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HERESY WORLD WIDE CHURCH OF GOD
Current Reformed Organization
 

BIRTH - DEATH Church organized in 1933 by Herbert W. Armstrong, established Pasadena, California in 1947
EDUCATION N/A
MINISTRIES The Plain Truth, magazine
MAJOR WORKS The Plain Truth, magazine

The current World Wide Church Of God organization is the outcome of the decades of control and teaching by Herbert W. Armstrong, his self-proclaimed brand of Christianity and adherence to the doctrine of British Israelism. Herbert Armstrong's radio and television program, The World Tomorrow, reached the largest audiences of their time and the official publication, The Plain Truth, reached 8 million subscribers. The lush grounds of the church property, in a choice location in Pasadena, California, composed the church proper, the radio, television and printing ministry and Ambassador College and University which was subsidized by the massive amount of money received in donations as a result of the media ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong.

With the death of Herbert W. Armstrong in 1986, the organization that he founded began to fail, as it was held together only by his personality and media exposure. Donations fell and groups split off as they had done even in the good times. However, the church leadership began to realize and understand that what Herbert W. Armstrong had taught was not based on the Bible, and much of his doctrine was in error. At that point the church began a process of change that brought about more splits and further reductions in attendance. The radio and television programs were discontinued and Ambassador College and University were closed.

Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. had become the pastor after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, and was the one to initiate the changes. "In 1988, Tkach made minor doctrinal changes. He taught members that it was permissible to go to doctors, take medicines, observe birthdays and wear cosmetics. He realized that many of the prophetic speculations that had made the television program and magazine so interesting couldn't actually be proven from Scripture." This was the beginning of the changes that would eventually bring the church closer to a traditionally orthodox position.

In 1991 it was declared that the doctrine stating that men could someday be gods would no longer be taught. It was recognized that the Holy Spirit was part of the Deity and a new identification of the 10 tribes of Israel was announced.

In 1993 the doctrine of the Trinity was accepted and it was noted that the cross was not a pagan symbol as had been previously taught by Herbert W. Armstrong.

In 1994 it was realized and taught that true Christians are found in other organizations beside the World Wide Church Of God. "But perhaps the most traumatic change came in December 1994: Tkach announced that Christians do not have to keep old covenant laws such as the weekly and annual Sabbaths, two and three tithes, and avoid pork, shrimp and other meats. In many ways, the Sabbath had been the foundational doctrine of the entire denomination, so this was the biggest change of all."

"Another major change also occurred in 1995: Joseph Tkach Sr. died after a brief battle with cancer. He designated his son, Joe, as his successor, and the board of directors honored this appointment. A few additional doctrines were changed later in 1995: The church officially rejected the doctrine that the Anglo-Saxons descended from the tribes of Israel, and the church permitted the observance of holidays such as Christmas and Easter."

The current church organization considers itself to be a mainstream, orthodox Christian church and is a member of the National Association Of Evangelicals (NAE).
Above quotes are from the World Wide Church Of God websit at "http://www.wcg.org"

MAJOR DOCTRINAL BELIEFS
An extensive list of doctrinal beliefs can be found at the World Wide Church of God Website at http://www.wcg.org/lit/AboutUs/beliefs/default.htm

A brief list of doctrinal belief can be found at the World Wide Church of God Website at http://www.wcg.org/lit/AboutUs/brieflist.htm

A brief history of the World Wide Church Of God can be found at the World Wide Church of God Website at http://www.wcg.org/lit/AboutUs/history.htm

MAJOR DOCTRINAL ISSUES
In spite of the transformation and reformation that has occurred in the doctrines of the World Wide Church Of God, that reformation of beliefs has gone seriously wrong. The church may have joined mainstream organizations and consider itself to be thoroughly orthodox in belief, but there are areas of concern that are not minor in nature. Some of those issues do not directly affect the doctrines of salvation, but they reflect a theological approach to the Bible that still carries with it the view that allowed for the aberrant doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong to go unchecked and to be accepted by so many for so many years. But, in regards to the issue of salvation itself, the church has gone seriously astray and has adopted a modified Universalist view of the salvation of everyone, stating that there is a second chance to obtain salvation after death, which is heretical at the core. Holding to the Arminian position that people must choose salvation based on their own wise choice, the church assumes that Jesus Christ cannot accomplish salvation in the lives of some individuals in this life, and must provide a second chance in the next. Error still remains in the church and the potential for even greater error to return is enhanced by the manner in which the Bible is interpreted. Never having come out publicly to declare Herbert W. Armstrong a false prophet and false teacher, the church still has its roots in Armstrongian belief and continues to reach out to embrace other doctrines which are just as erroneous as those taught by Herbert W. Armstrong.

Those, who are the leadership, are those who, at one time embraced the doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong without question, but are now claiming to be the reformers. But, their doctrine of salvation indicates that the salvation they claim to possess has never delivered them truly from the errors that they once believed and continue to embrace. Reformation comes hard when the foundation of error is not rejected, and true biblical correction is not exercised.
  • SALVATION
    In an article on the Worldwide Church of God website, titled, The Gospel Really Is Good News! written by J. Michael Feazell, copyright 2001, the following statement is made:
    "The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news. It remains forever, good news, the best news imaginable, for absolutely everybody and everything. It is not merely good news for the few who came to know Christ before they died; it is good news for the whole of creation—even for those who died before they ever heard of Christ.

    Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice not merely for the sins of Christians but for the sins of the whole world (! John 2:2). The Creator is also the Redeemer of his creation (Col. 1:15-20). Whether people know that truth before they die is not the thing that determines whether it is true. It depends entirely on Jesus Christ, not on human action or human response of any kind."
  • SOUL SLEEP
    The organization equivocates on this issue, stating that one can accept both views. Even though the apostle Paul clearly says, "...I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord," (2 Corinthians 5:8) the church has difficulty making a decision on what it wished to believe. The belief in soul sleep is not unique in the religious world, but in this instance it is a holdover from the days of Herbert W. Armstrong. To accept both beliefs is to ignore the question and do an injustice to the Scripture.

  • HELL
    The organization equivocates on this issue, maintaining that it does not know if what is meant is annihilation or conscious alienation from God and punishment. The Bible is clear in the message that Hell is a place where a person should not wish to go. If hell is simply annihilation, where is the punishment? Annihilation is a cessation of consciousness in which punishment, no matter how severe, cannot be exercised, since there is no existence of a person to apprehend it. Annihilation is the favorite doctrine of the unregenerate sinner, because they wish to live this life as they please, preferring to believe that there is nothing after death, including a time in which they must be accountable to a supreme God. Jesus himself affirmed the existence of a literal hell when He said, "...and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell." It is difficult at best to understand a "fiery hell" to be the nothingness of annihilation.

  • ABORTION
    The World Wide Church Of God makes an allowance for abortion in the case of a mother's life being in jeopardy, but it goes even farther by accepting it in the case of rape or incest. The difficulty regarding the question of abortion is no small matter in the Christian church today and people are polarized greatly. But the World Wide Church Of God compounds the issue by accepting it in some circumstances and not in others. If abortion is a moral issue and is a violation in itself, then the circumstances by which a pregnancy originates or the results of that pregnancy have no bearing on the act of abortion. The issue is the life of the child, not the circumstances of its conception.

    The difficult question is in relation to a choice between the life of a child and the life of the mother. Does a person abort a child in order so save the mother or do they allow the mother to die in order to save the child or possibly both will die. This is the most difficult question, because in the abortion a person commits a murder, but in allowing a mother to die a person has failed to save a life by the omission of a duty. The decision to act or not to act places a person in a position where there can be no other choice than to claim the mercy of God for whatever decision is made. However, this circumstance is far removed from the other reasons given for abortions being granted. But the World Wide Church of God equates them as the same, granting allowances for them based on circumstances and not on moral issues.

    CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
    The World Wide Church Of God equivocates on this issue also, stating, "Therefore, capital punishment may or may not be appropriate, depending on its administration." Indicating that since human government administers capital punishment (and by inference is fallible and subject to wrong motives) therefore it might not be appropriate, depending on whether it is rightly assigned or not. No one would disagree that a wrong application of capital punishment because of ulterior motives by governing bodies is wrong. However, capital punishment is in the realm of government, charged by God that governments should apply it within the specifications that He has given. The Bible is clear on the circumstances in which the punishment applies, and God makes no excuse that it should not be exercised because of the nature of the government or authority in charge.

    HOMOSEXUALITY
    It is unclear by the statement of belief where the World Wide Church Of God stands on this issue at this time. They apparently believe the premise that homosexual "tendencies" are acceptable as long as they don't result in homosexual acts. As such, homosexual tendencies are not sinful in themselves, but only when they lead to action on those tendencies. Presumably one could also apply this same belief structure to the heterosexual world, maintaining that adulterous "tendencies" are also acceptable as long as they do not result in an adulterous act. However, Jesus Christ spoke quite differently on the issue, making it very clear that "tendencies" are not the issue, but thoughts are. "You have heard it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28) So, the issue becomes a matter of moral value in relation to what is done with the thoughts of the mind and of the core being of an individual. Both homosexual tendencies and heterosexual adultery are the product of the thoughts of the mind, so there lies the difficulty; both coming under accountability to the condemnation by Jesus.

    Additionally, the World Wide Church Of God says that it does not believe in discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace. However, no explanation is given as to what constitutes discrimination or to the extent of the definition of the workplace. Does the workplace constitute the realm of pastors, overseers, Sunday school teachers and employees of the church? Some discernment must be used within the church regarding those who have been homosexuals. The Scripture make it clear that a person can be forgiven and transformed, as noted: "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:11, but decisions must still be made as to what level of trust and leadership with be given to those individuals. The Scripture makes it very clear that some of the Christians had been homosexuals, but the criteria applied was that they were no longer as a result of a life transformed by the gospel and the working of the Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of discrimination but that of dealing with a very real issue in the religious society of today. There are many leaders in churches who are not what they claim. The church body has an obligation to insure that its leadership and those who minister and work in the church, especially in relation to children, are exempt from the conduct that can so easily damage those children. This is a difficult issue in the church today and it cannot be minimized.

    The following is an e-mail reply from the World Wide Church Of God regarding a question on the subject. It still does not make their position entirely clear, so the reader must use their own judgment.
    Thank you for your message. I presume you were asking whether the church would hire as a pastor a person who had a homosexual orientation but was not practicing a gay lifestyle or a person who has permanently repudiated such a lifestyle after participating in it in his past. My answer would be the following. As the statement you read says, our church does not condone discrimination against homosexuals in the workplace. Of course, we would not hire for the ministry individuals who are openly declaring to others that they are happy to be living in what we understand to be a sinful state. On the other hand, if a person's homosexual lifestyle is in the past and has been repented of in Christ, then it would not of itself be a barrier to ordination or hiring.

    Of course, a person's hiring for pastoral ministry is not based on a single, flat characteristic such as heterosexuality or homosexuality. There are many factors regarding an individual and his situation that must be considered in the hiring process, especially to the ministry. I hope my comments have answered your question. We appreciate your interest.
    Paul Kroll
    Personal Correspondence
MAJOR HISTORICAL ISSUES
The most troubling issue, in regards to the World Wide Church Of God, is the difficulty that the leadership has in disassociating itself from the founder of the church, Herbert W. Armstrong. Recognizing that Herbert W. Armstrong taught unusual and incorrect doctrines, the leadership does not deal clearly with those doctrines in relation to the Biblical application of discernment and judgment that is to be applied. The leadership prefer to maintain that Herbert W. Armstrong was a dedicated and sincere Christian who simply held some erroneous views, which the church is now in the process of correcting. However, this is not truly the case. The doctrinal teachings and beliefs of Herbert W. Armstrong deal with the core issues of orthodox Christian doctrine, changing the Biblical accounts of salvation by grace, the nature of the Godhead , law and grace and numerous other principles.

One cannot teach the large number of aberrant doctrines, such as those that composed the views of Herbert W. Armstrong, without Biblical standards being applied to those teachings. The errors of Herbert W. Armstrong cannot be excused as minor or inadvertent, because they were very carefully developed and taught. In the case of Herbert W. Armstrong, the Biblical appellation must be applied in regards to his prophetic utterances. His prophecies were false, and by Biblical definition in Deuteronomy 18:19-22, Herbert W. Armstrong was a false prophet, a position to which he never admitted or from which he never requested forgiveness.

The doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong were not those of a sincere man who just happened to make a few mistakes. Rather, they were carefully crafted and calculated teachings, designed so that the adherent would filter every aspect through Herbert W. Armstrong so that he might be the authority and the governing adjudicator regarding spiritual truth. The doctrines came from the pantheon of Herbert W. Armstrong's mind, designed to support the empire he created, encompassing print, radio, television and control over a religious organization composed of many churches and hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Herbert W. Armstrong established himself as the central figure, exerting control and establishing the meaning of the doctrines that he created, instead of authority being vested in Jesus Christ, the apostles and the Scripture.

As a result of his doctrines, the Biblical doctrines were changed and redefined by Herbert W. Armstrong. No longer were the Biblical doctrines of salvation by grace, the relationship of law to grace and the nature of the Godhead proclaimed, but their "interpretation" and definition being determined through the mind of Herbert W. Armstrong. Belief in a changed definition of the elements of salvation, from the Biblical teaching, nullifies the message of salvation. Law, when attached to grace nullifies the message of salvation by grace and makes salvation a product of works. A wrong view of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ nullifies the reality of the true nature of the Godhead and substitutes a false god in place of the real God. Herbert W. Armstrong's aberrant doctrines taught about a different salvation, a different Jesus Christ, a different Holy Spirit and a different God, which places the adherent in a position in which true salvation cannot be obtained by accepting those beliefs. One cannot obtain salvation by another means other than that taught in the Scripture. One cannot worship another Jesus Christ or another God and expect that salvation can be obtained through that which is false. The false doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong place him in the category of a false prophet noted in Deuteronomy 13:1-5.

There are two standards of measure to be applied to those who claim to be a prophet:
1. Do ALL of his prophecies come true?
2. If his prophecies come true, does he worship the true God and say what the true God says?

In the case of Herbert W. Armstrong, NONE of his prophecies came to pass, he worshipped a different God than the One taught in the Bible and he taught a different message than that spoken by God in the Bible. It is difficult to understand why the leadership of a church, who now claims to speak a true message about the real God, would fail to repudiate, as a false prophet and a heretic, Herbert W. Armstrong, who spoke false prophecies, spoke a false message and worshipped a false god.

END OF ARTICLE
by Gary A. Hand
On Doctrine
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