as a church and affiliated with a secretive Christian group, is seen Wednesday, July 1, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In this June 24, 2009 file photo, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford answers questions after he admitted to having an affair during a news conference, in Columbia, SC. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)

In this Sept. 4, 2008 file photo Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, FILE)

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They say they're working for Jesus, but their Christ is a power-hungry savior not many churchgoers would recognize. The Family acts today like the most powerful lobby in America that isn't registered as a lobby. - Jeff Sharlet

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Power Meets Prayer at DC 'Family' House