Many Christians have their own little corner where they hold their preconceived beliefs that have never been tested in the light of cold reality. They don't understand at all about being deceived. They think as long as they know all about the Bible's beliefs, they are safe. I may not have been an apologist back in the `60's (I must have known certain doctrines, though, as I did mange to pass my denominational church's member test!), but the Worldwide Church of God didn't just pull in the unintelligent, like other Christians may like to believe! 

How many of these "Bible-believing Christians" in the past were out there warning the rest of us sheep about radio programs like The World Tomorrow? Or were cults thought to be only groups that came to your door? (It would be interesting to know how many of Herbert W. Armstrong's programs were being aired all those years on Christian radio stations.) How many cult-warning books were on the market back in the `50's and early `60's?¹ (The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin didn't come out until 1965!) How much teaching about cults was being done in the church back then? How much is being done today?

Yes, most Christians think they are immune from spiritual deceit and betrayal if they just "stay in the Book." I thought I was in that Book when I started with Herbert W. Armstrong. After all, before I knew there was even a "church" behind his radio program he always told me not to believe him, but to believe what the Bible said! How clever! Then when he deceived me in his church, he told me to believe whatever he said, as he was receiving it directly from God! 

Who would ever dream there would be a deceptive "Christian" minister on the radio? Especially one that sounded so sincere and concerned and true? He impressed me that he could "prove" God existed and "prove" the Bible was true. He got me to believe, through various Scriptures, that the name of God's church had always been "the Church of God," and that it had always been a Sabbath-keeping church---even keeping the "annual Sabbaths." 

He led me to check encyclopedias to prove what he said about church history and "pagan" days. He had me flipping back and forth in the Bible, "proving" all these "truths" of God. He got me to believe that I was part of God's "chosen people" Israel and the prophecies (which he seemed to know so much about) all pertained to America and Great Britain today.

He got me to finally throw out the other churches and trust him alone as "God's end-time messenger." He used strong words like: "urgency!" "Truth!" "obey!" "come out!" "knowledge brings responsibility!" "Let us all pray and work together to carry this gospel to all nations, so when Jesus comes He will say, 'Well done good and faithful servant!"' And he conveniently never mentioned "Worldwide Church of God." That was only discovered after I worked my way up into his "Bible" correspondence course and found out only God's "true" ministers of the WCG could baptize me into "God's" church if I was to receive the Holy Spirit!

And now these Christians tell me that nothing like this could ever happen to them because they "know the Word." The fact is, these Christians failed in the first place to warn their own sheep! Then they turned around and failed again in their ability to to respond adequately to the poor, abused ones that came to them for understanding and help. Along with educating themselves on the doctrines of the Bible, they need to educate themselves on the dynamics of cults and their own vulnerabilities. And they need to face their responsibility in understanding the needs of those that have come from such groups!

By Karina
Exit & Support Network™
December 31, 1996

Footnote:

¹ While there were few books written about Herbert Armstrong before the 1960's, there were, from time to time, articles written about him and the WCG; i. e., "Herbert W. Armstrong: Does He Really Have the 'Plain Truth'?" by Leslie K. Tarr, (Moody Monthly, Sept. 1972); Herbert Armstrong: Mr. Confusion by Roger F. Campbell, 1971; The Armstrong Error, by Charles F. DeLoach, 1971; The Marson Report  by Richard A. Marson, 1970; "The Armstrong Movement: A Former Member Speaks Out" by Richard A. Marson (Unpublished  manuscript, 1971); The Plain Truth About Armstrongism by Roger R. Chambers, 1972; "The Plain Truth About the Armstrongs and the World Tomorrow," by William C. Martin, (Harper's, July 1973). Quotes from these authors and others are in Chapter XII of The Armstrong Empire. Other such articles written about HWA and the WCG were: "What Does Herbert Armstrong Preach?" by Herbert V. Caneday (The King's Business, September 1959, pp. 26, 27); "Pertinent Answers to Armstrongism," Roger Campbell (The King's Business, September 1963, pp. 14, 15); The Armstrong Heresy by Paul Wilson. (sourced from The Armstrong Empire: by Joseph Hopkins) However, it wasn't until the late 70's that there was a professional attempt to understand the cult experience and to aid those who had been affected. (Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change by Flo Conway & Jim Siegelman, pp. 85-66)

"It makes no difference who you are; you could fall today. It would be very easy for any one of us to blunder and stumble and fall." ~ J. Vernon McGee

"Oh, how many times we have failed Him; yet our repeated failures have not quenched His love, nor has it been drowned by the floods of our sins." ~ J. Vernon McGee

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