1969-1973 Sackcloth Robes Worn by the Children of God

Context:

Born amidst the upheaval and tumult of the 1960s, the Children of God (now known as The Family International) mixed Evangelical Protestant morality with the counterculture’s critique of authority and its appeal to authenticity to create a youth movement dedicated to evangelism. As one newspaper stated, “the revolutionary nomad Christians, as they describe themselves, are tuning in and turning on not with pot and speed, but with biblical quotations and Jesus Christ” (AP 1969). Led by David “Moses” Berg, early followers traveled around the country sharing their faith and urging the nation to repent. Apocalypticism, a belief that the end and God’s judgment are imminent, infused their mission with urgency (for more on the Children of God/The Family International, see Cowan & Bromley 2015 and Borowik 2023).

Fueled by Berg’s teachings and their reading of the Bible, the group sought to warn America of the impending reckoning and inspire repentance. They found inspiration in the biblical book of Jeremiah, which highlighted the grief they felt at the nation’s apostasy, as well as the reality of God’s wrath.

O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. (KJV Jeremiah 6:26)
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. (KJV Jeremiah 7:20)

To gain attention and make their cause known, they performed Sackcloth Vigils, from 1969 to 1973, at symbolic sites, including the Senate Building in Washington, D.C., and significant events such as the Trial of the Chicago 7.

Object:

For the vigils, the Children of God drew inspiration from Jeremiah 6:26 and other biblical passages to create a distinct form of religious dress that included: a red sackcloth robe, a yoke, a rod or stave, a scroll, ashes on the forehead, and often an earring. The clothing, as numerous articles reported, was symbolic and significant. Occasionally, the participants would lift their staves and yell “Woe” or “Abomination,” but mostly they remained silent and let their clothing and scrolls speak for them (Van Zandt 1991, 35). In an interview about the vigils, one adherent explained that they “dressed in red sackcloth and ashes, (signifying mourning and repentance) with yokes (for bondage), a ring in the left ear (from the Old Testament: ‘We are love slaves of Christ’) and carrying rods’” (Fischer 1971, 2B). Their scrolls featured biblical verses that warned of God’s coming judgment (see Figure 1).

Participants spent a substantial amount of time creating their distinct form of religious dress. The red sackcloth robes stitched from burlap and worn over street clothes appear to be handmade, given their simple construction. Photographs show that the construction of the robes varies. Some have shoulder seams and are open on the sides, while others sport side seams. Many have frayed necklines and hems, some have hoods. The biblical scrolls and yokes also highlight the labor of the group. The scrolls consist of white fabric mounted on sticks with writing in black and red markers. Many of the yokes feature bent branches (although some appear to be rope) secured through two holes in a board. The seven foot staves from tree limbs shorn of bark and smaller branches also took time to collect and ready. In addition, participants practiced synchronizing their walking and vigil performance (Davis 1984). The Sackcloth Vigil attire emphasizes not only the importance the group placed on the Bible and its incorporation into their lives through dress, but also the labor they willingly performed to make it happen.

Observers & Participants

During the vigils, the Children of God appeared to have stepped out of the pages of the past to warn a fallen America about the wages of sin. The contrast between their attire and the modernity of American city streets in the late 1960s and early 1970s was stark. It grabbed media attention with numerous newspapers running stories on the vigils—describing the movement’s roots, chronicling their evangelistic mission, and decoding their symbolic attire. For example, in 1970, one reporter stated that they “wore ox yokes around their necks and held rough-hewn rods and carried signs with apocalyptic Bible verses.” She went on to say that they appeared “like apparitions from the pages of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, they had arrived to forecast the Death of a Nation” (Riddell 1970, 6C; also see AP 1969, Fischer 1971). Another reporter proclaimed that “the revolutionaries…revived one of America’s fondest characters—the prophet of Doom” (Dart 1970, C1). The Sackcloth Vigils brought the group widespread media attention.

For the Children of God, this publicity provided a sense of opportunity and validation. The vigils may have been largely silent, but the Children of God shared their conversion experiences, evangelistic mission, and sartorial symbols with reporters. Further, in her memoir Deborah Davis, formerly Linda Berg, oldest daughter of the movement’s leader, recounted: “The interest shown by the news media was…a great boost to our morale; getting so much attention made us feel important—as if we actually were God’s endtime prophets, confirming what my dad had been telling us” (Davis 1984; emphasis added). All the “dress work” that went into the Sackcloth Vigils helped the Children of God embody their beliefs, which enlivened the theology and mission of the movement during its infancy (Neal 2024).

While some religious movements promote modesty and others mandate dress codes, the Children of God took a different approach to clothing. They created a distinct form of religious dress for a specific ritual purpose. While the Sackcloth Vigils failed in leading America to repentance, they succeeded in reinforcing the movement’s unique identity through distinctive religious attire and strengthening its members’ commitment to their spiritual mission. Through this distinct form of dress, they became God’s prophets.

Lynn S. Neal, Professor of Religious Studies, Wake Forest University.

7 August 2024

Tags: Bible, Ceremonial, Handmade, United States

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References:

Associated Press (AP). 1969. “‘Children of God’ Seeking Truth.” The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario, Canada), December 31, 1969, C11.

Children of God. “Sackcloth Vigils—1969-1973.” Flickr. Accessed August 7, 2024. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/146761602@N04/albums/72157675628737194/.

Borowik, Claire. 2023. From Radical Jesus People to Virtual Religion: The Family International. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Cowan, Douglas E., and David G. Bromley. 2015. Cults and New Religions: A Brief History. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

Dart, John. 1970. “‘Children of God’ Sect Resurrects Doom Prophecy.” The Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1970, C1, C8.

Davis, Deborah, with Bill Davis. 1984. The Children of God: The Inside Story by the Daughter of the Founder, Moses David Berg. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Accessed August 7, 2024. Available at: http://www.exfamily.org/art/exmem/debdavis/debdavis06.shtml.

Fischer, Marge. 1971. “Dedication With a Beat…” The Shreveport Journal, September 9, 1971, 1B-2B.

Neal, Lynn S. 2024. Wearing Their Faith: New Religious Movements, Dress, and Fashion in America. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Riddell, Janet. 1970. “Converts from Drug Culture Stir Up a Spiritual Revolt.” The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tennessee), November 29, 1970, 6C.

Van Zandt, David E. 1991. Living in the Children of God. Princeton: Princeton University Press.