WCG leaders hold the view that
HWA was a man of God who was very
sincere.1 They may say he was
"wrong," but they soon forget what they taught before the "change"
about others who were not in the WCG who were also sincere. They used to
say about these people:
"They might be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong, and are
headed for the lake of fire."
They say that they are not carrying any past baggage with them, but they
are. The one piece of luggage that bothers me the most is their belief
that one can receive salvation after death ["second
resurrection" teaching]. They believe that if a man has never heard
the gospel, he will get a chance to when he is in the White Throne
Judgment.
They say, God would not be a just God if He allowed anyone to go to hell
[lake of fire] that never heard. They apparently dismiss what Romans 1:19-21, says that
there will be no excuse for anyone to say that they never knew. The
argument that, God would not be a just God if.... (do they really want
God's justice?) is an argument as old as time. It started way back in
the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. That was one of Satan's tricks.
This doctrine is one that they carried with them that Herbert Armstrong taught.
These are doctrines that show they are like other religious cults:
- They teach that the earth was here for millions of years and needed
evolution to help it to become "good." The Bible says God
created everything in six days, "and it was indeed very good."
Gen. 1:31. The word "good" in the Hebrew is "Tobe"
it is an adjective and used to mean "best" or "beautiful." God made it
good immediately not in millions of years. (I wrote an article
entitled, The Six Days Of
Creation.)
- They teach that the spirit is in a unconscious state when it dies.
- They believe that there is not a literal hell.
- They believe that hell is not a necessary doctrine to know for one to
be saved (not core doctrine as they put it).
- They teach only the good news, but not why it is the good news. They
think that if a believer warns the unbeliever about hell [the
lake of fire], that he is
using scare tactics. But shouldn't we warn those about their coming
fate, and tell them there is a God that loves them and He sent his Son
so that we don't have to go to hell? Of course we should.
- They believe that there is another day of
salvation. [WCG and Their Universalism Views]
Yet the Bible
teaches "Now is the day of salvation." 1 Corinthians 6:2.
- They deny that their history was
that of a cult and say that they were always
part of the body of Christ.2 This is a sign of an unrepentant attitude.
Most all cults believe they are, and have always, been true believers.
- They now believe that they are a unique Church; that God is using
them to do a special work. Another sign of a cult.
- They have told their membership that the WCG is
"where God placed them"; that they should not leave the WCG. This to me is implying that,
to leave the WCG is to rebel against God. These are further scare tactics and mind
control that they have used in the past. One minister told me, "Those
that left did not have the heart of God."
I have sent a number of letters to their leadership about these
doctrinal errors and they never responded in any way. I sent a list of
twenty questions pertaining to when salvation is received and others
pertaining to the above questions.
Anyone that asks a question, or makes a statement to them about their
doctrines, they take as an attack on them. Mostly the hard core remain
with them. Help me pray for them to be separated from this false Church
that is leading them into the very pit of hell.
Thank you for posting the
story I wrote on your web page. As you know, I am very aware of the
destruction of lives that the WCG is responsible for. What really
bothers me about this bunch is that they completely deny and deny that this
all began with their leader Herbert
W. Armstrong.
John Miller Jr. (Former WCG
member)
October 3, 2002
Note:
Links to other letters/articles by John Miller are below.
UPDATE 2007:
Reply from
author Brian Flynn to WCG Philippine deacon (Cc to ESN), concerning
how we must be discerning concerning false teachings coming into the
church.
Footnotes by ESN:
1
Has WCG whitewashed Herbert W.
Armstrong?
2 This is documented on
several places on the site. Also see our critical
review of Transformed by Christ. Tkach Jr. has also referred to the
WCG as being a "denomination." ("WCG
considers denominational name change" by Joseph Tkach, WCG Today,
October 2005.
NOTICE: Worldwide Church of God is
now considering a name change. Read: Worldwide
Church of God is Changing Their Name.
UPDATE
2-27-05
In WCG's Statement
of Faith posted on their site in 2005 (plus what they have included in their
adjoining, and often ambivalent and confusing articles and booklets,) they state the following:
The state of the spirit
after death: After saying that "Christians
hold various viewpoints on the nature of the intermediate state based on
their interpretation of relevant biblical passages," they say "some
passages suggest a conscious intermediate state, and others an
unconscious state." Then they go on to say that they believe both views should be
respected. In other words, they do not take a stand on what happens to
the spirit after death. (Statement of Beliefs, "The Intermediate State"
2001) "In this age, we all die, just like Lazarus did, and Jesus will
have to 'wake us up.'" ("Lazarus, come out!" by Joseph Tkach, 2005)
Hell:
They take no stand
whatsoever on what hell is. They say that the Bible
doesn't make it "absolutely clear" whether the separation and alienation
from God in hell means annihilation or conscious spiritual
alienation from God." (Statement of Beliefs, "Hell" 2001) They also
symbolize the story of Lazarus and the rich man. ("No Other
Name" 2000). They say
"Scripture
is vague on the details of what happens to the righteous at death; the
church therefore feels it is not necessary to have an official position
on this subject."
("What is 'Heaven?'" 2001)
Read John Miller Jr's letter to
WCG headquarters: WCG
and Their Universalism Views)
Another day of
salvation: In explaining Heb. 9:27-28 they say that it "says
nothing about what that judgment might include, nor anything about
whether God will allow people to trust in him after they die." They
do not state clearly whether there is no chance after death if one has not
accepted Christ in this life. To the contrary they say "there is no
need to worry that our departed loved ones, nor any of the rest of the
masses of humans who have died, are consigned to the eternal flames
simply because no missionary reached them with the gospel message before
they died" and that since most of humanity died without ever
hearing the gospel, "we must take into consideration the
possibility that their decision of faith, or decision of non-faith, may
well be one that takes place in the realm of death." ("No
Other Name" by J. Michael Feazell, 2000) In another booklet they
ask and answer the question, "what about people who die without hearing
about Jesus?" "Do they have any hope?
Yes--precisely because the Christian gospel is the gospel of grace.
People are saved by God’s grace, not by pronouncing the name 'Jesus'"
... ("Is Jesus the Only Way" by Joseph Tkach, 2002) They say that Christ "makes
gracious and just provision for all, even for those who at death appear
not to have believed the
gospel." (Statement of Beliefs, "Eternal Judgment" 2001)
Also read:
Being
Saved After Death Is Still Alive in the Worldwide Church of God [offsite link]
Eternal security:
Regarding
eternal security, WCG believes that those who will be saved are "all whose faith remains in Jesus Christ."
(Statement of Beliefs, "Eternal Security" 2001) This is similar to HWA
words, "To be 'saved'--to inherit eternal life in God's Kingdom--you
must still be traveling THAT WAY at the end of your life!" (What Do
You Mean..."The Unpardonable Sin"? p. 34) WCG says that certain verses
in the Scriptures are "tempered by some warnings that appear to say
Christians can lose their salvation through persistent unbelief."
("What About "Eternal Security"?" 2000, WCG)
"Christians can lose the eternal life they already have." (July
12, 1994 Worldwide News, "How do we overcome?" by
Ralph G. Orr, p. 7)
Heaven: Regarding heaven
WCG says "Scripture is vague on the details of what happens to the
righteous at death; the church therefore feels it is not necessary to
have an official position on this subject." ("What is
'Heaven?'" 2001) They also seem to believe that heaven is a
state of mind as they say, "To be in heaven is to remain in Christ in
the presence of God." (Statement of Beliefs, "Heaven" 2001).
Since individuals are allowed to hold
"different doctrinal viewpoints" in the WCG, there are still members (and ministers) who believe Herbert Armstrong's doctrines
(Read: Some Worldwide Church of God Ministers Hold to
Herbert W. Armstrong Doctrines)
| "Truth mixed with error is
equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and
therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any
error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure
and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His
Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died."
~ H. A. Ironside |
Other letters/articles by John
Miller:
WCG and Their Universalism Views
(sent to HQ)
WCG and
Their Evolutionary Views (sent to
HQ)
Retired WCG Ministers
to Receive Funds While Members Go Without?
The WCG Has
Changed Little in Their Tactics
(Oct. 3, 2003 email)
Letter to Worldwide
Church of God, Philippines
(On Apostasy--A Radical Proposal) (Reveals
the disturbing direction WCG is headed doctrinally; includes New Age
authors WCG has endorsed. This Oct. 2006 letter was later forwarded to over 300 WCG ministers, including those at Headquarters.
Includes
May 2007 email reply from
author Brian Flynn to a WCG Philippine deacon (Cc to ESN), concerning
how we must be discerning concerning false teachings coming into the
church.))
Worldwide Church of
God's
Faulty Orthodoxy (Robert
L. Sumner, author of Armstrongism: The "Worldwide Church of God
Examined in the Searching Light of Scripture, gives strong reasons to
be skeptical in accepting the Worldwide Church of God as now Orthodox.)
Any Good Doctrine in
the Herbert W. Armstrong Era?
Back to Articles on WCG Changes and
History Revision
|
Home