All Christians should understand the difference between a deceptive, controlling group and a healthy Christ-oriented Christian church. It's not only doctrine that one needs to look at, but the methods of propaganda used by the leadership of a particular group and the effects of those methods on their members. 

The most important question is, how truthful has the group been? Do they revise history and try to cover up their past, especially things that are embarrassing or might incriminate them? Do they say they have always been a Christian church? Or do they encourage their members to research thoroughly the early beginnings of their church and especially of their founder? 

What if a group never fully admitted their sordid past, but covered up and revised their history, and offered a different story? WCG has substituted the word "unusual" instead of "heresies" in their 1998 book, Transformed by Christ: A Brief History of the Worldwide Church of God. For instance, they said that Herbert Armstrong had many "unusual doctrines," came to "unusual conclusions," and "emphasized the unusual."¹ By this change in words, readers (notably members) are made to believe that it was God who changed the WCG from an “unorthodox church" on the " fringes of Christianity" into a new evangelical church. By WCG also saying that HWA "preached things that others do not," they do not own up to the truth of what Herbert W. Armstrong was all about, nor do they admit that Armstrong preached another gospel. Using the word "unorthodox" is another way of covering up the truth that WCG was listed for decades as a Bible-based cult in all the apologetic literature on cults. 

How much does WCG hold to orthodox doctrines today?²  When Joe Tkach Jr., Greg Albrecht and Michael Feazell were interviewed by D. James Kennedy³ on Truths that Transform radio program in 1996, they said that they did believe in heaven and hell (orthodox doctrines), but the question is, which of their booklets teaches it? When a letter was sent to WCG HQ (August 17, 1996) asking for any booklets or articles on the Trinity, Born Again, and Heaven and Hell, the reply we received back (September 1, 1996) was: "The items you asked for are no longer published by the Worldwide Church of God. We regret that we're unable to fulfill your request." 

Would such a group set out to remove, or cover-up, any incriminating evidence against them? Why, for instance, did all of the late Walter Martin's earlier editions of his book, The Kingdom of the Cults, seemingly disappear from libraries and used book stores across the country so fast and in so short of a time after the introduction of the new WCG changes in 1995? Was it not because the older editions included a section on the Worldwide Church of God and its heresies?  

Why is it nothing heard from the WCG leaders about the late David Robinson's book, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web? This book, written in 1980, was an insider's view of the Worldwide Church of God. Some of its revealing chapters are:

Idealism versus Reality
The Cover-Up (about Garner Ted's immorality)
 Religious Hypocrisy--A Special Vice
Sex and the Single Apostle (includes "HWA Gets Ted's Permission to Marry")
"HWA's Sex Problems" and "The Locher Tapes")
HWA Adopts the Primacy of Peter Heresy
HWA's Embarrassment with Christ
The Jewish Connection and the Rise of Stanley Rader
Conspiracy and Chaos" ("Tucson Ministerial Conference--1979")
Stabbed in the Back
Roderick Meredith--The Broken Reed
Raymond McNair--Loyal 'Buffie'
Gerald Waterhouse--The Long-Winded Prophet of Petra
Face to Face with Herbert Armstrong
Incest!

The last chapter, which reveals the shocking story about Herbert Armstrong's sexual abuse and incest with his daughter--which had been going on from the founding of his "Radio Church of God"⁴ and which occurred for a decade after his ordination to the ministry (according to family members)--should be enough to cause anyone to doubt Herbert W. Armstrong as being "used by God." (Read the last chapter on the incest story.) Is this just one more sordid incident of WCG history that headquarters would like forgotten, as they go about telling their members that their founder was a "sincere Christian" and "dedicated to Christ"?⁵ 

Order Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web (mentions the incest in last chapter)

The incest story was covered in Ambassador Report #14, December 1980 ("HWA incest allegations not denied"); AR#27, April 1984 ("HWA confesses to incest"); AR#40, March 1988 ("strong evidence of HWA's incestuous relationship with his daughter Dorothy during the early '40s") and AR#68, April 1998 ("HWA incest again confirmed"). The AR brings out that Herbert Armstrong never sued David Robinson for publishing his book, and never did any of the members of Armstrong's family. The Ambassador Report may be viewed online. (Note: Please be aware that the AR is now posted on an agnostic/atheist website.)

More information can be found in Herbie's Secret Sins: Hearsay vs. Proof (correspondence between former WCG member and the author of Daughter of Babylon, The True History of the Worldwide Church of God) [Please be aware that this is posted on an agnostic/atheist site.]

HWA's incest is also mentioned in several places on our site; i.e.:

Herbert W. Armstrong and the Incest

New Times Los Angeles, December 4, 1997 (Richard David Armstrong II stated that his grandfather incested Dorothy)

Letter Regarding Herbert W. Armstrong's Incest

Jack Kessler's 1981 Letter to Worldwide Church of God Board of Directors

An Open Letter to Our Acquaintances in The Church of God (search for the word "incest")

We Found Out the Truth About Herbert Armstrong

Why Herbert W. Armstrong Couldn't Have Been God's True Apostle

How Do I Get My Member Mate to Believe the Herbert W. Armstrong Incest Story?

Much about Herbert Armstrong's early questionable activities can be found elsewhere on our site:

Background exposé on HWA

HWA's early (including racist) activities

HWA studied Communism (November 24, 1967 Co-Worker letter)

Questionable activities in international governmental affairs

The Private Letters of Herbert W. Armstrong and Loma D. Armstrong (HWA and his wife were very active in international governmental affairs following the United Nations' first meeting held in San Francisco in 1945.)

Historical background info on Worldwide Church of God (includes info on HWA's background)

Ambassador Report 48, May 1991 has a section entitled, "The FBI's Files on the WCG." These files were later released with much blacked out. (Ambassador Report, October 1992) However, a researcher in contact with ESN saw a copy of the original FBI files. (Read the 2006 letter to ESN)  The files are also mentioned in this report: The Conspiracy Was Strong (search for the words "Worldwide Church of God" in Pt. I) [offsite link]

WCG has told members that derogatory information written in the past on WCG and Herbert W. Armstrong has turned out to be only "conspiracy, rumors and myths." Since certain authors such as former WCG members/ministers David Robinson and William Hinson are now dead, perhaps they feel it is now easier to refute what these authors testified to. When the most indicative books about WCG and HWA are removed from circulation, no present members, nor any outsiders who are just now finding out about the "new WCG," will ever know anything to the contrary (that is, unless they are able to find books and news/magazine articles about HWA and WCG. Read two out of many:

Dropouts See Hucksterism Where They Once Saw God

Worldwide Church of God Amasses Wealth Amid Rising Criticism

Headquarters has attempted to bury many of the WCG evangelists of the `70's. These former evangelists understood many of the very same doctrines being expounded today by the WCG as "new." This was the same period of time when Joseph W. Tkach, Greg Albrecht, and many other leaders were residing within the WCG and had to be fully aware of what was going on. (Jack Kessler's 1981 Letter to Worldwide Church of God Board of Directors, Robert Gerringer 1975 Letter to Charles Hunting and Richard Plache Tapes) These discerning ministers and members who spoke up, and those who followed them, were labeled "dissidents" and "rebellious."  Today those who have exposed the Worldwide Church of God are labeled as "hateful" and "bitter" or "physiologically disturbed." Those who have tried to show the leadership where they are wrong have been made to feel as if they "didn't have all their facts straight" and are given some spin control answer. 

Christ would have exposed hypocrisy and abuse. In fact, He had many harsh words to say to the false religious leaders of his day, while at the same time He was merciful, compassionate and loving to those who had been abused, often seeking them out as He did with the blind man whom He healed, and who had been cast out by the self-righteous Pharisees. (John 9:35)

WCG stated in their recent "Mission and Vision Statement" that one of their objectives is to "maintain the official history, legacy and continuity of the Worldwide Church of God." But if one of their last moves is to move to a new location and change their name⁶, along with changing the names of most of their local congregations, how many outsiders will connect them with Herbert W. Armstrong who founded Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, California?

"Grave attempts to revise history and cover up "historic" events were brought about by all the Church of God leaders including David Hulme and Rod Meredith." (Quoted from OIU Newsletter #6, pt.1) Read: WCG's Shredding of Documents During 1979 (letter to ESN)

What kind of group would attempt to bulldoze over its past, tell a revised story of what really happened, discount those who would take exception, whitewash their founder, and then exhort their members to "accept responsibility" and "don't point at Herbert Armstrong, point at yourself; you allowed this to happen"? 

Herbert W. Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God left a path littered with death, misery, corruption, and devastated lives. For an organization which knows this) to attempt to distort, revise and cover up the true history doesn't make a lot of sense. 

By D. W.
Exit & Support Network™
November 21, 2002
Last updated October 10, 2006

Footnotes:

¹ Transformed by Christ: a Brief History of the Worldwide Church of God, Worldwide Church of God, copyright 1998. Read ESN's review of this book.

² Read: Is Worldwide Church of God Still Holding on to Some of Herbert W. Armstrong's Doctrines?

³ Update: D. James Kennedy died 9-5-07 at the age of 76. Few are aware that Kennedy was a member of the CNP (Council for National Policy). Much more on the Council for National Policy (founded in 1981), plus a list of members, can be found in this report and in the transcript Let's Focus in on "Focus on the Family." 

⁴ Radio Church of God was renamed Worldwide Church of God in 1968.

⁵ On 4-30-96 and 5-1-96 Joseph W. Tkach Jr. was interviewed on D. James Kennedy's Christian radio program Truths that Transform. Tkach Jr. said that Herbert W. Armstrong was a "very sincere Christian who was dedicated to Christ." In The Worldwide News, March 7, 1995, p. 3, Joseph Tkach Sr. stated that they believe HWA "was a minister of Jesus Christ." For more quotes see Has WCG whitewashed Herbert W. Armstrong? from the Q&A's. Herbert W. Armstrong stated, "Christ is not the gospel. Believing on Christ is not believing the gospel." (Voice clip of HWA giving a Bible Study and marking Buck Taylor; heard on tape two, pt. 2 of "My Story" by C. Wayne Cole, 5-19-79) [Note: In Feb. 2005 The Worldwide News in the United States changed its name to WCG Today. In May 2006 it was changed to Together.]

⁶ In November 2004 the WCG moved their headquarters from Pasadena to Glendora, California. (Pasadena Star-News, October 25, 2004) Read letter to ESN. By May 2006 all their offices were moved to Glendora. (Together May-June 2006). They are now considering a name change. Read: Worldwide Church of God is Changing Their Name. 

Transformed by Christ (A Critical Review of Worldwide Church of God's Book) (shows WCG's history revision and whitewashing of their founder)

An Open Letter to Our Acquaintances in The Church of God (Very important letter which has enabled many to question deception; shows how WCG used thought reform in order to instigate their new changes)

Letter to author Janis Hutchinson from ESN (Vitally important letter with much exposé regarding WCG's history and reasons for the changes; helpful in undoing the propaganda and misinformation)

The "HISTORIC" TKACHIAN THOUGHT REFORM PROGRAM (and info following that) From OIU#4.

Outsider's Inside Update Newsletters (Looking behind the scenes at the real activities and associations pertaining to the "transformation" of the WCG; shows how doctrine was used as a massive propaganda tool. Important reading for those who would discern truth from deception.)

Twenty-Five Ways To Suppress Truth: The Rules of Disinformation (Includes The 8 Traits of A Disinformationalist)

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 link to rebuttal to Mike Morrison.)

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