Worldwide Church of God

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Contents

[edit] Overview

The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) was founded in 1933 by Herbert W. Armstrong as the Radio Church of God. For its first 50+ years, the Worldwide Church of God was considered by many to be theologically a cult of Christianity.[1] Among other things, it rejected the doctrine of the Trinity as a pagan doctrine,[2] the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and salvation by grace through faith alone. The late Walter Martin, in his classic The Kingdom of the Cults, devoted 34 pages to the group, claiming how Armstrong borrowed freely from Seventh-day Adventist, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormon doctrines. [3]

Armstrong was a minister in the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day), and his church (at the time, actually a small church congregation of adherents with a radio ministry) was initially not a separate entity, but a part of that conference. His ministerial credentials were later revoked, and he incorporated on his own.

After Armstrong died in 1986 at the age of 95, the succeeding church administration, led by Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. (1986–1995) and then his son, Joseph Tkach Jr. (1995–present), significantly transformed the church's main doctrines. To a large extent it has rejected its teachings considered heretical by most Christians, and instead has embraced orthodox Christianity.

Various ministers who objected to the more mainstream Christian doctrinal changes left the WCG. This resulted in the formation of the Philadelphia Church of God (1989), Global Church of God, the Living Church of God (1993, 1998), United Church of God (1995) and the Restored Church of God.

Unlike previous splinter groups, the United Church of God (UCG) posed a more serious threat to the WCG in terms of numbers. Former WCG directors and pastors were among the 150 "elders" who gathered in Indianapolis to select a board and name David Hulme, who had also served the WCG in public relations, as chairman. By the end of 1995, the number of those affiliated with the new UCG movement was estimated to be 17,000, far exceeding the size of any of the other splinter groups.[4]

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings as a radio ministry

The Worldwide Church of God is rooted in the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong, which some say stem from his earlier involvement in the Adventist movement of William Miller and followers. In 1927 Armstrong was baptized into a church of this movement, the Church of God. Armstrong was ordained by the Oregon Conference of The Church of God in 1931, and began serving a congregation in Eugene, Oregon. In 1927 Armstrong was baptized into the Church of God. Armstrong was ordained by the Oregon Conference of The Church of God in 1931, and began serving a congregation in Eugene, Oregon.

On Jan. 7, 1934, the Radio Church of God began broadcasting with the astonishing teachings of its founder, a former advertising man named Herbert W. Armstrong. Among his claims were that the British and their colonists in America had descended from the Lost Tribes of Israel and that God was not a Trinity but a family (Father and Son, but no Holy Ghost). On his program, The World Tomorrow, and in his magazine, the Plain Truth, Armstrong called his beliefs the product of methodical explication of the Bible, which he said was a coded message not allowed to be revealed and decoded until this time.

In 1933, the Church of God split, and Armstrong sided with the faction that located its headquarters in Salem, West Virginia.[5] In 1937 the Church of God (Seventh-Day) revoked Armstrong's ministerial credentials, but he continued broadcasting. Armstrong moved to Pasadena, California and he incorporated his church for the first time on March 3, 1946, as the Radio Church of God and later the Worldwide Church of God. He prophesied an apocalypse would begin in 1936 (later postponed to 1943, then 1972, then indefinitely).

His message has been described by those who disagree with him as an eclectic mixture of cultic doctrine, Jewish observances and Seventh Day Adventism. The church strictly observed the Saturday Sabbath, annual festivals found in Leviticus, and strongly advocated the clean meats of Leviticus 11. Members were asked to give up to 30% of their incomes to the church as a tithe[6]. The church had strict guidelines as to who may become a member, so as to ensure those who joined truly wanted to be there. Those who did not wish to join or continue were simply asked to not participate. Through what a former minister of the group called fear and manipulation, Armstrong's church controlled the membership, deciding who they could date, how they could dress, what they could eat, etc. It is true that dating outside the church was strongly frowned upon, that there was a dress code for while attending services, and the church believed God did not intend certain things to be meant for human consumption. Those who refused to follow the church's guidelines were excommunicated. Members were not to wear make-up, observe birthdays or participate in Christmas, Easter or Halloween.[7]

A major component of Armstrong's "theology" was British Israelism—the view that America and Britain are the descendants of ancient Israel. Armstrong rejected traditional Christian views of heaven, hell, eternal punishment and day of salvation. Armstrong also taught that members of the WCG would actually become members of the God family themselves after the resurrection—a striking similarity to Mormon doctrine.[7]

[edit] Protegés

In 1947, Ambassador College was founded in Pasadena by the Worldwide Church of God. The campus of the college served as the headquarters for the church. It was here that Armstrong met Stanley Rader, CPA, in 1956. Rader states he was employed to sort the church's accounts, which he claimed had become disorganized. Armstrong reportedly was so impressed with Rader's work that, under his encouragement and patronage, Rader furthered his education by going to law school. Rader then graduated as valedictorian of his 1963 law school class at the University of Southern California Law School. Rader continued this relationship as special legal and financial advisor to Armstrong's Ambassador College and Worldwide Church of God, working for them in a full-time capacity by 1969.

As Rader was beginning his career in service to the church, Armstrong had at least one son whom he was said to be grooming to take over as head of the church upon the elder Armstrong's retirement or death, Garner Ted Armstrong. Somewhat charismatic and engaging, the younger Armstrong began to guest host the radio and then the television version of the World Tomorrow. As the elder Armstrong reviewed audience ratings and incoming donations garnered from The World Tomorrow program hosted by his telegenic son, Garner Ted proved an increasingly obvious choice to become the public voice of the church in what were the early stages of the televangelistic era.

[edit] The beginnings of change

The late 1960s saw the beginnings of change within the church. To some extent, these changes were long foretold (and perhaps even somewhat self-fulfilling): The broadcast of The World Tomorrow on Radio Luxembourg on January 7, 1953 prompted Herbert Armstrong to view his ministry in the context of two periods of nineteen years each. The first period covered the time from the start of the radio ministry until early 1953. The second period, then, would conclude sometime in late 1972. Armstrong and Ambassador College graduate Herman L. Hoeh first detailed this interpretation in a 1956 booklet, 1975 in Prophecy!. This interpretative vision of his ministry consumed Herbert Armstrong, who now repackaged his radio program as The World Tomorrow. It also apparently had an impact on many others; including Michael Dennis Rohan, who cited Armstrong's work when questioned on the attempted destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in 1967.

In 1966, Herbert Armstrong's wife Loma died. The next year, Armstrong decided to revamp the church's organizational structure.

[edit] 1968 change of name

On January 5, 1968 the corporate name of the church was changed to Worldwide Church of God. [8] [9] Whether Armstrong changed the church in response to the loss of his wife, or in preparation for the predicted events of 1972 and beyond, is not known; indeed, it may have been for a completely unrelated reason. However, these events seem indicative of fundamental change within Armstrong's ministry.

In 1970, the first of many groups to splinter from the Worldwide Church of God were founded. Carl O'Beirn of Cleveland, Ohio led what may be the first group, the Church of God (O'Brien)|Church of God, away from the Worldwide Church of God. Others followed that year, including John Kerley's Top of the Line ministry; the Restoration Church of God; the Church of God (Boise City)|Church of God in Boise City, Oklahoma; Marvin Faulhaber's Sabbatarian group (also known as Church of God (Sabbatarian)); and the Fountain of Life Fellowship of James and Virginia Porter.

[edit] 1972 and scandal

As 1972 approached, it became clear that the events forecasted by Herbert Armstrong would not come to pass. While the European Union was already an idea in the making, the various "states" of Europe were far from united, as the union itself was still another 20 years hence. The Worldwide Church of God, however, experienced several scandals which could arguably be said to have brought Armstrong's second 19-year period to a close.

Garner Ted Armstrong began to lose favor with his father, Herbert Armstrong. The younger Armstrong was discontented with prophecies attached to a certain date, and wished to cease preaching the message that associated the U.S. and Britain with the Lost Ten Tribes. (This message would later be picked up by portions of the Christian Identity movement.) Garner Ted also spoke of greatly expanding the church's media ministry on the model of the Church of Christ, Scientist (with its widely-read Christian Science Monitor).

In a report in the May 15, 1972 edition of TIME magazine, Herbert Armstrong was reported to have said that Garner Ted was "in the bonds of Satan." The elder Armstrong did not elaborate, but speculation was that Herbert had to come to grips publicly with Garner Ted's alleged continuing problems with gambling and adultery with Ambassador College coeds. Garner Ted Armstrong was soon relieved of his star role within the church.

While Garner Ted Armstrong was being removed, Stanley Rader had been orchestrating the church's involvement in a number of corporations which Rader established. Critics saw Rader's moves as an attempt to seize control of the church. Rader characterized his involvement as that of an adviser and claimed that his advice was opening doors for Armstrong that a strict theological role would not have allowed for. Herbert Armstrong approved establishing the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation (AICF), which Rader set up ostensibly to give the elder Armstrong a role as the "Ambassador for World Peace without portfolio."

As the church was experiencing internal crises, its external, public face was also crumbling. Church followers had anticipated the removal of church faithful to Petra, Jordan, to await the prophesied apocalypse. By 1972, it was evident this was not to occur. When combined with Garner Ted Armstrong's very public removal from the church, this failure of prophecy caused many within the church to lose confidence and withdraw. The church hastened to restore public confidence, and returned Garner Ted as host of The World Tomorrow a mere four months after his ouster.

[edit] The church continues

In spite of the scandals of 1972, the church continued to grow in the 1970s with Herbert Armstrong still at the helm. In 1975, Armstrong baptized Stanley Rader, who until then had been a practicing Jew in spite of his association with the Christian church. Some felt that, under Rader's influence, Armstrong began to de-emphasize the Christological aspects of church doctrine, instead preaching a message of peace, brotherly love, and "giving and not getting." Others say that this approach was to announce the coming Kingdom of God and mankind's duty to that end. The church began to teach of humanity's being guided by a "Great Unseen Hand from Someplace."

Herbert Armstrong himself continued with his life. Widowed by the death of Loma eleven years earlier, Armstrong married Ramona Martin, a woman nearly fifty years younger than the octogenarian in 1977, and moved to Tucson, Arizona. While Armstrong administered church business through Stanley Rader from his Arizona retreat, the church continued to be headquartered in Pasadena.

With Garner Ted Armstrong resuming his role within the church, however, the rivalry between the younger Armstrong and Stanley Rader intensified. The adultery problems that reportedly drove Garner Ted from the church once, allegedly continued unabated. In 1978, unwilling to change, Garner Ted Armstrong was disfellowshipped a final time.

Garner Ted moved to Tyler, Texas, and there founded a splinter group, the Church of God International. See more at Garner Ted Armstrong.

[edit] More scandal

Garner Ted Armstrong blamed Stanley Rader for his two-time ouster from his father's church. Garner Ted and other former and discontented members of the Worldwide Church of God prompted the State of California to investigate charges of malfeasance by Rader and others involved with the AICF. By 1979, California Attorney General George Deukmejian had brought civil charges against the church, and the church was placed into an investigative financial receivership for one year.

The group of dissidents also gained the attention of Mike Wallace, who investigated the church in a report for 60 Minutes. Using documentary evidence obtained, Wallace brought to light lavish secret expenditures, conflict of interest insider deals, posh homes and lifestyles in the higher ranks, and heavy involvement of Stanley Rader in financial manipulation. Wallace invited Rader to appear on 60 Minutes on April 15, 1979. Rader began by answering many questions by Wallace with his confident, characteristic unabashed aplomb. However, Wallace completely surprised Rader with a secret tape recording, wherein Herbert Armstrong had alleged Rader was attempting to take over the church after Armstrong's death, reasoning that the donated tithe money might be quite a "magnet" to some evangelists. Perhaps sensing at this point would no longer do him any good to continue answering questions, Rader jumped up, abruptly told Wallace the interview was over, and left immediately to speak to the press waiting outside.[10]

Rader, with the approval of Herbert Armstrong, was spending millions to fend off any financial audit or examination of the Church's income and expenditures by litigating the issue all the way from California to the United States Supreme Court, several times, unsuccessfully. Having lost in the courts, as a last ditch effort, perhaps to save himself from scrutiny and to prevent the receivership from going into further testimony, Rader lobbied the California legislature with intense pressure from all sides to force the California Attorney General to drop the charges against the church and him. Under Rader's lobbying, the California State Legislature passed legislation known as the Petris bill, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, which effectively gave Rader and the Worldwide Church of God a special "legal loophole" from any outside judicial scrutiny or further civil investigation from the Office of the California Attorney General. Rader and Armstrong, then, were relieved of any further concern about civil liability or any outside exposure of their own internal financial dealings as the directors of a California religious corporation. In trying to defend his fight against the investigation, Rader wrote the 1980 self-exculpatory polemic "Against the Gates of Hell: The Threat to Religious Freedom in America" arguing his legal fight with the Attorney General was allegedly more about religious freedoms than abuse of public trust or fraudulent misappropriation of tithe funds.

The church received vindication of its position when, in denying a request for fees by the dissidents' attorney, Hillel Chodos, the Second Court of Appeals said, "We are of the opinion that the underlying action [i.e., the State-imposed receivership] and its attendant provisional remedy of receivership were from the inception constitutionally infirm and predestined to failure." The full opinion [Civ. 57321 Court of Appeals of California, Second Appellate District, Division Two Dec., 9, 1981] can be viewed at <http://online.ceb.com/calcases/CA3/127CA3d547.htm>.

[edit] Departure of Rader

Stanley Rader left his positions within the church in 1981. While Rader was able to legally, then politically stiffarm the judicial investigation of church finanial misappropriation, he could not spare the collapse of AICF. A lawsuit had been filed against Steven Spielberg and George Lucas alleging that the pair stole the plot for Raiders of the Lost Ark from AICF. When the lawsuit went nowhere, AICF collapsed. Meanwhile, the church was eager to sever its ties from AICF, as the Foundation had been producing works which were not in keeping with church doctrine. Rader parted church leadership amicably, and reportedly received a six figure financial package (or golden handshake) upon leaving his post.

[edit] Worldwide Church of God teachings under Herbert Armstrong

[edit] The Gospel [1]

Armstrong taught that the world had lost all knowledge of the purpose of life, and that God gave him a special understanding of the Bible and its end-time prophecies through divine inspiration [11]. Armstrong's express purpose, and that of the Church of God, was to spread this knowledge throughout the world as a pre-requisite to the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. The gospel included "The good news of the soon coming Kingdom of God," a 1000-year utopia under Jesus' rule, and warnings of the coming Great Tribulation and Armageddon, from which God's true Church would be protected in a Place of Safety.

Mr. Armstrong taught that the Beast of Revelation represents the Roman Empire, which would be revived within his lifetime as a federation of ten "United States of Europe," and that the harlot riding the beast represents the Roman Catholic Church [12].

The gospel was preached on a weekly television series, The World Tomorrow, and in a widely distributed magazine The Plain Truth.

See Armstrongism and British Israelism, beliefs preserved in the United Church of God [2].

[edit] Beliefs about God and his Church [3]

  • Two great Beings, God the Father and the Word make up the God family. The Holy Spirit, the power and mind of God, was an impersonal force or energy that could be given by God to dwell in those people he called into the Church.
  • The God family created everything in the universe.
  • The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the complete and infallible revelation by God to man, though man's understanding of the Bible is fallible.
  • The Word was made flesh as Jesus Christ, established the true Church, was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins, and was resurrected.
  • The Worldwide Church of God was God's true church.
  • Herbert W. Armstrong was an apostle of God, a latter-day type of Elijah.
  • Church members were selected and called into the true Church by God. Members were baptized as adults by complete immersion in water, and thus received the Holy Spirit.
  • Man was created to gain membership in God's family.
  • Man is saved by grace. Even though saved by grace, man must spend a lifetime of overcoming sin and be obedient to God's laws. Satan and his demons do everything in their power to prevent this from happening.
  • Three resurrections: 1. Those who died in the faith (baptised members of the WWCG). 2. Those who died but were not called into the WWCG. 3. Those who were called into the WWCG, but choose to give up their salvation.
  • Not everyone is to be called for salvation in this life. Those not called for salvation will be called in the second resurrection.
  • The Church government was governed from the top down. The final tier of this government was the family unit: the husband was the head of the household, as Jesus was the head of the Church.

[edit] Beliefs about sin and the commandments [4]

Sin is the transgression of God's law. The penalty for sin is death. The law consists of instructions from God in the Bible, including Old Testament laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy:

  • The Ten Commandments, most notably the seventh day Sabbath
  • Clean and unclean meats—extended to checking ingredient labels for lard, gelatin, and pork byproducts
  • Tithing—three separate tithes (described below under Tithing)
  • non-observance of pagan traditions (Christmas [13], Easter, Halloween, and birthday celebration)
  • Levitical Holy Days:

[edit] Transition and major doctrinal changes: Joseph W. Tkach Sr. and Joseph W. Tkach Jr.

On January 16, 1986, Herbert W. Armstrong died in Pasadena. Shortly before his death, Mr. Armstrong named Joseph W. Tkach Sr., an associate of Rader, to succeed him as the leader of the church. As early as 1988, Joseph W. Tkach Sr. began to make doctrinal changes. Doctrinal changes were made quietly and slowly at first, but then openly and radically in January 1995. Changes are presented as new understandings into Christmas and Easter [5], Babylon and the harlot [6], Anglo-Israelism [7], the weekly Sabbath [8], and many others. Other reforms are listed under Joseph W. Tkach.

In general, Tkach Sr. directed the church theology towards mainstream evangelical Christian belief. A current statement of beliefs can be found here [9]. It was extremely difficult for many members of the church to understand and accept the doctrinal changes. This caused much disillusionment among the membership, and another rise of splinter groups. During the tenure of the elder Joseph Tkach Sr., the church dropped in membership by about 50%. His son, Joseph Tkach Jr., succeeded him after his death. Under his administration, the church issued an apology for past mistakes in doctrine.

Eventually, all of Herbert Armstrong's writings were withdrawn from print by the Worldwide Church of God—many are available for educational purposes here [10][11]. The leadership, up to this point of writing, has not declared Herbert Armstrong a false prophet. Whilst the apology was made over false teachings, no overt move has been made towards publicly admitting the excesses of the leadership, nor the psychological abuses heaped on the members for practices such as 'disfellowshipment' or slander of members who were removed from church.

[edit] Tithing

The early Worldwide Church of God used a three-tithe Levitical system, under which members (and their children) were expected to give three tithes or thirty percent "of their increase."

  • The first tithe, 10% of total income, was sent to church headquarters to finance "the work." Members were told that it paid for Herbert Armstrong's trips around the world to preach to heads of state, airtime for the World Tomorrow broadcast, local minister's salaries and car leases, free magazines and booklets, school gymnasium or hall rentals for weekly church services, etc.
  • The second 10% tithe was saved by the individual to fund the observance of the holy days, especially the week-long Feast of Tabernacles. Free-will offerings were made on holy days in addition to tithes, of which people were told to give only as they were able.
  • A third 10% tithe was required only in the third and sixth years of a seven-year tithing cycle, and was also sent to headquarters. The third tithe supported the needy, widows, and orphans as needed.

The church also gathered funds in the form of donations from "co-workers," those who read the church's free literature or watched the weekly TV show but did not actually attend services.

Under Joseph W. Tkach Sr., although still strongly recommended, the mandatory nature of the church's three-tithe system was abolished, and it was suggested that tithes could be calculated on net, rather than gross, income; afterwards, church income declined precipitously. Today Worldwide Church headquarters is downsizing for financial survival. Facing possible bankruptcy, the church liquidated its high maintenance real estate properties, such as Ambassador College, and other auctionable inventory to pay for current headquarters expenditures. The church leadership had proclaimed that they could not allow people to profit from wrong doctrines of Herbert Armstrong as it was morally wrong. Yet, when faced with financial hardship, the leadership made an about face and sold the rights to Herbert Armstrong's writings to the Philadelphia Church of God.

To further economize, the church has sold its properties in Pasadena and has purchased an office building in Glendora, California. Church marketing strategy and advertising has changed significantly since the days the Plain Truth magazine was distributed worldwide, to millions upon request, without charge, to anyone who simply asked for it. Formerly, church membership sent all tithe donations directly to headquarters in Pasadena, CA; meeting in rented halls on Saturdays such as public school buildings, dance halls, hotels and other venues. Under the new financial reporting regime, Worldwide Chairman CEO Joseph Tkach, Jr. permits local churches to use some funds for local purposes, such as constructing local church buildings for use of the congregations. Pastor General Joseph Tkach, Jr. now positions Worldwide as a mainstream Christian evangelical church.

As of 2006, 80% or more of all congregational donations stay in the local area, with 20% going to their headquarters in Glendora for ministerial training and support, legal services, and denominational administration.

After 18 months of unprecedented turmoil, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) was voted into membership by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) May 7, 1997, following an examination of doctrinal changes in the once-shunned denomination.

[edit] Current status

The Worldwide Church of God claims 64,000 members in 860 churches in approximately 90 nations of the world (as of 2004), although this figure may be questionable. Headquarters is now in Glendora, California. The church has been a paid member of the National Association of Evangelicals since 1997.

[edit] Current organizational structure

The Worldwide Church of God is established under a hierarchical, non-voting form of government. The chief ecclesiastical and chief corporate executive officer of the denomination is termed the Pastor General. Historically, Pastors General, as chairmen of their board, have appointed their own successor without representative vote from the membership. Ecclesiastical or corporate governance issues are within the decision-making jurisdiction of the Pastor General, who has the power to appoint, as well as terminate, the Council of Elders and the board members of the corporation, with or without cause or notice. The denomination's ecclesiastical policies are determined by its Advisory Council of Elders (ACE), which is, in turn, appointed and controlled by the Pastor General. A Doctrinal Advisory Team may report to the Advisory Council on the church's official doctrinal statements, epistemology, or apologetics. Under ecclesiastical bylaws, the Pastor General may "pocket veto" doctrinal positions he determines to be heretical.

The Worldwide Church of God maintains national offices and satellite offices in multiple countries. Pastor General Joseph Tkach, Jr. periodically travels worldwide in personal appearance campaigns to congregations in diverse intercontinental areas, such as Great Britain, Africa, and the Philippines. However, membership and tithe income originates primarily from within the eastern United States.

In the United States, denominational contact with local assemblies or local church home small group meetings, i.e., cell churches is facilitated by district superintendents, each of which is responsible for a large number of churches in a geographical region (such as Florida or the Northeast) or in a specialized language group (such as Spanish-speaking congregations).

Local churches are led by a senior pastor or a pastoral leadership team, each of which is supervised by a district superintendent. Most local church groups retain the long-standing traditional policy of meeting in leased or rented facilities for meetings or services. The trend since 2000, however, has been to adopt a local church setting blending into the local milieu with headquarters retaining administrative oversight functions. Some senior pastors are responsible for a single local church, but many are responsible for working in two or more churches. Church government now mandates a local Advisory Council, which includes a number of volunteer ministry leaders (some of whom are also called deacons), and often additional elders or assistant pastors. As of 2005, the church established a new computer system of financial checks and balances for church budgets at the local level. Salary compensation for the paid local church pastor, if available, is determined by the church treasurer in California. [12]

In 2005, the church announced it was considering another name change, after more than a decade of controversy and upheaval in the wake of doctrinal changes made following the death of Herbert Armstrong.

[edit] Timeline

  • 1892—Herbert W. Armstrong is born in Des Moines, Iowa.
  • 1909—Armstrong drops out of high school during his junior year. Under the guidance of his uncle, he became self-educated in his chosen field of advertising.
  • 1917
    • Armstrong marries Loma Dillon.
    • between 1917 and 1927—Loma meets a woman who eventually convinces her that Saturday (and not Sunday) is the true Sabbath. Armstrong was shocked she would believe this. After intense research into the subject, he came to believe this was correct.
  • 1927—Further study into Christian beliefs leads Armstrong into attending the Church of God.
  • 1930
  • 1931—HWA begins his ministry in Eugene, Oregon.
  • 1933
  • 1934
    • The Plain Truth begins mimeograph publication.
    • Radio ministry becomes known as the "Radio Church of God."
  • 1937—After a dispute concerning what to tell prospective members before baptism, Armstrong withdraws entirely from the Church of God. He claims to put his trust in God to provide the needs of his family and further claims a determination to preach the truth beholden to no man.
  • 1939—The World's Fair is held in New York. This inspires Armstrong to rename his radio program as "The World Tomorrow."
  • 1946
    • Because of the growth in radio stations, Armstrong felt it was essential to move where he could have access to modern radio recording studios. He therefore relocates to Pasadena, California.
    • March 3—"Radio Church of God" is incorporated under California's General Nonprofit Corporation Law.
  • 1947—Ambassador College (AC), a Bible College used to train ministers for his "Radio Church of God," is founded by Armstrong in Pasadena.
  • 1950s—The Plain Truth becomes a monthly publication. Until then, publication had been sporadic.
  • 1953
    • January 7—"The World Tomorrow" is broadcast on Radio Luxembourg.
    • Armstrong begins to view his ministry in two epochs of 19 years each (1934–1953 and 1953–1972).
  • 1956
    • Armstrong meets Stanley Rader.
    • Armstrong and AC graduate Herman L. Hoeh publish 1975 in Prophecy!. The title was taken from a book published around that time.
  • 1966—Loma Dillon Armstrong dies.
  • 1968
    • January 5—Church changes name to Worldwide Church of God.
  • 1969
    • Michael Dennis Rohan attempts to destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Rohan claims to have been inspired by Armstrong and his ministry.
    • Stanley Rader begins full-time employment with the church.
    • Evangelist Roderick C. Meredith informs the leadership that members should not interpret the 1975 in Prophecy! booklet as predicting that Christ will come in 1975.
  • 1970s—During the 1960s and 1970s, the church distributes millions of copies of The Plain Truth to the public without charge.
  • 1970
    • Carl O'Beirn breaks with the church, becomes founder of Church of God (O'Beirn) at Cleveland, Ohio.
    • March 15—Church is featured in a report by Time magazine, in which Armstrong announces his split with son Garner Ted. Garner Ted Armstrong, Vice President at Ambassador College, reportedly had been committing adultery with AC undergraduate coeds, and gambling with church funds.
    • July 20—Garner Ted Armstrong is returned to full executive duties, including hosting "The World Tomorrow" program on radio and television, with his father's approval, despite serious reservations within the church ministry.
  • 1974—A change in church doctrine allows members to divorce and remarry under certain circumstances that the church determines are biblical.
  • 1975—Herbert Armstrong baptizes Stanley Rader. Rader, formerly a professing Jew, becomes an ordained church evangelist.
  • 1977
    • Herbert Armstrong marries Ramona Martin and moves to Tucson, Arizona.
    • July—The article "Plain Truth About Healing" is published;. The ministry makes gradual allowances for childhood vaccinations, treatment by physicians, use of prescription medication, surgery, blood transfusions, pain medication, and antibiotics.
  • 1978—Garner Ted Armstrong is excommunicated by his father for a second and final time. He leaves to form the Church of God International in Tyler, Texas.
  • 1979
    • California Attorney General George Deukmejian, after receiving complaints from WCG staff, church members and former members, begins an investigation of the church and associated enterprises over charges of financial wrongdoing. Church goes into financial receivership. Under the direction of church attorney Stanley Rader, the church litigates against the receivership, but is denied relief in 16 different petitions to the California Court of Appeals and 11 separate petitions to the California Supreme Court.
    • April 15—Rader defends himself and the church on the television program "60 Minutes" with Mike Wallace.
    • The State of California Law Board and the Board of Accountancy begin an investigation into possible professional ethics violations charges against Stanley Rader involving multiple grounds of inquiry.
  • 1980
    • June 3—United States Supreme Court denies church appeals of receivership case for the third time and permits receivership to proceed in California courts.
  • 1981
    • Jack Kessler, CPA and attorney-at-law (a member of the church's accounting firm Rader, Cornwall, Kessler) sends a published letter to the Board of Directors and Council of Elders of the church, expressing concern over church accounting procedures and allegations of impropriety against Armstrong.
    • California State legislature passes a special bill specifically exempting religious organizations such as the Worldwide Church from further financial scrutiny from the California Office of the Attorney General after intense lobbying by Stanley Rader and other church sympathizers. This effectively keeps states from intruding into churches throughout the state.
  • 1981
    • As Stanley Rader retires from his positions with the church, Herbert W. Armstrong pays him a $250,000 bonus (after taxes) for Rader's legal work in resisting the governmental receivership of the church.
  • 1981–1986 The Worldwide Church of God experiences significant growth. Armstrong maintains an extensive schedule of visiting foreign countries to speak with leaders on behalf of the Ambassador Foundation. The Plain Truth magazine and the radio and television programs experience a surge in readership and viewing audience.
  • 1986
    • January 16—Herbert W. Armstrong dies; Joseph W. Tkach Sr is appointed as his successor to Pastor General. In the immediate aftermath of the transition, church growth is sustained and even surges beyond past levels.
  • 1986-1989—Under Tkach Sr.'s leadership, the church begin to make changes to its doctrine. The church commission, doctrine of divine healing, and many other doctrinal positions are revised. Major doctrinal works previously produced by the church are withdrawn from publication by the church, including Herbert Armstrong's final book, Mystery of the Ages.
  • 1989—Gerald Flurry and John Amos, ministers, are disfellowshipped after Flurry's book (later published as Malachi Message) documents the changes in doctrine being made by the church. Flurry and Amos form The Philadelphia Church of God headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma.
  • 1991—Tkach Sr. revises teaching on new birth, suggesting that the Holy Spirit is a person.
  • 1992—Evangelist Roderick C. Meredith leaves and is chosen as Pastor General the Global Church of God. [14]His title is later revised to that of Presiding Evangelist.
  • 1993—Tkach Sr. distances the church from its former binitarian doctrinal views.
  • 1994
    • Tkach Sr. teaches that true Christians may also be found in other denominations; that Christians are no longer under the Old Covenant laws; that members are permitted to eat pork. He further removes other dietary restrictions. "The New Covenant and the Sabbath" sermon was given by Joseph W. Tkach Sr. in Atlanta, Georgia, December 17, 1994. Here, among other things, he focused on the Sabbath: "There is nothing in the new covenant that says we are required to keep the Sabbath according to the rules of the old covenant…. Being Sabbath-keepers does not make us more righteous than other Christians." David Hulme, television host for The World Tomorrow, resigned, asserting that the "so called 'new truths' " were "in fact rather old errors," and accused Joseph Tkach of already believing these new truths when he succeeded Armstrong in 1986.[15]
  • 1995
    • Many ministers leave and form the United Church of God.[16]
    • Joseph W. Tkach Sr. dies (September 23, 1995); his son, Joseph Tkach Jr., is appointed as Pastor General.
    • Mr. Tkach died on September 23, 1995 exactly 40 Sabbaths from the day of his sermon on "The New Covenant." This is a matter of record—see Wiki Artical on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_W._Tkach and thw World Wide Church of God website that has the copy of Mr. Tkach's sermon. http://www.wcg.org/lit/law/newcovsabb.htm.
    • Tkach Jr. rejects Anglo-Israelism doctrine; members encouraged to observe Christmas and Easter as holy days, to vote in governmental elections, and to serve in the Armed Forces or in law enforcement. The requirement of the triple tithe (30%) donation of personal income to church is abandoned.
  • 1996—Tkach Jr. apologizes to members and others for the church's past "erroneous" teachings.
  • 1997
    • Tkach Jr. publishes Transformed by Truth, defending the administrative and doctrinal changes made by him and his father.
    • The Worldwide Church of God joins the National Association of Evangelicals.
    • The Philadelphia Church of God reprints Mystery of the Ages (MOA). Worldwide Church of God files a lawsuit to stop its publication, citing copyright infringement.
  • 1999—Tkach Jr. announces employee retirement fund[17]
  • 2000
    • September 18—The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Philadelphia Church of God infringed on the Worldwide Church's copyright to MOA, awards damages to Worldwide Church of God, and remands case to lower court for determination of damages to be paid and a possible permanent injunction.
  • 2003
    • April—The Worldwide Church of God agrees to end the lawsuit over MOA by selling the copyright to MOA and nineteen other Worldwide-copyrighted religious tracts to The Philadelphia Church of God for $3 million.
    • September 13—Garner Ted Armstrong dies in Tyler, TX.
  • 2004—An independent evangelical ministry, Living Hope Ministries, releases a documentary film on the doctrinal transformation of the WCG entitled Called to be Free
  • 2005—Tkach Jr. implements new churchwide financial system. Headquarters server network controls Worldwide flow of financial data. Tkach Jr. later announces that the church wishes to change its name. One name suggested was Grace International Communion, but this name has not been approved.
  • 2006—Headquarters offices move to 2011 Financial Way, Glendora, CA, 91741; the mailing address is P.O. Box 5005, Glendora, CA, 91740-5005.

[edit] Original Worldwide Church of God splinter groups

[edit] References

  • Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood, Handbook of Denominations in the United States. Abingdon Press, 2001. ISBN 0-687-06983-1.
  • J. Michael Feazell, The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God. Zondervan, 2003. ISBN 0-310-25011-0.
  • Gerald Flurry, Malachi's Message to God's Church Today. "A thorough explanation of how and why the Worldwide Church of God rejected Herbert Armstrong's teachings, and how to hold fast to Herbert Armstrong's teachings."
  • Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults. Revised and Updated Edition, Bethany House, 2003. ISBN 0-7642-2821-8. See Appendix A, pp. 471–494.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.apologeticsindex.org/w01.html
  2. ^ http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/1997/june16/7t766c.html
  3. ^ Tucker, Ruth. "From the Fringe to the Fold, Part 1." Christianity Today, July 15, 1996.
  4. ^ Christianity Today, July 15, 1996. http://www.ctlibrary.com/668
  5. ^ See more at General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh-Day).
  6. ^ see later explanation in this article.
  7. ^ a b Covington, David. What is the Worldwide Church of God? (Article by David Covington, ex-WCG pastor, who is also critical of the new WCG) [No longer online]. Quoted at http://www.apologeticsindex.org/w01.html, accessed 03-13-2007
  8. ^ "1946 Articles Of Incorporation Of Radio Church Of God"
  9. ^ "1968 Certificate Of Amendment Of Articles Of Incorporation Of Radio Church Of God"
  10. ^ "Stanley Rader on Sixty Minutes with Mike Wallace"
  11. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages, AC Press, 1985, http://reluctant-messenger.com/HWA/Mystery/index.htm
  12. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, Who or What is the Prophetic Beast? AC Press, 1960
  13. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Christmas, AC Press, 1970
  14. ^ "Rod Meredith Becomes Contender for Church of God Crown," Ambassador Report, Issue 52, June, 1993
  15. ^ Christianity Today, July 15, 1995.
  16. ^ "The Uniteds," Ambassador Report, Issue 59, June, 1995
  17. ^ "Tkach Plans Retirement Fund," Ambassador Report, Issue 72, April,1999,

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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