Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God, The 0310238587, 9780310238584

Citation preview

The Remarkable Story of a Cult's

journey from

Deception to Truth

The Liberation ^ ^ Worldwide

Church qod /

J.

Michael Feazell

Executive Editor, The Plain Truth Magazine

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2014

https://archive.org/details/liberationofworlOOfeaz

"The transformation of the Worldwide Church of sents a unique rants careful

from an

phenomenon

in

church

history.

documentation and in-depth

insider's perspective.

that challenging task as one

Mike

for

is

in dealing

deeply

his personal struggles; refreshingly

honest

not only with the theological issues but the pastoral

members who were trauma-

by the changes; and theologically perceptive

the changes in his church's key doctrines. Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

become

part

is

implications for the leaders and tized

war-

well qualified for

many years been

of the leadership core of that church. His account

moving, reflecting

repreit

reflection, especially

Feazell

who has

God

As such

a standard

I

in exploring

believe that The

God

is

destined to

work, which church historians and religious

sociologists will continue to consult for years to come."

—Eddie

Gibbs

School of Theology, Fuller Theological

Seminary

What Others Are

Saying About the Worldwide Church of God

"I

have met with the leadership of the church, and without reser-

vation consider

them brothers

their testimonies of what

God

in Christ.

am profoundly moved by

I

has done for

them

personally and in

the movement. These people have led the most courageous, inspiring,

and Christ-centered movement into

biblical Christianity that

I

have ever seen."

—Richard Mouw President, Fuller Theological Seminary

"This

is

the most astonishing change that

I

have ever seen or heard

of in any religious group, for which, for one, praise God."

—D. James Kennedy Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale, Florida

"Never before

in the history of Christianity has there

been such

a

complete move to orthodox Christianity by an unorthodox fringe church."

—Ruth Tucker Associate Professor

Calvin Theological Seminary

Quotations from "From the Fringe to the Fold," by Ruth Tucker [Christianity Today, July 15, 1996).

The Liberation

WbRLDWIDE Church god °f

thc

«/

The Liberation

Worldwide Church * god °f fa

J.

Michael Feazell

Executive Editor, Plain Truth Magazine

I)E RVAN GRAND

RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 49530

We want to

hear from you. Please send your

book

comments about Thank you.

this

to us in care of the address below.

Zondervan Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 www.zondervan.com

/ONDERVAN ™ The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God © 2001 by J. Michael Feazell

Copyright

Requests for information should be addressed

to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Feazell,

The cult's

J.

Michael.

liberation of the

Worldwide Church of God

journey from deception to truth p.

/ J.

:

the remarkable story of a

Michael Feazell.

cm.

Includes bibliographical references

ISBN 0-310-23858-7

(p.

).

(hardcover)

1. Worldwide Church of God. BX6178.A73 F43 2001 289.9— dc21 2001023552

2.

Armstrong, Herbert W.

I.

Title.

This edition printed on acid-free paper. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken

New International Bible Society. tified as

NRSV

Version®.

NIV®. Copyright

©

from the Holy Bible: by International

1973, 1978, 1984

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Quotations idenare from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989

by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means copy, recording, or any other

— except for

—

electronic, mechanical,

out the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Melissa Elenbaas

Printed in the United States of America 01

02 03 04 05 06 07 08

/DC/

photo-

brief quotations in printed reviews, with-

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

1

To Victoria Wife, companion, friend

"Oh, thank

GOD—he's so good]

His love never runs out. All of Tell

you

set free

how he

by

GOD,

tell

the world!

freed you from oppression,

Then rounded you up from all over the place, From the four winds, from the seven seas." Psalm 107:1-3 The Message

Contents Preface

11

Acknowledgments

15

Prologue

17

1

A Crack in the Dam

19

2

A Voice in the Wilderness

34

3

Light Shines in

4

'The Only True Church"

66

5

A Case of Mistaken Identity

76

6

"Four to Seven Short Years"

88

7

The

8

A Crisis in

9

The Path of Renewal

10

Pain of

My Darkness

48

Change

106 122

Leadership

Strategies for

132

Sound Body

147

Life

Appendices 1

Changed Paradigms

2

Highlights of Worldwide

in the

Worldwide Church of God 177

Church of God Doctrinal

Changes

179

Summary

3

Statistical

4

Pastoral Letter

from Richard

183 J.

Foster Regarding

the Setting of Dates for the Return of Christ

187

5.

Annual Worship Calendar:

Is

There Only One Right

Way to Worship God?

193

Worldwide Church of God

6.

Significant Dates for the

7.

Worldwide Church of God "Summary of Our Christian

.

.

201

Faith"

203

Bibliography

205

Notes

211

Index

221

Preface

CHANGES IN the Worldwide Church of God have prompted many Christians to ask, "How did all this

THE AMAZING begin?" I

have been asked

pause and reflect anew every time begin?

cannot point to

I

but

this question scores of times, I

hear

it.

How

I

did

have to all

a single starting place either for

transformation of the Worldwide Church of

God

this

the

or for myself.

moment, a particular place, or a particular thought. Many things came together like tiny brooks and rivulets, bubbling up from here and there and nowhere in parI

cannot

ticular

to

isolate a particular

but

form

mighty

by

little

little

larger streams

joining with others and growing steadily

and

finally cascading together into a

river.

How

did

women who

all

this begin? It

giving moralism.

It

It

began

began

in

in the pain

It

began

men and

in the tes-

and frustration of unfor-

the agonizing disillusionment that

failed predictions

and

idealism of youth and the simple

when

in the hearts of

heard the voice of their Savior.

timony of Scripture.

comes from

began

fallen heroes. It

wisdom of

began

old age.

It

in the

began

the angel spoke the timeless words of hope and redemp-

tion to the shepherds: "Today in the

town of David

He is Christ the Lord." may feel that my approach

a Savior has

been born to you.

Some

readers

"edge." Perhaps

it

does, but that

is

1

l

not

in this

book has an

my intent. am presenting I

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 12

what

I

am why

believe to be an honest assessment, as unbiased as

what the Worldwide Church of God was, I how the Holy Spirit led that change and what I hope all Christian churches can learn

able to give, of

believe

it

needed to change,

to take place,

from our experience. Some may Herbert Armstrong. say that

I

I

feel that

I

am

disrespectful to

Some may feel I am too respectful.

have tried to be honest and

The Liberation of

the

I

can only

fair.

Worldwide Church of

God

is

not only a

remarkable story of the doctrinal transformation of a highly ential Christian sect

— considered by many to be

a cult

influ-

— but

also

the story of a spiritual journey from the prison of soul-crippling legalism into the liberating joy and rest of eternal salvation.

History

in

the Making

The Worldwide Church of God made the early 1990s with

its

evangelical history in

leadership-driven

abandonment of the

unorthodox doctrines of its founder, renowned radio and television evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong.

The radical changes in the small,

Pasadena-based Christian denomination have been heralded by

mainstream Christian leaders "unprecedented."

as "miraculous," "astounding,"

and

No other Christian church in our modern expe-

rience has rejected

founding sectarian roots in

its

a return to the

essentials of historical Christian doctrinal orthodoxy. It is

my hope that

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God will be of help to members of the Worldwide Church of God in understanding what has happened to our church historically, doctrinally,

and

spiritually,

and that

agement to the church to continue wisely that this

book might

also

it

will offer encour-

in the future.

I

pray

motivate leaders and members of any

Christian church to vigilance in promoting and encouraging careful theological reflection coupled with authentic spiritual

formation.

It is

my further prayer that the book may be of value

to Christian leaders as a tool to help

them recognize and avoid

the spiritual traps and excesses that plagued Armstrongism.

— Preface 13

All material in this

God

is

book regarding the Worldwide Church of

drawn from extensive textual research of the published

literature of the church,

from

oral history,

forty years of personal experience first,

as a

college;

and from more than

and contacts

in the

church

graduate of the church's grade school, high school, and

then

as

an ordained minister and a denominational exec-

utive in the church for

draws upon

more than twenty

years. This

study also

my intimate personal involvement with the process

of doctrinal transformation that took place in the Worldwide

Church of God. As executive assistant and senior editorial adviTkach Sr., Herbert Armstrong's personally chosen successor, I was afforded a unique perspective into the church sor to Joseph

and

a firsthand role in its transformation.

Acknowledgments

WERE

IT NOT FOR the gentle reassurance and the confidence shown in me by my professors at Azusa Pacific University, project would not have been undertaken. I am especially

this

grateful for the infectious enthusiasm

Earl Grant, associate dean of the C.

P.

and can-do

of Theology. Dr. Richard Foster enriched

dom

God and

of

tions of this

offered

my vision

much encouragement

book took shape.

as

of the king-

the

first

por-

manner

in cri-

invaluable.

cannot say enough about the patient and careful work of

I

my

my work were

of Dr.

Dr. Eddie Gibbs's insightful

suggestions and patient, diligent, and gracious tiquing

spirit

Haggard Graduate School

editor at Zondervan, Jim Ruark,

pen was simply were

as

invaluable. Jim's

my work as his marvelous thank three of my colleagues in

important to

I must also Church of God. Ralph

toral training,

gave

whose masterful

editor's

encouragement and kind editorial

spirit

skills.

the Worldwide

Orr, former coordinator of in-service pas-

and Dan Rogers, U.S. superintendent of ministers,

me several helpful editorial suggestions during early drafts.

Michael Morrison, editorial supervisor for the church, was kind

enough to give

my

final

manuscript a careful review and pro-

vided numerous excellent suggestions that sharpened the final product. I

am

grateful to

John and Micki McKenna for their constant

stream of encouragement, to Barb Edwards for her help with 15

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

16

numerous

clerical details,

and to C.

S.

Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle,

and Henri Nouwen, whose blessed inspirational writings carried

me

through many painful times.

Most of to

my

all, I

children,

am

deeply indebted to

Jeff,

Liz,

encouragement, through grace of God.

my

wife, Victoria,

and

and Chris, for their support and

whom

I

have learned

much about the

Prologue

RULES AND stage in

REGULATIONS OF "God's true church" took center

my life

from the

first

day

I

toured the Ambassador

College campus in Pasadena, California.

It

was 1957,

I

was

six

my family had moved from Louisiana to Califorme to attend "God's school," the Worldwide Church God Imperial Grade and High School. As my uncle, Paul

years old, and nia to allow

of

Smith, himself a graduate of "God's college" and a teacher at the school, led the family around the

immaculate campus,

I

found

myself awestruck with the elegance and sheer beauty of "God's headquarters on earth."

As

I

write these words,

I

am

swept with strange

still

feelings

of nostalgia for the sense of "something great" that seemed to flood over

me

during that

first

encounter with Herbert Arm-

strong's center of operations.

As we made our way up one of the ways,

my

largest,

six-year-old eyes noticed a

most beautiful and lush lawn

at reading,

I

sounded out the words

I

elegant Ambassador walklittle

sign planted in the

had ever

for

seen.

Brand new

my family: "Keep off the

Grass."

"What does

that

mean?"

I

asked

my uncle.

It

was incompre-

hensible to this Louisiana boy that grass could exist for anything

other than getting on. "This

is

a very special

fact, it's really

kind of grass," Uncle Paul explained. "In

not grass at

all. It's

17

called dichondra.

And it is very

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

18

expensive and very to

walk on

it.

fragile,

That's

so Mr.

how we

Armstrong doesn't want anyone

can keep

looking so beautiful."

it

immediately saw the reason for the

I

lifelong policy to never

rule,

and

I

made

it

walk on Ambassador's magnificent

my car-

At the same time, though, I felt it was a colossal shame that what seemed to me to be the most fantastic lawns in the world could only be looked at and not romped on. That is what legalism does to people. It can create the illusion of something wonderful. But something that can never become what it was meant to be is not, in the end, wonderful. Maybe it pets of green.

is

better than nothing, but

And until dust

less

it is still

at best only a

the liberating roar of Asian shatters

it is,

legalism, ironically, imprisons

founding dungeon of smug anxiety and

need love.

beings, to

be the true persons

at their center the heart

of

God

its

shell.

into the worth-

victims in a con-

self-satisfied frustration.

Lawns, to be true lawns, need boys and

Human

it

hollow

girls

to play

on them.

God made them

to be,

expressing itself through

Following the rules does not produce a relationship of love.

Condemning

others

who do

not keep the rules the

way you

think they ought to be kept does not produce a relationship of love.

son,

A relationship of love

is

based on knowing and loving

not on knowing and loving

a set

These lessons would be long

in

of

a per-

rules.

coming

to the

Worldwide

Church of God and to me. Many years and many experiences would set the stage for a miraculous work of grace, a liberation that

no one associated with Herbert Armstrong's church

early years

would ever have imagined.

in those

A Crack in the Dam

AS HAS BEENfrom

SAID, the

nant as

we

through

soil in

find

my

As

Noah's

ark,"

I

read aloud,

weren't for the storm outside." The

continued: "And as imperfect and even repugit

at times,

read,

I

like

1

if it

church of

this

portrayed."

I

is

Charles Colson's The Body. "The stench inside

quoting

would be unbearable group laughed.

Church

I

we need

to acknowledge that

fact that truth

is

it is

being proclaimed and

hoped Colson's words might

find fertile

audience:

Not always clearly; not always unequivocally. I cringe when I hear a church leader does some dumb or dreadful thing. I want to scream that the National Council of Churches

how

isn't

through

People often

God

(and

it isn't).

of the muddle, the message

come to church

for

all

is

But somekept

alive.

the wrong reasons, but

touches them, and nearly apostate churches are res-

urrected. I

me

speaking for

all

God

does

it,

struggled to control

our church.

using us just as

my

He had touched

we

are.

trembling voice. me. His grace

God had touched

had come upon us

completely unannounced, and he had transformed our hearts before

we even knew what was happening. I read on: "The church

of fact

is

always struggling to conform to the church of faith, and

the Christian must live in the midst of this tension

19

—

a faithful

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

20

part of the universal and the particular, of the visible and invisi-

of the faith and the

ble, I

fought back the

fact."

tears.

So many thoughts flooded

my

mind.

God loved us in spite of our confusion and doctrinal error. He had come

and redeemed us

to our church

teousness, our exclusivity,

How far we

in spite of

our

self-righ-

and our tendency to be judgmental.

have come,

I

thought.

The very

fact

I

could be

reading to this group from Colson, a Protestant, was a miracle.

The

fact that

many

of these ministers and wives were ready to

hear Colson's insights was a miracle.

And

the fact that Colson's

next words had been so powerfully played out in this very group

was

also a miracle:

Admittedly, the pettiness and discord, can

we

be disheartening

mortals often

make

failures,

the division and

What a sorry mess in the name of the

at times.

of things

church! But our comfort comes from God's promise that

He

will build His

church

— sometimes

in extraordinary

ways.

The group was a conference of pastors of the Worldwide Church of God. And the miracle was the amazing story of the Holy Spirit's liberating and transforming work in the renowned church, called a cult by some, founded by media evangelist Herbert W. Armstrong. "Mr. Armstrong Died This Morning"

The

story

had begun some ten years

1986, at about 7:30 in the morning.

when

the phone rang.

few words with the "It's

1

earlier

on January

was about to leave

for

1

6,

work

My wife, Victoria, answered, exchanged a

caller,

and gave the phone to me.

Mr. Tkach," she said.

Joseph W. Tkach 1966.

I

Sr.

was

was sixteen when

his

my

had known him since employer, the Worldwide Church boss.

I

of God, transferred his family from Chicago to Pasadena, Cal-

A

Crack

in

Dam

the

21

ifornia.

As an ordained

minister,

he had been brought to

Pasadena to take classes in the denomination's Ambassador College and to serve in the Los Angeles congregation. His son Joe and

I

were

in tenth grade,

and before long we were close

friends.

Now, twenty

years

later,

the senior Tkach was director of

church administration for the denomination, and utive assistant.

He was also

I

was

his exec-

93-year-old Herbert Armstrong's per-

sonally chosen successor.

"Mr. Armstrong died this morning," he told me. His voice was

solemn and shaky.

have been calling the Council of Elders. We

"I

will

need to notify the

you

at the office."

field ministers

and the news media.

Tkach, alternating with Armstrong's nursing

staff,

had

tor general's residence

Pasadena.

He

see

Aaron Dean, and

a

weeks been spending nearly every evening,

for

and early morning with the

night,

aide,

I'll

ailing

Armstrong

in the pas-

on the Ambassador College campus

in

kept Armstrong company, helped him with per-

sonal needs, and listened to his advice and instructions.

He was

there the morning Armstrong died.

Tkach had grown year of Armstrong's

close to Herbert life.

The

Armstrong during the

aging Armstrong had

point where, he told Tkach and others, he one.

"I

know you

will take

him. Tkach recounted to

felt

good care of the

come

final

to the

he could trust no ministry,"

he told

me many times how much Armstrong

appreciated his being there. Armstrong had appointed Tkach to

succeed him

as president

and pastor general of the church, and

he wanted to be sure he had passed on

all

the insight he could

during his final weeks and days. "I

can't

fill

steps," Tkach

his shoes. But, Father,

prayed

at

I

aim to walk

in his foot-

the special church headquarters employee

meeting the morning of Armstrong's death. The church was

numb, but the church was not shaken. "The transition was so smooth," I heard again and again from ministers and members.

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 22

Sermons were given about Joshua following steps.

in

Moses' foot-

"Be strong and of good courage/' pastors and members were

telling

Tkach, echoing Yahweh's words to Joshua after Moses'

death.

Upon assuming

his

new

and pastor general

role as president

of the Worldwide Church of God, Tkach asked in the role of his executive assistant.

to help

him

I

me

was glad to

see that the teachings of Herbert

to continue

serve.

I

wanted

Armstrong were

maintained and that the church would "make herself ready" for the return of Christ. Little did

I

know what

lay ahead.

The Journey Begins

When

Herbert Armstrong died,

Joseph Tkach

Sr.

my entire focus was to

help

maintain Armstrong's teachings and ministry.

anything needed to be changed,

I

believed,

it

If

would only be

details. first challenge was raised to Armpresumed absolute insight on the Scriptures. Mark Kaplan, an Ambassador College professor of Hebrew, raised a

Within weeks, however, the

strong's

2

question about Armstrong's dogmatic teaching that the children of Israel did not depart from Egypt on the same night as they ate the Passover I

meal but on the next

night.

members of the Council Kaplan was right. The pre-

distributed Kaplan's papers to the

of Elders, and the consensus was that

ponderance of scriptural evidence lay

in favor of the millennia-

old Jewish viewpoint (what a surprise]).

The crack was

dam. Armstrong was wrong about a point he had taught with particular force and dogmatism. Tkach in the

decided that the best course of action was to delete the offending section

from the church booklet about the annual holy days

and

officially

ical,

not doctrinal, and therefore of no consequence.

Most

inform the pastors that the issue

merely histor-

is

pastors accepted the action, but there

was something

uneasy about the whole thing. Armstrong had been so dogmatic

A

Crack

in

the

Dam

23

on the

issue,

using his characteristic capital

underlining to

make

Now Tkach,

and

letters, italics,

his point.

holding the office of "God's apostle," the only

person on earth through

whom God

brings doctrine into his

church, had neatly thrown out a dogmatic Armstrong teaching.

How

can one "God's only true apostle" change the teaching of

the other "God's only true apostle"?

Small or "merely historical" as this particular point

would

been, later changes

raise the larger question:

may have

How

can

Tkach have the authority to change Armstrong's teaching? And then the conundrum: If Armstrong was wrong about that, then could he have been wrong about appointing Tkach? Ajid worse,

but

still

unthinkable at this early stage:

wrong about something he

felt

If Armstrong really

God had

revealed to him,

was

how

could he have called himself "God's only true apostle"?

Spokesman Club Manual The next lesson

in

coming

new light Spokesman Club manual. The

to see

was the revision of the church's

Armstrongism

in a

Spokesman Club manual had been the mainstay of the men's discipleship experience for decades. Based

on the

rules of the

Spokesman Club was a leadership training ground for Worldwide Church of God (WCG) men. A series of speech assignments, designed to improve communication skills and encourage personal growth and leadership, were out-

Toastmaster's Club, the

lined in the manual.

One

of Tkach's

ian approach to

first

goals

government

was to dismantle the authoritarin the church,

which meant that

the Spokesman Club manual needed revision on two counts: its

authoritarian style, and

its

hyperbolic language that promised

near perfection and amazing success to anyone its

rules carefully. Setting out to edit the

opening lesson really analyzed

in

where we had been

as a

who

followed

manual was an eyechurch. I had never

our church literature with the eye of a

critic.

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 24

Now it was my job to make sure our literature did not promote authoritarianism and that cally defensible.

I

really

all

content was accurate and bibli-

had no thought

at all

about doctrine

at

rect

My assumption was that Herbert Armstrong was coron every important doctrinal issue. I pitied those poor souls

who

could not understand the difference between important

this point.

mere "semantical issues." Spokesman Club manual, our booklet ediRonald D. Kelly (now church controller), remarked, "I never

doctrine and

As we tor,

how

realized ing.

revised the

We

these things sounded before." That

had always tended to read the church's

prima facie true

we

— already believing

even began reading

it.

its

not surpris-

is

literature as

truth and authority before

Now for the

first

time

we were

read-

its accuracy. The results As we finished each bookon the next.

ing for the specific purpose of editing

were disconcerting, to say the let,

we were

We

least.

almost afraid to start

did not choose the order of booklets to revise. That was

purely a function of inventory. As booklets ran out of stock and

came up

for reprinting, they

had to be reviewed.

It

seemed that

we reviewed a booklet, we found serious problems And even then, for the first few years, our revisions did deep enough. Some booklets, like The Missing Dimension

every time

with

it.

not go in Sex,

underwent major

revision every time

it

came up

reprinting as our understanding increased. Finally,

it

for

had to be

removed from inventory, a fate that eventually befell every one of the more than eighty booklets the Worldwide Church of God was regularly mailing out in 1986. As doctrinal problems became more apparent, however, even some in-stock booklets had to be removed from inventory. That was the case with Armstrong's powerful attack on Protestant Christianity, Just

What Do You Mean

— Born Again?

Greek Words, English Words Herbert Armstrong and scholarship did not mix well. continually ridiculed

what he branded

He

as "this world's degrees,"

A

Crack

in

Dam

the

25

"so-called higher education/' selves as scholars."

He

who

and people

"fancied them-

encouraged church members not to send

their children to the colleges

and

universities of "this world,"

only to the church's Ambassador College. doctrinal errors sprang directly

from

Many

but

of Armstrong's

his ignorance of biblical

methods of biblical interpretation. Early in 1987 I received a memo from Kyriakos Stavrinides, church minister and professor of classics and Greek at Ambas-

scholarship and sound

a

sador College, citing major problems with Armstrong's booklet Just

What Do You Mean

— Born Again? My

first

reaction

was to

my eyes and mumble, "Here we go again." reviewed the memo with Joseph Tkach Sr., and at Tkach's request went to disroll

I

cuss

it

with Stavrinides.

Armstrong taught that Christians

are not finally "born again"

until they receive glorified bodies at the resurrection. Until then,

Armstrong

asserted, Christians are only "begotten,"

which he

took to mean "merely conceived" but not yet born. Stavrinides

to

mean Arm-

mean

"con-

explained that the Greek word transliterated gennao does "begotten," as Herbert

Armstrong taught. But contrary

strong's belief, the English ceived." Rather, the

word

word

begotten does not

begotten refers to live birth. In this case,

Armstrong's confusion lay in his misunderstanding of 400-yearold King James English, not in the meaning of the

On this simple mistake of English had

Greek word.

grammar, Herbert Armstrong

built the entire edifice of his doctrine that "you are not

finally It

born again until the resurrection."

was not

just the false doctrine that

Armstrong's attitude about "rightness"

on

this point gave

it

and

was so

rankling.

his presentation of

It

was

it.

His

him, he believed, the right to con-

demn any who disagreed with him as "falsely so-called Christians" who were deceived by the devil. Armstrong's challenges to the "professing" Christian world were boldly emphasized by his characteristic advertising font styles:

WHY cannot people understand?

It's

hard to believe, but

YOUR BIBLE says that this whole world

is

DECEIVED!

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

26

Incredible though

it

even the clergy!

Yes,

seems, that

is

true!

3

All the clergy except Armstrong, that

pens

when

a person, in his or

special representative."

I

her

own

This

is.

what hap-

is

mind, becomes "God's

have to warn any Christian

leader of your church or group begins to

make

—

if

the

noise about being

God's special mouthpiece, or the "only one" preaching some par-

message or some particular way, then

ticular is

to

move on down

my

advice to you

the road.

Depression and Discouragement By and

early 1989,

spiritually.

I

had reached

I

a

low point both emotionally

was being confronted with error

after error in

Armstrong's theology. Doctrinal and theological questions were continually being posed to the church administration department

and to the pastor general's members. As Tkach

Sr.

and

I

tions with scriptural honesty ize that the

office

from church ministers and

struggled to respond to these ques-

and

integrity,

was beginning to

I

Worldwide Church of God was

not, after

all,

real-

the "one

and only true church" and that Herbert Armstrong was not God's only true servant on earth.

There was never with Joseph Tkach trust in

me

as his

free flow of input

a

problem discussing these

Sr. Still,

primary

from

even though he put

assistant,

a great

openly

a great deal of

he nevertheless received a

many people

administration of the church, and rightly

but be

issues

so.

besides

He

me

in the

could not help

somewhat influenced by the grave concerns him about me and my "liberal ideas" by longtime

at least

expressed to ministers

who

feared the "dangerous direction" the doctrinal

changes were going. By early 1989, changes had already taken place in the church's doctrines regarding the use of the medical

women's use of cosmetics, and celebration of birthdays. These changes, which were already traumatic enough for the 150,000-member church, as well as the inevitable rumors profession,

A

Crack

in

Dam

the

27

of more to come, began to create a sense that the floodgates were

about to be opened.

"You have got to stop often warned. "Mike

God

Mike

listening to

trying to get

is

you

did through Herbert Armstrong.

influence on you.

You have

Feazell," Tkach Sr.

Mike

to get rid of

was

to destroy everything a very

is

him

" ;

sioned plea that became a familiar tune to Tkach

dangerous

was the impasSr.'s ears.

(Later,

the circle of "dangerous liberal conspirators" expanded to include

booklet editor Greg Albrecht, media operations director Bernie Schnippert, classics professor Kyriakos Stavrinides, and church administration director Joe

Tkach

Getting to the place where

I

Jr.

felt

I

— the "gang of

could trust no one with these

and feeling generally

heart-level issues,

thoroughly discouraged,

I

five.")

friendless, depressed,

and

took an offered opportunity to accom-

pany Donald Ward, then president of Ambassador College, on an inspection

visit

to

Ambassador Foundation's humanitarian pro-

by Ambassador College students in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. I hoped the trip would provide me some time to pray, reflect, and get some perspective. As I sat on the plane, my thoughts went everywhere. How

jects staffed

could the church have lied to advantage

though

of,

my

life

a state college

Christian.

I

spiritually

me

all

these years?

and emotionally raped.

had been robbed from me.

and had

was

angry.

a real career I

I

felt

I

as

could have gone to

was depressed.

assault

taken

seemed

and maybe even been

was confused.

was disgusted with the seductive

I

It

a real

And

I

on the true gospel

waged by Herbert Armstrong's "one and only true church." I prayed earnestly for God to show me his clear path for my life and to give

me

peace of heart.

Looking back, often in the ways

I

see that

we

God

answers such prayers, but not

desire or expect.

He knows what we

need.

We only know what we want. As it turns out, God has given me enough peace of heart to know he is still there, and just enough assurance of his path for me to know that I can always

just

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

28

trust

him with my

taking

life

— even though

I

know where he

rarely

is

it.

Graduate School Charles Wallace Davis,

A young man

a godsend.

he liked to be Ward,

my assistant from

had been recommended to

called,

W,

as

me by Donald

whom he had served as a faculty assistant during his senior W. made

year at Ambassador College. C.

He

1990 to 1993, was

of faith, peace, and honesty, C.

gave

me much

a

wonderful

assistant.

needed emotional support and encourage-

ment, and set a simple, steadfast example of trusting

God

waiting patiently for

God and

to act.

At Donald Ward's recommendation, C. W. and I began attending the C. P. Haggard Graduate School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University in the fall of 1990. Dr. Earl Grant, associate dean of the graduate school, met and prayed with C. W. and me in late summer that year. To my knowledge, he was the

first

Christian leader

who

offered support and encourage-

Worldwide Church of God as the denomination's From the day of our first meeting, Earl has been a true Christian brother and friend.

ment

to the

transformation was getting under way.

Dr. Grant's gracious acceptance of our fledgling desires for

sound Christian education and blessing

his heartfelt prayer for

on us and our denomination was

reception

we

They never

tried to

taught the Bible in vides those

characteristic of the

received from the faculty and administration of

the graduate school.

They never

God's

who

interfered.

They never pushed. us. They simply

change us or "convert"

all

the joy and enthusiasm the Lord pro-

love him, and they did

it

at a

time

when no

other Christian graduate school would even consider admitting us. Perhaps

more than anything

else, their

example of

Christian love in being willing to risk their reputation to serve

people

who were

will always

considered by other Christians to be a cult

be an inspiration to

me — and a

characteristic

I

pray

A

Crack

the

in

Dam

29

our fellowship will be able to replicate and teach

as

the Lord

wills.

Doctrinal Discussion Group In late

forming

1989

I

approached Joseph Tkach

a doctrinal discussion

with the idea of

Sr.

team that would create

a formal

God as well we were receiving

statement of beliefs for the Worldwide Church of as give

formal review to the

many

challenges

to Herbert Armstrong's doctrines.

Tkach gave

his approval,

appointed thirteen senior ministers and faculty members to the team, and assigned

me to chair it. We

had to

term "doctrinal committee" because that overtones from the days

carried sinister

the "set-

by anyone but "God's

specially

and chosen apostle" (that

ourselves the "Doctrinal

still

when Armstrong condemned

ting of doctrine in the church"

called

carefully avoid the

is,

Armstrong himself). Calling

Manual Group," we drafted the follow-

ing statements of purpose and began meeting weekly in January

1990: 1

.

To ensure that the doctrinal theology as taught in the classes of Ambassador College and the tenets of belief and doctrine as taught in the Worldwide consistent

2.

between the two

To provide

are

entities.

a structured, yet open,

nal matters can

Church of God

forum

in

which

doctri-

be raised and discussed to the end that

fur-

ther doctrinal growth and refinement will occur. 3

.

To provide

a source of

academic theological counsel to the

pastor general of the Church.

4

Instructions encouraged free discussion

among the members of

the team:

Most of the

materials

you receive

will

be

in draft form,

prepared in the Editorial department. Please rewrite sections

you

feel

nature of this

need to be rewritten. Also, the confidential

work enables you

to be as candid as

you

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 30

wish to be. Mr. Tkach's goal us into

The Church

truth.

all

is

that is

we look to God to lead

not to preserve traditional

understanding for the sake of preserving

Church

it.

it.

We

want

to state the Church's under-

standing in as clear and as complete terms as

where members of the group

current understanding tions

may need

as a part

we

feel the

revision,

on such proposed revisions

Tkach

the

is

to discard traditional understanding for the sake

of discarding

In areas

Nor

will

Church's

recommenda-

be given to Mr.

of the group's function.

Mr. Tkach will review

all

observations and recom-

mendations of the group and make

all

points of view

decisions

all final

He

regarding the manual and other statements.

presented with

are able.

among the group

will

be

that do

not agree with the general consensus. Therefore, please do

not hold back your true feelings/

Up the Creek Without a Paddle The path of working through

One member of the panel,

doctrinal issues

a longtime minister

was

and

a

a rocky one.

man

Christian character and a pure heart, said quite honestly,

I'm up the creek without a paddle."

And he

"I

of solid feel like

was. His training at

Armstrong's Ambassador College had not even remotely prepared

him

for

such discussions. His reading in the intervening years had

included few,

if any,

books by Christian scholars about Christian

doctrine, Christian history, or Christian theology. just as

we

The

all

had been, up the creek without

He

a paddle.

discussions about the doctrine of the Trinity

cinating as they

were

frustrating

was, in fact,

were

as fas-

and tedious. During one

cussion about the anthropomorphic references to

God

dis-

in the

Old Testament, a panel member asked, "What does 'figurative' mean?" What were we supposed to say to that? It is a sad day when a senior member of a church's doctrinal review team doesn't

know

the difference between figurative and

literal.

A

Crack

in

the

Dam

31

began to explain

"Well," Kyriakos Stavrinides teristically patient

manner, "when a word or expression

in a figurative sense,

it is

why

used

terms."

literal

we just take

don't

is

painting a picture of a reality that can-

not adequately be described in

"But

in his charac-

the Bible for what

says?"

it

was

the sincere response.

"When Bible

the Bible uses figurative language, that

saying,"

is

I

words, tively,

is

it is

not

what the

offered in response. "Figurative language doesn't

imply that the statement statement

is

less true. It

is

simply means that the

to be understood figuratively, not

a true statement,

and

it is

In other

literally.

to be understood figura-

literally."

"I'm totally

lost.

I

guess

I

just don't

understand

how some-

thing that isn't real can be true." "Let

my

me

give an illustration," Stavrinides offered. "If

wife, 'You are a rose,'

really

mean what I

say.

lovely and pleasing,

mean

she

is

have made

I

She

though

in different specific ways.

mean

I

and

lovely and pleasing, just as a rose

is

literally a rose.

say to

I

a true statement,

I

is

do not

I

that there are certain impor-

my

Or we might say, 'Life is a river' And we mean what we say. We might mean that just as a river flows down the riverbed, so life's moments flow toward their conclusion. But we do not mean that life is littant characteristics of a rose that

erally billions of gallons of

the landscape. What "Well,

I

wife shares.

water moving across an indention in

we say is no less real because it is figurative."

just don't get

it. It

seems to

me you

can just

something figurative any time you don't want to believe can you

tell

and you say

the difference? it's

figurative.

I

So

say something I

guess

we

it.

means what

it

call

How says,

disagree."

Stavrinides continued to explain patiently the value and

importance of figurative language in the

some and

a

Bible. It

was helpful

for

complete fog for others.

Another panel member seemed only to be able to think terms of what Herbert Armstrong had written or

said.

in

He began

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

32

comment with: "Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong said have here Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong's article on ..."

nearly every

or

"I

.

"On page such and such Armstrong wrote.

.

.

."

." .

or

of Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Herbert W.

To him and

to thousands like

him

in the

Worldwide Church of God, Armstrong was God's man, and God had revealed through Armstrong everything the church needed to know.

To

tamount

to the spirit of antichrist.

call

Armstrong's revelations into question was tan-

A

Crack

in

33

the

Dam

A Voice

in the

Wilderness

The MINISTRY OF Herbert W. Armstrong began in 1931 his ordination

God

(Seventh Day),

wake of William

a small

Sabbatarian sect founded in the

Miller's prophetic failure of 1844.

a

Armstrong,

man, had been brought into contact with

a gifted advertising

the Sabbatarians by his wife, Loma,

by

after

by the Oregon Conference of the Church of

who had become

convinced

neighbor that observance of the Saturday Sabbath was a

binding law for Christians. In the

of 1926, Armstrong,

fall

embarrassed by his wife's "fanaticism," set out to prove her 1

wrong. The result of his

"six

months of

seven-day-a-week study and research" Library was his

own

2

virtual night-and-day, at the Portland Public

conversion to Sabbatarianism and his per-

sonal sense of call to Christian ministry.

Special Calling

At

first

Herbert Armstrong's ministry looked similar to any

Christian ministry. Using typical tent-campaign techniques, he

began preaching the gospel (with a strong Sabbatarian bent)

in

the Eugene and Portland areas. Early in his studies, however,

Armstrong came into contact with the of

British-Israelism theories

3

J.

H. Allen. Inexorably influenced by

Armstrong began to

feel that

this "lost"

4

teaching,

he was specially chosen by

God

to

proclaim an end-time warning message to the United States and to the

whole world,

a

message he came to 34

call

the "end-time

Eli-

A Voice

in

the Wilderness 35

prophecy of Malachi

jah" warning message, in reference to the

him

5

4:5-6. This conviction led lishing ministry,

world

as

to begin a local radio

which he intended

to

and pub-

expand to the whole

support grew.

Armstrong's radio program, The World Tomorrow, focused on the growing likelihood of war in Europe, then began covering

the war

itself.

He

connected his

British-Israel ideas to the

prophecies of Ezekiel, proclaiming that Hitler's

win the war and attack the United States to the Nazis

punishment

at the

would

fulfill

States.

The

Germany would

fall

of the United

the prophecies about

Israel's

hands of the Beast of Revelation, which he

connected with Assyria of Ezekiel's prophecies and with an endtime resurrection of the Holy

Roman

Empire.

War

After the Allied victory over the Axis powers in World

Armstrong began proclaiming

II,

a final "resurrection" of the

"European beast power," perhaps led by Hitler himself,

Armstrong suggested might not be dead

at

all,

whom

but in hiding,

waiting to reappear as a counterfeit "resurrected" Savior.

way

or another, the

tribes of Israel,

punished by for

its sins,

modern-day descendants of the

6

One

lost

ten

Armstrong trumpeted, would soon be severely

God

at

the hands of a united European beast

power

primarily those of abandoning Sabbath and holy day

observance.

7

As Armstrong's ministry

grew, he and his followers

became

increasingly convinced of his special calling. First, his church

incorporated as the Radio Church of God, a

name

was

derived from

the fact that Armstrong was pastoring his flock over the airwaves. Later, the

God,

church name was changed to Worldwide Church of

a reflection of Armstrong's belief that his

was the "only true

church" and that he alone was commissioned to preach the gospel in

all

the world to the

last

generation before the return of Christ.

Armstrong's message combined his prophetic, Sabbatarian,

and holy day theories with tion.

Except for

his aberrant

a general Holiness Christian tradi-

dogmas on the Trinity, old covenant

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

laws,

God

and interpretation of prophecy, Armstrong's church shared

many characteristics

of American fundamentalism. Interestingly

while Armstrong's theology called for radical obedience to those

elements of the old covenant he deemed binding on Christians,

namely Saturday Sabbath, holy

and meat

days,

laws,

he took

a

more "balanced" perspective on what he considered nonessenof Christian behavior, such as drinking alcohol (he

tial issues

taught moderation), playing cards, movies, dancing, and mixed

swimming. ticals,

He took a

women's makeup,

celebration, days,

decisively negative stance

such

on pharmaceu-

tobacco, interracial marriage, birthday

and celebration of what he deemed "pagan"

as Easter,

holi-

Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine's Day.

Arbiter of Doctrine

Once Armstrong had

established

Ambassador College

in

Pasadena, California, in 1947 to train ministers for his rapidly

growing church, the dogmatism skyrocketed. Surrounded by young, devoted admirers, passionate about their special assist

him

in the

"most important work on the face of the

call to

earth,"

Armstrong's opinion of himself and his ministry began to take on messianic proportions. His autobiography illustrates the battle lines

between

his sense of the "true

church" (the one he

founded) and every other Christian church: I

had been astounded to learn that the BIBLE teaches

truths diametrically opposite to the teachings of the large

and popular churches and denominations today. the Bible the real

MISSION

I

saw

in

of God's true Church. But

these churches, today, were not carrying on the real

work

and mission of Christ.

The Bible,

ison

SOURCE of their beliefs and practice was not the

but paganism! There was no recognizable compar-

between them and the

found described

in

Yet somewhere there had

to exist

TRUE Church New Testament books.

original

Acts and other

I

today that spiritual organ-

A Voice

in

the Wilderness 37

ism in which Christ actually dwelt ered by His Spirit

— acting

as

—

a

church empow-

His instrument

— carrying

out His Commission.

But where? I

was

still

I

still

had to

some

to be sift

years in finding the answer.

out the real truth a doctrine at a

Armstrong continued his

sifting

time!'

process without, of course, the

discipline of subjecting his ideas to the broader witness of Christ-

ian history,

and he became increasingly convinced that he was the

only true apostle and arbiter of doctrine on earth. Without accountability to

the broader body of Christ, Armstrong's undisciplined

interpretation of Scripture naturally led to doctrinal heresy. Ironically,

Armstrong acknowledged the importance of test-

ing one's personal interpretations of Scripture against the con-

sensual witness of the church: But, exciting as these fully

I

was new

in Christ."

I

new truths were to me,

in the truth

deemed

it

—

a novice spiritually

realized

—

a

"babe

wise to have this newly discovered

truth about the day of the resurrection verified

more experienced

I

in Biblical

by others

understanding than

9

I.

In the case cited, however, Armstrong's personal practice of

the principle to which he accedes was to share his research with

only one lay Christian,

who

two of them could not

own

illustration

discussed

it

with his pastor, and the

refute Armstrong's conclusions.

10

His

demonstrates that Armstrong was unable to

more than lip service to the idea of consensual witness. The was predictable. Armstrong not only held onto his "new truths," but he also convinced himself that he had truly subjected them to the scrutiny of the wider body of Christ. Not surprisingly, Armstrong's willingness to place his pergive

result

sonal "discoveries" above the historical witness of the Spirit in

the church eventually led

consensual witness.

him

to scrap altogether the

need

for

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

God's Faithful To Armstrong and

his followers,

WCG distinctives became

the tests of the "one and only true church." Primary distinctives

included the following: •

Observance of the seventh-day Sabbath and annual Israelite

• •

holy days

A doctrine of the modern identity of the "lost ten tribes" A gospel centering on the return of Christ and a future millennium on earth

•

Three

tithes:

one for the work of the church, one

for per-

sonal expenses at the required annual festivals, and one

every third and sixth year of a seven-year cycle for the

widows and the poor •

Adherence to the Old Testament unclean meat laws

•

Rejection of the doctrines of the immortal soul and hell

•

Rejection of Trinitarianism

•

Avoidance of traditional Christian

•

Avoidance of voting and military service

•

Avoidance of most forms of medical care

•

A unique premillennial triple-resurrection schema

festivals

•

Major emphasis on mass-media ministry

•

Worldwide Church of God was the only true Christian church and that Herbert Armstrong was specially raised up and inspired by God to be the "Elijah to come" who would "restore all things," including right

The

belief that the

doctrine, in preparation for the return of Christ

The bottom

line:

Only those who were baptized members God were considered God's faith-

of the Worldwide Church of ful.

The Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Arm-

strong's chief educational tool,

As the terms of the Savior's

of

God

New

Testament— His today IS

put

it

this

Covenant Will

way:

are

now

part of the

— THE TRUE CHURCH

THE EXECUTOR OR ADMINISTRA-

A Voice

in

the Wilderness 39

TOR OF THIS WILL by which one may obtain the Holy Spirit OF ENTRANCE INTO GOD'S KINGDOM. Christ FOUNDED His Church FOR THIS PURPOSE.

—

we know why this Will was made its together with proof we are the true intent and purpose The very

fact that

—

true

Church formed

executors!

for executing this Will,

makes us

its

We are the ones who possess the "keys" today.

NOT

SHOUTING, SENSELESS "PENTECOSTAL-TYPE" OF CHURCH. God's God's true Church

Spirit

is

A SOUND KEYS OF THE KING-

"the Spirit of a sound mind," in

is

CHURCH WHICH HAS DOM.

the

..

.

Do

attempting to

the

make

not

FATAL MISTAKE

the

of

COVENANT with God THROUGH THE

WRONG CHURCH. Remember that after you

are begotten,

you must grow.

IF you CHOOSE the WRONG CHURCH through which to covenant with God, you will BE FED the

WRONG SPIRITUAL FOOD. You will then DIE SPIRITUALLY if you are And then you Christ's

Ajid

fed this

soon-coming finally,

the only

BORN AGAIN

at

.

keep always

human

spiritual food.

BE

1

ing message to all the earth is

wrong

CANNOT in

mind

must be

force powerful

that God's final warncarried

enough

by

to

radio.

do

it!

That

That's

why THIS

WORK CALLED THE RADIO CHURCH

GOD

["Radio" was eventually dropped for "World-

OF

wide."].

is

11

Tackling Nominalism Inherent in this radically judgmental and self-enamored perspective

was Armstrong's concept of

nominal Christianity. strong's viewpoint tian churches:

A

on the

1

a

nationwide problem of

963 church booklet explained Arm-

role of biblical

law

in

American Chris-

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

40

But Mr. Armstrong's Sunday school days had taught him

—

NO works to salvation God's Law was DONE away. To him, religion had not been a way OF LIFE, that there are

but

mere

a

BELIEF

— an acceptance of the FACTS of God's

existence, Christ's virgin birth, the efficacy of Christ's

shed blood. Religion, to him, had been

a

Sunday morning

hour-and-a-half at church (which he had neglected for

some

15 or 16 years]

he lived the

— and had nothing to do with howweek.

rest of the

2

Armstrong passionately taught that Christianity

way

He was

is

to be "a

condemn cheap grace, easy belief, and an empty profession of faith. The likes of Bonhoeffer, Tozer, and Merton would agree with Armstrong's denunciation of nomof

life.

'

"

inal Christianity.

But

right to

sadly,

Armstrong's solution proved to be

empty and devoid of

equally as

Eddie Gibbs

cites ten

Spirit life as the

common

problem

itself

elements that promote nom-

inality in the life of a local church:

1.

2.

The congregation has never had the Gospel clearly presented in the power of the Holy Spirit. The authority of the Bible has been undermined through rationalism and empiricism.

3.

The Word

of

God has been

proclaimed

in a cold, abrasive,

and judgmental manner.

and overaggressive personal evangelism.

4.

Insensitive

5.

Unhappy experiences

in

church-related small groups.

6.

Culturally irrelevant worship services.

7.

Too frequent changes of minister.

8.

No

9.

Unresolved personal

effective procedures for incorporating conflicts.

10. Institutional degeneration.

One

or

more of these

newcomers.

4

deficiencies drove the majority of Arm-

strong's early converts into his arms.

nominalism, however, had

little

The Armstrong

substance.

It

alternative to

provided

little

more

A Voice

in

the Wilderness 41

than a substitution of legalistic Sabbatarianism and prophetic emotionalism for sound, Christ-centered proclamation of the gospel.

Herbert Armstrong was

who was

a

powerful and dynamic preacher

excellent at pointing out certain deficiencies in other

Christian churches. In Armstrong's church, though, the Bible

became

a tool to "prove" that

Armstrong was God's man with

God's message and God's "restored truth" and that Armstrong's

group was God's one and only true church. The gospel of the

kingdom of God was spiritually gutted, becoming principally an announcement about a future millennial reign of Christ over the physical nations and in practice a message of obedience to the law especially the Sabbath, the annual holy days, and God's government through Herbert Armstrong. The true gospel, on the other hand, calls sinful humans to salvation by God's grace through faith in Christ. That salvation is not empty, to be sure, but it entails repentance accompanied by a life of discipleship. "Take up your cross and follow me," Jesus commands. Armstrong's attempt to resolve the nominality problem consistently fails on this fundamental truth of Scripture:

—

Jesus calls sinners to himself, not people

from

sin (cf.

Mark

2:17).

Humans

who have

are

by nature

already turned sinners.

They

cannot loose themselves from the bondage of sin. They can only cry out, as did the tax collector in Jesus' parable, "Lord, be merciful to

me, a sinner ." 1

It

was

not the "obedient" Pharisee, Regarding Christians

know God through ple."

15

this

man, the acknowledged

who went away justified,

life

A. W. Tozer observed, "They go

trying to love an ideal

and be

loyal to a

mere

princi-

Church of God, the ideal was to belong to

the right church organization, the one that tion;

says Jesus.

who believe in God's existence but do not

in personal experience,

In the Worldwide

sinner,

and the principle was the "way of

fit

life,"

our ideal concep-

especially Sabbath

we believed to be virtuGod calls his people into community with him, the divine

keeping and loyalty to Armstrong, which ous.

But

Person, to a true ple,

and

real relationship,

code of conduct, or

not to a mere divine

set of ideal behaviors.

princi-

Armstrong's concept

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 42

of the "true church" was a church that had as

he understood them. With such a concept

tionship with

God,

ful

as the basis for rela-

WCG members tended to

no wonder that

it is

measure human standing with

the right doctrines"

"all

God by a person's

level of success-

adherence to the selected set of "right doctrines."

Aging Apostle As Herbert Armstrong

some heart the church became

aged, and especially after

trouble in 1977, his physical ability to lead

more and more not be

questionable. Decisions of any significance could

made without

difficult if

his approval, yet getting to

not impossible. Church

officials

him became

often feared making

decisions of any consequence,

knowing that Armstrong might

disapprove and reverse them.

It

was not uncommon

Armstrong to grant approval

for a project to

tell

another to stop

approved

it.

Sometimes he would

a given proposal

official in front

one

for the aging

official,

to

satisfaction

enemies

of others.

Armstrong

as

he privately confided

with one to another, changing

like clothing.

He seemed to trust no

ing that this one or that one

was

among offi-

his distrust or dis-

his confidants

and

one completely,

fear-

trying to "take over"

ing his worries "in confidence" to others.

As one

and express-

official

put

it,

one time or another every evangelist [the highest ecclesiastical in the

had

and dress down the "presumptuous"

This situation naturally bred jealousy and infighting cials close

only to

forget that he

"At

office

Worldwide Church of God under Armstrong] has had Mr.

Armstrong

Some

tell

him

that he doubts the conversion of another one."

days, the aging patriarch

might be congenial and

lucid,

reviewing principles of effective writing with the editorial

staff,

discussing strategic plans for buying television time, or speaking to a training session for pastors.

over an anonymous

pounding it

or

his desk,

knew who

Other

days,

letter, calling in

he might be

in a rage

employees one by one,

and demanding to know whether they wrote

did.

His hearing was poor. His vision was gone

A Voice

the Wilderness

in

43

in

one eye and dim

to use a strong magni-

He feared that people close to him were con-

fying glass to read. spiring against

He had

in the other.

him

—

as,

During Armstrong's

indeed, several had over the years.

the church was virtually at a

final years,

standstill administratively.

Most of his energy and time was con-

sumed with

—

personal issues

and ensuing divorce,

his relationship

his son's "rebellion"

and

with

his

second wife

efforts to "take

over

own failing health. There was little, if any, harmony between major church leaders and departments. Frustration

the church," and his

and

distrust

were rampant

There was no coordinated

church headquarters

at

strategic planning

in Pasadena.

and no concept of

preparing for the long-term integrity of the church organization.

Every church leader had thinks"

own

his

idea of

"how Mr. Armstrong

and what Mr. Armstrong "would do" in any given

Even

in the

midst of administrative turmoil,

situation.

WCG mission

continued to center around one thing: warning the United States

and other white, English-speaking countries to repent before the

German-led European beast power nuclear weapons

which Christ

members

rises

and destroys them with

— the bombs are about to

will return

and

set

start falling

—

up the kingdom (with

as his glorified administrative

after

WCG

team, of course). But

without consistent and coordinated leadership, every church official

had

carried out

God's

his

own

idea of

how

and what church

that "commission" ought to be

priorities

should be.

Man

Church

officials

did seem to agree on one thing: Herbert Arm-

strong was God's man, and whatever he decided to do was God's will. If a

department head could get Armstrong's approval of his

particular plan for "carrying out the commission," fidently disregard the ideas, needs, istrators. If he

he had

(or

had

(or

and

he could con-

priorities of other

admin-

thought he had) Armstrong's backing, then

thought he had) God's backing. Armstrong seemed

oblivious to the administrative nightmare his

one-man-show

style

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

44

of leadership created.

were the

If

there were problems, he reasoned, they

fault of underlings; if there

were

God was

successes,

blessing Armstrong's leadership.

Until his final months,

if it

ever seriously entered the

mind of

Herbert Armstrong that the church he founded would have to endure for any never

let on.

significant period

beyond his

lifetime,

he certainly

His administrative policies were fundamentally

geared to the premise that Christ would return before his death.

When Armstrong occasionally mused on the idea of succession, it

amounted

to a

was unsuited

list

of reasons

why

every leading administrator

for the task.

Serious attention to succession might never have all

had Armstrong not learned

cials

in

come up

1981 that certain church

at

offi-

were allegedly arranging to have him declared mentally

incompetent and have

a legal conservator

appointed for him. His

response was to appoint what he termed the 'Advisory Council of Elders," which was

empowered

to appoint a successor in the

event of his death or during the duration of any incapacity to govern, unless he personally

named

a successor first.

Even then

the fundamental motivation was not to introduce sound principles of leadership but rather to circumvent an alleged plan to

have

a conservator appointed.

Even

at that point,

Armstrong

believed he would not die before the return of Jesus.

still

16

Tkach Appointed

WCG administrative structure was clear and ironclad: Armremoved from office. When he appointed Sr. to succeed him as pastor general, Armstrong charged Tkach to carefully safeguard this hierarchical

strong could not be

Joseph Tkach strongly

structure that kept final authority solely in the hands of the pastor general. "If

you allow them to put your decisions

into the hands of a

board, this will no longer be the government of God.

the government of men," Armstrong told Tkach.

It

"God

would be

has always

A Voice

in

the Wilderness 45

worked through one man

to lead his church."

Tkach did not

change the structure, though he voluntarily sought a wide range

He was

reluctant

his leadership

team and

of input before implementing major decisions. to act without general consensus

among

rarely did so. Ironically, however,

Tkach would not have been able

to

implement the massive doctrinal transformation that character-

ized the later years of his administration without the unfettered hier-

archical authority delegated to

him by Armstrong. For Tkach,

among top-ranking ministers became increaseach domino of doctrinal and administrative revi-

reaching consensus ingly difficult as

sion

fell.

Upon

death in September 1995, Tkach delegated the

his

same unchecked authority

him the

to his son, Joseph

third pastor general of the church.

immediately adopted, voluntarily,

a

He began

church bylaws

Jr.,

making

The younger Tkach

consensual style of leader-

ship and began to act only with approval

of directors.

Tkach

from the church board

the process of reviewing and revising

in early 1996.

This was

made

easier

by the

that rigid doctrinal opposition in the administration

fact

no longer

existed. It is

a fact of history that absolute authority

is

dangerous

in

the hands of any human. For a church to be spiritually healthy, its

leader

must submit

ful Christians

cumstances.

to accountability within a group of faith-

and must be subject to removal under certain

It is

true that the

same

allowed the Worldwide Church of

been was

also necessary for

it

cir-

hierarchical authority that

God

to

become what

it

had

to change. For the church to con-

tinue on a spiritually healthy path, however, the authoritarian

form of church government ified.

I

am happy

will

have to be appropriately mod-

to say that the process of doing so

is

well

underway.

Under the leadership of Joseph Tkach Church of God began the doctrinal

and

Sr.,

the Worldwide

painful and traumatic process of major

institutional change.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

46

/ lerbert W. Armstrong and and Dorothy, about 1922.

his wife,

Loma, with

their first

two children, Beverly

A Voice

in

the Wilderness

47

>d

The Wain Truth

Calendar

about

Christmas/

•

•

^'

:

1*^v

~^"'~'"~

THE "PACT OF PARIS

JfJP£4/*

BIBLE STUDY

Quarterly

Cm A

Sabbath Keeper Believe lo

Some

of Herbert

Misswri

W. Armstrong's

"

Evolution?

early articles and brochures published by the sabbatarian denomination headquartered in Stanberry,

Light Shines in

My Darkness MY grandmother was

EARLY 1991

IN

and she knew

it. I

members

end of her

close to the

life,

had flown to Amarillo, Texas, joining other

As she and I sat talking in the small room of her convalescent home, I could see she had something on her mind. She put her hand on mine, family

looked into

to celebrate her eighty-fifth birthday.

my

speech, "Mick

eyes,

and asked

slowly, in her stroke-slurred

— [she always called me "Mick"] — do you love

Jesus?" I

am chagrined to say that was uncomfortable with the ques-

tion.

I

We just

God. That was Protestant

"Do you obey

asked,

Worldwide Church of Syrupy sweet. We wanted to be

didn't talk like that in the talk.

Jesus Christ?"

We

didn't like to say "Jesus"

without adding "Christ." That sounded manlier, more powerful to us. Just

saying "Jesus" sounded

here was

want

stroke-stricken grandmother,

whom

I

would not

me if thank God

to hurt or disappoint for the world, asking

Jesus. "Yes,

my

wimpy and sickly sweet. And now

I

could hardly get the words out, but

"Oh, I'm so

said,

glad," she said.

Looking back on Christian, but

What

I

love Jesus, Grandma."

I

Jesus,

loved

I

I

I

it, it

seems

strange.

had trouble saying

thought, but don't ask

"I

I

considered myself a

love Jesus."

I

would

me to say the words "I

die for

love Jesus."

kind of Christian experience teaches people to think

that?

48

like

My Darkness

Light Shines in

49

The simple

me to

yet teach

way

fact was,

didn't love Jesus the

I

love him.

— my way.

I

my

knew

about him. But

What I am is

hero,

saying

my

is

no different from

He

estate.

as

I

an extension of me: he was

But he was not yet

king.

didn't yet

know

my

my

friend.

I

him.

that as long as the heir a slave,

father.

in slavery

So

is

a child,

he

although he owns the whole

also,

when we were

children,

we

under the basic principles of the world.

But when the time had of a

would

subject to guardians and trustees until the

is

time set by his

were

Jesus

loved him in a human, carnal sort of

loved him

champion, a lot

I

way

fully

woman, born under

come,

law, to

God sent his

Son, born

redeem those under

law,

we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Gal. 4:1-7) that

had been

I

had to be

a slave in

a slave,

the household of God.

but because

I

didn't yet realize

that

God had made me his child.

was

all

I

knew.

rules because

lived like a slave because that

followed the rules

I

I

I

Not because I what it meant

I

thought were the Master's

honored the Master and because

I

wanted to

avoid the lash and receive the benefits. It

was

live. It

a better life

kept

me

than people outside the household had to

out of a lot of trouble. But

at best

it

was only

a

God yearned for me to have. God wanted a son, not a slave. God wanted a relationship of love, not a relationship of rules. God wanted my heart and soul, not just my shell of the true life

compliance.

Belonging to the "one and only"

You know

things

nobody

else

is

heady

stuff.

You

are special.

knows. You do things the deceived

masses do not do, and you avoid things the deceived masses embrace. Your

human

leader

is

the most important person on

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

50

Because of your special

earth.

status,

you

will

be delivered from

the disasters that are coming on the world. All the people that

oppose you all is,

if

one day acknowledge that you were

will

right

— that

they finally join the "one and only" and escape annihilation.

But the of

now

along and praise you for your faithfulness and integrity

light of

my "loyalty

God's love was about to break into the darkness

and

integrity."

Armstrong and Physical Healing Herbert Armstrong had taught anointing with for physical healing

from the beginning of

autobiography, he described his

power to heal when

his wife,

first

oil

and prayer

his ministry. In his

encounter with God's

Loma, contracted blood poisoning:

man actually dared to talk directly to God, and to God what He had promised to do! He quoted the promises of God to heal. He applied them to my wife. He literally held God to what He had promised! It was not This

tell

because we,

as

mortal humans, deserved what he asked,

but through the merits of Jesus Christ, and according to

God's great mercy.

He merely claimed God's PROMISE to heal. He asked God to heal her completely, from the top of her head to the bottom of her

feet.

"You have promised," he said to God, "and you have given us the right to hold you to your promise to heal by

the

power of your mighty Holy

promise!

We

It

was not

he spoke

my

I

I

hold you to that

expect to have the answer!"

Never have as

Spirit.

I

heard anyone talk

a long prayer

like that to

— perhaps

knew that as sure

wife had to be healed!

a

as there

Any

God!

minute or two. But is

a

God in heaven,

other result would have

made God out a liar. Any other result would have nullified the authority of the Scriptures. Complete assurance seized

me — and

also

my

wife.

We

simply

knew

that she

was

Light Shines in

My Darkness

51

released from everything that

had gripped her

— she was

— she was healed! To have doubted simwould have been to doubt God — to doubt the freed from the sickness

Bible. It

ply never occurred to us to doubt.

Armstrong goes on to recount

We believed! We knew!

how Loma woke up

1

the next

morning completely healed of everything, "including some longstanding internal maladjustments" (319). His conclusion? "The Bible

is

filled

with thousands of God's promises. They are there

for us to claim."

The

result of this

woeful misunderstanding of God's freedom

to act according to his love,

and

bers

who were

own

perfect will, in accordance with his

in the best interests of his

as guilty of

people was disastrous.

not healed were looked upon

some hidden

sin.

who

People

as

weak

Mem-

in faith or

"died in the faith"

because they refused traditional medical treatment were considered automatically saved, not because Jesus' righteousness was attributed to them, but because they "obeyed trusting

him and not drugs and surgery

not only a lack of faith in ing It

down

was

to the end,"

for healing.

To submit to drugs and surgery (except Armstrong called "repair surgery") was

God

for first aid

and what

a sin of the highest order,

God for healing, but in

essence a

bow-

before the altar of Baal. There was no middle ground.

either/or.

trust

God

Most

WCG

You could not

for healing.

take drugs or have surgery

Even vaccination was considered

and

sinful.

parents sent notes to school with their children

requesting they be excused on religious grounds from mandatory vaccinations.

made

An

article in

the church magazine of 1961

the church position crystal clear:

There are numerous scriptures point out to us that

God

we

are to rely,

which not on man, but on in the Bible

for our healing (see Psa. 103:3).

When we

put our

men and their drugs and vaccines, rather than in God who has ALL POWER, we are actually putting man and his ingenuity before the Creator God. If we are to

faith in

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 52

on God's healing power,

rely

it is

impossible to rely also

on medicines and vaccines developed by men.

Those

in the

Church of God follow the

instruction

given by the Apostle James (James 5:14-16) and rely on

God's healing power through prayer for the healing of sickness

and

and

disease.

As

believers in God's healing

DIVINE PROTECTION,

their faith in the

faith

true Christians cannot put

methods of men by submitting them-

and vaccines.

selves to drugs

Your

is

either in

God

Almighty

the only true

;

Healer and Protector, or in the god of medicine 1

power

:l-4), drugs and vaccines.

Where

is

your

faith

(II

Kings

and

who

your God? 2

is

Naturally,

members who chose

medicine for

traditional

themselves or their children usually did so in secret, and they usually carried the pain of secret guilt.

By the time Armstrong

1986, the stigma had lifted somewhat.

died in January

members who used traditional medicine were considered weak in faith, and many pastors still refused to anoint and Still,

pray for them, since they had chosen Baal over

God

for their

healing.

Crisis of Faith

was

It

in that

context that

child in the winter of 1986. ill

more than

for

a

floor

with

Our

week with

be up and around for

a while,

a high fever.

My

I

found myself with

a

very sick

five-year-old son Jeff

had been

He would down on the

a recurring high fever.

then he would

lie

wife, Victoria, tried to

keep liquids

him and keep him in bed, and then he would feel better and want to get up and play. But before long, he would be down in

again. All the while, I

him.

he had

a little

nagging cough.

anointed him and prayed for him and trusted I

think

God

to heal

we may have had other ministers come and pray for

Light Shines in

My

Darkness

53

him as well. But he didn't improve, and we became more and more worried. We got some books about childhood illnesses and symptoms and what to do about them. We found that Jeff's symptoms indicated that he had pneumonia. Needless to say, we were in a panic. Our son was in danger of dying. He was clearly becoming dehydrated, and his fever was no longer going away.

What

we do? Should we continue to trust God to should we "weaken" and take him to the doctor?

should

heal him, or

The books antibiotics

would cure our

told us that antibiotics

were

a

son.

But

product of Satan's pharmaceutical deception,

weren't they? To take antibiotics would be like going to Satan for help I

and

telling

began praying

calling

God we didn't trust him, wouldn't it? God to help me understand all this. Was he

for

me to give up my son, like Abraham was asked to do? To go would be

to the doctor and take the antibiotics

seemed to get

me to

We We

so sensible. But surely that

abandon

faith in

God and go

of all

And we this.

continued to pray for

side."

the Bible references

help us

his care

The Light Shines

in

at the

make

it

sense

now slightly parents whom God

Meanwhile, Jeff simply lay there with

had charged with

I

all

God to

sunken five-year-old eyes looking up

As

over to the "dark

trying

got out the Bible and our church literature on healing.

studied the church teaching and

cited.

so simple and

was Satan's deception,

his

and nurture.

My Darkness

continued to cry out

in prayer,

my

assumptions about

divine healing being incompatible with medical science began to melt away.

It

began to occur to

me that God expects

to take proper care of their children.

It

began to occur to

proper care includes taking appropriate medicines. realize that binding tally different I

wounds and

setting

bones

is

I

parents

me that

began to

not fundamen-

from necessary surgery and taking medicine. And

couldn't get past the plain fact that Luke, author of one of the

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

54

Gospels,

is

plainly called a physician in the Bible 1 Furthermore, .

nowhere does the Bible even suggest that tion

is

getting medical atten-

wrong. Every passage cited in our literature

as

proof that

"going to the doctors" was a sin was taken out of context, mis-

and misinterpreted.

applied,

God

God

Does that mean we should never call the police? God provides our needs. Does that mean we shouldn't get a job or save money? The fact that God Yes,

heals.

But

mean we

heals does not

protects too.

shouldn't bind wounds, use medicine,

and take sensible care of ourselves. Suddenly otics

from

myself, If

I

he had

I

understood that

my child.

had no

right to

a choice,

of pneumonia?

Even

if

I

I

had no

wanted

right to

to

make such

impose that choice on

would he choose

Or was I making

withhold antibia choice for

my minor child.

to refuse medicine and die

that choice for

him? Was Abra-

me — or for any Christian, for that matter? Had God spoken to me as he did to Abraham? Had God told me to go and sacrifice my son? And was withholding normal ham's situation normative for

medical attention the same

as

Abraham's being told

directly

by

Mount Moriah and make a sacrifice (which God in fact stopped him from making, of course)? No! God does not condemn medical science. He does not expect parents to withhold modern medicine from their children. He does not forbid Christians to become doctors nurses,

God to

go to

or pharmacologists. Keeping Jeff

wrong, and

all

from

antibiotics

was

just plain

my ideas about God's healing and medical science

being opposites were just plain wrong.

ter,

We got an Ambassador College student to babysit our daughElizabeth. We bundled up Jeff, put him in his car seat, and

took him to the emergency room. The doctor gave him x-ray,

confirmed

a serious case of

pneumonia, gave him

a chest a shot

of penicillin, and prescribed a course of antibiotics. Within

twenty-four hours our son was nearly back to normal. not gone to the doctor

when we

did, Jeff

Had we

might have died within

My Darkness

Light Shines in 55

And

days.

I

suppose Victoria and

by our church

I

would have been considered

even to give up our son for the Lord.

we would

have agreed.

God

Praise

for his grace!

have to say that even though

I

Victoria and to do,

I

I

intellect accepts

God wanted us

new

truth, the heart

lags behind.

found myself afraid to

I

could plainly see that what

pangs of guilt and doubt. Old habits and beliefs

Even when the

sometimes

I

had done was right and was what

still felt

die hard.

God who were willing And even worse, maybe

to be faithful servants of

the emergency

tell

room and our use

would be condemned. But Joseph Tkach

other

I

members about our trip of antibiotics.

did feel

I

I

feared

could discuss

it

to

we

with

Sr.

The Teaching Changes Over the next several days, I explained to Mr. Tkach what I had discovered in studying our literature and comparing it with the Bible. He was quite interested and told me that he had been thinking along similar lines. He asked me to write up the study, and he began to discuss the subject with other church

He found

leaders.

response from most.

a fairly positive

Kyriakos Stavrinides, an Ambassador College faculty

was

ber,

a friend

and frequent research resource

Stavrinides explained to rifice

sin"

mem-

for Tkach.

Tkach that Armstrong's idea of the

sac-

of Christ being segmented into shed blood for "spiritual

and broken body

Jesus' sacrifice

for "physical sin"

was one unified whole

was erroneous.

for the

Instead,

whole redemption

of humanity.

Armstrong had believed that cally

and

solely that

was on

against

body was broken

specifi-

we might be physically healed. Our spiritual

redemption came through It

Jesus'

this basis that

modern medical

Jesus'

shed blood, Armstrong taught.

Armstrong took such

science. After

all, if

a strong stand

the only reason Jesus

— God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 56

was beaten with

a cat-o-nine-tails

was so that our "physical

how

might be forgiven and our bodies healed, then

dare

sins"

we

set

that aside in favor of drugs and surgery?

The

was always Plain Truth editor Her-

acid test, however,

man Hoeh, one

of the founding students of Ambassador College

and one of longest-serving ordained ministers

Tkach ing.

But Hoeh expressed

that he

support and told

his

in the church.

to counter Armstrong's teacha surprised

had personally disagreed with Armstrong on

from the tract

Hoeh

not expect

really did

Hoeh even

days of the college.

earliest

he had kept since

his college days that

that using medical science

is

Tkach

this point

gave Tkach a

countered the idea

a sin.

Hoeh's positive response provided Tkach with the emotional

me

support he needed to ask ministers and

to begin drafting an article to

members announcing

change

a

teaching on the use of medical science.

in the church's

We published the

cle in

March of 1987

isters

worldwide. The Worldwide News, the

in the Pastor General's Report for

publication, presented the article to

all

all

official

members

a

all

arti-

min-

member

few weeks

later.

Little did

we

realize

tually insignificant

it

at the time,

compared

to

only a matter of months before

were his

also

but

this

change was

what would soon it

began to be

follow. It

vir-

was

clear that there

major problems with Armstrong's doctrinal linchpin

approach to end-time prophecy and

on

his teaching

British

Israelism.

Christmas and Mr. Rogers Although stirrings

I

didn't see

it

way

at

the time, the

of cognitive dissonance that Victoria and

the Worldwide Church of lier

that

when our two

and three years

God

I

first faint

had about

happened a couple of years ear-

oldest children, Jeff and Liz,

old, respectively.

were about four

We had just finished breakfast

one weekday morning, and the four of us were watching Mr.

Light Shines in

My Darkness

57

Rogers' Neighborhood

TV before

on

morning routine

regular

Mr. Rogers

a

is

work, part of our

in those days.

good man who speaks

in a kindly, gentle way them about everything from

to his small viewers as he teaches

and from goldfish to cookie making.

factories to fire trucks

them about the

also teaches

left for

I

between

difference

reality

even while he uses make-believe to

believe,

He

and make-

illustrate

moral

We were grateful for such a valuable program and such a

lessons.

positive adult role model.

Our

children respected Mr. Rogers and trusted him.

morning, however, Mr. Rogers caught us by surprise. a

package containing

On this

He opened

a Santa Claus costume, complete with

beard. Slowly and gently he explained and demonstrated to the

children

son

how

is still

Claus

the beard

under

it.

It

fits

was

— and Santa Claus

Santa Claus

is

on the face but that the same per-

a great segment.

But

it

was about Santa

bad. But Mr. Rogers

is

bad. But Mr. Rogers

is

is

good. But

good.

"Dad." I

coming miles away.

felt it

"Dad," Liz repeated, her

TV. "Dad,

why

is

little

furrowed brow staring

at

the

Mr. Rogers putting on Santa Claus clothes?

Is

Mr. Rogers bad?" "I

want

to

know

too,

Dad.

Is

Mr. Rogers bad?" Jeff echoed,

not moving his wide eyes from the shocking drama unfolding on the TV. "No."

I

stammered

for the right words. "No. Mr. Rogers isn't

bad. He, uh, just doesn't, uh, uh, uh,

is

know

that Santa Claus

just trying to help people not

"But he's dressing up

like

good?" Jeff pointed at the

know

They just toria

and

I

Is

Santa Claus

TV screen.

that Santa Claus

then he won't dress up

bad. He,

be scared of Santa Claus."

Santa Claus, Dad.

"Well, no. Santa Claus isn't good.

doesn't

is

like

is

bad.

It's

just that Mr. Rogers

Someday

he'll

know, and

Santa Claus anymore."

stared at the screen and didn't talk any more. Vic-

did too.

And

the gears started turning. "Out of the

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

58

mouths of babes," the proverb says, "shall come wisdom." And it had that day. It began to dawn on us that we had no problem letting the kids have their pictures taken with Mickey Mouse and Goofy. But

this

dren on Christmas Eve was bad, bad, Well,

it is

not because of

not because there

is

who brings bad. Why?

kind old gentleman

no

per

gifts,

literal

se.

Gifts are not a sin.

Santa Claus, and he

is

Stories are not sin; the parables of Jesus, for example, It is

gifts to chil-

only a

were

It is

story.

stories.

not because of red clothes or snow or reindeer. Red clothes,

snow, and reindeer are not beard.

White beards

because he does nitely bad.

sins. It is

are not sin.

on Christmas,

it

not because of the white

So what I

guess.

So Santa Claus must be bad

has to be

is it,

then?

And

Christmas

too,

It

because he

is

is

defi-

associ-

ated with Christmas.

Pagan Origins Christians

who condemn

Christmas have their reasons.

December 25 was indeed a day of pagan merrymaking in the Roman Empire in honor of the birthday of the "invincible sun." It marked the lengthening of days following the winter solstice. The dying sun, indicated by Prior to the fourth century,

the shorter days of winter, was "reborn" at this time and began to increase again in strength, as

shown by the longer

days.

How

can a day devoted to pagan revelry be used to honor Christ? Furthermore, there

is

no

biblical

precedent for birthday cele-

Did not only such people as Pharaoh and Herod hold celebrations on their birthdays? The early church father Origen, for example, condemned the concept of celebrating Jesus'

brations.

birth at

all.

Perhaps these are good reasons for Christians to avoid any celebration of Christmas. People should certainly not violate their consciences.

hearts

who

I

know many devoted and

faithful Christian

love Jesus tenderly yet avoid Christmas for such rea-

sons of conscience.

a

Light Shines

in

My Darkness

59

To the

contrary, perhaps

on by Christians

December 25 was

for celebrating the birth of Christ precisely so

that the Christian observance festival it

— so

as to

1

:9)

would coincide with the pagan

overshadow and replace

did. Jesus Christ

(John

ultimately settled

and the

was worshiped

it

— which, of course,

the true Light of the world

as

Sun of righteousness who

true

rises

with heal-

ing in his wings (Mai. 4:2}.

Conscience and Condemnation The Christmas

who ship.

consider 3

It is

it

tree

interesting,

compare himself to

I

am

will

Christians,

from pagan revelry and nature wor-

however, that

Yahweh

Hosea

a pine tree. In

0 Ephraim, what more have 1

some

highly offensive to

is

a leftover

I

to

is

14:8,

not reluctant to

Yahweh

do with

pleads:

idols?

answer him and care for him.

like a

green pine tree;

your fruitfulness comes from me. Thus, in direct contrast to

idols,

green pine tree as a symbol that he

is

God compares

himself to

a

the only source of the fruit-

fulness of his people. I

know of no

Christians

haps there are some, but

I

who

worship the Christmas

tree. Per-

have never heard of them. While

I

respect and understand the viewpoint and decision of Christians

—

who

avoid Christmas,

way

that provides another excellent opportunity to focus and

orient

my life

I

it

in a fresh

way

around the saving and empowering work of

through Jesus Christ.

I

how I now understand Progress

have come to view

column

the Christmas tree for

in the Plain Truth

my One Pilgrim's

magazine:

The Christian Christmas Tree The evergreen

tree

God

wrote the following short description of

symbolizes the faithfulness of God,

remaining forever the same, even during the darkness and cold of winter.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

60

The candles (or lights) on

whose

was

life

the tree symbolize

our Savior Jesus Christ,

the Light of all people,

the Light that shines in the darkness,

and which

enlightens everyone.

Some people put red bows on

the

tree,

symbolizing the shed blood of our Savior,

by which our sins are forgiven.

Ornaments symbolize fruit, which in turn symbolizes the gracious of

gifts

and provision

God for his people.

Just as the Cross of Christ

was a

tree stripped of its greenery

and made

into

and

a dead post,

so our sin has stripped us of beauty

and

dignity

and

dignity

resulted in death.

Through the death of the Son of God on the dead

and by

his resurrection

salvation

and

true

life

and

tree,

life,

have come

to the

whole creation,

especially to us,

whose dignity and value and beauty has been restored through faith in him.

The splendor of the Christmas decorated with light

tree,

and color and beauty, and reconciled state by

symbolizes our restored

Our Father in heaven and our Lord Jesus and have made us beautiful by the good things they have done for

The

gifts

under the

the grace of God.

Christ love

us,

us.

tree

symbolize the dignity

and value God has given

through Jesus' saving work.

to

human

beings

Light Shines

in

My Darkness

61

We give gifts to one another on this day for one God sent his Son into the world to save us and make us his children, and has placed his love into we might

that

And

There Bible

is

that's the story the

mas

about

—

the love of

Christmas

God. us on this Christ-

tree tells

season.

no

is

silent

is

us,

love one another, even as he loves us.

what Christmas

That's

reason only:

approaching these matters

sin in

The

differently.

about the celebration of Christmas. There was no

Worldwide Church of God's avoiding Christmas for reasons of conscience. The sin lay in our unrelenting condemnasin in the

tion of

all

way we

Christians

did. If we

who viewed the matter differently from the

had followed

in regard to matters of days

lived

Paul's

admonition

by our preference without turning

condemn others. Our younger son,

Christopher, has

Each year

and

Easter.

bits

and eggs have to do with

bols of

new

we have Holmes,

life,"

I

As

Dr.

14

could have

into an occasion to

grown up with Christmas love to ask

Jesus' resurrection.

him what

rab-

"They are sym-

Watson used

life

to say to Sherlock

absurdly simple."

Supporting the

Myth

Being the only true church

is

heady wine.

to be God's chosen few, the faithful remnant. issues like

Romans

he eagerly responds. "Symbols of the new

in Jesus!"

"How

at Easter time,

it

in

we

devoted to the Lord,

It

feels very

good

And controversial

pagan influences on Christmas and

Easter, ironically,

myth

that

your group constitutes the loyal and obedient faithful few.

It is

provide just the needed rationale to help support the

way of drawing a boundary around the grace of God. It another way of declaring: "God's grace reaches to us and no

another is

farther.

How

is

that so? Because

we

are the faithful ones.

We

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

62

are the ones

who

We

have not been deluded.

are not like the

deceived majority. Satan has deceived the whole world, but he has not deceived

us,

because

we

And and we

are the elect.

proof: Christmas and Easter are pagan,

here's

more

don't keep

them."

Condemning others is a fine way of making ourselves feel less condemned. At least I don't keep a pagan holiday. At least I keep the Sabbath. At least I don't smoke. Or as one very proper church lady said, as she turned up her nose at a frightened, confused, and depressed pregnant teenager who got up enough courage to attend a church service, "At ted that

least

I

haven't commit-

sin."

Loving Jesus grace of God does not have boundaries.

The aries,

but

God

does not. We have our

ing others to keep

them

"holy and pure" that

I

am

invites

are judgmental.

am so

grateful that

God is

not

so grateful that he does not

—

prodigal in his grace.

who

Parent,

will receive

stretched arms, running at

on

them

God is

like

in.

full

me or like

We

are so

of grace and

their feet

receives

Our

all

and

who

his ring

He

anybody

else.

draw boundaries that leave

people out on account of what they do. Father

We have bound-

our ways of measur-

We know the "truth." God is the Truth.

mercy. I

we

God

out.

rules,

is

He

is

the prodigal

the ever watchful, lovesick

even the most wayward with outfull

on

pace to meet them and put shoes

their finger.

He

receives me, and he

turn toward him.

petty ideas about pagan origins and outward appear-

ances evaporate under the intense heat of God's love.

God is not

interested in our self-aggrandizing quarrels about theological details.

For

He

is

interested in

God so

us.

loved the world that he gave his one and only

Son, that whoever believes in

have eternal

life.

(John 3:16)

him

shall

not perish but

Light Shines in

My Darkness

63

Our

theological disputes

seem bent on separating us from

God is bent on bringing us together in Christ. Is theimportant? Yes, it is even crucial when it is about who

each other. ology

God

is

—

and what he has done to save the world. That

point. Jesus

need ior,

came

to save sinners, of

whom am I

chief.

need Jesus

Christ,

and Santa Clausl

Praise

hair-splitting definitions of sin.

I

just the

is

I

don't

my Sav-

Lord, and Teacher. Praise

the Easter

God

for Fred Rogers

Bunny and chocolate

a Savior has been born

to

you.

eggs!

He

is

Today

in the

God

for

town of David

Christ, the Lord.

I

celebrate

on Christmas and Easter because by the grace of God, and only by the grace of God,

I

love Jesus.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

64

A Bible class at Ambassador College in Big Sandy,

Texas.

Light Shines in

My Darkness

65

Mayfair, acquired by Ambassador College in 1949,

to become the first student Pasadena campus. The bargain purchase of the neglected Mayfair property doubled the size of the fledgling campus.

residence on the

The Only True Church"

MAY COME AS some surprise to those outside the Worldwide Church of God when I say that the greatest error of the Worldwide Church of God was not in the fact that it held distinctive

It

doctrinal positions. There

is

no

significant danger in a

and unity

retaining distinctives that are not destructive to fellowship in the

body of Christ

(cf.

Rom.

14).

But

distinctives

church

must not be

allowed to take center stage in proclamation or in practice. do,

community and unity

tinctives

be the

In the

tests

in

Worldwide Church of God, however, church

all

distinc-

identity, the reason for being,

the justification for the condemnation of

and

no way

of fellowship.

became the message, the

tianity

If they

casualty. Dis-

must remain peripheral and background, and

should they be

tives

will invariably

Christian churches.

all

and

of historic Chris-

As tests of fellowship, they rose crowded the

to a level equal to that of the gospel itself and in fact

gospel into the dark corners of the stage.

There

is

no question that Armstrong's commitment

ture was admirable. His

commitment

to a devoted

life

to Scrip-

based on

the principles, teachings, and disciplines of the Bible was also admirable. But Armstrong's idea that obedience to a specified set

of criteria designated his church as the only true and faithful

body of Christians on earth

led to a church

membership devoted

to careful obedience of biblical law yet characterized by pride, fear,

manipulation, and a judgmental

66

spirit.

The Only True Church" 67

Armstrong believed that God would save only those people

who

came

eventually

ing spiritual pride

to be

members of his church. The 1

result-

was equaled only by

his fear of losing control.

who

questioned his absolute

His condemnation of any and

all

authority was swift and powerful.

A group of leaders Armstrong

disfellowshiped in 1974 for an "attempted coup" were branded as "liberals," "liars," "covetous," "selfish," "political conspirers,"

"revolutionaries"

—

mention

not to

and

"thieves," "malcontents,"

"embittered, angered, revenge-seeking disfellowshiped former

members," "disgruntled troublemakers," "contentious, accusing, bickering troublemakers" and "embittered self-seeking men."

And

all

this in only six paragraphs!

Kenneth Stokes encourages members of any to

embrace questioning and doubt

toward maturity

you

like" or a

in faith. Far

of a

community healthy pathway

as part

from promoting

faith

a "believe

"do whatever you like" approach to

observes that "the truly vital

explore the options and

and discover

possible personal faith for their

lives."

3

They

4

Stokes

people

its

for themselves

them find the

fullest

Stokes encourages churches

members: "T'm glad you

to affirm the searching hearts of their

asking those questions.

whatever

faith,

community of faith will help

possibilities,

those answers to their questions that will help

are important. Let's explore

together.'" In Armstrong's church,

by

gious control

were simply not

even

contrast, questions that

time, ink, its

reli-

tolerated.

Herbert Armstrong's church spent

affirming

are

them

appeared to pose a challenge to Armstrong's exclusive right to

mon

2

and airtime defending

as

much,

its

if

not more, ser-

unique doctrines and

spiritual Tightness over against all other "professing"

Christian churches as

it

did proclaiming the gospel.

Armstrong's Worldwide Church of

God

The

goal of

proclamation could be

described as threefold: 1

.

Sounding an alarm, or "warning witness," about the ciencies, errors, case, all

and shortcomings of

rival

groups

sins, defi-

—

in this

other Christian churches as well as society at

large.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

68

2.

Announcing that Jesus Christ

will return to earth to

destroy the wicked, reward the faithful (meaning Herbert

Armstrong and

loyal

WCG members,

as well as all

Sab-

bath-keeping saints prior to Armstrong) and set up the

kingdom of God on the physical 3.

Bringing

new

earth.

converts into "the church"

the Worldwide Church of God, or

—

more

in this case, into

precisely, into the

teachings of Herbert Armstrong.

Group

distinctives,

not the biblical Christian gospel, became

the reason to align oneself with the group.

went something 1

.

The

rationale usually

like this:

Only we have the

"true" gospel of the future

kingdom of

God. 2.

Only we keep

all

the

commandments

of God, including

the Sabbath and the annual holy days. 3.

Only we

are truly warning the

world about the coming

punishments on the modern descendants of the of 4.

Israel.

Only we have the which

5

.

is

Only we cially

form of church government,

biblical

from the top down. truly love

and obey

God with

all

through keeping the Sabbath, which

mandment," making us the true 6.

lost tribes

Therefore, you

faithful

our hearts, espeis

the "test com-

remnant.

must join us or be severely punished by the

wrath of God.

The concept of simply proclaiming the

God

in Jesus Christ

and

letting the

into whatever fellowship

he

wills

Holy

grace and

power of

Spirit lead the hearers

was hopelessly buried under

the stipulations of "right doctrine" and "right obedience" as deci-

phered by Armstrong, the "only true end-time apostle of God."

The

result for

most members was what Paul

form of godliness but denying

its

power"

(2

called "having a

Tim.

3:5).

"The

Only True Church" 69

Identity in the Sabbath,

Andrew Murray

Not

in Jesus

described the Christian

life as

"no longer a

vain struggle to live right, but a resting in Christ to find strength in

Him

as

He

life.

helps us fight and gain the victory of faith!"

The Worldwide Church of God found

its

5

spiritual identity pri-

marily in the weekly Sabbath, missing out on the power and joy

of spiritual rest in Jesus Christ.

Because believed

it

its

was not being bathed

own members

in the gospel

and because

it

to be the only real Christians, the

Worldwide Church of God was incapable of discerning the work and presence of the Holy

own

walls.

minimized

Spirit in the lives of

The work of the in

on the

whom

vanity."

the Holy Spirit dwelled

The catch was

surface.

as "self-

The definition the Worldwide Church of God. A

and "goody-good

of Christian was skewed in Christian was one in

its

was often

Spirit in other Christians

sermons with such derogatory references

righteous/' "insincere,"

definition

people outside

—

a

good

that the Spirit only

dwelled in members of the Worldwide Church of God.

With such an inward,

and joyously obeying Jesus' 13:35).

It is

a

person

is

as that

promoted

incapable of freely

command to love one

another (John

not possible to love another disciple as a fellow

ciple

when you

that

you actually love

but such

mindset

exclusivist

by the Worldwide Church of God,

are calling all

him

a child of the devil.

people, even those

a declaration rings absurdly

Jesus' undiluted

command

hollow

who

are deceived,

in the presence of

to his disciples. This,

I

believe,

the fundamental sin of the Worldwide Church of God:

demned the

witness and

work of the

Spirit in

dis-

You can say

everyone

it

was con-

who was

not of the "right tradition," did not hold the "right set of doctrines,"

The

and did not obey the

WCG

"right set of laws."

Sabbath doctrine tended to shield us from the

penetration of the Spirit into the deepest and darkest corners of

our hearts precisely because our Sabbath keeping deceived us into believing

we had

already achieved the

most

vital

aspect of

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

70

—

God observing his Sabbath day. We loved we thought we loved Jesus; but ironically, our sense of law keeping led us to condemn Jesus' brothers and sisters. Andrew Murray said it well: "My relationship with God is part right standing with

the law and ;

of my relationship with men. Failure in one will cause failure in the other."

6

Doctrinal statements can be restudied and rewritten. Hearts,

on the other hand, must be broken before they can be changed. Poor doctrine can sometimes be a matter of mere ignorance, lack of education, poor exegetical

weak communications

skills,

skills,

or plain misunderstanding or misinterpretation. But hearts that are arrogant, self-serving, smug, or self-righteous

be reborn. A

man can have

a

pure heart before

any number of "wrong" doctrines. But he can

must

die

and

God and yet hold

also articulate every

doctrine precisely "according to Hoyle" and yet have an unre-

generate heart of stone.

What good if

does

it

Thomas

a

person holy and just, but

makes one dear to God.

rather feel profound sorrow for

define the theological term for

my

it.

If

Bible by heart and the sayings of

what good would

it all

Trinity,

are displeasing to the Trinity? In

words do not make

a virtuous life

debate about the

do, then, to

by lack of humility you

truth, lofty

Kempis wrote:

a

sins

I

would much

than be able to

you knew the whole

all

the philosophers,

be without God's love and grace? 7

"By This Shall Everyone

Know"

How ironic that on one hand, the Worldwide Church of God called for faithful obedience to

even seeing

itself in

all

commandments

the

who "obey God's commandments and Jesus"; yet

of God,

Revelation 12:17 as the faithful remnant

on the other hand,

commandment Jesus gave as know who are his disciples

it

failed

hold to the testimony of

monumentally

in

the one

the "sign" by which people would

— "that you love one another."

"The

Only True Church" 71

The led

it

doctrinal distinctives of the

Worldwide Church of God

not into Jesus' love, but into a

demnation of fellow

spirit

confused biblical discipleship

timent was more one of "Follow us" than Christ." In fact,

of distrust and con-

The Worldwide Church of God with group discipleship. The sen-

Christians.

it

was one of "Follow

Armstrong led members to tend to see these

as

the same thing. To follow Herbert Armstrong was to follow Jesus Christ, since

Armstrong was

"Christ's man."

didn't follow Herbert Armstrong, or worse,

was an enemy of

teachings, It is

significant that the

phrased by

Christ.

And anyone who who opposed his

8

way doctrinal questions were most often

WCG members was "What do we say about

was no encouragement

for

members

.

.

.

?" There

to think for themselves or to

search out answers to questions through research or reflection. All

nonresearch was to be done in WCG publications, and virtually No member must be heard WCG Christian literature was disagreeing with headquarters or with the local pastor. The WCG all

vilified.

sense of identity was firmly in belonging to the group and believ-

what the group

ing

and

its

leader,

believed, for only in faithfulness to the group

Herbert Armstrong, would one be accounted wor-

thy to escape the horrors of the coming tribulation.

Holding Up the Apostle's Hands Herbert Armstrong taught the members of without

his specially revealed,

alty toward,

and support

attain salvation.

of,

his

church that

unique teachings and without loy-

his personal ministry,

they could not

Armstrong viewed the members of his church

as

having been called primarily to back up and support him, God's apostle,

through their "prayers, encouragement, tithes and offer9

He was

God's only true apostle on earth today, he preached to

his fol-

ings" in his call to proclaim the gospel to

lowers,

all

the world.

and they were called now, not primarily for their

salvation,

but rather to hold up his hands

had given him.

in the

commission

own God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

72

To Herbert Armstrong, the fundamental purpose of personal spiritual disciplines for Christians was twofold: (1) to support him in his special call of God, and (2) to qualify them to rule in the future kingdom of God. Armstrong put it this way:

We have seen that Christ gave the lay body of the Church the special MISSION to back up His apostles in their GOING FORTH with the Gospel to the world with

—

encouragement, tithes and

their prayers,

But

this

was God's ASSIGNMENT as

financial support

means of developing ACTER

offerings.

GIVING of their prayers, encouragement and

— that

they,

the very

them God's holy, righteous CHAR-

in

with the apostles and evangelists,

qualify to RULE with

and under Christ

in

This very means of character development within the is

THE WAY OF

It all

boiled

GIVING — not

down

Satan's

may

God's Kingdom.

way

laity

of GETTING.

to this simple formula: Herbert

10

Armstrong

(God's one and only true apostle and successor to the original twelve apostles), his work, and his teaching were church bers'

key to the kingdom.

Do

their part to believe his teachings

and to support him, or miss out on what enter the

mem-

is

needed to qualify to

kingdom of God.

Misplaced Allegiance I

am

struck by the plain truth in Frank Laubach's insightful

statement: "The most subtle of anxiety for ourselves to be

all

more

forms of selfishness

is

over-

perfect than other people; not

desiring that our neighbor shall be as perfect as

we

are."

11

A heart

more highly of itself than what we promoted in the

that loves cannot be a heart that thinks

of its neighbor. But that is precisely Worldwide Church of God. We considered people who thought

they belonged to Jesus but did not observe the Sabbath

as

we

did to be deceived and not of Christ.

Thomas

a

Kempis observed:

"If

you want

to learn

that will really help you, learn to see yourself as

something

God

sees

you

Only True Church"

"The

73

you see yourself in the distorted mirror of your own 12 self-importance." That lovely teaching alone is enough to bring and not

down

as

the entire facade of Armstrongism.

Armstrongism

is

based on knowledge

Herbert Armstrong's teachings ful

people of God.

It sets

as

and allegiance

of,

to,

the criteria for being the faith-

followers of Armstrong in a special cat-

God apart from all other "professing" Christians. But people who truly see themselves as God sees them know that there is none righteous in the sight of God and that we all stand in God's presence only by his grace and only for egory of acceptance by

the sake of his Son, Jesus Christ. In biblical Christianity the playing field

new

progress in our

life in

won't force himself on

Only when we

give

us.

we

Christ until

is

level.

We

understand

cannot

that. Jesus

He simply stands at the door and knocks.

up our personal

recognize our desperate need for

or corporate "specialness" and

him who

knocks,

when we

sur-

render unconditionally to the King and begin to place our broken selves in his holy presence are in us

both to

will

and to do

have nothing to offer

God

we

his

ready for him to begin to work

good pleasure

but our need.

coming to that point of brokenness to

When true," that

any church or group

his gracious

sets itself

hold

God to

selves out

on

up

God

is

work in our lives.

as the "one and only

spiritually

on

natural to us

down though our

tional or social or political channel. a saint has resulted

except one.

It is

from

dreadful

13

to shut all:

The

insist

denomina-

particular

dryness of

many

his closing off every pipeline

how

consider goodness sinful unless ecclesiastical ditch!

own

We all tend to shut our-

from God's myriad channels because we

flowing

its

are blocked also because they try to

only one channel

sectarianism it

flows

We

even our

Laubach notes that the tendency

out the validity of God's work in others

A great many saints

Phil. 2:13).

And we owe

church or group begins to choke

self-centeredness. Frank

(cf.

makes men

down

their

own

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

74

How tragically true Laubach's words were in the Worldwide Church of God. We could not learn from the rich legacy of the Spirit's work in Christian history because we could not see God at work in any historical "pipeline" except that of what church deemed

headquarters

Thank God

Word and

for the

his Spirit,

to consist of seventh-day Sabbatarians.

redeeming and transforming power of

who

his

cannot be silenced or shackled!

Church Government According to Armstrong Worldwide Church of God, Herbert Armstrong, within the bounds of the law, held final authority on all matters, In the

doctrinal and administrative.

Though,

was accountable to the law of the legally

like

any

land,

citizen,

Armstrong

and though he was

accountable to the board of directors, he had no sense of

personal accountability to the church board or any other ecclesiastical entity.

His explanation was that he was accountable to

the "highest authority," that

is,

to

God. God had

set

him

in the

position of "physical head of the church under Christ," and he

was accountable

to Christ alone, not to any

man.

In his self-appointed capacity as "end-time apostle,"

Arm-

strong interpreted the Scriptures and decided church doctrine

according to his collaborative

own

understanding and comfort

on any given point of doctrine,

tration only to the degree ability,

except

when

he saw

fit.

personal preference or choice. Even

was

on doctrinal

ministers,

and members that the

issues, it

He was

policy, or adminis-

Collaboration and account-

legally required,

laborative

level.

were purely matters of his

when Armstrong was clear to

all

church

final authority

col-

officials,

and decision

belonged to him and him alone. Herbert Armstrong's stranglehold on doctrine, particularly

his

Sabbatarianism, necessarily had a profound impact on worship in the

Worldwide Church of God,

as

we

will see in

Chapter

5.

"The

Only True Church" 75

Herbert W. Armstrong promoting The Plain Truth on a World vision

program

late in his

life.

Tomorrow

tele-

A

Case of Mistaken Identity

In

December 1994 the Worldwide Church of God changed its

doctrine on the seventh-day Sabbath and the seven annual fes-

tivals

of Leviticus 23. Since

its

formation in 1933, the church

had believed and taught vigorously that observance of the

sev-

enth-day Sabbath and the seven annual holy days was required for Christians

and that the only true Christians were Sabbath

and holy day keepers.

The Sabbath and holy day

doctrine had been at the core of

many members its abanwe be the true church any-

the church's sense of identity, and for

donment was

devastating.

"How

more?" many asked. Besides the church had

felt

can

call to

proclaim the gospel, the

an equal sense of mission to proclaim the Sab-

bath and holy days to the

"falsely so-called Christians" of other

Christian churches. For Herbert Armstrong's church, the Sab-

bath and the gospel could not be separated.

The tragedy of Herbert Armstrong's Sabbatarian and annual it formed a mask for true righteousness.

holy day system was that

As an obedient Sabbath

keeper, one

is

able to appear and even feel

quite righteous, quite honorable before to laws

God because of adherence

one believes to be the definition of godly

living.

Turning Worship into Works By

its

very definition in the Worldwide Church of God as the

true sign of God's people, the requirement to be faithful in Sab-

76

A

Case of Mistaken Identity 77

members

bath and holy day observance led

to place greater

emphasis on their performance than on Jesus Christ. sign of

God's people

the Sabbath, then the sign of God's

is

people cannot be something

one another.

for

1

When the

else. Specifically, it

cannot be love

the Worldwide Church of God, conse-

In

quently, leaders defined Christian love as faithfulness to the

law

—

in particular, faithfulness to the

Therefore, in the Worldwide

Sabbath and the holy days.

Church of God, worship

itself

focused on the act of keeping the Sabbath and the holy

When

Christians

come

together in worship, they are

God

responding to the grace and power of

and corporate

lives.

This

is

was

days.

in their individual

the essence of Christian worship: the

God to what God has done. The worcentered on what God had done for

response of the people of ship of ancient Israel

—

them delivering them from slavery in Egypt by opening the Red Sea, preserving them in the wilderness, and bringing them into the land of promise. The forms of worship God gave them were designed to enable them to respond appropriately to the great acts of

God on

their behalf.

A New Act Demands a New Response Just as Isaiah a

new

had prophesied,

thing (Isa. 43:19)

people of

at

— he sent

the fullness of time

The response of the fitting new response. New

his Son.

God to this new thing is a new thing demands new

response to a

must be

that

worship

carried out in appropriately

content,

new forms.

words, the new wine of the gospel of Jesus Christ into

new

is

content In other

to be placed

wineskins.

For Christians

who

are religiously

forms of old covenant worship, such daunting challenge to Jesus

God did

who

set the

come

committed

as Sabbatarians,

to certain it

can be a

to grips with the fact that

pace for developing

a

it

was

worship pattern that

depicts fulfillment of old covenant rituals in him. Since worship is

the response of God's people to his mighty acts of salvation

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

78

and

grace, the content

and form of worship

of the fundamental beliefs of God's people.

A

comparison of the

under the old and the

a direct reflection

is 2

biblical creeds of the

new covenants

God

people of

(see Figure 1) illustrates the

The

passing of the old and the arrival of the new.

old covenant

God remembered and celebrated the great power and grace of God displayed in their miraculous deliverance from slav-

people of

ery in Egypt and in the gift of the land promised to the patriarchs.

The new covenant people of God, on the other hand, remember and celebrate the great power and grace of God displayed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The content and form of their worship reflects their belief that through confidence in Jesus all peoples everywhere can be delivered

and given entrance into the new

Figure

1

Biblical

Creeds of

Reflected

"Then you

New Covenants

shall

in Its

Biblical

Israel

Worship

"For what

1

3

Creeds of the Church

Reflected

declare before the

sin

of the kingdom of God.

life

Creeds of the Old and

:

from slavery to

in Its

received

Worship

1

passed on

to

Lord your God: 'My father was a

you as

wandering Aramean, and he went

Christ died for our sins according to

down

the Scriptures, that he

and

into

Egypt with a few people

lived there

and became a

that

of first

importance: that

was

he was raised on the

buried,

third

day

great nation, powerful and numer-

according

to the Scriptures, that he

ous. But the Egyptians mistreated

appeared

to Peter,

us and to

made

us

suffer, putting

hard labor. Then

the Lord, the

God

we

us

and the Lord heard our voice and

saw our sion.

misery,

toil

and oppres-

So the Lord brought us

out of

to the

Twelve."

cried out to

of our fathers,

and then

1

"He appeared cated by the angels,

in

Corinthians 15:3-5

a body, was vindi-

Spirit,

was seen by

was preached among

the

—

— A

Case of Mistaken Identity 79

Egypt with a mighty hand and an

nations,

outstretched arm, with great terror

world,

and

and

with miraculous signs

wonders. He brought us

was believed on

was taken up

1

the

Timothy 3:16

to this

"Who, being place and gave us

in

in glory."

in

very nature God,

a land

this land,

did not consider equality with flowing with milk

and

God

honey.'"

something

to

be grasped, but

Deuteronomy 26:5-9

made "Tell

him:

Pharaoh

in

'We were slaves

very nature of a servant, being

of

made

Egypt, but the Lord

brought us out

of

— great and

upon Egypt and Pharaoh and

Therefore

his

in

name

and

to

obey

we

prosper and be kept the case today. ful

to

obey

all

And

this

if

we

as

God

death

— even

exalted him to the

is

above every name,

name

of

knee should bow,

Jesus every

in

heaven and

every tongue confess that Jesus

might always alive,

to

on earth and under the earth, and

all

these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that

that

that at the

The

to our forefathers.

appearance as a

highest place and gave him the

give us the land that he promised

Lord commanded us

And

death on a cross!

terrible

whole household. But he brought

on oath

in

likeness.

became obedient

and

us out from there to bring us

human

man, he humbled himself and

mighty hand. Before our eyes the

wonders

in

being found

Egypt with a

Lord- sent miraculous signs

himself nothing, taking the

Christ

is

Lord, to the glory of

God

the Father."

is

Philippians 2:6-11

are care-

law before the

Lord our God, as he has com-

manded

us, that will

be our

righteousness.'"

Deuteronomy 6:21-25

New

Festivals Celebrate a

Christian worship involves

the new exodus

New Exodus

new

— an exodus from

festivals

because

slavery to sin for

all

it

celebrates

humankind

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

80

not the old Exodus, which was an exodus from slavery in Egypt for

The

the people of Israel.

Church of God to

historical

a pattern of worship that

tian holidays" while

it

full

and

eschewed "pagan Chris-

celebrated old covenant

definition memorialize the

der members'

commitment of the Worldwide

Exodus

which by

festivals,

event, could not help but hin-

free celebration of Jesus Christ as the

ment of all God's promises and the

ultimate hope of

event. Rather, as Robert Webber explains, "Worship

humanity.

all

do not merely look back to

In worship, Christians

fulfill-

a historical is

the action

commuwe rehearse the

that brings the Christ event into the experience of the nity gathered in the

Gospel

story."

4

name

of Jesus

In worship

Regardless of when Christians finally choose to

gather, the real issue

is

whether

uine rehearsal of the gospel

their celebration

becomes

a gen-

story.

Souring Worship with Legalism Herbert Armstrong was adamant that one cannot be saved apart from Sabbath keeping.

Did you

He wrote:

realize that Christ

Himself said you cannot

name and

yourself a Christian, but

only profess His

call

you may actually WORSHIP Him — and do

it

in vain? Still

totally "unsaved"?

Listen to the very words of Christ: "Howbeit in vain

do they worship me, teaching

mandments of men. For

for doctrines the

laying aside the

of God, ye hold the tradition of men

mandment of God,

that ye

...

com-

commandment

ye reject the com-

may keep your own tradition"

(Mark 7:7-9). Assembling for worship on Sunday tradition

o/men

— and

a

is

pagan tradition

nothing but the at that!

Those

who do so reject the Commandment o/God, disobey God's Commandment to keep His Sabbath day holy, are guilty of COMMITTING

SIN,

Jesus Christ said sol

and SUCH WORSHIP 5

IS

UTTERLY IN VAIN!

A

Case of Mistaken Identity 81

Regardless of anything biblically sound and spiritually sensible

Armstrong may have taught or written, any time the Sab-

batarian card was played, everything else was trumped. All

matters of identity, faithfulness, and salvation ultimately

down to Sabbath keeping. What it amounted to was

came

You could not be saved without Christ and the Sabbath. If you did not have the Sabbath, nothing could save you, because by Sabbatarian logic, if you do not have the Sabbath, you cannot possibly have Christ. The this:

blood of Christ only flows for Sabbath keepers. Armstrong put it

this

way:

Now

IF Jesus Christ

is

IN

YOU

truly converted Christian unless

He

(and you are not is!)

a

will He, in you,

profane His Holy Day, and observe a pagan day?

IMPOSSIBLE! Jesus Christ has not changed. day, today, It is

and forever! (Heb.

Christ

who made

He

is

THE SAME,

yester-

13:8).

the Sabbath.

It is

Christ

who

rested on that very first Sabbath! It is the ETERNAL (Yahweh) who became the Christ who spoke to the Israelites on the Sabbath (Ex. 16). It is CHRIST who kept the Sab-

bath as His custom was (Luke 4:16). Jesus Christ has always put His Presence in His

—

is IN you He, in you, can keep no now! And IF you, having read the truth in this

Holy Day! IF Christ other day booklet,

own

now make

excuse, or rebel, and refuse to keep

holy Christ's Holy Day, then on His infallible authority, say to

you that He

It is

I

now

UP to

his

6

Sabbath booklet with

YOU

this dire warning:

1 .

have given you God's

ular. It is

I

not IN you!

just that serious!

Armstrong concluded It is

is

Word

faithfully. It is

not what the popular majority

tell

not pop-

you.

— God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 82

But

NOW you KNOW1 You

you do with

this

You must make your own eternal

be JUDGED by what

will

knowledge! choice. Rebellion

PUNISHMENT of everlasting DEATH. God

He

no person

means

will save

does not RULE.

You must choose between God's ways, and man's ways he

falsely calls "Christian."

My responsibility ends with TELLING you. aloud.

I

have

this regard.

force you.

lifted

God

shall

In

have cried

have TOLD YOU YOUR SIN

He

decision,

in

not

will

and what

shall reap.

be saved by GRACE, but

conditions. You can comply,

you can

I

you to repentance. But

You must make your own

you sow you

You

my voice.

calls

I

rebel,

God

does lay

down

and receive glorious GRACE

and pay the DEATH PENALTY

—

— or

for eternity!

7

Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, right worship

consisted primarily of meeting on the right days and, equally

important, not meeting on the wrong days. To meet faithfully on

the seventh-day Sabbath and the seven annual

was to worship

rightly.

and Christmas was to worship wrongly

Worship was obedience

was precisely to obey the It is

Israelite

To meet on Sunday or to to the law,

— to

holy days

celebrate Easter

sin.

pure and simple. To love

law, especially the

God

Sabbath command.

not that grace, hope, and the potential for forgiveness were

absent from the preaching and teaching of Armstrong's church. is

that they were stifled and tainted

by the pervasive and

It

grace-

destroying Sabbatarianism, which bred legalism. Preaching in

Armstrong's church alluded to grace, but

demnation, judgmentalism, and

it

abounded with con-

self- absorption.

Self-centered Fixation

The its

focus of Armstrong's church was consistently on

conduct,

church.

One

its

faithfulness,

and

its

itself

identity as the only true

of the major "proofs" that Armstrong's church was

A

Case of Mistaken Identity 83

the "one and only true church" was the fact that

it

observed the

seventh-day Sabbath and the "biblical" holy days. Worship on the right days tity

was

at least as

much a means

of establishing the iden-

of the church as God's only faithful as

bringing glory and honor to God. so-called "Christians" were not;

We were

and

the right days. Armstrong wrote:

this

it

was

means of

a

God's people, and other

was true because we kept

"We have

a history of the true

Church of God through every century from Christ

until

now.

It

8

has always been a Sabbath-keeping Church."

Our coming together was a testament to our identity more than it

was

a testament to

God's

identity.

"Why

are

Armstrong would preach on each annual holy

we

here?" Herbert

day.

The

consistent

God commands it; we are the only people who obey God by being here; we are the only true church; we must never lose these holy days, or we won't be God's people any more; we are the only ones who answer went something

know God's

plan, because only

God restored through me Worship before

it

in the

"We

like this:

are here because

by keeping these holy days that

can anyone

know God's

Worldwide Church of God was out of

could get the car out of the garage.

How can

celebrate the incarnation of the self-sacrificial

not get past

its

God based on

plan."

fixation

on who

is

in or

a

gas

church

God when it can-

out of the kingdom of

obedience to laws governing obsolete holy days?

After condemning

all

churches that meet on Sunday

"harlot daughters" of the great

whore

(the

as

the

mother Roman

church), one of the early booklets of Armstrong's church asserted:

"The Bible does not say with ourselves

voked weekly

—

those

we

are to assemble with the world,

who are

truly converted.

religious meetings

God has

but

not con-

on Sunday morning!" 9 To be

absolutely clear that not just any Sabbath-keeping church will

do the booklet continues: "Neither are ;

we to

assemble on Satur-

day with an apostatizing Church which sees the argument about the Sabbath but which follows the false visions of a 'prophetess'

and

rejects the gospel of the

woman

kingdom of God." 10

The

of the Worldwide Church of

Liberation'

God

84

So what must

a

person do to truly "have

The booklet

lowship" with Christ?

from

communion and fel-

answers: "Withdraw at once

other fellowship, except that of CHRIST, and those

all

are IN CHRIST,

and Christ

IN

was the only church body the basis of

its

THEM."

in

11

who

Since the Armstrong church

which the Holy

Spirit

dwelled (on

Sabbath and holy day observance, along with

its

proclamation of the "true gospel"), one could only find fellowship with Christ, and therefore salvation, in Armstrong's church.

To bathe oneself ered absurd.

in the

holy presence of

What God wanted was

God was

consid-

obedience to the law, pure

and simple. Prayer was to be primarily oriented toward repentance for lawbreaking, help for obedience, requests for personal

needs and the needs of others, and intercession for "the Work," that

for

is,

Herbert and Garner Ted Armstrong, 12 for the media

outreach on radio, television, and publishing, and for the ministers

and headquarters

in general.

Members were taught

that

prayer should include praise and thanksgiving, but the idea of

coming

silently into the

adoration, for example,

members

presence of

was not

or ministers. Prayer

God

for

a subject that

pure worship and occurred to

was "our communication with

God," and Bible study was "God's communication with sequently, prayer time

many

was talking time, not

us."

Con-

listening time.

Small-Group Worship Not Permitted Herbert Armstrong was clear that

all

worship

in

any context

besides the Sabbath-keeping church he founded was completely in vain.

But he took his distortion of corporate worship even one

step further.

Members

of the Worldwide Church of

specifically taught not to pray or

worship

God were Mem-

in small groups.

bers were not even to gather for Bible study,

much less for prayer

and worship, without an ordained minister present. The 1959 church booklet, In

John

A

True History of the True Church, instructs:

15:5, Jesus said:

branches." What

"I

am

the vine, ye are the

would you think if the branches would say

A

Case of Mistaken Identity 1

85

bundle ourselves together? That

to themselves, let us

exactly

what you

.

.

baptize "in the

.

authority for His converts to hold meetings

without a pastorl

He

authority.

What were no pastor Broadcast

service with 1

'

The same booklet

a

Once

if

13

there were

answers: "But

we

are

without fellowship. When the World Tomorrow

on the

is

are going contrary to Christ's

adherents to Armstrongism to do

left

14

by themselves

so are not acting according

does not promise to be in their midst.

in their area?

not actually

flock."

Any who do

commands. They

to Jesus'

own name of

of your

We — "by His authority." But Jesus never gave

accord without a minister! Jesus Christ"

when you meet

are doing

is

minister.

again,

you

air,

This

are attending, in a sense, a church is

worship

how God

is

feeding

is

many

in his

relegated to the role of a tool to

uphold Herbert Armstrong

as

God's appointed end-time apos-

and Armstrong's church

as

the one and only true church, the

tle

body

which one must belong in order to be saved. Welton Gaddy writes, "Christian worship embraces and

to

C.

celebrates the incarnation of

the worship of

God

God in Jesus

Christ. ...

To attempt

any other purpose than glorifying

for

God

compromises worship." 16 For Herbert Armstrong's church, however,

worship embraced and celebrated

of God,

its

its

obedience to the law

superior knowledge of the plan of

God

that

it

believed was revealed only in the annual Israelite holy days, and identity as the only true church.

its

Truth Demands Honesty According to Frederick Buechner, the key to effective preaching

honesty.

is

17

And

Buechner

as

epitome of honesty. That

God are

in the flesh

—

asserts,

the incarnation

because Jesus Christ

faithful,

is

— God with

meets us precisely where

in a particular place at a particular

reality of as

— ever

is

time

our broken and wretched humanity.

the us,

we

in the particular

He

offers himself

the perfect means to our healing and restoration, and he per-

fectly establishes in himself

our eternal significance and future.

— The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

86

We are made in such a way that this astounding truth reaches our hearts through the stimulation of our imagination

through the before

we

logical "proofs"

we

live.

about the sheer wildness of this at

we

— not amass

like to

are prepared to believe anything that threatens to sig-

change the way

nificantly

and stacks of facts

And Buechner

story. It is

is

surely right

an extravagant tale

once shocking, disturbing, comforting, and

paradox of unbounded power and senseless

thrilling. It is a

self-sacrifice, a

of indescribable love in the face of brutal disaster.

It is

song

the turn-

ing and twisting story of the crucible of our confusing lives into

which God himself has entered to bring meaning to the absurd.

Always

surprising, always unexpected, always turning the

endlessly resurfacing tragedy to hope, always piercing turmoil

with peace, always wringing joy out of pain, root and fountainhead of reality

from which

all

all

the

forms of

this gospel

before. In the gospel of Jesus Christ the impossible

light.

cannot be done, and the darkness

it

the

human story, the mysterious the human story flow. In the

gospel everything changes, yet everything continues as

though

is

As Fredrick Buechner so richly puts 18 is too good not to be true."

is lit

it,

it

was

is

possible

with

invisible

this gospel

is

"the

tale that

That,

I

believe,

is

precisely the tragedy of Herbert Armstrong's

self-conceived worship calendar. Misunderstanding the very Bible

he accepted

as his authority,

and rejecting the witness of the Holy

Spirit in the history of the Christian church,

his

own

Armstrong designed

hybrid version of the old covenant worship forms.

Locked firmly

into a system of worship designed

by God

for the

express purpose of helping the Israelites rehearse and celebrate their

exodus from Egypt, Armstrong's church could not help but

miss something of the glory and majesty of the incarnation.

Finding

Room

for Diversity

James White seems to be speaking to the precise situation confronting the Worldwide Church of

God

as

it

moves from

its

A

Case of Mistaken Identity 87

former worldwide lockstep approach to worship terns to a flexible pattern

White

congregation.

worked out

argues, "Perhaps

styles

at the level of

we

each local

should do more to

encourage diversity rather than to seek consensus."

Members

and pat-

19

God

of the Worldwide Church of

are sorely

divided over the issue of whether to meet on the traditional

WCG Israelite festivals or the traditional Christian festivals. Yet few members today seem to question the fact that Jesus Christ should be the center and focus of worship when we meet. Since this

is

the case,

diversity

it

would seem

would be

that White's plea for encouraging

consistent with the scriptural call to unity

and Christian forbearance.

White observes, "it seems that efforts by socalled liturgical law to make a single pattern of worship dominate 20 are anachronistic." For the Worldwide Church of God, this is cer"Increasingly,"

tainly true. For the

church to attempt to enforce

a single pattern

of worship at this time would be to force a major church

and

for

exist

what

from the

be made with us

at

valid reason? grassroots

White points out that

up and usually liturgical

split,

"the churches

decisions should

the lowest level possible. Pastoral discretion has been

at least since Justin Martyr."

21

The very fact that

worship developed through the witness of the Holy

Christian

Spirit to Jesus

Christ rather than having been prescribed like the worship of Israel

would seem

to validate White's argument.

The worldwide,

international flavor of the

Church of God makes the need for of worship

all

the

more

"The

critical. 22

White

God whom we

seems to

relish diversity,"

must

then the Worldwide Church of

be,

safe theological

ground

as

it

says. If that is so, as it certainly

and soundly Christ-centered worship

may choose

to gather.

worship

God

is

proceeding on

begins to encourage locally relevant

regardless of the particular days tions

Worldwide

pastoral discretion in matters

23

in its local congregations,

on which individual congrega-

Tour to

Seven

Short Years" WHEN

I

FIRST

United States and British Commonwealth in

strong's

Prophecy,

I

mer camp selected

READ the expanded version of Herbert Arm-

was sixteen years old and working for teens in Orr, Minnesota.

Those of us who had been

from the church's Imperial High School to serve

mer camp workers were housed

own

WCG sum-

at the

counselor.

A

in

own copy

it,

own dorm and

given our

stack of freshly printed copies of the

updated and expanded version of ately called

our

sum-

as

US and BC,

as

we

new

affection-

was provided so that each of us could have our

for study.

I

was struck by the deliberately oversized

words of the opening paragraph: A STAGGERING TURN four to

seven years.

It

will

in

world events

due

to erupt in the next

involve violently the United States, Britain,

Western Europe, the Middle East.

My

is

1

sixteen-year-old imagination

was

stirred

by the

phrase "in the next four to seven years." That would I

counted

And

it

it,

twenty to twenty-three.

It

was

scary. It

large

make me, was

as

exciting.

was good to have the inside knowledge about something

so astounding, something only the very elect of

God were

privi-

leged to know.

"Time is

is

short,"

we heard nearly every week at church. "Time on Arm-

running out!" Well, of course, time did run out

strong's prediction of four to seven years, that

88

is,

as

—

it

had on

all

"Four to Seven Short Years" 89

his other

time-bound predictions.

be learned

The

— by Armstrong or by

trail

When would

his followers?

of failed predictions reads like a Saturday Night Live

Consider just the sampling in Figure 2 below.

skit.

Figure

Sample Worldwide Church of Failed Predictions

2:

Combining the many, many other prophecies great tribulation

are

in,

and

...

for

God

Date Printed

Prediction

we

the lesson ever

we may be

The Plain

of the

Truth,

February 1934

absolutely certain that

about three years have been passing

through, this great world-wide tribulation.

But

you

this

MAY KNOW!

This war [WWII]

by CHRIST'S RETURN! And

We

are just

THAT NEAR

MAY

Christ's

weeks!

start within six

IN

IT

AAI

It

1

is

II

DURING THE NEXT

N

III

now

V V l_

definitely

his Berlin

bunker

to the world.

was

Truth,

March 1950

FAR

L_

1

Truth,

August 1939

The Plain

STORE

5, 10, AND 15 yearsMORE MOMENTOUS THAN ANYTHING SO IT'S N l/\V LIIVFF) V LU THRl \J WF HAVF ll\U O rAll IIIVIC W FARI O TIMF FOR VOUtoWAKEUP!

FOR

years destined to be

The Plain

coming!

TIME THIS NATION K7VFWWHAT LIES

IT'S

be ended

will

II

I

1

proved that Adolph

at the close of

1

.

Hitler

World War

Evidence points persistently

II

did not die

II,

in

as reported

to the fact

flown by private plane to a waiting submarine,

The Good News,

May 1954

he

and

taken to a fantastic Shangri-la hide-out known to have

been prepared by the Nazis

These

terrifying

the wastes of Antarctica.

world-shaking events

less than thirty years

generation that

in

is

—

in

your

destined to

will

take place

lifetime, this live in

very

two worlds!

last

in

The Plain

Truth,

September 1955

— The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

90

It

we

time

is

recognized that

civilization

has not more

than 15 years to go unless a supernatural

Heaven intervenes on destroying

earth to stop

on earth

all life

God

mad men

The Plain

in

from

crazed dreams

in their

Truth,

February 1965

for

world conquest. Frankly, literally

dozens

of

that this final revival of the

and

believing Christians

seven

I

to ten

you

told

you

tell

year!

I

it

it

Roman Empire

PERSECUTION

bestial

its

prophesied events indicate

—

years of

will

COULD

do

(I

The Plain

Europe

Now

the 1980s, or 1990s.

in

not yet say to

will)

see

it

happen

beginning to go

the

present world by eight or ten years. But

this

prophesied events indicate

Romans short

Lord

As

DELAY

I

in

9:28: "For

He

we

now

will finish

the work,

the

will

waves"

arriving just off the Falkland Islands,

of the

whole world,

in

once

one vast

"ruled the

Member

Letter,

August 1983

ready

WAR.

DON'T BE SURPRISED

DESTROYED come

We

it

the earth."

write, the greater part of the British fleet that

is

of

the

and cut

armada for

end

are at the time of

righteousness; because a short work

make upon

June 1980

fin-

I

to

Letter to All

Subscribers,

ago thought our Work might be

God seemed

I

Semi-Annual

a

in

together before the end of this year.

ished by 1972. But

February 1965

of multitudes of Bible-

LIFE!

would not be surprised

Fifteen years

Truth,

take place within the next

YOUR

could happen

in

next,

IN

IF

THE BRITISH FLEET

THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

and already

is in

lude of the

Gibraltar

will

danger.

have already been a very few years

us now.

IS

GREAT TRIBULATION.

That

into the preis

virtually

upon

Member

Letter,

September 1984

"Four to Seven Short Years" Ql

Every sign

tells

us these things

The

happen, plunging

will

Good News,

the world into the most frantic, frenzied state of anguish

October/Novem-

ever known, almost certainly within a matter of the next

ber 1985

several years.

"WOODENHEADEDNESS" It is

amazing

how

long a ministry can keep up the facade of

prophetic prediction. There the prescribed

way it is

always a convenient excuse

number of years comes and

believers always

blame

is

seem

to

for

fall

it.

One

on the lack of spiritual growth

it

the failed prediction

is

and the true

of the most clever in the

members.

is

to

In this

not the fault of the church leader;

the fault of the people he

timing because you

goes,

when

members

is

deceiving.

"God has delayed the

are not yet ready." Armstrong used

that one well.

He

also

used

this one:

"God

get out our warning message."

has given us a

And

this one:

late the 'times of the gentiles' correctly." favorite:

"We

insanity."

little

more time to

"We

didn't calcu-

And my

forgot about the seven years of Nebuchadnezzar's

That one bought us seven more years

failure of

personal

after the great

Armstrong's prediction that the Great Tribulation

would begin

in 1972.

Nearly every prayer in our church ended with the words:

"And we pray

all

name of our High Priest and Christ." The concept of the "soon com-

these things in the

soon-coming King, Jesus ing" of Christ

was fused into our

King" was as

much

thing,

a title for

collective psyche.

"Soon-coming

Jesus as Lord and Savior. For one

Herbert Armstrong taught that Jesus was not yet king.

would only become king

at his

He

Second Coming, according to

Armstrong. But the Second Coming was definitely soon, because

Armstrong was God's man, "final,

specially raised

up

to preach to the

end-time generation" before Christ's return.

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 92

Walter Kaiser

many

Jr.

decries the penchant for date setting that

sincere Christians today have:

who

For every ten believers prophecy, there is

is

are reluctant to study

one zealot whose love

exceeded only by

a

for the subject

penchant for being cocksure about

every identification he or she makes, including the date for every event slated for the future. In fact,

even need to press these zealots to

tell

second coming of our Lord.

for the

the

week

or the year!

tell

What

us

is

know that know the time,

Yes, they

not the "time," but only

can one say to such wooden-

headedness? These are the people

who

prophecy

give

bad press and who discourage others from pursuit.

will not

us the exact date

the Bible says that even our Lord did not

but what they propose to

we

its

its

legitimate

2

Herbert Armstrong and

his followers

were not alone

in their

fascination with end-time prophecy and the date of Jesus'

was precisely

coupled with Arm-

return.

It

strong's

dogmatic confidence, that gave Armstrong's The World

this fascination,

Tomorrow radio program and The Plain Truth magazine, along with his book The United States and British Commonwealth

in

Prophecy, such explosive popularity. All told, nearly 6 million

copies of The United States

and

British

Commonwealth

in

Prophecy were printed and distributed between 1948 and 1986.

At its zenith, The World Tomorrow radio program was airing somewhere in the world at virtually any time day or night; and at its height, circulation

of The Plain Truth topped 8 million.

Exploitation

With

his characteristic style of hyperbolic overstatement,

Armstrong staked the

validity of the Bible itself

tation of the identity of the

Manasseh.

He

wrote:

on

his interpre-

modern descendants of Ephraim and

.

Tour to

Seven Short Years" 93

The COVENANT PROMISE

to

David

is

plain and definite.

Either his dynasty has continued, and exists today, rul-

House of ISRAEL (not the

ing over the

Word

fails!

Jews), or God's

.

.

Has the sceptre departed from Judah? Has the throne ceased? Or does it, as God

so bindingly

promised, exist today so that Christ can take over and

sit

upon a living, going, continuous throne when He comes? The infallibility of the Bible is at stake! God's WORD is

at stake!

3

The throne

to

which Armstrong was

referring

of the United Kingdom, specifically that of

which Armstrong believed

to

is

Queen

the throne

Elizabeth

II,

be the continuation of the throne

of David.

The

The only

thing at stake was the validity of Armstrong's Bible-

infallibility

of the Bible was not at stake, of course.

defying interpretation.

To Armstrong the modern

identity of the Israelite tribes

the "master key" to understanding that,

all

but Armstrong's dogmatism on

declaration that

it

was the

Not only

of Bible prophecy. this doctrine

was

extended to

a

strongest proof of the inspiration of the

Bible and the strongest proof of the existence of God:

But the all-important Master Key has been found!

That KEY

is

knowledge of the astonishing identity of

the American and British peoples

man

—

—

as well as the

This very eye-opening, astounding IDENTITY

Bible!

the

same time, the strongest proof of 4 existence of THE LIVING God!

It is

the very active

How

is

PROOF of the inspiration and authority of the

strongest

Holy

Ger-

in Bible prophecies.

at the

sure

was Armstrong that

pretation

was

true, that his date-setting predictions

and that

his

his "specially revealed" inter-

unique warning message was

vitally

were

accurate,

important?

He

wrote: "The events prophesied to strike the American and British

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

94

peoples in the next four to seven years are SURE! That events of the next four to seven years

most

significant

book of this

may

prove

why

is

this to

be the

5

century."

Richard Foster urged Christian leaders:

"Please, for

God's

sake,

and fears of your people with speculative Such exploitation is precisely what Her-

refuse to exploit the hopes

prophecy preaching."

6

bert Armstrong practiced.

May

In the

Joseph Tkach

15

Sr.

;

1990

;

issue of the Pastor General's Report,

"The central core and theme of all our commission, and

our

all

prophecy.

lives is Jesus Christ. It It is

He wrote: all our Work

countered Armstrong's "master key."

is

not the specifics of end-time

not the identity of modern nations. 7

identity of church eras." In the

May 28

issue,

It is

not the

Tkach added, "We

should preach continually about the return of Christ with eager anticipation. is,

But

we

should not claim to

in reality, only speculation

ture to support our view."

God

Save Us from

and opinion and then use Scrip-

Our Almighty

It is

Distinctives

They can easily crowd out the them requires so much

precisely because defending

itself,

energy.

that

8

Pet doctrines are dangerous.

gospel

know something

interesting that in the past

few years many church

leaders have advised us, "Don't lose your distinctives. Every

church needs

its

distinctives." It's

funny

how

worried church

people can get about even the prospect of the erosion of entity

we

call "distinctives."

After what is

we

have been through, one has to wonder,

the big deal about distinctives?

I

think

it

what mark us

They are other Christians. They make us

our

identity.

sion, give us a sense

a lot of

become

off as being unique

special,

What

might be quite sim-

For churches, our distinctives very quickly tend to

ple.

this

from

shape our unique mis-

of purpose, meaning, and cohesion. They take

our time and energy.

What

is

wrong with

Herbert Armstrong got so carried away with

this picture?

his pet doctrine

about the modern identity of Israel that he frequently overstated

"Four to Seven Short Years" 95

it

profoundly. This

is

the normal path that "special teachings"

and "unique revelations" tend to take unless deliberate care taken to prevent

it.

Precisely because they set their adherents

apart from the rest of Christians, such distinctives create a tation for Christians to

promote them to center

temp-

stage in defense

and proclamation. An example of this unhappy phenomenon Armstrong's case

is

is

the sentence

I

have underlined

in

in this

excerpt from Armstrong's The United States and British Com-

monwealth

in Prophecy:

The very

God

fate of the Bible as the revealed

Word

of

— the evidence of the existence of God — hangs on the

momentous question [the question of which nations today are the modern descendants of the so-called lost ten tribes of Israel]. The Jewish people did not fulfill these promises. They do not refer to the Church. The world with its great church leaders does not know of any such fulfillment. Did God fail? Or has He made good this colossal promise unknown to the world? The true answer is the most astonishing revelation of answer to

this

Bible truth, of prophecy, and of unrecognized history!

Obviously, the incarnation of the Son of tion of human beings

for the salva-

the most astonishing revelation of Bible

Herbert Armstrong's Anglo-Israelism. The identity

truth, not

that matters

and

is

God

9

is

that of Jesus Christ, not that of the United States

Britain.

Perhaps

if

the obvious problem with statements like this one

had been pointed out to Armstrong heartily agreed

directly,

he would have

and rewritten them. However, that did not hap-

pen, and the zeal, vigor, and force with which he taught and

defended

this pet doctrine resulted in colossal

amounting to colossal

Not only

overstatement

completely misunderstand the promise passages he employed to defend his Anglo-Israel doctrine, but his false (and borrowed 10 ) heresy.

did Armstrong

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

96

interpretation clouded and obscured their true

meaning and

their true fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Coping with the Role of the Founder It is

difficult to

how

wondering

read this and the previous chapters without

WCG

members cope with the

role of their

church founder. Some fellow Christians, mainly of the watching

variety,

cult-

cannot seem to find rest until the reformed

Worldwide Church of God publicly brands Herbert Armstrong a

damnable

ers are

false

more

as

prophet worthy of being stoned to death. Oth-

gracious. Regardless of the dust-throwing, attention-

grabbing antics of certain cult- watchers, the question remains:

How

does a

WCG member deal with the Herbert Armstrong

question?

Barrier to Christ

Who

was Herbert W. Armstrong anyway? He has been

described in fect,

man

many ways by many

people: as a faithful,

of God; as a successful evangelist

sands to faith

if

imper-

who brought

thou-

Christ, even if their understanding

in

was

incomplete; as a basically sincere but theologically unsophisti-

cated

man who

got a few, or quite a few, details wrong; as a

shrewd advertising man who found an espe-

colossal heretic; as a cially

productive marketplace in hawking religion; as

a.

dishon-

who used religion to get the lifestyle he wanted; as an authoritarian egomaniac who honestly believed he was the most important man on the planet; as a religious hypocrite par excellence, who demanded absolute obedience and loyalty of his followers but routinely broke his own rules. est control freak

At all

various times

I

have seen Herbert Armstrong

of these v/ays. Sometimes in a matter of days

from admiration to to pity to disgust.

judgment

is

not

anger,

One

my

from respect to

thing

business;

is

for sure:

it is

I

revulsion,

in at least

have swung

from

praise

Herbert Armstrong's

the Lord's. Another thing

is

"Four to Seven Short Years" 97

members and former members

for sure:

of the Worldwide

Church of God, including myself, have to cope with the question who Herbert Armstrong was and get past him in order to

of

come I

to Jesus Christ.

firmly believe that as long as people continue to believe that

Armstrong was what he claimed to the rich assurance,

confidence in Jesus. To me, that

is

that he

come

was

is

theirs

through

the crux of the Herbert Armto be?

And the

answer,

not.

Be

to

to a full and confident assurance of salva-

by grace through

tion

is

what he claimed

Not What He Claimed In order to

they cannot fully enjoy

and joy of salvation that

rest,

strong question: Was he

the "plain truth,"

be,

faith,

Armstrongites have to

let

go of Her-

He was not what he claimed to be. He was not He was not "Zerubbabel." He was not "a voice crying out in the wilderness of religious confusion." He was

bert Armstrong.

"the Elijah to come."

not "preparing the way for the soon-coming return of Jesus Christ."

He

did not "restore

all

things."

proclaim the end-time message."

messenger tle

on

in the end-time."

He was

He was

He was

not "God's only true

not "God's only true apos-

He did not "raise up the He was not what he claimed to be.

only true end-time

earth."

church."

not "raised up to

Herbert Armstrong did found the Worldwide Church of

God. That

will always

be the

that Jesus Christ died for

and

for our salvation,

preach that there

He

is

no

is

historical fact.

human

sin,

was

And he

raised

did preach

from the dead

our High Priest and Advocate.

salvation apart

from

the Bible

demanded

it,

did

faith in Jesus Christ.

did preach "Don't believe me, believe your Bible."

did change a doctrinal point

He

And he

more than once because he believed

despite the humiliation and opposition

created by the change.

At the same

time, Herbert

inflated opinion of himself

Armstrong undeniably had an

and the importance of his work.

He

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

98

taught that nobody could be saved unless he or she was in the

church he founded.

He taught that nobody was a true

Christian

unless he or she kept the Saturday Sabbath and the Israelite holy days. In

one of his Bible studies on the book of First Corinthians

in 1980,

Armstrong defended

a

disagreement with the apostle

Paul about marriage on the basis of his belief that he was equal to Paul in apostolic authority.

11

Unrelenting Condemnation If it

what Armstrong taught was not bad enough, how he taught

was even worse. As many researchers have pointed out

accusing Armstrong of plagiarism, you can find most,

if

not

in all,

of Armstrong's doctrinal errors in theory or practice in other-

wise "orthodox" Christian churches. The problem was

Arm-

who was

not in

strong's unrelenting contention that everyone his

church was not Christian.

of everyone spiritually

who

It

was

disagreed with

damaging.

It

was

his

his

him

complete condemnation

that

was so pernicious and

view of himself

as

"God's only

true apostle today," his view of his church as the "only true church," and the natural implications of those perspectives that

created a barrier to coming fully into the freedom of the gospel.

What

led to such outrageous (speaking in hindsight) conclu-

sions? For

one

thing,

it

was Armstrong's Sabbatarianism.

The Real Sabbath I

will go so far as to say that Sabbatarianism

12

prevents any-

who believes in it from coming fully to the freedom of the gospel. know my Sabbatarian friends will strongly disagree. used to strongly disagree, too. "We know Jesus died for our sins," said. "We know all our righteousness is only filthy rags," said. "We know we can only be saved by Jesus' righteousness attributed to us," said. Some Sabbatarians even say they know there are converted non-Sabbatarians. But when you really one

I

I

I

I

I

press an honest Sabbatarian, he will finally have to admit that

"Four to Sewn Short Years" 99

he believes

person will someday,

a saved

He

to be a Sabbath-keeper.

cannot affirm that

be saved and never be

finally

the next. Like

somehow finally come

a

person can

a

Sabbath-keeper in

this life or

comes

or not, to believe that salvation finally

it

only to Sabbath-keepers means you have not

come

fully to the

gospel.

When you

accept the gospel

Sabbath keeping is,

irrelevant to salvation.

him, and that

it is

law has nothing

your only hope

God

him. You

in

in

The

salvation.

legal

no more

in

Sabbath was only

become

crucial to

You know

work of

all,

in

any sense,

The weekly

your relationship with is

Jesus.

a pointer, like cir-

real in Jesus.

your wedding chapel rental contract

that

your salvation and

for

has no value at

role; it

cumcision, to what would is

is

that obedience to the

what God has done

Sabbatarianism has no

Sabbath

know

has bought you through the saving

to the gospel.

that Jesus

that your eternal rest

do with your

at all to is

You know

legalistic

entered by faith in him, by believing the

by believing

gospel,

know

your Sabbath. You

in fact,

that

is

you know that

fully,

God

than

to your relationship

with your spouse. Herbert Armstrong "did things up people

where

He

say. it

also did Sabbatarianism

lion against

God

it.

right.

He

many

took

it

God commands it, Armstrong And if you don't, you are in rebel-

God. What's wrong with

doesn't

command

it

between God and

Israel. It

"These are the

It

between God and

book of Leviticus makes

it

Only one

rest of the law, It

was

was given to

a sign of the

covenant

was not given to the whole world.

was not given to the church. a sign

this picture?

for Christians.

The Sabbath, along with the Moses, for Israel, on Mount Sinai.

was not

up

heard

logically belongs. If

taught, you'd better keep

thing:

right," I've

was not given to Christians.

The

It

Christians. It

last

verse of the

"so simple a child could understand":

commands the Lord

for the Israelites" (Lev. 27:34).

gave Moses on

Mount

13

Sinai

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

100

Sufficiency of the Just

how much

Blood

grace does

God

have? Does he have enough

grace for Herbert Armstrong? Several self-appointed cult-watchers don't think so. sinners.

a

I

But

I

do.

I

think

God

has enough grace for

good-sized chunk of heresy.

I

think he misled a lot of people,

including me, about a lot of important things. But loves

him and that Jesus died for him. Despite his

ological ignorance

and even

Now,

for his sins.

either salvation

is

their

own

think that Jesus sins

14

it is,

and

his the-

and that Jesus died

by grace through

not. And if the cult- watchers don't think

must have

I

Herbert Armstrong

his arrogance,

believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God

ers

all

think Herbert Armstrong was a sinner and that he taught

then the

faith or

it is

cult- watch-

set of special rules for salvation.

Does the blood of Jesus cover even bad theology? For some people, I know, that is a hard question. But when you've been the self-appointed judge and jury of

knocked to the ground by the confirmed ing

you

legalist

off the

down your

all

Christianity only to be

risen Christ,

when

you've been a

and then one day you find your Savior pick-

ground and pouring

sin-parched throat,

it all

a

long draught of his grace

becomes pretty

simple.

comes by the grace of God. Through Jesus Christ, God has done everything it takes to save you, bad theology and all, and you can trust yourself to him. The Worldwide Church of Salvation

God is regularly approached about becoming some kind of cultwatching center. pray we never descend again to thinking ourI

selves the legitimate arbiters of truth versus error.

L'Engle put

it

well

when

Madeleine

she wrote:

The people who accused Jesus of casting out devils by The people who are looking to see they can accuse someone of being in league with the

the Devil frighten me. if

Devil frighten me, too.

The and the that

.

.

terrible difference

we,

between

us,

the bride of Christ,

who are beaten by their husbands, is ourselves, who are doing the battering. With

tragic brides

it is

.

"Four to Seven Short Years" 101

our warring denominations others' eyes,

we have

pummeled and punched each

and so disgraced our host.

selves,

scratched at each

What

other and our-

kind of a bruised

we show to the world? What do we make visible?

and bloodied face do of a bride of Christ

We

will

becomes

a

not become beautiful again until religion

Is

We

do find

that not true?

sure to find

We will

unifying and not a divisive word.

we look for what we look for.

be beautiful again until Satan.

kind

love, rather

not

than

15

When we look for the devil in others, we are

what we

are looking

for.

Who

can stand against the

relentless scrutiny of self-professed perfectionists?

Is

anyone

any theological system completely invulnerable to

faultless? Is

an opposing point of view? Has

God

given any of us to see

all

things religious, moral, and theological in full and unfettered clarity,

or

was Paul actually correct when he

said that

we

can

only see through a cloudy glass?

One who does see all things with perfect who has the right to condemn. Yet he and he now lives so that sinners like me, like cult-

Besides, there clarity.

He

chose to

is

the only one

is

die,

watchers, and like Herbert Armstrong, might be saved through faith in his

name.

Sinners and Saints

Was Herbert Armstrong But then, are not

we

all

sinners?

standing our imperfections,

the lot

—

saints as well if

a sinner or a saint? Certainly a sinner.

sins,

we

And

are not

we

all

— notwith-

ignorance, egotism, arrogance, and

have confidence

in the saving

blood

How wrong did Herbert Armstrong have to be in order to be considered unworthy of God's forgiving grace? How wrong of Jesus?

does anyone have to be in order to be considered unworthy of

God's grace? Who the gracious the grace of

gift

is

worthy, after

all?

Are we not

of salvation? Are cult- watchers

God than the

doctrinally ignorant

all

unworthy of

more worthy of

and infirm?

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

102

As Tom Torrance put it, "Jesus Christ died for you precisely because you are sinful and utterly unworthy of him." 16 How can we preach the gospel on one hand, yet not live with one another in love as though we really believe it on the other? Are we saved by grace through faith in Christ or not? Do we need, in fact, just a little more? In condemning Herbert Armstrong, who believed that Jesus was his Savior, to the flames of hell, are cult-watchers committing the same sin as Armstrong committed? Don't we

doctrinally "pure"

all,

and doctrinally odd

stand

alike,

together at the foot of the cross, together in utter hopelessness and infinite

need of God's amazing grace? Are not

we

at the

all,

end

of the day, saved only by unfettered grace in helpless trust of the

One who

gives his

to the workers

bounteous wage without discrimination both

who

bore the heat of the day and to those

show up at the last minute? Maybe some cult-watchers become

who

only

devil in others that they

they are looking for

God. That's just what

wide Church of

to see that they have

become what

— boundary erectors who make

who

ness to determine

fail

so busy looking for the

is

who

and

isn't

worthy of the grace of

cults do, of course. That's

God

did. In

many

Worldwide Church of God was

their busi-

it

what the World-

ways, you could say the

a cult- watching group. It estab-

lished the true doctrine according to

its

interpretation of the

who didn't embrace its established dogma outside the boundaries. Are some of the cult- watchers much difBible and set everyone

ferent?

that

is

As

various Bible scholars have observed,

infallible,

"It's

said. It

dejd vu is

not our interpretations of all

over again," Yogi Berra

it.

is

supposed to have

fascinating to consider that the only people Jesus

roundly condemned were those whose religious correct, erected boundaries

the Worldwide

it is

beliefs,

however

around the kingdom of God.

Church of God

by some cult-watchers strong,

the Bible

it is

— to

is

utterly

—

When

commanded condemn Herbert Arm-

asked

virtually

being asked to do what Jesus never did.

It is

being

"Four to Seven Short Years" 103

asked to draw boundaries around the potential of the grace of

God

to reach even into the area of doctrinal error. Yes, Herbert

Armstrong taught

error.

even to doctrinal error?

That makes that

me

But does not the grace of I

have to believe

extend

does.

think of one blustery preacher

who

said

Herbert Armstrong stands under God's damnation

because of

all

by

inconsistent

when compared

It is

whom

the tens of thousands of souls

to go to hell

God.

it

God

Such reasoning

his preaching.

he caused

and

illogical

is

to the biblical descriptions of

simply absurd to conceive of the

God

some puny, weak, hand-wringing, impotent

of the Bible as

deity

who

is

so

incompetent, even stupid, that he stands by helplessly while

he allows tens of thousands of people to go to eternal damna-

some ill-educated little radio preacher's doctrinal errors. Heresy comes in many forms, and surely one form is to place humanly devised limitations on the power and grace tion because of

of God.

Why

we Christians seem to think so legalistically, we tend to spend far more time condemning and assigning blame than we do forgiving and extending grace? Does salvation come by grace through faith, or does it not? If it does, then surely we need to let go of some of the condemnation. Surely we need to commit others to the grace of God rather than demanding that they either see things our way is it

that

so forensically, that

or go to hell.

or

Is

there

room

for unity in our interpretive diversity,

must it always be "us against them"? No wonder Christianity has so little to commend it in the eyes

of the unbelieving public at the beginning of a Christians are better to

mention

known

their relentless

for their love for

for their divisions

and

condemnation of "vile

millennium.

infighting, sinners,"

not

than

one another. The Worldwide Church of God has

learned that lesson the hard way. lesson will stick or to find

new

whether we

Only time will tell whether the succumb to the temptation

will

some new way to be God's "special and unique" people,

cut above the rest of the pack, the "faithful remnant."

a

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

104

11111111

muni iiiiiiii

illlllllffl

The Hall of Administration on the Worldwide Church of God/Ambassador College campus in Pasadena, California. The Pasadena branch of

Ambassador College consolidated in 1 990 with its sister campus in Big Sandy, Texas, ending college operations in Pasadena. Ambassador University in Big Sandy closed in 1997.

Herbert W. and

Loma Armstrong

"Four to Seven Short Years" 105

fireat

ivAumimm Campaign

Some of Herbert W. Armstrong's early evangelistic meeting flyers. Such personal public meetings were part of Armstrong's "Three-Point Campaign" launched in early 1934, consisting of the weekly half-hour radio program, the mimeographed Plain Truth magazine for listeners, and personal evangelistic campaigns.

The Pain of Change

Writing ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE, tells this

Kenneth Gangel

poignant anecdote: "A professor once told his

class

would place on the board the most important principle relative to the process of change. Thereupon he turned and spent the next fifteen minutes etching out two words: GO SLOWLY." As a rule, we humans don't like change. By its very nature, change is accompanied by uncertainty, anxiety, and a certain amount of confusion, which naturally produce fear and reticence. Change is always met with resistance and often with open hostility. By the grace of God, Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God was liberated from the bondage of self-absorbed that he

1

sectarianism into a group of fellow citizens with God's people

and members of God's household. 2 The ingly,

was painful and

difficult;

transition,

not surpris-

the very identity of the church

had to be changed.

Core Values Decimated All organizations have core values, even

if

they have never

They are the deeply and dearly held fundamental realities that make an organization what it is. An organization's core values shape how it treats people, makes deci-

been committed to

writing.

plans for the future, and uses

sions,

weathers

They

are the blueprint for the organization's identity. Effective

crises,

106

its

resources.

The Pain of Change 107

management of change, all

then, requires clear

communication to

stakeholders (1) that the core values are not being changed,

and

(2)

how

made

the changes being

are consistent with

and

furthering the core values.

Worldwide Church of God, however, we found our-

In the

selves in the

no-win situation of having to change the core

The changes we were forced

to

of identity of our church and

make

its

values.

devastated the very sense

members. Many thought

their

world was coming to an end. For the Worldwide Church of God, the normal organizational process was demolished at

With the dismantling and destruction of Worldwide Church of God urally set

it

Before

lost its vision

its

source.

core values, the

and mission, which nat-

sailing rudderless into a frustrating

its

its

and confused void.

changes, the Worldwide Church of God's core

val-

ues included: Doctrinal distinctives: These included the Sabbath, holy days, strict tithing, rejection

Christmas and

of the doctrine of the Trinity, rejection of

observance of the

Easter,

Israelite clean

meat laws, and belief that the destiny of humans eral

Gods

in the

both eternal and the Holy their

Spirit,

God

divine,

cisely not

to

and

become

God

lit-

the Son,

who created and rule the universe by

of which they are bodily composed and which

power) They .

is

Family (God the Father and

and unclean

is

also included a definition of the gospel as pre-

about the person and saving work of Jesus Christ but

rather as an

announcement of the soon return of Christ and the

establishment of the millennial kingdom as well as a warning message to the "lost ten tribes" (primarily the United States and Britain)

about a

rising "beast

punish them for their least

sins unless

they repent.

And

certainly not

was the doctrine that the modern-day identity of the

tribes

is

the key to understanding

Founder

Armstrong

up

power" in Europe that will attack and

distinctive:

as

The

all

lost

ten

Bible prophecy.

special call

and mission of Herbert

God's one and only true end-time apostle raised

as the "Elijah to

come" to

"restore

all

things" before Jesus'

return and to lead the faithful remnant of God's true church.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

108

Identity distinctive:

Members' own

special status as the

one

and only true church. Members of the Worldwide Church of

God were the

only true Christians on earth because of their obe-

dience to the "whole counsel of God" (especially the seventh-

day Sabbath and the annual holy days) and to the

command

to

preach the "true" gospel (see doctrinal distinctives above). For obedience and their faithfulness

this

fessing Christianity/'

in the face of a hostile "pro-

they along with the true

keepers, except for those

who compete

Church of God), would be given immortality (the

first

at Jesus' return

resurrection) and be the teachers of the masses in the

millennial kingdom, instructing cially

saints (Sabbath-

with the Worldwide

them

in the

law of God, espe-

regarding observance of the Sabbath and the holy days.

Mission

distinctive:

Use of mass media

for mission as a fulfill-

ment of end-time prophecy. The Worldwide Church of God believed that the prophecy of Jesus, "And this gospel of the king-

dom

shall

be preached

in

all

the world," could not be fulfilled

until the invention of the printing press radio.

and the invention of

These instruments of mass communication, including

tele-

humankind for the express purpose of Herbert Armstrong's using them to preach

vision,

were believed to have been given

to

the gospel to the world. Armstrong's radio broadcast contracts in

Europe and

later in other continents

were seen

fillment of the prophecy that the true gospel

the direct ful-

as

would go

into

all

the world. The proclamation of the gospel to the world was entirely all

for

on the shoulders of the Worldwide Church of God, since

the other churches were deceived and corrupt.

church members to see the gospel "going out

television

and radio and

in nearly

was

It

in

thrilling

power" on

one hundred various booklets,

magazines, books, and other publications.

One by one

these core values shriveled and

fell

from the

WCG tree. As they did, leaders and members became increasingly unsettled, fearful,

anymore?" "Where next?" they asked.

is all

we

frustrated.

"How

are

this leading?"

"What

will

and

different

be changed

The Pain of Change 109

to

The church these people had come into had slowly ceased exist. The new church, for many, was nothing better than the

particular Protestant churches they

bewilderment grew into

anger,

had

left

long ago. For

and anger into plans

for

own church, a church that would respect and be memory and teachings of Herbert Armstrong.

their

the

many

forming

faithful to

Real Core Values Uncovered In the process of losing

reason for being, however, its

its

I

distinctiveness

and

its

apparent

believe that the church uncovered

true core values. After all the extraneous doctrinal debris

scraped away, what remained was

No

uniqueness.

need to be

Jesus Christ.

No

special.

need

No

for the

The

rection.

The

blood of the

real core values

true mission

and plain for most: the reality

God

is

Believe, live,

media

this

Worldwide Church of is

not surprising

and

as a

church just "happened"

wake of Armstrong's mass media proclamation. in prayer

when

church has taken. Begun not

ministry, the

he died, Armstrong saw the role of the church

behind him

— too simple

and share the good news. But

that the true vision of the

as a

The only

had been uncovered.

remains somewhat muddled. This

church but

for

the power of his resur-

now seemed simple and plain

one considers the journey the

Lamb and

was

for a special mis-

sion, a special message, a special leader, a special call.

need was

need

as

in

Until the day

simply to stand

financial support in his mission of

preaching the gospel to the world. Today, without mass media, the church stands visionless, with a host of members ing of themselves, not as

members

group of special people called to support girdling

Yet spirit.

for

media

at

This

God.

is

think-

a

powerful, globe-

ministry.

the core of

It is

still

of a local church, but as a

different

all

church work must be the redemptive

from the

spirit

a spirit of humility.

It

of desiring to do great things

doesn't need to be noticed.

doesn't need to be seen to have powerful impact.

humbly with God.

If

church work

is

It

It

simply walks

not redemptive,

if it is

not

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

110

fragrant with pure gospel,

if it

does not resonate with the eternal

harmonies of the grace of God is

in the face of Jesus Christ,

then

it

excess baggage.

The Scope and Pace of Change It is

important to distinguish between changing doctrine from

a heretical position to that

of historic Christianity on the one

hand, and changing a doctrinal nuance within the context of historical Christianity or

tural setting

on the

changing a policy, a procedure, or a cul-

other.

The

first is

compromised. The other can be

We made several mistakes in as

music

a

nonnegotiable.

matter for

It

cannot be

flexibility.

allowing matters of form, such

and worship service times, to be placed on the

styles

change agenda rather than placing those issues on

and more consensual

track.

sage on the chalkboard:

When it came to selves having to

We

GO

a

much slower

didn't see the professor's mes-

SLOWLY.

doctrinal changes, however,

weigh faithfulness to

we found

our-

God and commitment

to

On the one hand, change was coming too fast to be assimilated. On the other hand, how could we sit on the truth? How could we deliberately

truth against sound principles of managing change.

allow our church to continue to believe and teach error and

The responsibility to proceed with doctrinal changes we became convicted of them was greater than the responsibility to go slowly. We came to see that there is a fundamental heresy?

once

difference

between making changes from heresy

simply making changes from one

to truth

way of doing things to

and

another.

Paralyzed by Legalism Legalism chokes the love out of relationships. The truth of

came home to me one day when my teenage son pointed out to his mother and me: "Why can't you let me do things

this

me to? When

without

telling

takes

the pleasure out of

all

you're always giving it. I

have to

feel like

me

orders,

I'm just

lowing the orders instead of really caring about the family."

it

fol-

The Pain of Change 111

My

son's

problem was the church's problem. The love

tionship was paralyzed because ing orders.

we

rela-

never rose above just follow-

God wants a genuine love relationship with his beloved army of obedient robots. And he has, quite liter-

children, not an

gone to the greatest possible lengths to bring

ally,

In the

that

we

Worldwide Church of God, being

it

about.

free to love

meant

could redirect our energy from condemning society and

sinners into proclamation of the message of God's love through

Jesus Christ.

declaring

It

lists

meant that we could declare the gospel instead of of rules for right living and Republican party val-

ues statements. We could be for the gospel instead of merely being against sin and decadence. fruit in

the lives of those

We could trust the Holy Spirit to bear

who hear the message instead of simply

warning and walking away, waiting eagerly for the day when Jesus

would return in glorious power to destroy all the rotten sinners. These kinds of changes go far deeper than any changes in structure and technology. They are changes in core values, and they demand an entirely new perspective on who God is and who we are as well as on whom God loves and what God's real motives and goals are. Such changes proceed only from a heart transformed by the gospel. In the Worldwide Church of God, we had the cart before the horse. To us, God would finally accept and save all those who faithful. Our commitment was what we believed to be the way of life that Jesus taught. We had to learn that our commitment needed to be to Jesus himself

proved themselves obedient and to

not to a

way

of

God

—

Only when we received him and his unlimwe begin to walk in the new life of the kingdom

life.

ited grace could

power of our commitment. of

in the

This change ual

is

his resurrection,

not in the power of

something that needs to involve each individ-

member of the

church, not merely an organizational ideal or

a doctrinal statement.

And it can come

about only

in the face

of

the actual proclamation of the gospel, not merely in the face of

changing doctrines.

— The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

112

In the

Worldwide Church of God,

stress

was placed on "doing

right things" in order to achieve godly character. Paul's analysis

of the Jewish leadership was right on target in describing the

Worldwide Church of God: "having a form of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:5). As Jack Hayford points out, "There is more to character formation than having learned a set of ideas even if they are God's." Because the Worldwide Church of God did not comprehend grace as the fountainhead

—

3

of righteousness, the idea of formation of godly character was

though perhaps unwittingly, centered

necessarily,

in

outward

conformity, not in inward transformation. It is

no exaggeration

tive" nature

happens

to say that

in the

the church organization

if

nothing else of a "produc-

Worldwide Church of God

fails,

4

— even

goes bankrupt, and disintegrates

the painful journey has already been infinitely successful.

most important thing that could ever have happened Worldwide Church of God has already taken in the

former Armstrong cult

Christ

now

the

first

and

its

who

place:

truly wants to

can be. Individual members have

The

in the

Every person

be

come

set free in

to

know

time the overwhelming power of the grace of

Jesus Christ.

if

God

for in

No greater gift could have been given to this church

members, and no greater blessing could have been received.

The Dilemma of "Apostolic Authority" Adding

to the pain of change in the

Worldwide Church of

God was the paradox of one pastor general contradicting another. In the

Worldwide Church of God, the pastor general

has absolute authority to set doctrine in the denomination.

Whether is

it

should be this way

is

another question, but the fact

that without such total authority, the changes in doctrine and

direction

would never have happened.

The span of control of the

pastor general of the Worldwide

Church of God extends to the entire organization. Herbert Armstrong, like most founders of organizations, had established the

The Pain of Change 113

bylaws in such a way

He had

as to

preserve his authority and control.

word on doctrine, and members were comfortable with that. Members believed that God had placed Armstrong in his position and had given him the responsibility of the final

establishing

and maintaining doctrine, mission, and

As Armstrong's personally chosen Sr.'s

vision.

successor, Joseph

Tkach

authority lay not only in the constituted office of pastor gen-

eral as dictated

had

in

by the bylaws, but

also in the trust the

of God.

When Tkach

began making changes

had been established by Armstrong, personal lenged on

in doctrines that

loyalties

were

chal-

all fronts.

Yes, the pastor general has the authority ity to

members

Armstrong's choice, which they believed to be inspired

and the responsibil-

teach the truth, but Herbert Armstrong was "God's cho-

sen apostle for the end time"

who

not only restored

the church but also selected Tkach

Sr.

all

truth to

to succeed him.

How

could one "only true end-time apostle" contradict another "only true end-time apostle"?

If

one had restored the

truth,

how could

another "unrestore" that same truth? Having placed one's faith in the credibility of Armstrong,

even to the point of letting him

define one's entire worldview and reason for existence

now assuming he was ity

of Tkach

he

is

Sr.?

The

wrong,

question,

how

itself,

and

could one trust the credibil-

How long before we find out that

wrong, too? naturally began to cross members' minds.

Some members immediately accepted

all

changes simply

because the changes came from Pasadena. They had decided long

ago that they would be loyal to "God's government" in the church, and whatever Pasadena officially taught was fine with

them.

Of course,

they had no basis for their acceptance of the

changes other than blind faith that

The obvious true, lead

did not

question,

God was

leading Pasadena.

How can God, who is always faithful and

Pasadena into error one day and into truth the next?

seem

to bother them.

Other members had been praying earnestly for the changes and welcomed them wholeheartedly. Still others carefully read

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

114

and digested

explanations for the changes, giving themselves

all

plenty of time and prayer, studying the biblical rationale, and

keeping an open mind while they sought understanding from

God. Most of these members came to see the vious teachings and embraced the

God, while

a

errors in the pre-

new Worldwide Church

of

few remained convinced that the old doctrines were

true.

At the other end of the spectrum were those who immediand with

ately

hostility rejected anything

new

out of Pasadena

departure from the "faith once delivered" that

as a satanic

God

had given the church through Armstrong. As changes continued

became more obvious that the church was moving farther from Armstrongism, the most vehement of these began aggresand

it

sively

undermining both headquarters and the changes. This

resulted in predisposing

many

others against taking an unbiased

look at either Armstrong's teachings or the changes.

The those

greatest

who

just

simply acted all "I

number of members, however, seemed

as if

nothing had really changed. "This

that different from

think

it's

to be

wished the whole thing would go away. Some

what we taught

before,"

isn't really

some reasoned.

mostly just a matter of semantics," was another easy

perspective. In the end, though, everybody

that

had

to finally accept the fact

monumental change had taken place

in their church.

The

pastor general did have the authority to effect such change, and it

had, in fact, been effected. In the

Worldwide Church of God,

the only level at which such essential change of core assumptions

and values could have been brought about was

at the level

of pastor general. Attempts at any other level (there had been

numerous

Armstrong doctrine would have simply resulted in those

short-lived attempts to change an

prior to Armstrong's death)

involved either recanting or being disfellowshiped. Ironically,

the same authoritarian governmental structure that

created the heretical environment in the to correct

it.

first

place was necessary

The Pain of Change 115

Barriers to Consensual Effective change

Change on Doctrine

management calls

for

broad involvement of

people in the process. In this way, leaders can help people

as possible at as

many

levels as possible

many

as

develop a per-

sonal sense of "ownership" of the change.

When Joseph Tkach Sr. came to the point of realizing that the its doctrine of the nature of God and accept

church must change

the doctrine of the Trinity, the leadership team developed a process that

we hoped would

ensure a responsible and orderly

introduction and implementation of the change. The

step

was

to bring together the headquarters leadership, regional pastors,

and

first

international regional directors for a careful presentation of the issues involved, demonstrating

from an overview of basic theol-

ogy the problems with our doctrine and the need to change

Through

this process

we hoped to

it.

provide these leaders with the

tools necessary for duplicating the process in their respective areas

of responsibility and finally in the local congregations.

The

goal

was to involve senior and mid-level management

the process of doctrinal adjustment in such a all

way

as to

in

provide

necessary introduction and instruction, an opportunity for

all

questions to be thoroughly discussed and answered, and a collaborative

need

tial

development of a plan

The

essen-

for cooperation in regard to keeping the discussions

confidential until

had been

for implementation.

raised

we had

reached consensus and

all

and answered was carefully stressed

questions

in the intro-

ductory session. In spite of these efforts to seek a cooperative spirit that

would

minimize member confusion and ensure the greatest

level of

understanding and acceptance of the change as well as

its

most

appropriate implementation, by the end of the first day of instruction

and discussion, confidence had been widely broken and

rumor, innuendo, and incomplete and erroneous information

were telephoned, faxed, and e-mailed world.

The

entire

church was

in

literally all

around the

an uproar before headquarters

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 116

and regional leadership could even begin

its

second day of

dis-

cussion on the topic of the triune nature of God. believe that several factors contributed to this predictable

I

breakdown

in

our

ability to

manage the change of the doctrine

of the Trinity in a consensual manner: 1

.

There was already widespread belief among pastors that

was

satanic conspiracy

the church.

The very

at

work among top

a

leadership to destroy

fact that the conference

was being held to

discuss doctrine verified that belief. 2.

For a cult to reject a false doctrine in order to embrace a core

Christian doctrine

not a matter that can be handled by develop-

is

wrong and traditional impossible for cult members to achieve. Only

ing consensus. Consensus that the cult Christianity

is

right

is

is

an edict by the hierarchical government of the cult

making such

a

change

is

capable of

in the cult's doctrine. If the cult leadership

attempts to wait until consensus can be achieved on a core doctrinal issue, the change will, necessarily never happen.

3

Many if not most, of the leaders who were opposed to

.

change

in

any

Herbert Armstrong's anti-Trinity doctrine had also

been unable to accept Armstrong's appointment of Joseph Tkach Sr. as

his successor.

political

Any potential

cannon fodder

undermined or destroyed. The topic provided the

false

move by Tkach provided

for their desire to see Tkach's leadership calling of the conference

ammunition they were looking

and

its

for to con-

vince their constituents that Tkach and the Pasadena gang were

indeed destroying the church. 4. In

the

WCG corporate culture even a hint, a mere rumor

of change in a core value sent shock waves through the organization.

Even Herbert Armstrong deeply offended and alienated

thousands of members by changing the day of observing Pentecost and the rules raised

on remarriage

after divorce. Since

up Armstrong and given him

the truth,

many

even Armstrong himself had no right to change what revealed through him.

God

has

reasoned,

God had

The Pain of Change 117

sus

For these and likely

more

on such core values

as

reasons, to try to develop consen-

the rejection of the Trinity or the Sab-

bath doctrine before making the change was by definition to sabotage the process before

it

began. Many,

if

not most,

generation Sabbatarians are Sabbatarians because they

Sabbatarian church, with trauma, convinced after tion

was

honored

To

correct.

a

non-

the resulting social and familial

all

much

They had

left

first-

study that the Sabbatarian posi-

God had

suffered for the truth, and

their faithfulness.

reject these doctrines

to declare that

now would be,

one had acted

foolishly,

not

in a very real sense,

faithfully. It

would be

done something special, somewould mean that they were not, after all, one of the only people who were not deceived. In fact, it would mean that they were actually among those who were even more deceived than others. Take, for example, this excerpt from an "open letter to the WCG" written by a "Seventh-Day to

abandon

their sense of having

thing extraordinary for God.

It

Adventist scholar" and posted on the Internet:

"Freedom of the Gospel." This interpretation of the freedom of the Gospel

as

freedom to pursue on the Sab-

bath one's personal pleasure and

profit, rather

than the

presence and peace of God, can have disastrous conse-

WCG.

quences for the future of the

commitment of your members Let

me use an example to

ago

I

can weaken the

God and

illustrate

their church.

my point. Some time

was invited by the Seventh-day Baptist Church to

speak in Rhode Island tors

to

It

from the Eastern United

pastors discussing

of about 50 of their pas-

at a rally

States.

some of their

As

I

listened to the

doctrinal beliefs,

it

soon

became evident that there was a great diversity of beliefs and great freedom in interpreting the nature of the Gospel. Even the Sabbath was viewed by some more as a holiday than a holy day. When feel

about so

much

I

asked them

how did they

diversity in their church,

one of them

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 118

is what makes our Seventh-day Baptist Members can believe and do what they like be members of the church."

replied: "This

church

and

great.

still

Do doctrinal diversity and moral permissiveness really make

church great? 5

a

how

Notice

this Sabbatarian

author puts doctrinal diversity

and moral permissiveness on the same that?

I

don't

him. But

I

know

batarian pastors diversity

his heart,

do know why

is

I

I

and

that, along

sity suggests either that

does he do

with most Sab-

a strict Sabbatarian, doctrinal

moral permissiveness. That

the truth, or that

Why

cannot presume to speak for

I

used to do

have known. To

level.

is

because doctrinal diver-

we, the Sabbatarians, might not have

God may

not have nailed everything

down

all

as

we had thought. That, in turn, means the Sabbath itself might be at risk of being undermined. And the prime directive neatly as

of

all

vance

Sabbatarians

to preserve the integrity of Sabbath obser-

is

at all costs.

Doctrinal changes that validate historical Christianity are by

nature anathema to Sabbatarians. Historical Christianity

is

the

corrupt evil empire that abolished Sabbath keeping in favor of the day of the ancient sun gods. To validate historical Christianity,

then,

is

to lay an axe to the trunk of the Sabbatarian tree. If

a Sabbatarian

can find doctrinal corruption in the ancient

church, then his Sabbath doctrine

rupt the ancient church, the bath. That

is

why some

anti-Trinitarian roots

then there might be

less

Saturday

as a

less right it

for

cor-

to "abolish" the Sab-

Sabbatarian groups tend to have

chance that

it

itself,

was wrong about the Sab-

was the Council of Nicea that ruled

day of worship, labeling

Sunday worship

had

The more

the ancient church were right about that,

if

(It

reinforced.

— not on the merits of the doctrine

but on the fear that bath conclusions.

is

all

it

"Jewish,"

against

and ordered

churches.)

Theoretically, doctrinal changes in the

Worldwide Church of

God would have been much smoother had

there been greater

The Pain of Change 119

pastor and

member

mentation. This pastors and

and imple-

participation in their planning

only theoretical, however, because to involve

is

members of a

cult in the planning

and implementa-

tion of doctrinal changes that completely transform the core

assumptions and values of the cult before

it

is

to destroy the process

begins.

Resistance at All Levels

The

Church of God met

doctrinal reforms of the Worldwide

with enormous resistance from every level of the organization.

While many leaders and members had been praying and enthusiastically welcomed

by

surprise

it,

most were taken completely

and were angered to find

new

jacked" and "dismantled" by the ever,

more began

need

for the changes

members embraced their lives, they

their

church being "high-

leadership. In time,

and

to respond to the gospel;

became

change

for

clearer to

as

how-

they did, the

them. As pastors and

Jesus Christ as the ground and center of

had no more need

for

Herbert Armstrong or

his

"special mission."

Kenneth Gangel citing seven

gives us a

framework

for the

WCG story,

dynamics that tend to accompany any kind of per-

sonal or organizational change. Each of these found expression in

what happened 1

it.

.

It's

in the

People will feel

normal.

I

Worldwide Church of God.

awkward,

would go

it.

It's

a grieving

people to talk about

and self-conscious. Expect

felt disoriented,

People initially focus on

express

at ease,

so far as to say that

Worldwide Church of God 2.

ill

what they have

process. Let

it

how they felt. We

members

lost,

to give up.

happen.

of the

and stunned.

We

Let them

encouraged

affirmed their confusion

and encouraged them to give themselves time to work through their feelings.

We

told

them

that their responses were normal

and appropriate. This did not make the pain go away.

make the changes any Still, it

was the

easier,

nor did

right thing to do.

it

give us

more

It

did not

credibility.

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 120

People feel alone, even

3.

if

everybody

going through the

is

same

change. People tend to think others deal with things better than they do. It is

important to remember that

ness during the

The

crisis

of change

path of entry for the gospel.

insecurity and anxiety created

change means that the soul

and

a

is

this natural sense of alone-

stability

4. levels.

is

by the disorientation of

naturally searching for the security

Maker

of its

much

People can handle only so

change.

Know their tolerance

How much and how often. Magnitude and rapidity. These make change

are factors that

wall with this principle.

hard.

When

Our backs were

it

comes

against the

to false doctrine, a

church does not have the luxury of pacing the change. However, easy to confuse doctrine with administration, that

it is

fuse substance with form.

much more

to con-

While we could not go slowly with

the change of our doctrine on the nature of God,

gone

is,

we should have

slowly with changes in worship

styles, for

example. 5.

People are at different levels of readiness for change. Therefore,

their responses will first

change

a

vary

significantly.

How

true this

is.

From the

decade ago and continuing to today, our members

range from being enthusiastic about changes to being extremely angry about them, with every nuance in between.

It is

a constant

challenge to effectively lead a group that finds itself in so different spiritual, emotional, 6.

and philosophical

places.

People will be concerned that they don't have enough

have what

resources. "I don't

it

takes."

WCG members were frus-

trated with their sense of powerlessness.

no voice in a

many

in the decision to

Not only

did they have

change their cherished doctrines, but

church culture that valued being able to understand and

explain one's beliefs, they feared that they could not adequately

understand the 7. //

new

you take

behavior. People

were

doctrines.

the pressure

off,

tend to hope the

people will revert crisis will just

to stop teaching the changes right

to their

go away.

now and

invite

old

we memIf

The Pain of Change 121

bers to go back to the old doctrines, tain percentage

would do

so.

am

I

convinced that

a cer-

6

Pastoral Resistance

—

who personally lacked the gospel that who lacked gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe,

Pastors

the

as Paul describes

it

in the letter to the

Romans

is,

— held back their

congregations from growth in Christ. This factor was immensely frustrating

of

and debilitating to those

God who were hungry

worships God, and

lives

in the

for a living

Worldwide Church

church that loves

Jesus,

and proclaims the gospel without

reserve.

These pastors communicated to call

"unjoy."That

tress, fear,

is

the best

word

I

their congregations

what

can find to describe the

dis-

embarrassment, dullness, and indifference they con-

veyed to their churches by their deliberate neutrality toward, not avoidance tions,

of, all

resister pastors

equipped to lead

name

a

friends;

want

unwelcome

of Jesus.

to

pastors offered

who

in their

own

plausible:

"I

I

don't want

them

to

church." These excuses sound lov-

may be born in part from

ing and caring heart. But the result

is still

not preached; and where the gospel

not penetrate.

were

are having trouble with the

be patient with them.

ing and caring, and indeed, they

is

fathers,

but they were neither gifted nor

The excuses some of these

feel

of these minority

congregation of God's people to unfettered

don't want to drive away those I

Many

were honest and upright men, wonderful

good husbands and

changes.

spirit.

if

emo-

things truly Christian that touch the

the heart, the soul, and the

joy in the

I

is

a lov-

the same: the gospel

not preached,

it

does

—

A

Crisis in Leadership

THE DOCTRINAL TRANSFORMATION OF the Worldwide Church of

God

left large

trated, worried,

and

its members Members who were

numbers of

angry.

confused, frusstruggling with

the upheaval in their church were in immediate and desperate

need of one thing

They needed

it

the gospel.

every

the music. They needed toral counseling. it

church

in

week

it

They needed

socials

in the

sermon. They needed

it

and service

time the pastor had the opportunity to share shine

it.

But when

he spread

it

in

They needed it in pasin pastoral letters. They needed projects. They needed it every

in Bible studies.

a pastor didn't

have

it

it,

spread

to spread,

it,

how

and

could

it?

The most

critical

weakness

in

our journey of transformation

was our shortage of pastors who were

gospel-filled,

unabashed

lovers of Jesus Christ. This shortage of gifted, career pastors in

the Worldwide Church of

God

is

now being met

in part as

God

calls bivocational pastors to lead our smaller congregations. These

new

leaders tend to have a fresh perspective

ship.

For the most part, they seem willing to learn

on

pastoral leader-

new methods

and are eager to equip others and share ministry. Above

seem

all,

they

to love Jesus Christ, love the gospel, love the people of

God, and love teaching and spreading the Word.

The Worldwide Church of God was done great harm by paswho were completely uncommitted to seeing the successful

tors

A

Crisis in Leadership

123

transformation of their congregations from old, Armstrong-style gift-using, team-leadership-

paradigms to a new, gospel-centered,

oriented church that loves Jesus and isn't afraid to live like Phillip

it.

"Some people resist change more than do because they feel more threatened." Lewis says

this:

1

others

What

did resistant

WCG

accountability, "expert" status

pastors have to lose? Limited

on doctrinal and

biblical matters,

authoritarian control, a perception of prestige and power, to

name

few

a

possibilities.

We

believe our current pastors have

happily given these up, counting such things as loss that they

might gain Christ. For some,

this transition in pastoral priorities

was nothing short of traumatic and

painful.

a transition personally impossible

Church of God, claiming

God

if

and

to believe they

Others found such

left

the Worldwide

would be cut

off

from

they ever "gave in" to the doctrinal transformation.

According to Kenneth Gangel, "Mature groups tend to change more quickly and more thoroughly than immature groups."

2

The

fact that the

Worldwide Church of God

lost

more

than half of its pastors and members and more than 85 percent of

annual income during the course of

its

indicates that

reflected in solely it

it

its

was

a rather

its

immature group.

leadership as well as in

its

doctrinal changes Its

immaturity was

members.

It

by the grace of God that the church has fared

has been as well as

has.

Immediate Challenges As the Worldwide Church of God several significant factors 1

.

demand

faces an uncertain future,

attention.

Critical shortage of called, gifted, Christ-centered, gospel-

charged pastors. Traditionally, pastors were selected from

among

graduates of the church's undergraduate college largely on the basis of their ability to

The

legalistic

trolling

defend the church's unique doctrines.

bent of the church put pastors firmly

mode. Today denominational leadership

retraining

its

longtime pastors and placing

is

in a con-

committed to

new pastors

only after

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

124

careful screening

and

training, including training

and equipping

in team-leadership styles of pastoral leadership.

Member identity centered in

and global media ministry instead of in local church life and mission. The movement that became the Worldwide Church of God began as Herbert Armstrong's media ministry. Listeners to his nationwide, and eventually worldwide, radio program became readers of his magazine and other literature. From among these, thousands became members of Armstrong's church. They were filled with a sense 2.

national

of mission: to support Armstrong's "God-given the gospel in

all

preach

the world through mass media and to warn the

modern descendants of the start

call" to

lost

ten tribes of Israel to repent and

keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. The motivation Arm-

strong provided

them was

his assurance that the faithful

would

be spared from the prophesied Great Tribulation and captivity at the

hands of the united European beast power.

members

Today,

the gospel

is

still

tend to

feel that

"nothing

is

being done;

not being preached" unless church headquarters

deeply into mass media, especially television or radio. lenge as denominational headquarters tions,

is

Our

is

chal-

to lead local congrega-

through their pastoral leadership, into

a fresh sense of

God's

unique vision for them

as a local reality of the body of Christ. and family members in Armstrong-preserving splinter groups. It is stressful for members to have friends and family members who have broken off fellowship to form or join splinter groups that strongly oppose the doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God. This creates a long-term strain on 3.

Friends

the reasons for remaining in any given church fellowship, includ-

Worldwide Church of God. Our challenge is to seek God's will for the Worldwide Church of God and to communicate his will effectively to the members. Why do we exist and what is our unique contribution to the kingdom of God? These are questions to which WCG members need God's answers. 4. Members in various stages of grief and anger from Arming the

strongism

and

confusion about Herbert Armstrong's role in their

A

Crisis in Leadership

125

Even members who understand intellectually the errors of Armstrong's doctrines and have accepted historic Christianity lives.

have to emotionally work through their

still

ties to

intensely charismatic and grandfatherly impact are

committed

on

Armstrong's

their lives.

to the proclamation of the gospel to our

We

mem-

bers so that they can find true freedom from past destructive

paradigms and emotional entanglements. Continuing member distrust of denomination headquarters

5.

brought on in part by decades of failed prophecies, former leadership

and recent sweeping doctrinal changes. Although it is the current administration that is humanly responsible for the extravagance,

end of legalism, extravagance, and doctrinal to place the

blame

for the past

error,

problems on

a

members tend

nondescript con-

cept of "headquarters." In the past, the legalistic environment

and the belief that the Worldwide Church of God was the "only true church" caused

members

tion. Today, the long-buried is

to bury

anger

is

most of their

coming

out,

and

dissatisfac-

much

Our challenge is to be members and respond to them

directed toward headquarters.

to the needs of church

of it

attentive in loving

patience with the healing balm of the gospel of grace. 6.

General sense offrustration and

decreases in membership

and income

loss of identity

vision programming, free literature distribution,

programs and high school.

in the closing of the

Our challenge

is

due

to

dramatic

resulting in elimination of

tele-

and numerous church

church university, grade school, and

to help our

members

see

beyond the

outward appearance of numbers, reputation, and prestige to the true

power and joy of the humble

life

hidden in Christ.

and a rapidly changing world that the church does not understand and has not equipped itself to serve. 7.

Increasing globalization

We are working to encourage a sense of local mission and vision in

each of our congregations, primarily through pastoral training

that

is

sensitive to,

Spirit in 8.

and responsive

to,

the

movement of the Holy

meeting the changing needs of today's troubled

Members who

are shackled by legalism

and

society.

don't know, or

they do know, aren't yet able to feel, that they are accepted

if

and loved

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

126

We

by God.

are

gospel to our

committed

to a multilevel proclamation of the

members through

printed and electronic church

publications, pastoral training, regional celebrations, gelistic preaching.

We

are also

committed

and evan-

to helping each con-

gregation in the development of spiritually healthy small groups in

which members can be nurtured

in the context of active

and

body life in the power and love of Jesus Christ. Members divided and factious over doctrinal changes and their implications. Even though some time has passed, some members still hold the doctrines of Armstrong and are praying for and waiting for the time when "God will clean the liberals out of headquarters and put things back on track." We are comcaring 9.

mitted to unceasing prayer for these people and for constant passionate proclamation of the gospel to them. 1

Fear of openness or honesty in relationships due

0.

church's history of judgmentalism, gossip,

and broken

Although much progress has been made

to the

confidences.

in instituting small

many members still are very uncomfortable opening up members in our fellowship. The history of legalism

groups,

to other

makes ters,

it

we

difficult to trust others.

are

At denominational headquar-

committed to modeling trustworthy and depend-

able leadership under the lordship of Christ so that in time an

atmosphere of genuine

trust

and

credibility can prevail in the

Worldwide Church of God. The mountain

to climb to restore a

general sense of trust and credibility in our fellowship greater proportions than Everest. Yet with sible.

A major key will be our success in

relationship pastors and

Chip

between denominational headquarters and

local

members.

Bell asks:

How do you get passion without promise creating an environment in

of

God all things are poscreating a new kind of

benefits]? Devotion without dividends? lie in

is

which

The

[of tangible secret

may

leaders treat fol-

lowers more like partners than underlings.

A

Crisis in Leadership

127

The new "partner-leader" focuses less on sovereignty and more on support. Controlling takes a back seat to coaching.

3

We are attempting to turn denominational headquarters into and resource center that

a service

tion be

all it

rather than

can be in Christ.

by

ruling,

exists to help

We

each congrega-

believe that only

by

serving,

does our denominational headquarters, and

indeed, do our churches as a worldwide denomination, have a

and productive

viable

future.

Corporate Self-Perpetuation

A

Church of God allow renewal to be more than

challenge for the Worldwide

continue to be, to

change

in

outward doctrine and to

authoritarianism for another. a

Genuine Renewal

vs.

resist

a

and

will

cosmetic

exchanging one brand of

To be genuine, the renewal must be

renewal of individual hearts, an awakening or a reawakening of

the

member of the church to become all that God has him or her to be. The church as a corporate entity that

call to

created is,

each

—

body

as a

— must see

itself

fundamentally

as a tool that exists

to create the sort of atmosphere or climate in

ber

which every mem-

in fact, able to reach his or her potential as

is,

who

is

vital to

The most

lure for the church corporation to adopt a

but

it

likely

resisted with an unrelenting

all its sacrificial

tion of everyone let

strong and

who

is

to the

It is, after all (as Rom. power of God for the salvaThe corporation of the church

"the

believes."

the gospel have

commitment

its

way,

all

the way. Self-perpetuation

the opposite of the self-giving principle inherent in the

death, and resurrection of the

human give

beings. For the

away

is

implications.

1:16 affirms) the gospel that

must

is

maintenance

the natural tendency of things in this broken world,

must be

gospel in

an individual

the health and effectiveness of the whole body.

orientation as over against a service orientation

is

is,

church

Son of God

for the salvation of

politic to survive,

ministry, not to maintain

its

own

life,

it

must

integrity.

exist to

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

128

Tex Sample writes

in U.S. Lifestyles

and Mainline Christian

Churches that each church must come to understand

own

identity, style,

God

people

equipped

it

program, and image

has prepared to serve.

it

Spirit

—

its

— and then serve the

to serve in the

The Holy

itself

is

ways

God

has

already loose in the

world, Sample points out, which means that no matter where

we go with the gospel, In the a

Christ

is

already there preparing the way.

4

Worldwide Church of God, we have seen that we need

new identity,

style,

program, and image

— ones that spring from

the collective Spirit-given power of individual hearts trans-

formed by, and passionate

for,

the gospel of the Son of God. That

make our first priority the unflagging proclamation of that gospel to all members who remain with us. Christ is and has been already at work among our members, preparing the leads us to

way. Far above mere changes of doctrinal statements, our task continues to be one of unceasing prayer and proclamation to the

end that every member and

live in

in

our fellowship might come to

know

the fullness of the grace of God.

The Credibility Factor Kenneth Gangel points out that the istry

depends on the

trust their leaders, they will not follow

Then the only long as

As

thing left

is

5

them with

raw expediency:

I

any min-

When people can't their hearts.

will follow only as

am benefited.

I I

credibility of

credibility of its leaders.

Worldwide Church of God is experiof leadership credibility. The effect of massive

said earlier, the

encing a

crisis

changes and our paralysis caused by the laborious process of selling the 50-acre headquarters facility have created a sense of frustration

to

on both

sides of the doctrinal changes.

"move forward" as

a

Those who yearn

church are frustrated because they do not

have the financial resources they believe they need. Conversely, those

who want

to see the church return to

frustrated because they

Armstrongism are

do not see that happening.

A

Crisis in Leadership

129

Not only

is

credibility flagging,

but raw expediency

is

also

wearing thin. Benefits have become fewer and fewer. Members

with children are looking

at larger

churches where more pro-

grams and opportunities are offered for youngsters. Members

who

weary of meeting on Saturday and

are

announcements about Old

where

for a

home

church

listening to

Testament festivals are looking elsethat isn't

weighed down with Sab-

batarian paradigms.

"Why doesn't Pasadena do something?" is a sentiment felt in many quarters. Yet there is wide disagreement on just what Pasadena should do. Some believe it should abandon Saturday and the annual

festivals entirely,

thereby alienating once and for

many of whom are the people whose sacrifice and commitment built and sustained the church for decades. Some believe Pasadena should continue to affirm both the Old Testament religion and the new covenant in Christ in all

the traditionalists,

an effort to keep traditionalists attending until the gospel takes root in their hearts.

that course

If

is

maintained, opponents

argue, then within another five years, the only people

be

will

the church will be the traditionalists.

Some

pastors have urged that the headquarters structure be

dismantled so that the congregations can as

who

6

left in

make

their

own way

independent churches. This option seems irresponsible

because

it

would

gregations.

surely result in the collapse of scores of con-

Denominational headquarters

is,

in fact, entrusted

with the custodianship of the worldwide fellowship of

worldwide

spiritual

entity, that

con-

and planning must therefore be geared

gregations. Its decisions

toward the healthy

its

is,

and structural preservation of the

the continued

viability, connectivity,

and integrity of the Worldwide Church of

God

as

an interna-

tional body. Trust, of course,

is

a

two-way

street.

Robert Greenleaf says

that great leaders, regardless of their gruff exteriors, have "empa-

thy and an unqualified acceptance of the persons of those

who

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

130

go with their leadership."

WCG leaders.

7

1

pray that

is

true of me and the other

Greenleaf observes, "Acceptance of the person,

though, requires a tolerance of imperfection. Anybody could lead perfect people

—

there were any."

if

8

Praise

God

for his

grace!

Although we may sometimes have

felt

with the

Israelites,

when he

says, "It is part

'typical'

person

wisdom;

down. Yet

in

morale

if wisely led."

9

our brokenness,

in the end, the Spirit

of administrators, pastors, and

Our

as

Moses must

is

surely right

— immature, stumbling, inept, lazy —

leads us in perfect it

weary

of the enigma of human nature that the

of great dedication and heroism

lem passing

feel as

Robert Greenleaf

members

is

capable

The Holy

we have is

Spirit

a prob-

the true leader

alike.

current financial challenges and generally flagging

may

finally

of the issues

I

prove

mention

Some of this is the result but much of it reflects the

irreversible.

in this

book,

challenges facing denominations in general in the United States.

At WCG headquarters, our

first

priority will continue to

be to

that every congregation has a competent, Christ-cen-

see to

it

tered,

and

Spirit-led pastor, because

congregational success

lies in

we

believe that the key to

pastoral leadership. Yet whatever

may hold for our church organization, by the infinite power and grace of God we can say with all joy and peace of the future

heart, "It

is

well with

my

greatest gift imaginable.

soul."

We

have already received the

A

Crisis in Leadership

131

Ambassador Auditorium, the centerpiece of the headquarters campus of the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, California. The auditorium was renowned for its world-class concert series that ran from 1 974 to 1 995.

The Path of Renewal

EARLY 1995 A large group of pastors opposed to change sent

IN

three representatives to Pasadena to discuss a compromise.

They proposed allowing two kinds of churches and pastors in the Worldwide Church of God: (1) those who accept and teach the

new

doctrines,

Armstrong

and

(2) those

doctrines.

who

When

believe and teach traditional

this proposal

was rejected

as

an

affront to the gospel, the ministers defected, taking several thou-

sand members with them.

remember

I

built

with one close pastor friend

a conversation

could not understand

why we were

"destroying everything

who God

through Herbert Armstrong." After we had proceeded through

passage after passage demonstrating the error of Armstrong's doctrines,

he

finally

threw up

his

hands

in frustration

and

said,

"But

God revealed all these docthrow out his inspiration. God

Mike, what do you do with the fact that trines to Mr.

Armstrong?

showed him how and

that's

"But

can't

to interpret the Bible

why we're not deceived like

if

I

I

on these things

correctly,

the other churches."

he was wrong about these

reveal them," "Well,

We

things,

then

God

didn't

tried to explain.

just don't see

it

that way.

things to Mr. Armstrong, and

I

think

you guys

God

revealed these

are just rejecting that

who think so." Since reformation in the Worldwide Church of God began among members of its highest leadership, those leaders who were

inspiration.

And

I'll

tell

you, there are a lot of us

132

The Path of Renewal 133

moved by the Spirit toward change began to of what Howard Snyder calls "keepers of the

not being the role tion."

1

For them, the survival of the church

itself,

take on institu-

founded and

as

fashioned by Herbert Armstrong, was at stake. Consequently, the institutional leaders

who opposed

the

movement toward

refor-

mation brought steady pressure to bear on the pastor general, first

attempting to convince him to dispose of the leaders

supported the renewal, and lead the church serve the

finally

membership

into a

Armstrong doctrines and

Because

at

who

by organizing themselves to

new church

that

would

pre-

traditions.

WCG governance did not allow the removal of the movement lay in the track. Had Joseph reform, the movement

pastor general, the vitality of the renewal vitality of

Tkach

Sr.

the pastor general to keep

it

not kept up the pressure for

would have

stalled. It

on

would simply have been swallowed up in and institutionalization, as had earlier

sixty years of tradition efforts that did

not have the backing of Herbert Armstrong.

Key Elements of Renewal As

I

reflect

on what

I

consider to be key elements of the trans-

formation of the Worldwide Church of God,

Howard in

I

am

indebted to

Snyder's study of Pietism, Methodism, and Moravianism

which he

distills a

number of features common

to the process of

corporate spiritual renewal in those movements. 2 Although the process

documented by Snyder bears remarkable

what happened in the Worldwide Church of God, the

WCG journey was unique.

I

believe this

is

similarities to

for the

most part

the case, in large part,

because the original formation of Armstrong's church was

itself a

reaction to the supposed "deadness" of modem Christianity.

Herbert Armstrong and

all

true believers in Armstrongism

saw the history of the Christian church

as

nothing other than a

grand conspiracy. Armstrong declared: Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the

KINGDOM OF

GOD— which

of the

is

the

GOOD NEWS

WORLD

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

134

TOMORROW!

men went out proclaiming CHRIST they appropriated His Name and the prestige of His Name in order to deceive the world, and to HIDE from the world the MESSAGE that CHRIST brought. But, Soon

—

in this end- time,

when

the end of this age

same Gospel of the Kingdom of

God

Gospel

of

is

at

hand,

God—the GOVERNMENT

— being born into the family of God — is

now once

this

again going to

this

same

ALL THE WORLD!

That prophecy is being fulfilled in "The WORLD TOMORROW" broadcast and in the pages of The PLAIN TRUTH! 3

Convinced that he was

a lone,

courageous "voice crying out

in the wilderness of religious confusion," Armstrong

and

church

his

among

as the specially called

end-time revival of God's

remnant people. Consequently, any

faithful

the followers of Armstrong that

Christianity

was naturally viewed

saw himself renewal

call to

moved toward

as a "return to

historic

Babylon" and

was strongly opposed. For adherents of Armstrongism, the only kind of renewal that

makes sense

is

one that constitutes

a return to the "faith

once delivered," or the so-called original purity of the church,

meaning behaviors rooted

in the "traditions of the fathers" that

characterized the Jewish Christianity of the early Jerusalem

church. Since Armstrong's church believed

it

had already captured

the purity of the first-century church, the idea of

its

need to

return to the primitive faith tended to be incomprehensible for

WCG members. The other churches had become "Christians in name

only,"

not

us.

Armstrong's desire for renewal in the larger body of Christ

was

certainly justifiable.

but rather

a

However,

his solution

was no

solution,

worsening of the problem, leading Christians, not

power of the gospel, but farther away from it. Consequently, the Worldwide Church of God found itself approaching the question from the other ditch, having once rejected the closer to the

The Path of Renewal 135

"broken" mainstream Christian church and now, in the throes of renewal, having to reembrace

A rocky process

its validity.

to say the least, the renewal of the

wide Church of God has caused no but

spiritual transformation,

eight key elements

WCG Key

than three major

splits (to

have to judge the strengths and deficiencies of

date). History will its

less

World-

4

emerge

as

all

things considered,

believe

I

fundamental characteristics of the

renewal.

1:

God and

Rediscovery of the Triune

the Person of

the Holy Spirit Herbert Armstrong's church began with

on the Word without

Due

a

a strong

emphasis

corresponding emphasis on the

in part to his early experiences

with members of

Spirit.

a neigh-

boring Pentecostal church, Armstrong strongly distrusted and

vehemently opposed the entire Pentecostal movement, it

"the devil's counterfeit."

overreaction to

all

5

The

result of

calling

Armstrong's intense

things remotely Pentecostal

6

was the forma-

tion of a highly legalistic sect.

The

WCG renewal was bathed in a rediscovery of the doc-

trine of the Trinity, especially the

the Holy Spirit.

The renewal movement

Church of God remained

firmly

of faithfulness to Scripture but

ment and

concept of the personhood of in the

Worldwide

committed to Armstrong's

welcomed

a place for the

ideal

move-

fellowship of the Spirit. This significant course cor-

rection led the church onto fertile ground for the blossoming of

the gospel in the hearts of

Key

2:

WCG members.

Rediscovery of the Gospel

A new perception

of the faith lay at the heart of the refor-

mation of the Worldwide Church of God. From

my own

per-

spective as executive assistant to the church's pastor general, the

fundamental issue became the question "What

is

a Christian?"

In 1987, while teaching an undergraduate class eral Epistles at Ambassador

College in Pasadena,

I

on the Gen-

was confronted

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

136

who believes born of God, and everyone who loves

with the bare declaration of that Jesus

is

the Christ

is

1

John

the father loves his child as well." everyone a

5:1:

If

who believes that Jesus is the

"Everyone

that statement

Christ

is

is

true, that

born of God, then

person clearly does not have to be a Sabbatarian to be saved.

knew

of

many people who were not

believed that Jesus

is

I

who

Sabbatarians but

the Christ, and that belief had most defi-

nitely transformed their lives.

Worldwide Church of God, however, we would quickly say, "Well, you had better read verses 2 and 3: "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." Then we would argue that the commands of God include the Saturday Sabbath; therefore, if you don't keep the Saturday Sabbath, then you do not love God. In the

I

fell

for that

argument

standing faithfully with ing in bath.

for nearly forty years, thinking

I

was

God and not realizing I was in fact standall believers who didn't keep the Sab-

condemnation of

Our mindset prevented

us from taking seriously the next

two verses: "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4-5). The commands to which John is referring are not the commands of the old covenant. They are the commands he has already mentioned numerous times in his letter, specifically: "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he

who obey

his

commands

live in

3:23-24). The ironic truth ers

on the

basis of

him, and he in them"

proclaiming.

comes by

(1

John

that our exclusion of fellow believ-

non- Sabbath keeping was

commands John was that salvation

is

commanded us. Those

We

faith in the

to break the very

did not accept the truth

name

of Jesus (for us

it

was

The Path of Renewal 137

Jesus plus Sabbath), and

it is

not love to

call

fellow Christians

"deceived children of the devil."

Tkach

Pastor general

How

discussed these issues often.

I

and what to do about the plain truth that

to understand

was becoming increasingly process.

and

Sr.

clear to us

We were coming from full

was

a painful

and rocky

immersion in Armstrongism,

fighting not only a concrete-encased corporate identity

own

dition etched in stone but also our tity,

purpose, and

Key

3:

From

the

personal sense of iden-

Top Down

in its

resources were

a tra-

call.

The renewal movement was centered

and

all

own

in the

hierarchy.

Worldwide Church of God As a result, denominational

directed toward insuring the success of the

reforms, including recorded sermons and special presentations

required to be played in

monthly

letter to all

congregations, the pastor general's

members and

monthly newsletter

his

all

to

pastors,

monthly church newspaper, and

Renewal leaders serving

regular financial supporters,

close to

all

the membership-wide

other church publications.

Tkach

Sr.

were

raised to the

church's highest ecclesiastical rank, giving additional credibility to their roles in the renewal efforts; cles

were

officially distributed in all

and their sermons and

arti-

WCG congregations.

Despite the clear advantage of the renewal

movement

orig-

inating in the denomination's highest leadership, however, local

pastoral leadership proved to be an essential key to the effectiveness of the renewal at the local level. Pastors

mitted to Armstrongism saw the reforms

who were com-

as a threat to the

church's identity as the "one and only" true church and saw their

duty to oppose them. Perhaps that

when one

is

of the fundamental aspects of the renewal

itself

was founded.

as

itself is a

body and a renouncupon many of which the church

redefinition of the identity of the existing

ing of major doctrinal errors,

it

the inevitable result

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

138

come

Doctrinal change in Armstrong's church could only

"from the top down." By God's grace, the renewal nucleus included the president and enough significant leaders to insure the success of the decision-making process and communication

members. As Armstrong's

to church

successor, Joseph

held the same church authority as had Armstrong.

looked solely to him

as the basis of authority

Tkach

Sr.

Members

under Christ and

in

accord with Scripture, for church doctrine, vision, and mission.

Because Tkach

and

Sr.

did not possess the same facility of written

oral expression as

ers for his written bers.

The

and me,

Armstrong, he had to rely heavily on oth-

communication to pastors and church

mem-

tiny headquarters renewal cell consisting of Tkach

his executive assistant

and

editorial advisor,

Sr.

was soon

joined by Greg R. Albrecht, then church booklet editor, and soon

by Joseph Tkach Jr., then executive director of pasAs time progressed, other headquarters leaders began to

thereafter tors.

provide a certain degree of conceptual support as they "bought into" the

need

for certain changes or in

some

cases

had long seen

the need for them. Slowly, despite major opposition

from those headquarters

who found the new direction appalling and dangerous, the new paradigms being promoted in church literature began to leaders

find fertile soil in increasing pastors,

new

numbers of church members and

and informal small group

ideas)

began to emerge

cells

(both for and against the

in response.

Soon we discovered that not only was the Holy

among being

felt

around the world. Members and pastors

write to let us

know that they had recently been

the simplicity and power deficiencies in distress letter

work

began to

confronted with

WCG theology, and that they were in prayerful

about what action to take when

change

alike

of the gospel and therefore with major

from the pastor general would

ticular

Spirit at

the Pasadena hierarchy, but his redemptive touch was

in

this or that article or

arrive

church doctrine or practice.

announcing It

became

a par-

increas-

The Path of Renewal 139

ingly clear that the

Holy

was

Spirit

at

work throughout the

church worldwide with the headquarters leadership renewal ;

being simply one part, however necessary of the Lord's program for

denomination-wide renewal.

The

gospel broke into our hearts like a

mountain brook

clear, fresh,

bubbling

an exhausting, seemingly endless climb

after

over burning rocks and parched

on

soil

a blistering day. It

was

was the power of

everything our souls craved and longed

for. It

God

the light of day and like

for salvation bursting

upon us

like

shouts of rescue to hopeless souls, beaten, starved, and impris-

oned

in darkness.

impossible. said

all

God

Or was

accepts sinners!

it? Isn't

that

It

was scandalous.

what our use-worn

along? But to actually believe

it,

It

was

Bibles

had

and to believe

it

could

be true of me was to move from merely knowing about Jesus to begin to

Key

4:

know him!

Emergence of Small Groups

One

of the

first effects

of a rediscovery of the gospel in the

Worldwide Church of God was ship

among those who were

a

hunger for purposeful fellow-

tasting or retasting the joy

and

free-

dom of salvation in Jesus Christ. Church headquarters conducted pastoral seminars

on small groups and made instructional video-

tapes on small groups available on a loan basis to

all

pastors. In

congregations where pastors were enthusiastic about a renewed sense of worship and spiritual fellowship,

many members

responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to be involved a

new and more

intimate form of body

life.

A WCG

in

values

brochure, Vision 2000, contains this statement about small group

worship:

Every Christian

Body of

is

called into active fellowship with the

Christ. Personal spiritual

in a large gathering,

but

We encourage participation, in at one's

growth takes place not

in the context of small

own comfort level,

group

life.

a non-threatening setting

in small

group worship. Such

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

140

small group worship settings provide opportunity to get to

know other

Christians, to

worship and praise God,

dis-

cuss questions, study the Bible, share concerns, pray and

receive prayer in a non-judgmental environment. Small

groups form the core of congregational ideal

way

for guests

and

visitors to

life,

become

and are an

familiar with

Christian faith and practice in a comfortable, supportive

and pressure-free

The

setting.

7

tension created in local congregations by the changes in

doctrine and vision of church headquarters proved a formidable

challenge for church members. "Are you with headquarters or against headquarters?" Those itually

who were "with" headquarters spir-

tended to find themselves coming together

in small

groups for prayer and worship as they experienced a renewed

Word of God. Those who were "against" headquarwho joined a small group and remained in it, tended to

love for the ters,

but

becoming more comfortable with the changes

find themselves

in

their church.

Most congregations have within them at least one strong small group fellowship in which participants are committed to one another worship. In

terms of mutual spiritual support, prayer, and

in

many instances,

a thriving small

group has positively

influenced the larger congregation. Throughout the church, such

groups have promoted the spiritual

vitality

and general well-

being of the denomination as a whole, demonstrating that life is

have remained

Key

new

indeed springing up in the midst of what might otherwise

5:

a stale

and moribund

spiritual

environment.

Rediscovery of the Priesthood of Believers

The priesthood of believers is a concept that has only recently become part of the vocabulary of the Worldwide Church of God. of

its

Historically, the 65-year-old

evangelistic energy into the

quarters and

all

of

its

pastoral

church invested

all

media work of church head-

work

in its professional pastors.

The Path of Renewal 141

The nonordained members were expected to "pray and pay" and live godly, upright lives. Ministry opportunities for members were limited to serving the needs of other members, and

in

most

congregations these opportunities were handed out by pastors.

Greg Ogden, author of The

New

the

New Reformation,

"Nowhere does the term

clergy:

points out that

Testament does not limit ministry to the ordained

a particular class

'ministry' or 'minister' refer to

of people set apart from the rest of the church.

The noun diakonia is variously translated 'service,' 'ministry,' or 'mission.' The personal form of the noun diakonos is translated depending on

'servants,' 'ministers,' or 'deacons,'

its

context."

8

Ogden

sees the ordained clergy as having the function of "help-

ing the

members of the body

discover their ministry to upbuild 9

the church and be deployed to the world." In this

body of Christ can

participate in

way the

to be one in

its call

entire

which "each

which each part "promotes the up in love" (Eph. 4:16, NRSV). Martin Luther taught that the housemaid scrubbing on her knees is doing a work as pleasing to God as the priest on his

part

is

working properly" and

body's growth in building

knees before the

altar.

in

itself

God's purpose and not our own,

on

his mission in

that light,

Christ

is

that one

The

it is

we

In other words, since

we

are

all

are, in effect, his

whatever particular situation

easy to see that every

member

here for

emissaries

we might

be. In

of the body of

indeed specially called and placed into ministry, and is

not greater or lesser than another.

New Reformation is assigned reading for all WCG pastors

and has been of great help

in

encouraging a fresh perspective on

the priesthood of believers in our fellowship. Since 1995 the

church has seen significant increase in personal ministries of kinds, including a strong

development among

all

and growing emphasis on leadership

women

and

teens.

The Worldwide Church of God has learned by hard

experi-

ence that loudly condemning sinful practices and telling people

how to live doesn't lead them to their Savior. must

let itself

Instead, the

be the loving hands and arms of Jesus

at

church

work

in

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

142

the world. lived out,

The priesthood of believers must be

by the power of the Holy

Spirit, in

a reality that

the everyday

is

life

of the church, of congregations, of small groups, of families, of individual Christians. Jesus calls

all

his

people into his kingdom,

and every subject of his kingdom has an the kingdom of the one

who

essential role to play in

heals, restores, blesses,

and

gives.

Key 6: Growing Sense of Identification with the Universal Church

One

of the

of the renewal of the Worldwide

first results

Church of God was

a sense of belonging to the universal body of The joy of this fresh awakening to a place in the family of God generated among renewed church leaders and members a Christ.

passion for breaking

down

the walls of denominationalism.

Invitations to address our

of other denominations.

members were extended to

Non-WCG

invited to conduct training seminars with leaders

and members began

leaders

Christian educators were

WCG pastors. WCG

visiting other churches, establishing

friendships and professional relationships with

members of other

WCG congregations began sharing facilities with congregations of other denominations, and WCG pastors Christian churches.

began joining ministerial

alliances

and seeking opportunities

partnership and cooperation with other churches.

for

And the mag-

azine Herbert Armstrong founded, The Plain Truth, completely revised

its

editorial policies to

become an interdenominational

magazine committed to promoting understanding, partnership between Christians of

Key

7:

all

unity,

and

denominations.

Rediscovery of Outreach

A reaching beyond the boundaries of our fellowship was one of the

first results

need to

let

of the renewal process.

down the drawbridge and

1986, Joseph Tkach

Sr.

We

suddenly

drain the moat.

As

felt

the

early as

began to encourage members to become

an active part of their communities, to make friends outside the church, and to join

community

associations

and

clubs.

"How can

The Path of Renewal 143

we be

salt

and

world around us

light to the

if

we

stay hidden

Tkach reasoned. The new emphasis on making friends "in the world" and actively ministering the grace of God to the unsaved was a draaway

in

our holy

little

caves?"

matic turnaround from the cloistered premillennial dispensational

mindset that had prevailed under Armstrong's leadership.

Nevertheless, the "coming out" all

the

is

members of the church

slow to take hold. The fact that are called to

become

fully the

unified ministering agents of Christ in the world has profound

implications both for call

what we

call

"the ministry." In every case of God's

munity

is

called for

call,

God's larger redemptive purpose, not merely

for the sake or benefit of those called.

church today. Not only

is

The same

applies to the

the church called for the sake of the

member

world, but every

what we the person or com-

"the laity" and for

in the

church has

a vital

and God-

given role to play in that mission.

The church

exists for the world,

not merely for

itself.

The

beauty of this biblical truth influences the very reason for being of the church and indicts the fortress mentality that reigned

Worldwide Church of God. Interaction with the "world" that is, with people who were not members of the Worldwide Church of God was discouraged. Proclamation and mission were restricted to the mass media work of denominational headquarters, meaning that members (not to mention local pastors) were effectively excluded from any supreme

in the

—

—

sense of mission.

Members were encouraged

to spend

most of

their discre-

tionary time with each other, eschewing unnecessary contact with

the world.

Home

schooling,

emergency medical

care,

recreation programs

home

births,

avoidance of

all

non-

and avoidance of community sports and

were

a

few of the

effects of the exclusivist

mentality that pervaded the church. The net effect of this inwardness, this pursuit

of a pious and righteous safe haven behind the

comfortable walls of a nonthreatening church network, was a fun-

damental fear and

distrust of all things

non-Worldwide Church of

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

144

God, and worse, mission

life

a

profound

failure to participate in the Spirit-led

of the body of Christ.

Herbert Armstrong's sense of his

own divine call to fulfill the

"end-time Elijah work" of preparing the

coming

set

him and

churches and added

and division

in the

his to,

church

at

way

odds with

for Christ's all

second

other Christian

rather than diminished, the confusion

body of Christ that Armstrong was

so quick

condemn in others. Over the past decade, the Holy Spirit has moved us away from ourselves and toward Jesus, resulting in the refreshing recognition that we are not the sum total of the body

to

of Christ.

Key

Redefinition of the Mission of the

8:

Church

Correction of the erroneous doctrines of Herbert Armstrong

required a corresponding correction of the church's mission.

Because our sense of identity had been so wrapped up strong's

Arm-

mass media "end-time warning witness," the general

mission of "simply spreading the gospel in all

in

word and deed

like

the other churches" seemed so broad as to be meaningless

to many.

Without

a specific

tional sense of mission that

and

clearly articulated

denomina-

was on par with the former one,

many pastors and members were left feeling purposeless. "What are we doing?" "Why do we exist?" "What is happening?" With the focus shifted from national and international mass media to relational evangelism at the local lost

and personal

level,

many were

and bewildered.

Feeling rudderless, a sense of

many people

meaning. For some

simply looked elsewhere for

"all this

Jesus stuff"

was sheer non-

sense anyway, and they formed splits to preserve Armstrongism,

which they perceived

as the "faith

once delivered to the

saints."

Others, exhausted by the whole experience, simply dropped out

of organized religion.

dom in

A few began to flaunt their newfound free-

Christ as a license to irritate others or to sin freely.

ever, others, feeling released to

How-

worship without the bonds of

The Path of Renewal 145

Armstrongism formed new worship groups and ministries ;

within the Worldwide Church of

God

or began attending other

Christian churches.

moment,

For the

could be argued that

and

for healing

church has been through,

after all the its

specific mission

At some

survival.

is

to rest in Christ's arms

a

and

point, however, a clear

dynamic sense of denominational mission

Aubrey Malphurs has written that

a

it

will

have to emerge.

church or ministry without

God-given, clearly articulated and implemented vision will nei-

ther thrive nor long survive.

10

The Worldwide Church of God

is

currently struggling with this impediment. Since the death of

Herbert Armstrong and subsequent repudiation of his vision and mission, the denomination has found no replacement compelling

enough to capture the hearts and imagination of members.

The denomination

has, of course, a general sense of the call

to proclaim the gospel in pastors,

clear

and to nurture

all

its

and focused vision

the world, to train and commission

local congregations in the faith.

for the

But

Worldwide Church of God

a

as a

unique entity within the context of the universal body of Christ is

vague

at best.

The void has

led to a certain degree of confusion,

with various unrefined and undeveloped points of view emerging

— both

in leadership

and

in the

rank and

file

— and vying

for

supremacy. It

may be

that the

Worldwide Church of God

ready for a compelling vision. sufficient

right for is

is

not quite

may be that the fellowship needs

It

time for healing and reflection before conditions are

God to begin to

currently

still

share

in shock. It

what

his plan

is

for a

church that

may be, then, that the church is movGod has in mind, with

ing appropriately through a process that a vision

still

in early fetal stages

the Holy Spirit to be

made

and steadily being cultivated by

clear

and compelling

in

God's per-

fect time. I

believe the right vision will emerge for the

Church of God

as

we

Worldwide

continue to place ourselves before

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

146

for his purposes to

be

fulfilled

through our church.

If

that

then the best and most productive years of the church

is

true,

lie

yet

ahead.

The Journey Continues There

simply no such thing

is

as a one-size-fits-all

program World-

for negotiating the treacherous waters of renewal. In the

wide Church of

God we

and praised

are often lauded

for our

journey from legalism into the freedom of grace in Christ. Yet often remind myself and others that our journey

is

I

not over, that

we have not arrived at the destination, that we have not suddenly become

a

church completely free of legalism,

heresy. Jesus has set us

faithlessness,

on the path, and the Holy Spirit

is

and

mov-

down that path. But the journey is that of a lifetime. The painful reality of a changing church is that not all members stand together during the process. The Worldwide Church ing us

of

God has

experienced a profound change in identity and mis-

sion, including the

profound paradigmatic change from

a one-

man-dominated ministry to the ministry of all believers. The pain has been enormous, resulting in the exodus of more than half of the church's leaders have

members and

clergy,

and denominational

had to find superhuman power

in Christ for perse-

verance and patience. Yet the Spirit-implanted vision for the

needed change

has,

by God's

said before, an ironic virtually

demands

dynamic

is

is

As I have

that change of such magnitude

a hierarchical, authoritative

government, even though

change

grace, carried us through.

a necessary

form of church

aim of the mountain of

the demise of such a form of government.

Strategies for

Sound Body

I

HAVE NO QUESTION that the

single

Life

most important God-given

blessing that led to the transformation of the

Worldwide

Church of God was the church's unqualified belief that the is

the inspired Word of

final authority

on

all

God and that

as

such

matters of doctrine,

it is

Bible

at all

times the

and

practice.

faith,

Despite Herbert Armstrong's destructive belief that he was the sole

end-time interpreter of Scripture,

his firm teaching that the

Bible must, in the final analysis, carry the day was God's

implanted

gift to

the fellowship Armstrong founded. Within

weeks of the death of Herbert Armstrong, that implanted essential

truth began to break the soil and reach sunward in the World-

wide Church of God, ing it

The

writer of

and

active,

divides soul

as

I

have discussed

Hebrews

said,

in the first chapter.

"Indeed, the

word of God

is liv-

sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until

from

spirit, joints

from marrow;

it is

able to judge

the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb. 4:12, NRSV). This

wonderful truth did us no good

as long as

we

turned

a blind

eye

Not merely for others, but for us. For the Worldwide Church of God, the Word of God had become a holy tool to demonstrate our superior obedience. It had become a righteous club to hold over the heads of others to keep them under control. But the Word of God is not ours to use as we to the fact that

please. It

is

it

was

for us.

the guiding light of truth that exposes our

and shame, and our

own

own

failure

crying need for God's love and grace.

147

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

148

Even though we were

we understood much

of

committed

fully it

of God,

Armstrong was considered the

on doctrine, while he was

could simply defer to him

Word

through the lens of Herbert Arm-

strong's interpretations. Because

sole authority

to the

alive

church leaders

doctrinal question arose.

if a

could

I

simply say to the questioning minister or member, "God will

Armstrong

reveal that to Mr.

through Mr. Armstrong, and thing,

he

will

if it is

if it is

important.

God's

will to

God works

change some-

show Mr. Armstrong."

But with Armstrong's death, we could no longer defer to him. Personally, at the time of Armstrong's death,

I

did not

believe there were any major errors in Armstrong's teachings.

Minor

things, yes,

and we could deal with them

— but certainly

nothing substantial. Faithfulness to Scripture and to truth, how-

would soon turn my world upside down. The Holy Spirit worked relentlessly in our hearts through the Word of God to right our capsized church. As I reflect on my experiences in the Worldwide Church of God, I find that there ever,

from doc-

are several principles that can help protect a church trinal aberration

and legalism.

ing" strategies for

from

I

offer the following "cult-proof-

any Christian church or ministry

as a

hedge

drifting into an exclusivist, body-dividing spirit.

Strategy Word of

any Christian life and community, the God must be the basis of faith and practice 1:

In

God comes to us through his Word. All other ways in which God speaks to his people spring from, and are measured by, the touchstone of the testimony of Scripture. Heresy cannot survive forever in a church that its

faith

and

correct

its

is

committed

tradition. In

to

allowing the Bible

God, the death of Herbert Armstrong ended of

change

God was

lives.

guide

the Worldwide Church of his tight rein

doctrine and scriptural interpretation, and the

Word

to

on

power of the

unleashed to breathe spiritual renewal and

Sound Body

Strategies for

Life

149

Not

a Jigsaw Puzzle

God

does not ask his people to worry about things that are

obscure. If we will only plant the things that are simple and clear in

our hearts, they will bear

The obscure of themselves when we rest in

fruit for eternal

parts of the Bible will take care

life.

the eternal embrace of the Lord.

The

Bible

is

the face of Jesus Christ.

human

designed the

creative nature

tery of

God

is

God in God has

the testimony of the grace and glory of

We

can gratefully affirm that

heart to love a mystery. That

is

part of the

he has shared with humanity. The unfolding mys-

something

his glorified children

have the inde-

scribable blessing to enjoy for eternity. But our inherent love of

mystery and discovery can be

a trap

when we

use

it

to turn the

Bible into a sort of jigsaw puzzle that only "insiders" can understand. Herbert "raised up" to

Armstrong believed he was the one God had

put

the pieces of the puzzle together.

all

truth of the grace of tion

is

with

God

The

plain

manifest in Jesus Christ for our salva-

the greatest mystery of all.

We can be thoroughly content

it.

Historic Witness of the

The Holy

Spirit

works

Church community of

in the context of the

faith,

not in the context of detached individuals.

come

to believe that the Spirit

is

leading

them

When

people

into a path con-

trary to the Spirit's witness in the history of the church, they are

on the wrong path. The Holy

Spirit guides the universal

primarily and fundamentally by

means of the

Spirit never contradicts the Spirit's

own

Scriptures,

church

and the

witness in the Bible.

Herbert Armstrong's fundamental premise was that the truth

had long

lay "buried" until

God raised him

up,

and that

all

other

Christian churches were hopelessly deceived. In this context, Christians

peripherals. eral

By the fourth

do well to separate

century, Christians

essentials

had come

from

to gen-

consensus about the biblically rooted essentials upon which

,

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

150

had

their faith

all

along been based. These are reflected in the

Nicene Creed, formulated

in A.D.

381

at Constantinople:

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one

Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of

God, eternally begotten of the Light from Light, true

God from God,

Father,

God from true God, begotten,

made, of one Being with the Father. Through him things

were made. For us and

down from

for our salvation

not all

he came

heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he

became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius he suffered death and was buried.

On

Pilate;

the third day he

rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven

He

will

and

come

is

seated at the right hand of the Father.

again in glory to judge the living and the

kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and dead, and his

the Son he

is

worshiped and

glorified.

He

has spoken

through the Prophets.

We

believe in one holy, all-embracing, and apostolic

Church.

We look for the resurrection of the world to come.

of the dead, and the

Amen.

The Definition of the Union of the Divine and the Person of Christ,

formulated

expressed the Christian Jesus Christ

is

fully

life

belief,

at

Human Natures in

the Council of Chalcedon in 45 1

derived from the biblical witness, that

God and fully man, one person "in two natures,

without confusion, without change, without aration, the distinction of natures being in

division,

without sep-

no way annulled by the

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

151

union but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved

and coming together to form one person and subsistence."

The essentials of the Nicene Creed were also later articulated in what are called the Apostles' Creed and the Creed of Athanasius.

Recognizing our unity in these basics of our Christian faith

by the Reformation,

(along with their implied truths, reaffirmed

of 1) salvation by grace alone through faith and 2) the authority

why must it be so

of Scripture),

difficult for us to receive

one

another in grace despite our differences in other, nonessential matters?

What

learn to live

a glorious

day

it

would be

by the maxim we often

if

we

Christians could

recite: In essentials, unity; in

nonessentials, liberty; in all things charity.

Planks and Specks It is

tempting to use the Bible to correct others rather than

leaving

them

us that

we

to

God and

letting the Bible correct us. Jesus tells

is

telling us

own

our

own

should get the planks out of our

try to get the specks out of

how

we

We

to rightly look at things.

are asked to see

worse and needing more attention than our

sin as

Do

brother's sin.

eyes before

our brothers' eyes (Matt. 3:5). Jesus

something about yourself first, Jesus

says,

then

worry about your brother. And you may just find that when you can finally see

the speck has taken care of

clearly, that

personal experience drove this lesson

There was

a period in

home

my life when

family problems. For various reasons,

I

I

felt

itself.

A

to me.

overwhelmed with

had begun to

feel that

my

is not how a Chrisme to take charge and get

family was hopelessly out of control. "This tian family should be," this

mess straightened

able and intolerable,

I

prayed. "Help

out." The level of conflict

and

I

tried every

seemed unbear-

method

I

knew

to get

things "under control."

One day

it

dawned on me

have to think

(I

put the

my head) that the real problem was having here was my family but with me. was trying to get everybody

thought in not with

God

I

I

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

152

else to

behave the way

/ felt

made me good look at the way

they should, the

comfortable and happy, instead of taking a I

that

was behaving.

What was I

way

I

doing wrong? The

was preoccupied with what

preoccupied with

I

first thing, ironically,

was that

was doing wrong. That

is, I

was

my fear of failing. More precisely, was afraid me as failing in leading my family as I

would perceive

that others

an ordained minister and denomination leader should. In an interview with Leadership, Richard Foster said, "That's

one of the great values of reading the vulnerability to insight.

The

fail

great

by human

men and women

selves as seriously as

I

saints.

standards."

of

1

They had

That

God

is

did not take them-

was taking myself. They saw themselves of the glory of God's grace.

realistically in the light

Thomas

Kempis wrote, "A humble understanding of yourself

way

to

God

this utter

such a freeing

is

a

a surer

2 than a profound searching after knowledge."

my problem. My reputation, my pride, my sense of my world and my environment was more important to me than listening to the voice of God. God's will for my life, for what he wanted to do with me, was hidden by my desperate and futile struggle to get the people around me "under control." When released them to God's care and gave myself and my sin to him, my family situation began to That was

personal control over

I

improve. The intolerable burden of trying to please people

began to be to reorder

lifted,

and the peace of God's gracious touch began

my entire perspective.

In Life Together, Dietrich

Bon-

hoeffer observes:

Because Christ stands between

me

and

desire direct fellowship with them.

speak to

me

in

such a way that

I

others,

I

dare not

As only Christ can

may be

saved, so others,

can be saved only by Christ himself. This means that must release the other person from every attempt of mine to regulate, coerce, and dominate him with my love. The other person needs to retain his independence of me;

too, I

Sound Body

Strategies for

Life

153

be loved

to

man,

what he

for

and rose

died,

is,

as

again, for

giveness of sins and eternal

Bonhoeffer was those around I

me

was rerooted

right.

was not

for

3

life.

had to learn that direct,

my relationship with

but through

when

I

And

it

Only when

Jesus.

my

in Jesus did the relationships in

to heal and blossom.

the Lord does

I

whom Christ became whom Christ bought for-

one

family begin

has been glorious to behold what

myself in him. Bonhoeffer continues:

lose

my

Because Christ has long since acted decisively for brother, before

freedom to be

I

could begin to

Christ's;

son that he already

is

act,

must leave him

I

must meet him only

I

in Christ's eyes.

freedom to be

Christians that they

must cease

to leave Christ-

Much

of the church's

at efforts to

convince other

Christ's.

mass media evangelism was aimed

the per-

as

4

The Worldwide Church of God was unable ian churches their

his

their current Christian traditions

and take up those of Herbert Armstrong: If

you have

Word

sincerely repented

bath day

live

by every

— commonly called Saturday — the same com-

manded day withdraw

at

Christ and His Apostles kept!

once from

all

You

will

fellowship with this world's

churches Satan has deceived into observing Sunday,

false

a

and desire to

of God, you will begin to observe God's Holy Sab-

day which

God

never

commanded. 5

Rather than evangelize unbelievers, the Worldwide Church of

God

targeted the Christian world, which

it

considered to be

unbelieving on the basis of the Sabbath doctrine.

The

became

It

a tool to correct

until the death of

that he

was

its

Bible

was not

Herbert Armstrong, and with him the myth

specially anointed

our fellowship became begin

not ourselves, but others.

by

God

fertile soil for

transforming work.

to restore

all

truth, that

the implanted

Word

to

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

154

Strategy

Center every facet of personal and body

2:

around

life

An

believing prayer

authentic

life

of prayer keeps us in relationship with

and oriented toward seeking in the lives of

its

leaders

his will.

God

Without believing prayer

and members,

of inter-

as well as prayers

community I cannot imagine the Worldwide Church of God would have been ready for

cession from the wider Christian that

God's healing touch. Still,

a caution

is

in order: Prayer

must not be allowed

to

degenerate into a mere duty, or be restricted to stereotypical

methods and paradigms. Henri Nouwen once described prayer God.

in this

way: "Prayer

God

always speaking; he's always doing something.

is

in its

most

is first

basic sense

is

of

all

listening to

openness.

It's

.

.

Prayer

.

just entering into an attitude of saying,

what are you saying to me?'" 6 The Worldwide Church of God consistently taught the value of

'Lord,

meaningful, heartfelt prayer. But in order to have one's prayers answered, there were conditions: "The Bible reveals seven basic conditions

The

which you should

conditions

Know

•

Believe God.

•

Obey God.

•

Fear and humility.

•

if.

God's

Be

fervent.

Be

persistent.

•

Use

Christ's

biblically defensible

7

enough:

will.

•

like so

to be certain of answered prayers."

expounded were

•

But

fulfill

name.

many

teachings of Armstrongism, there

is

the big

Either you measure up to these seven points, or don't expect

God

to hear you.

The

lesson

on prayer concludes:

"If

you

faith-

—

conform to these seven conditions of answered prayer with God's help, you may then have absolute confidence that God will

fully

hear and answer your prayers."

8

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

155

What happens

who

to folks

They should keep

the conditions?

explained, believing

God

is

sounds innocent enough, but

was

frustrating because

prayer

is

don't quite conform so well to

it

church literature

trying,

The

merciful and patient. it

idea

resulted in a lot of frustration.

It

was founded on the premise that

primarily about getting things from God. Therefore,

— that

if

you don't get what you then in which of the conditions have you failed? Is asked for your obedience faltering? Are you not humble enough? Are you

your prayer

answered

isn't

is,

—

not fervent enough? Your focus to the quality of your

God that

is

from intimacy with God

own spiritual condition. You naturally feel

not hearing you, that you must not be close to him, and

you have

God

to

has done.

I

hope of seeing that change.

little

For most of my ing

shifts

life, I

thought prayer was primarily about ask-

do things and then thanking don't

mean

in a selfish way.

I

God

for the things

mean

he

God

like asking

To protect people. To make things work out all right. To help me quit sinning, and so on. You know the kind of to heal people.

prayers I'm talking about.

God

Intimacy with Until

seminary

I

began to study and experience prayer

class

occurred to

conducted by Richard

me

Foster,

that prayer was about far

requests of God.

The

it

Bible teaches us that prayer

It

also listening to

God and just being with God

involves not only asking for

ing time with him,

relationship, entering into

is

being in the

—

just plain spend-

It

God

just like

involves an actual

God's presence not only to

and to hear what

talk,

implies

we

are

still

in control.

as speaking to

But

but

has to say to me.

In an interview with Leadership, Richard Foster said,

problem with describing prayer

really

what we need but

sometimes without saying anything,

with our friends or family members.

to simply be there,

wonderful

more than making

presence of God.

we do

in a

had never

in listening,

"The

God is that it we let go." In 9

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

156

looking back over the past eleven years since Herbert strong's death,

now

I

go," to relinquish control. I

began to

realize that

everything didn't

I

know where

thought

way

He

is

God

what

to do.

I

to take control.

on anything

about doctrine, about

Bible,

had grown

up.

The

frightening realization that

God

was secure except

in

to God's gracious assurance that in

rely

and especially about the Worldwide Church of I

had believed

my all

I

could only cling to the

had known about the

which

gave

to go or

I

history,

I

doctrinal change led to another,

began to understand that I could not

God

nothing

to "let

my world, my life, my belief system, nearly

I

church in

As one

me

teaching

held dear and secure, were quite out of control.

I

Scriptures and ask

Slowly

God was

realize that

Arm-

he

is

himself slowly

quite sufficient.

all.

Prayer as a Dialogue

When learned that real prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue, my life began to change. Not because was "trying harder" I

I

or struggling "more mightily" against

sin,

but simply because

was beginning to walk with God. "Lord, put

you want tice.

to pray through

"Lord, teach

Word

today"

As long

as

is I

me" is

a prayer

I

learn

from your

another.

thought of prayer

Lord, Teacher, and Savior,

it

as a Christian

was never

prayer was a chore, something

The

heart what

have learned to prac-

me what you would have me

of requests instead of a joyfully anticipated

with God.

my

in

I

focus tended to

right things that pleased

God

to his standards so that he

had be on I

to

duty or

as a series

communion with my

fully satisfying. Dutiful

do

in order to be right

myself,

would respond

on

my

need to do

I

might measure up

to

my requests. That

in order that

approach smothers the joy of prayer, the free and abandoned

my life. It shatters the peace of sharing everything with him, of laying my heart and soul bare before him, inviting him to come in and reorder my passions and habits, intimacy with the Lord of

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

157

knowing he knows every dark and foul corner of my corrupt heart and loves me anyway, and waiting in silence for him to merge

my will to

his.

become another

For prayer to

order to alleviate feelings of

you

God to

help your

of a prayer- filled

guilt,

go right"

life

is

in" in

another measure of whether

you ought

are doing everything

something to "get

rule,

be doing

to

you "expect

if

to diminish the vitality

and joy

life.

Nevertheless, the fact that regular prayer was upheld as a vital

ingredient of the Christian to take their pain

and

life set

frustration

the stage for

WCG members

about massive changes

in

church

pres— to the throne of God. ence, they were able to be molded and shaped — taught to be

doctrine to the right place

patient, to give trust

him

emotions time to catch up with

to bring

Strategy

3:

Never in

be afraid

its

and to

time of trial.

to face the truth

my heart during my years in Herbert Arm-

strong's administration,

with

intellect,

them and their church through

As God worked flict

In his

I

began to sense that

reality

was

in con-

my assumptions about my church and its leader. While

Herbert Armstrong was

alive,

however,

I

would not allow myself

to even question or doubt his authority or role as "God's only

anointed end-time apostle." As in any authoritarian-style organization, loyalty quickly rises to the top of the value system.

Nothing was more important than loyalty to Armstrong and to the church. Herbert Armstrong was God's man, so loyalty to

Armstrong was

When

loyalty to

Armstrong

God.

slowly began to dissipate for esty.

from

For

some

time,

it

power and authority an impediment to bare hon-

died, his "aura" of

was

as

me

as

though he

his grave. Eventually (for

me,

it

still

had

a grip

on

my leg

took about three years and

several struggles with Armstrong's doctrinal errors, including his Trinitarian heresy), his grip loyalty

began to

clear.

weakened, and the fog of misplaced

Only then,

it

seems, was

I

emotionally free

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

158

to begin to respond to the issues

about

my church

prompting of the Holy

and

Spirit to face

history with pure honesty, with-

its

out making excuses or concocting rationalizations. I

believe a spiritually healthy church or group

itself

Where

there

the Truth, and are

committed

be freedom

pretense, there

is

when

his disciples are

to truth.

in Christ.

God

is

honest with

spiritual sickness. Jesus

committed

Only when we

Only when we

healing and forgiveness.

stand before

is

is

to him, they

face the truth can there

face the truth can there be

Only when we

face the truth can

we

ready for his regenerating and transforming

work in our deepest parts. I suggest the following "litmus

test" for

honesty in any Christian organization: •

Face the truth about yourself. it

and you know

with •

God

about

it.

You

God knows

Be brutally honest with yourself and

that.

No group, including yours,

Face the truth about your group. is

are a sinner.

the one and only "faithful remnant." Your group

the most important group on

earth. Its mission

is

is

not

not the

most important mission on earth. There will not be a "greater reward" for members of your group. Your group is not "more special" than other parts of the body of Christ.

God

can, in •

you and every member in your group, but he fact, get by without your group.

loves

Face the truth about your leader.

No

No

leader

is infallible.

No

up by God to bring "new" truth that has "never before been understood." No leader has a special dispensation from leader has

God to •

"all

sin.

the truth."

No

leader

is

leader has been

the only true servant of God.

Face the truth about your questions.

admit them to

yourself.

sible answers.

You don't have

you

to live in

just

have

Don't be

questions or hide from

raised

If

you have

questions,

afraid to explore the pos-

to reach final conclusions;

the real world. To suppress your

them only

greater disillusionment and grief

sets

later.

you up

for even

Sound Body

Strategies for

Life

159

Don't be afraid

•

to

the best medicine for healthy

members chose

may hurt, but it is Many former WCG

seek the truth. Truth living.

to cover their ears rather than hear the

truth about Herbert Armstrong's errors.

Many

refused to

read any church literature explaining doctrinal changes

and the need

for

them. Whatever the emotional reason for

refusing to examine facts, honesty

was

sacrificed for

fort.

Truth stands up to examination. There

fear

it.

change

If

your belief

it

than to cling to

the truth shall

is false, it is

pain of facing the truth that

it

"You

it.

make you

is

com-

no need to

far better to face it

shall

and

know the truth, and The temporary

free," Jesus said.

is

well worth the joy of freedom

brings.

John Dawson, founder of the International Racial Reconciliation Coalition, has said that only

dom

we

Christians have the free-

to be honest about our true situations.

It is

only

when

things are uncovered that the blood of Christ can be applied.

Taking Ourselves Too Seriously

We Even

all

after

tend to see ourselves

we

as the center

God, we are

give ourselves to

view things through the lens of our sions, habits,

and viewpoints.

Christian walk

is

And

own

of the universe. still

inclined to

feelings, desires, pas-

that's just the

problem. The

one of taking up our cross (symbolic of dying

to self and living for Christ) and following Jesus (into his self-sacrifice, humility,

ions too seriously,

we

we

and love)

.

life

of

When we take our own opinAnd when God seriously

take ourselves too seriously.

take ourselves too seriously,

we

stop taking

enough. "I

could be wrong"

is

a truism that

person's belief system and vocabulary. live

by

Thomas

it,

but

we

tend to reject

it

should be part of every

We believe others should as a

guide for ourselves.

Kelly wisely observed, "For humility and holiness are

twins in the astonishing birth of obedience in the

human heart."

10

God

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of 160

If

we

God when we we would learn to

could sense the reality of the presence of

allow our dogmatism to balloon, perhaps insert the

popping pin ourselves.

Legalism Breeds Hypocrisy If

I

am a biblical legalist, am I

mentally synonymous. That

is

a hypocrite.

because

The two

legalists

eventually have to

extend to themselves the liberty to break their

what they never want

One

are funda-

own

code. This

is

to admit, either to themselves or to others.

we must take to break out of the prison of legalism is to admit that we have, in reality, two sets of rules: one for others and one for ourselves. (Pity the poor rare legalist who actually lives by his own rules his disease may be even worse.) Herbert Armstrong was not always known for living by the principles he taught. He taught simplicity, but he was known for luxurious living. He taught rigid adherence to the Sabbath, holy days, and meat laws, but those close to him knew that he made himself an exception when the situation warranted it. He taught of the

steps

first

—

that I

it

was

sinful to take pharmaceuticals,

do not say

this to vilify

but he did so himself.

Herbert Armstrong but to

illustrate that

human beings are rarely capable of successfully living up to their own codes of conduct. For this reason legalism could rightly be called the

mother of hypocrisy.

God knows

those

who

are his.

We Christians seem to have a

compulsive need to make boundaries that Jesus does not make.

And sometimes

our boundary making leaves us outside of the

place where Jesus

is

working.

Thank God, the Holy

Spirit

does

not consult denominational polity and doctrinal nuance before

he meets men, women, and children where they are and draws

them

into the everlasting kingdom.

Strategy "I

4:

Be committed to Jesus, not to ideals

stand on

good about

my

principles,"

we

like to say. It

ourselves, like courageous heroes.

makes us

feel

But principles are

— Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

161

not people, and Jesus

commands

us to love our neighbors, not

our principles.

When we commit ourselves to ideals, we are committing ourselves to someone's, perhaps our

own,

set of standards or para-

digms that guide and shape our decisions. hand,

says,

up your

"Come to me, and I will

not

a rule

book.

equal to his opinion.

same

level as his sizing

sizes

up

all

you

rest."

on the other

He says, "Take

and follow me." We have to remember that he

cross

a person,

give

Jesus,

Our

And he sizing

up of a

is

God. Our opinion

up of

situation.

a situation isn't

His opinion

is

is

is

not

on the

Truth.

He

situations perfectly.

Our commitment, therefore, must be to Jesus, the man who is God, not to our assessment of what we assume to be the true state of

affairs.

come

Jesus will guide his people, but he does expect

to him,

When we

and he does expect them to take him face a crisis of faith and identity,

fused, frightened,

who we all

out,"

them

to

seriously.

we become

con-

and depressed. We find ourselves unsure about

what we believe. The harder we try to "figure it the worse it seems to become. The answer is simple, are or

almost too simple. But

it is

the right answer, indeed the only

answer: Leave the conflict to Jesus. Rest in his love. Philip Yancey

puts

it

well:

Jesus

came

to earth "full of grace

and

truth," says the

gospel of John, and that phrase makes a good

summary

of his message.

who

First, grace: in

contrast to those

to complicate the faith and petrify

preached

a

it

tried

with legalism, Jesus

simple message of God's love. For no reason

certainly not because

we

deserve

it

— God has decided to

extend to us love that comes free of charge, no strings attached, "on the house."

God does

11

we deserve it, until we are in just the mind. He loves us, pure and simple. He is looking for any excuse to help us. The reason we are experiencing not wait until

right spiritual state of

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

162

the is

crisis

of faith and identity

is

challenging our assumptions so that

about

who we

are

work in us. He he can show us the truth

because Jesus

and what can be

trusted.

is

I

at

love the beautiful

words of Jean-Pierre de Caussade:

So

God

which

disguise. For

once they know God's

less.

will discover

They say: "See him] There he

ing through the

The way to

Remember

you while you were will lead you.

still

is

is,

secret, disguise

behind the

window!"

in at the

trellis,

survive the storm

loving embrace.

He

up to that him under every kind of

hides himself in order to raise souls

perfect faith

is

use-

wall, look-

12

to fly to the safe harbor of his

the truth you know: Jesus died for

a sinner.

He

loves you.

He

accepts you.

Give the conflict to him, and take your

rest,

him to see you through. Don't expect an immediate answer. The psalmist knew the value of waiting for the Lord (cf.

trusting

Ps.

130:5).

It is

during the wait that your Savior

is

reordering

your assumptions and regenerating your heart so that you finally rest

completely in his perfect

wonderfully

When

mundane

one

led

is

care.

De

by

a guide

who

night, across

clearly defined paths, going

5:

a

takes one through

ground without any

wherever he fancies without

asking advice or disclosing his intentions,

Strategy

Caussade paints

illustration:

unknown country by

to surrender to

may

him?

what is there but

13

Remember that the gospel does not need

"improving/' "updating/' or "restoring"

The

gospel

is

the power of

believe, Paul declared in

had passed on

given to him:

to

for the salvation of

all

who

Romans 1:13. There was nothing

vague or incomplete about that he

God

it.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians

them the

gospel just as

it

had been

Sound Body

Strategies for

Life

163

Now

would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in

I

which

saved,

to

if

you

also

you

stand,

you hold firmly

through which

also

to the message that

— unless you have come to believe

For

I

you

handed on to you

as

I

are being

proclaimed

in vain.

of first importance what

I

in

turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accor-

dance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the

twelve. (1 Cor. 15:1-5, NRSV)

The

gospel has not been lost for nineteen centuries, as Her-

bert Armstrong declared.

14

And

was

it

declared, "suppressed and replaced Christ."

15

not,

as

Armstrong

by man's gospel about

Armstrong taught that the true gospel was the mes-

sage "Christ himself preached," that

is,

the gospel of the king-

dom of God, and that by the middle of the second century "there appeared an entirely different type of church calling tian,

but

in the

main preaching

not the gospel of Christ."

its

own

gospel

itself

Chris-

ABOUT Christ,

16

For Armstrong, this contrived gospel conspiracy provided

another major plank in his condemnation of

all

other Christian

churches: "Because they rejected Christ's gospel 1,900 years ago,

the world had to supplant something else in to invent a counterfeit!"

17

its

place.

They had

Armstrong's manufactured dilemma

(the gospel Christ preached

vs. a

gospel about Christ),

is

straight in Philip Yancey's simple words: Jesus' statements I

about himself

have the power to forgive

in three days)

sins;

(I I

will rebuild the

temple

were unprecedented and got him into con-

stant trouble. Indeed, his teaching his

and the Father are one;

person that

was so intertwined with

many of his words could not have

him; the grand claims died with him on the

outlived

cross. Disciples

set

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

164

who had followed him as a master returned to their former lives, muttering sadly, "We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel." It took the Resurrection to turn the proclaimer of truth into the one proclaimed. In the

New

Testament the apostles are unanimous

essential content of the gospel proclamation

whom God 13:33;

1

sent to

redeem humanity

John 5:10-12). This

Armstrong missed according to his

in his

own

is

(cf.

— Jesus

in the

the

is

18

One

Acts 2:36; 10:42-43;

the grand truth that Herbert

attempt to interpret the Bible

literally

perspective without testing his views

against the witness of the Spirit in the history of the church.

Armstrong missed the fundamental

biblical truth that the

person of Jesus and the kingdom of God cannot be disconnected.

Humans come into the kingdom only in Jesus, and not of their own accord, on their own power, or on their own standing before God, but only on the

basis of Jesus' standing before

God. Jesus

proclaims the kingdom; Jesus proclaims himself. Apart from Jesus, there

is

kingdom and

no entrance

for us into the

kingdom. For

Jesus are thoroughly inseparable.

The kingdom

exists before the incarnation, during the incarnation,

and

the incarnation; and precisely because of the incarnation,

God

invited to enter the kingdom through the door

vided

— Jesus Christ.

the

us,

after

we

are

has pro-

19

Armstrong's belief that

God had

called

him

personally to

restore the true gospel reflected his misunderstanding of the fun-

damental nature of Jesus Christ.

On

this

house of

cards,

Arm-

strong built his thesis that he was God's specially called

messenger to preach the true gospel. Imagine what would have

happened ability

if

Armstrong had submitted himself

group or had belonged to

discussed his ideas with

to an account-

a pastoral association

and had

his peers, trusting Jesus to teach

him

through the normal scriptural avenues of Christian discipleship. His error would most likely have been exposed, and perhaps he

could have stayed on a course of unity with the body of Christ.

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

165

Strategy

Don't compromise with the truth, but and love season your manner

6:

let grace

As

went through the

I

of massive doctrinal change in

crisis

my church, the Holy Spirit was granting me a fresh sense of conviction about the truly important things of

life.

The

my heart in a new and motivating way.

began to speak to

to experience fresh and exciting love for God. As

pened,

I

also

began to experience

and sickening.

vile

web

to the

I

frequently

felt

people

angry

me captive,

I

me

ing

my

when I

I

got

strands

of ignorance and confusion for others.

who had

them

hap-

at best,

not

come

down

as far

my

anger with

that path as

God had

brought me. To have done so would have succeeded only ving

began

and

when I thought about how had helped add

sometimes found myself tempted to vent

I

I

this

a corresponding disgust for

thought about the deception that had held even angrier

all

which now seemed hollow and empty

past experience,

perhaps even

Scriptures

away from the

farther

light into

and deeper into the darkness

that

we be

and

anger, to those

I

was

be challenged,

yes,

under the

God desires of our own pain

attacking.

ministers of his grace, not ministers still

in dri-

which God was bring-

Their assumptions must

spell.

but Jesus in us comes to others

in love,

not in

anger, impatience, or pride.

am reminded of the woman

I

at the well. Jesus'

approach to

her was to speak the truth in love. That approach always works best,

because

it is

God's approach.

need an emotional venting.

when we

let

him have

his

He

God

isn't selfish.

He

doesn't

speaks the truth in love.

way with

us,

we

And

can speak the truth

in love too.

What we mise with

patience or

ken

is

it

But

will

like apples

Nouwen wrote visit

must be true. We must not compromust also be spoken in love and in great do more harm than good. 'A word aptly spo-

say to others

that.

it

of gold in settings of silver" (Pro v. 25:1

of his feelings

when

a

1).

Henri

former student came to

during his seven-month stay at a Trappist monastery in

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

166

upstate

New York: "I

and experience

feel, see,

God

but realize that

Richard Foster

make him

discover in myself the desire to all

have done in the

I

last

four months,

touches each one in a different way." 20

ways we tend to rush ahead when

cites four

attempting to bring truth to others: 1

.

Ignoring the rituals of acquaintanceship.

2.

Trying to get people interested in our message before they

3.

Trying to bring

know we

are interested in their lives.

them to

a decision before they are ready for

a decision. 4.

Trying to bring people into a teaching before they can receive the teaching.

Jesus told his disciples,

21

"I still

many things to

have

but you cannot bear them now" (John the right timing.

When we

me.

I

realize that

"I

God knows we Henri Nouwen

16: 12, NRSV).

learn to release people to him,

can begin to grow in sensitivity to his timing. wrote:

say to you,

compassion

is

not mine but God's

cannot embrace the world, but

God

can."

Remember that a judgmental heart worse than poor theology Strategy After

7:

all

the Worldwide Church of

and the price say here

we

God

gift to

22

is

has been through

have paid for right theology, what I'm going to

may seem strange. But it has to be said: There

are worse

things than poor theology.

Some

Christians consider C.

S.

Lewis's allegorical salvation

of the Calormene soldier in The Last Battle a theological error 23

When

on Lewis's

part.

exclusivist,

and self-centered

and compare

it

I

don't.

on one hand

I

consider the narrow-minded,

spirit that

characterized

my church

to the careful, fastidious religion of

the covenant-faithful people

who

rejected and opposed Jesus,

and on the other hand to the Teacher's words about

whom

he

came to save (cf. John 6:40), I can only conclude that the Lord knows those who are his a lot better than we humans do.

Sound Body

Strategies for

Life

167

cannot imagine that the Gadarene demoniac had his creedal

I

theology

down

name

pat before he began to proclaim the

of

the surrounding region. Christian history shows us

Jesus to

all

that

very easy for us to allow our pursuit of "orthodox" the-

it is

ology to derail our

commitment to

command

Jesus, especially his

not even have spoken.

selves to

we

love one another. Jesus

that

He

also

whom we would

accepted the saints of the Old

who never heard the name of Jesus yet trusted them-

Yahweh (who was none

Blessed Trinity) for Philip

up our cross and follow

men, women, and children to

readily accepted

Testament,

takes

mercy and

other than the great I-AM, the

blessing.

Yancey once wrote of Henri Nouwen's remarkable

commitment to the care of a young profoundly retarded man named Adam. As I read Yancey's article, I was at once touched by the sheer power of Nouwen's unselfish humility and stunned by Yancey's sublime observation: It

had been

difficult for

him

he

at first,

said. Physical

touch, affection, and the messiness of caring for an unco-

ordinated person did not to love

Adam,

learned what ally

easily.

But he had learned

truly to love him. In the process

he had

—

spiritu-

it

must be

like for

God to

love us

uncoordinated, retarded, able to respond with what

must seem I

come

praise

to

God

God

like inarticulate grunts

for that graphic

and groans. 24

and undeniable image!

descriptive of our true spiritual condition? Yet, as to the

depth of our

draw our

lines

own need and

though blind

backwardness,

and exclude one another,

as

Isn't it

we

happily

though Jesus made us

judge and jury of the hearts of his loved ones. (And the beauty

and power of God's grace sive arrogance

is

that he will forgive even our divi-

and pride when

we acknowledge

our

sin

and place

ourselves at his disposal.) I

That

believe C.

S.

Lewis was right about the Calormene

soldier's heart

soldier.

was the heart of a Narnian, and he loved and

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

168

know of Asian the way Narnians knew of Asian. The point is that Asian knew him. The Lord served Asian even though he didn't

knows those who

me

—

are his.

I

believe that

a pitiful, struggling, spiritually

stubborn child (and he does)

he does. "He

is

if

Lord saves even

deformed, retarded, and

— that he can save anybody. And

the atoning sacrifice for our sins,

ours but also for the sins of the whole world"

The Lord

my

is

(1

and not only for

John

not slow in keeping his promise,

understand slowness.

2:2). as

some

He is patient with you, not wanting

anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

indeed an exquisite spiritual intoxication to belong to

It is

the "right" church, hold the "right" doctrines, and say the "right" things,

and enjoy the warm feeling of a smug superiority toward

fellow believers. ness"

We

can become so drunk on our

and "holy difference" that we stumble about

own in

"right-

our spin-

ning spiritual world blissfully unaware of our true spiritual condition. I

believe this spirit of condemnation lay at the heart of the sin

we professed to have church, we condemned and

of the Worldwide Church of God. While

the "truth" and be the only faithful

dismissed the faith of anyone whose doctrinal package did not

match

ours.

Jesus loves.

That

is

hypocrisy; those

who

At the root of hypocrisy lies

love Jesus love those

idolatry:

worshiping the

creature (in this case, ourselves and our doctrines)

more than the

Creator.

The sure,"

we liked to

a lot of

good

say,

things.

"those professing Christian

But what good are

works? They refuse to keep the bath."

"Oh people may do

true fruit of Christian lives was irrelevant to us.

test

all

their so-called

commandment

good

— the Sab-

To the Worldwide Church of God, the seventh-day Sab-

bath (along with the annual old covenant holy days) was the identifying sign of true Christians. But to Jesus, love for one

another was the identifying

sign.

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

169

In the

Worldwide Church of God, we claimed to be the only

faithful followers of Jesus, yet

he gave that

we

"By

identifies his true followers:

know that you

are

command

disobeyed the very this

everyone will

my disciples, if you have love one for another"

(John 13:35, nrsv).

don't believe that the love Jesus

I

commands

here can be equated with an ecclesiastical pronouncement that

somebody Christ

is

else's

profession of faith in the saving blood of Jesus

worthless due to doctrinal differences.

I

pray

I

will never

again belong to a church that dares take the prerogative of to declare that another Christian's faith

false

is

on the

God

basis of a

disagreement over rules of conduct or details of history Jesus called sinners to repentance.

educated, the ulate tests.

faith

illiterate,

He

saves the poor, the un-

He doesn't save only the

the infirm.

artic-

and bright and those who get good marks on their theology He calls men, women, and children into the community of he calls his own body. He does not call them into some keep out and perse-

carefully crafted organization designed to

who

cute the undesirables

dare view a certain exalted bit of the-

ological esoterica with less reverence than they "ought."

The its

sin

God

of the Worldwide Church of

doctrinal error, but even

more

righteous, in-your-face declaration that

doctrinal market.

Its sin

tion of the people of

was

in its

God who

lay not only

seriously with

its

with

arrogant, self-

had the corner on the

it

high-and-mighty condemna-

did not interpret Scripture in the

same way the Worldwide Church of God did. Its sin was in its disobedience to Jesus' command, "Love one another." Lest anyone misunderstand, I do not mean to say that doctrine

is

unimportant.

itual health of

I

believe right doctrine

the body of Christ. But

blood of Jesus Christ

is

on

be with

That was

me

that.

crucial to the spir-

chil-

error.

cross did not

his grasp of Trinitarian

will

is

also believe that the

powerful enough even to wash his

dren clean from doctrinal

The thief on the

I

have to be schooled and tested

theology before Jesus declared, "You

in paradise."

He saw the

Lord, and he believed.

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

170

"That You Love

A

good way

One Another"

for a

self-centered agenda

church to insulate is

to

commit

itself

from adopting

to partnership with a Christ-

ian organization of a different tradition.

To do

so constitutes an

act of giving liberty to Christians of other traditions

and of look-

ing past distinctives in order to build the kingdom. to place Jesus'

a

command and the kingdom

It

forces us

of God ahead of per-

sonal comfort zones, personal power, and personal agenda.

Partnership

whose

tradition

demands is

trust

— trust

not the same

as

in

to save people

our own, trust in

mighty kingdom work through people

who

God

to

do

have doctrinal

we do not agree, and trust in God to teach us about his will through people who hold certain beliefs that with which

beliefs

truth

God

irritate us.

To work together

across denominational lines as Christian

mean we have to hold identical beliefs on all points. But it does mean that we have taken seriously Jesus' command to his followers that we love one another. Thomas a Kempis, a man not unconcerned about right thebrothers and sisters does not

ology,

put theological learning

in the right perspective:

who spend their lives in rooting out esoteric learning, caring little about how to serve me. The time will come when Christ, the Teacher of

Jesus:

.

.

.

But woe to those

teachers, the

Lord of

exam; that

final

is,

angels, will

to

appear to conduct the

examine each person's con-

To some I speak what is plain to all; to others, what is for them alone. To some I make myself known sweetly in symbol and metaphor; to others, I reveal my mysteries in striking clarity. A book teaches one lesson, science. ...

but you,

it I

does not teach everyone equally, for deep within

am

the Teacher of truth, the Searcher of the heart,

the Reader of thought, the standing to each person as

Mover of deeds, I

see

25

fit.

giving under-

— Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

171

God is

and perfecting. The

in the business of loving, forgiving,

bumper sticker says, "Jesus saves." It's true. That is what Jesus does. And Jesus' saving power doesn't depend on neat doctrine. It depends on

Jesus.

I

have to believe the Lord can and

will, in his

good time, straighten out the doctrinal problems of everybody who loves him.

(And only a fool or a liar claims he and his tradition have

no doctrinal problems.) But a heart in

a heart that doesn't love

which Jesus doesn't

live,

and such

hearts,

and forgive

by

is

own

their

choice and preference, won't enter the kingdom of God.

Conclusion The Holy Spirit has performed a miraculous and historic work in the church founded by Herbert W. Armstrong. The essential vessels of the Spirit's work in the Worldwide Church of God were the Word of God, the gracious gift of a commitment to truth

and holy

living,

and

a perpetual covering of prayer

from

Christians outside as well as inside the small denomination.

journey of the Worldwide Church of lessons large.

and suggest certain

This book

is

my

God may

strategies for the

attempt to propose

a

The

hold certain

body of Christ at few possibilities. I

conclude with the words of William Temple:

Our dignity is that we communion with God,

are children of

the object of the love of

displayed to us on the Cross fellowship with God.

worth that

in ourselves,

worth

is

love of God. Praise

Our

true value

but what

we

are

is

not what

we

are

worth to God, and

26

his faithfulness, his power,

which the Worldwide Church of

serving vessel.

God

— and destined for eternal

bestowed upon us by the utterly gratuitous

God for his mercy,

nite love, of

God, capable of

God

is

and his

infi-

but one unde-

The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of

God

172

IkJ?

The first

edition of The Plain

]

M

III

Truth magazine, February 1934.

L£

Strategies for

Sound Body

Life

173

March

1

November 1 969

958 the

PLAIN TRUTH a

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