ABSTRACT
Sun Myung Moon (1920–2012) was the unquestioned leader of the Unification Church (established in 1954) for nearly six decades. Many have speculated as to the fate of a post-Sun Myung Moon church, particularly since his presence held together a variety of competing nationalities, ideological orientations and leadership factions. However, prior to his passing, a post-Sun Myung Moon church had begun to take shape in the persons of four next-generation Moon siblings who assumed leadership roles and began implementing new models of the church. Each of their models derived from and departed from the founder’s vision and what to this point has been the church’s religious orientation and practice. Three of the siblings had the founder’s approval and one was considered to be schismatic. This led to a series of unseemly struggles over church assets and raised the spectre of a potential schism. All of the siblings are strong personalities wholly committed to preserving and expanding their father’s legacy. All are highly educated: three possess graduate degrees from Harvard and the fourth possesses a Harvard undergraduate degree. Each is utterly convinced that their way forward is the path the Unification tradition should follow.
