Comments
from ESN:
How did
Albrecht come to understand the word "legalism?" And what made him see that
he was guilty of abuse? WCG evangelists in the
70's were willing to stand up for the truth when they found out about HWA's
hypocrisy. (Read 1975 letter from Robert
Gerringer and Worldwide Church of God History
by Kenneth Westby) They
were willing to lay their jobs on the line in spite of being accused,
slandered and disfellowshipped. They did not blame
themselves for the hypocrisy and feel ashamed. They tried to change the system
from within but were the victims of the Armstrongs. Remorse at what
they had taught others would be a secondary feeling.
In a different vein, he added that there was no way he could become a minister
of a splinter group, since he feels he is now in Christ and the
splinter
groups aren't (This was probably mentioned because of an administrative tie to
the splinters.)
Comments
from ESN:
Why
would Albrecht even mention a "splinter group" except for the fact that
the membership and ministry had been talking about them frequently.
Read how Tkach Sr. kept mentioning Global
Church of God (now Living Church of God) during his Video Sermon in 1995.
Why he would say he was now "in Christ" and "born
again" when many members feel they already were converted, just that they didn't
understand fully about grace.
He
openly referred to other specific rumors, such as homosexuality, having a Christmas
tree, etc., all of which he declared to be false. However, he added that if
someone wanted to have a Christmas tree, or Easter eggs, or play golf after
church, it is okay. ... The difficulty lies, he said, in the fact that
members had a critical nature fostered in them by past legalism. ...
Comments
from ESN:
The "rumors" the WCG faces today
often turn out to be the "facts" of
tomorrow. (Read: Rumors: Sermon Excerpts by
Tkach Jr. Denying Changes in 1994) The members had a critical nature
fostered in them by headquarters' belief system (not just "legalism"), but the members
were still confused
on what to believe since the WCG gives a variety of beliefs and then tells them to do what they feel is right for them.
No guidelines, and they aren't used to having no guidelines.
Read: Is Worldwide Church of God Still Holding on to Some of Herbert Armstrong's Doctrines?
In
5-10 years [which would make it year 2001-2006], they plan on the Plain
Truth becoming a subscription magazine. It will be bi-monthly and there
will be advertising. They also plan to market other Christian products, since
they've had good luck with Pat Boone tapes, etc.
Comments
from ESN:
WCG leaders started bringing this about several years before
2001. See OIU Newsletters for more on their
time line.
(Update:
Pat
Boone, CNP Board of Governors 1982, member 1988.)
JOSEPH
TKACH'S TALK:
Joe
Tkach acknowledged how confusing it must be for members to undo the idea that
they have the only esoteric truth--that they are the only boat in the ocean
carrying the true flag--and change to recognizing that there are other boats
in the ocean
Comments
from ESN:
It is only "confusing" to those that have not been told
the entire truth about how the WCG was known as an
exploitive, abusive group. Members were taught all churches
on the outside were "Satan's counterfeit," so why wouldn't the changes be confusing?
He
emphasized that it was important to heal the wounds of the past.
Comments
from ESN:
How
do the leaders intend for the emotional and spiritual wounds of the past to be "healed"? The abuses
people suffered has not been dealt with in any satisfactory manner. (Read
Going
Back to the WCG and Letter exposing outright lies,
abuses and sociopathic behavior.) Many, especially
child survivors suffer to this day
and have a hard time recovering,
because of the abuse they suffered.
If
HWA had any correct legacy to leave the church, it was to let the Bible be
your guide and have the guts to change if you're wrong.
Comments
from ESN:
If
HWA said we are to "let the Bible be our guide," he certainly was a poor
example of that. Read how certain
evangelists tried to get him to change doctrines in the 70's and the result. The only time
HWA had the "guts to change" was when it would
benefit himself, such as when he changed the Divorce & Remarriage doctrine
so that he could marry Ramona Martin, a divorced woman. (Update: WCG went on to declare that HWA was a
"sincere Christian" and "dedicated to Christ." [Read
quotes from our Q&A: Has WCG whitewashed HWA?] In 2004 Albrecht glibly admitted HWA was a
"false prophet" and "heretic." Read it:
Called
to Be Free (Is it Truth on only More Worldwide Church of God Propaganda?)
His
(Joe's) personal defining moment, when he began to receive new insight, was a
shock.
Comments
from ESN:
How odd that Joseph W. Tkach Sr. would say he felt shock when he began to
"receive new insight" when he, in fact, knew about the tithing
papers and other doctrinal papers presented to the Armstrongs in the 1970's by
WCG evangelists who tried to bring change from within. (Read: Worldwide Church of God History
and the very turbulent
1970 era.
Did Tkach Sr. just bide his time until he was at the top
of the organization?
If he was honest, wouldn't he have left the WCG because of the
corruption and hypocrisy--which he would have known about--not
instigate the new changes with confusion and contradictions?
He
said he now understands that the believer is saved through faith in Christ,
not works--there is no "qualifying."
Comments
from ESN:
Tkach Jr.
stated that there is no "qualifying" now; it's not works. Some former
members will remember reading in The Worldwide News, back around 1989,
how Tkach Sr. told them they didn't qualify anymore and
that if they died, still being faithful, they would be in the Kingdom. Many members missed reading that,
since often WN's weren't read thoroughly. But
others, such as this writer, remember it clearly. This change didn't come about through a
worldwide video from headquarters, or a particular sermon, but was subtly slipped into the
WN. [Note: In February 2005,
The
Worldwide News in the United States was changed to WCG Today. In
May 2006 it was changed to Together.]
Members
may have been taught that
they weren't saved by "works" but they were taught that they "had works to do" else
they lose their opportunity for eternal life.
Members
never said that people in other churches were "on the road to the
unpardonable sin"
(Read: Can I commit the unpardonable sin?) since WCG taught that these people hadn't had their
"first chance" yet for salvation. Members believed those who didn't
hear HWA's gospel
would rise after the Millennium in a "2nd resurrection" and WCG
still hints at this. (Read: Is Worldwide Church of God Still Holding on to Some of Herbert Armstrong's Doctrines?)
Is Albrecht still twisting and
eliminating facts and adding other things?
Members--especially
the men--need to forsake the "John Wayne school" (hiding emotions),
and discover the biblical model of worship. We must become emotionally honest
in our worship.
Comments
from ESN:
This would be very difficult for members to do after years of being taught to put the lid on
their emotions. People in cults have numbed their emotions. This is part of
the programming they received.
We
should move from anger to joy because we're on a new road, moving from
inertness to alertness and see the importance of extending our vision.
Comments
from ESN:
The words "extending our vision" is
transformational thinking.
Telling members to move "from anger to joy" is
almost like moving them over into
another thought reform system without giving them time to feel normal emotions
of anger and pain from being exploited and abused. Read:
Did Herbert W. Armstrong Abuse His Flock?
He then spoke against the splinter groups, also adding that God is leaning up
our reputation. That is, no more limousines and other corporate distinctions
of the past.
Comments
from ESN:
He says
"no more limousines," etc., but what about the lavish salaries top leaders
still receive? What about WCG's
selling the copyright to all
HWA's literature to the offshoot Philadelphia Church of God for $3 million dollars?
PASADENA SALE PROCEEDS:
They
are hoping for $120 to 140 million for the entire campus.
The
proceeds of the sale will go into three endowments.
-
lst
endowment, the interest of which will pay for Ambassador College expenses,
etc.
-
2nd
endowment, the interest of which will pay for general church administration
-
3rd
endowment, the interest of which will pay for the employees retirement
fund. (In a private conversation with a minister and also with Joe
Tkach, I asked if they planned any kind of reparation for members who,
because of past abuse, are now facing retirement without anything. The
response was that they simply can't do it, because the money isn't there.
All they can do is move from this point forward.--Janis H.)
Comments from ESN:
Why was there never any effort to give
back some of these funds (gained by selling their campuses) to the exploited members
who were the ones who contributed to this building fund in the first place?
Does it make sense for them to say "the money isn't there" when it is a known
fact that they sold the
copyrights to Herbert Armstrong's literature to Philadelphia Church of
God for $3 million dollars, plus
auctioned off many valuable items?
UPDATE: ESN
received a 2005 letter saying
WCG received
millions from sale of the Pasadena campus (comments after letter state one
insider said it could have been around $117 million). Also read another 2005
letter which says the top seven WCG leaders split the money
receiving
at least $7 million each. (These figures are low considering WCG's
massive land holdings.)
TITHING
will be allocated as follows:
They
are shooting for a 30/70% split from tithing. (That is, 30% to Pasadena and
70% returned to local congregations for local expenses, hall rentals, etc.)
The specifics are not fully worked out yet and may take a few years yet to
become effective. The allocation of the 30% is as follows:
30% to be retained by headquarters for:
-
General
administration (although most of this will be paid from endowment #2 (see
above)
-
Evangelism,
pastor's salaries, Internet, etc.
-
The
Plain Truth. However, this will eventually become self-supporting
through subscriptions, advertising, sale of videos, books, etc.
MICHAEL
FEAZELL'S TALK: The Ministry of healing and Reconciliation.
Mike
spoke about the spiritual wounds on the "inside" which can't be
seen. There is as much healing needed in our own body, as well as those we
bring healing to. Hiding from past realities, will never bring healing.
Members are grieving over their lost identify as the only true church...as
recipients of special knowledge...specially called leaders...and observance of
the holy days. There is a need to acknowledge this. "Apology" is
part of the reconciliation process. There, Joe Sr. published an apology--so
has Joe Jr., and other ministers. (Read the Festival Issue Fall 1995, an
article entitled "We Repent and Apologize".)
Comments from ESN:
Albrecht
says members are "grieving over their lost identity as the only true
church." He does not mention grieving over being lied to and betrayed by
those they placed their trust in as "God's true ministers." Members
are confused since they didn't receive the answers from the leadership, but
only contradictions and spin control. "Apology" is never the same as
repentance. (See the book,
Damaged Disciples:
Casualties of Authoritarian Churches and the Shepherding Movement
by Ron Burks for an explanation of this.) None of these "apologies" ever
addressed the issue of
mind control and
thousands of ruined lives.
UPDATE:
Read Greg
Albrecht's late-coming 2004 "apology" in the Called to Be Free Video/DVD transcript.
Ministers were instructed to set up small groups in local
congregations to address the hurts, anger, bitterness, etc., of the brethren
and to allow them to express their anger. But at the same time, we should be
rejoicing over our communion with Jesus Christ.
Comments
from ESN:
Concerning the
"small groups" that were set up in congregations for members to
express their "hurts, bitterness, etc. "--how long and how
thorough were
the members allowed to do this? Wasn't it only a few times and then they were
admonished to
("get rid of the baggage" [Nov. 9, 1996 sermon with ESN]) and get on with their "joy in
Christ"? How many were hindered from talking about the abuses
they received? It is never up to the abuser to tell his victims when it
is over, or when they need to "move on." Read: Letter exposing outright lies,
abuses and sociopathic behavior and The
Truth Must Be Told (talks about the WCG healing groups).
In the past, the church focused on peripherals, that is, Israelism, the
European beast, bombs (as pictured on the Plain Truth covers), with
emphasis on saved yourself by joining the WCG and giving money so others could
be warned, etc.
Comments
from ESN:
Members were never told to "save yourself by joining the WCG."
People did these things out of fear (fear of losing their salvation; fear of
going through the Tribulation). The backbone of all religious cults is
fear. Read how WCG used fear phobia
induction. Also read: How Did
Herbert W. Armstrong Recruit People?
The church also focused on sideburns, becoming gods, the only church
consisting of Saturday keepers, Jesus came in 1972, etc. All this was focused
on, instead of Christ.
Comments
from ESN:
It was
1975 that Herbert Armstrong said Jesus would come, not 1972. The year 1972 was
supposed to be the end of a 19-year time cycle and the year when members would flee to
the Place of Safety. "Sideburns" and "becoming gods"
was changed years ago, so why is this being brought up now?
Many
members say that the Sabbath was not a burden. But, they have a
misunderstanding. There was a burden and the burden was that we thought Jesus
Christ wasn't enough.
Comments
from ESN:
Members
did not think in terms of: "Jesus Christ wasn't enough."
They were taught that having the Holy Spirit would enable them to live the same
life that Jesus lived when He was on this earth, and that would consist of keeping the Ten Commandments and
other O.T. commands from the Mosaic Law.
Albrecht says members
had a "misunderstanding," but whose fault was it? It was
headquarters that had
taught these things.
MY
ACTIVITIES:
Besides
attending the general meetings, I also attended the ladies meeting. Dr. Ruth
Tucker spoke on "choices." After that, the meeting was opened for
sharing. .....
I
later asked why the men didn't have a similar meeting, since many of the
individual ministers had shared with me the hurts they are still experiencing.
I was told that, with ministers, there is often a difficult barrier in sharing
with other ministers.
Comments
from ESN:
These ministers would be even more hurt and
damaged if they realized the extent of the corruption and hypocrisy that was behind the WCG and that
many of them
had been innocently a part of.
Read: Jack Kessler's 1981 Letter to WCG
Board of Directors. (This letter reveals the evil of the continuing, persistent financial abuses
and shocking moral depravity which was taking place in the
Worldwide Church of God
headquarters. Also covers Tkach Sr. stealing $5,000
as a "needy church member.") If there's
often a "difficult
barrier in sharing with other ministers," then they need to ask
themselves if this wasn't always the case in the WCG. It doesn't seem to be
the case in evangelical churches today.
However,
of interest, in a conversation I had with a couple of ministers. They shared
with me that they experienced a great release and healing when they were
fortunate to attend a retreat consisting of pastors from other
denominations. After introducing themselves as a minister in the WCG and
informing them of the new change, they were accepted and ministered to.
Comments
from ESN:
I
wonder what "retreat" the two ministers went to where they
"experienced a great release and healing." Would this be the "Promise Keepers"
(which WCG is involved with today)?
(Read exposé article on Promise
Keepers) One wonders how WCG ministers could just dive into
activities with pastors
from other denominations (unless they had were being programmed not to think)? Usually there is a great deal
of problems for exiters relating to being able to trust for a long time after
being spiritually abused.
QUESTION
AND ANSWER SESSION AND OTHER INFORMATION (conducted by Joe Tkach, Greg
Albrecht, and Mike Feazell):
-
Sale
of Pasadena property: ... They already have serious offers, but
so far, below the appraised value. Hoping for $120 to 140 million for the
entire campus. ...may have to consider dividing the campus into east and
west units, but would prefer not to. [UPDATE
from ESN: In November 2004 the Worldwide Church of God moved
its headquarters from Pasadena to Glendora, California. (Pasadena
Star-News, October 25, 2004)
By May 2006 all their offices were moved to
Glendora. (Together, May-June 2006). ]
-
Women:
The church will give more opportunity to women to speak in the church
(ushering, songs, praying, and reading scripture). ... he recalled videos
showing children leading songs and prayers.
-
Festivals:
There is nothing wrong with changing the days and hours of the
Festivals to the evening, for people who work. ... It is also okay to
invite new people.
-
Footwashing at communion service will still be observed, because the Holy
Spirit should lead us to humility.
-
Formalities:
Do we call Pastors and Ministers, "Mr."? This can be left up to
members and ministers. It is not a doctrine. ... It's a cultural thing.
-
Sabbath:
Strict observance of the Sabbath as a requirement for salvation is still troublesome
for some. ... We must not lay a burden on Sabbath keeping, "for
salvation." If elders can't handle this, they need to resign. This is
now a doctrinal matter and one must be subject to the doctrinal law of the
church.
-
Tithing
allocation: They are shooting for a 30/70% split...
-
State
of the dead: Are the dead unconscious until the resurrection? There
are two schools of thought in the church; however, the scriptures are not
clear on the issue #3. You are, therefore, free to believe one view or the
other. However, you are not free to condemn one view or say one isn't a
Christian who believes the opposite view.
-
Hell:
What is the belief about Hell? We know there is a hell; but, what it's
like, we don't know.
-
Heaven:
What is heaven? (Kingdom of God; Life of the ages to come; Eternal life;
Life in presence of God, etc. God doesn't have a body--He's omnipresent.
It is not a place in the sky--it's more--a state of existence of some kind
that we don't know much about. Every mention of heaven in the Bible had to
use an analogy of something earthly... That's all we've got. They are
figurative descriptions.
-
Those
who haven't heard the gospel: Will those who haven't heard the
gospel have an opportunity for salvation? (See Rev. 20:11/Great White
Throne Judgment) God will make provision for them. We believe the same as
before, but we no longer teach a dogmatic time frame. ... We believe God
is just and fair.
-
Reparation
for past abuse: Will there be any attempt to pay back brethren for the
money they've lost? No--it would be an impossible task and the money is no
longer there. It was spent.
Comment from ESN:
If it
was "spent," then what happened to the money WCG later received from
the sale of their
Ambassador
auditorium in Pasadena? In
addition (and as mentioned above),
what
about the $3 million dollars they say they received from
Philadelphia
Church of God in 2003 (PCG is a totalistic WCG offshoot which holds to HWA's doctrines) when they
sold the copyrights to
PCG so Herbert Armstrong's
literature could be republished? What about the
millions they
received from the sale of their campus and how the five top leaders are now
said to be set financially for life? (The
OIU
Newsletters and Research Letters brought out
how WCG began selling their land holdings years ago.)
They sporadically
offered their "lame" apologies but have never returned any monies which they exploited and
conned from thousands of innocent people.
-
Baptism:
What is the age of baptism? First, the Holy Spirit is not necessarily
given at baptism. ... The Holy Spirit may come earlier as in the biblical
example where the disciples decided to go ahead and baptize those who already
had the Holy Ghost. Age depends on maturity. There may be teenagers who
may be mature in spite of their physical age and there may be adults who
are immature.
-
Distinction
of the WCG: What is distinctive about the WCG now?
-
a
high view of the Bible and Biblical study
-
dynamic
fellowship (we're changing!)
-
quality
ministership
-
courageous
(we've learned from the past legalism and spiritual abuse)
-
we're
building bridges with the rest of the body of Christ (not destroying)
-
a
high view of Christology
Comments
from ESN:
This is more double-talk
because if
they say the Scriptures are "not clear on whether the dead are conscious," then
why did Tkach Jr. tell D. James Kennedy on his radio program Truths that Transform, April
30/May 1, 1996, that they now believe in heaven and hell? [Tapes on file with ESN]
They also are allowing
tongues-speaking in their
churches. WCG states:
"We do not forbid tongues speaking." "We welcome
tongues-speakers into our fellowship, as long as they do not use their gift
in a contentious or offensive way." (Worldwide Church of God Articles
About Speaking in Tongues, Pentecostalism, and the Word of Faith, "Does
the WCG forbid tongues in church?" July 1997)
Since footwashing
has not been done away with (at their annual Lord's Supper
service), could it be one of the rituals that could very
well serve as one more practice to keep members in submission to the government of the WCG
organization? After all, "humility" and "obedience" were always stressed in
conjunction with WCG's footwashing service.
WCG headquarters says these things
are a
doctrinal matter and "one must be subject to the doctrinal law of the
church" or resign. This signs like a hierarchy (or "government") remains
in place.
Read:
Is Worldwide Church of God Still Holding
on to Some of Herbert W. Armstrong Doctrines? (includes 2005 update)
MY
QUESTIONS TO LEADERS:
Question:
Will the location of local churches still be kept a secret?
Answer:
No. (The minister of the Federal Way church and the Everett church, willingly
gave me their business cards, so I could give to a pastor friend of mine who
indicated he'd like to visit a Worldwide church. The ministers, however,
suggested it would be best for them to call first, so they could be briefed
and not walk in cold on a practice, such as footwashing, without understanding
what was taking place.--Janis H.)
Comments
from ESN:
This seems irrational. The practice
of footwashing only occurred at night on Passover (once a year), not on
Saturday when someone might "show
up." Is WCG still "screening" people? (As of 2007, WCG still has their
footwashing service annually.)
Question:
Why is tithing being done away with, yet, according to some, ministers are
still intimidating the brethren by remarks such as "If you're dedicated,
you'll actually pay more?"
Answer:
If this comes across in an intimidating tone, it is due to the fact that there
are some ministers who still can't let go of the old way of thinking. This
also accounts for the seeming duplicity of reading about the changes in the WW
News, but not hearing it from the minister
Comments
from ESN:
Their excuse in saying it was "some ministers" was in actuality Tkach Sr. who said these things on his video
sermon in announcing the changes! [Transformed by Truth or Transformed by Lies??]
(Similar words have been published in the WN.
Read Letters to Janis Hutchinson from Kelly to see this
and Unavailable! The Worldwide
News--Prior to September 1995.)
Headquarters could have sent out
videos to the congregations worldwide so the "correct message" could
have been
explained. An example is how quickly it took for all members to be in agreement when the
makeup doctrine was changed. However, when ministers do not understand they
have been deceived for many years by mind control, then it
is would be understandable that some of them were having a hard time "letting
go of the old way of thinking."
Question:
Will the brethren be expected to raise donations to pay for rental halls and
operations, in addition to tithing? Payment for rental halls and other
expenses will come out of the 70% tithing which will be returned to local
churches. (Mention was made to a "building fund." But I didn't quite
understand what this involved. However, whatever it means, the minister I
spoke with said that at present there is a hold on it, since building funds
are illegal in some states. They hope to have the legal ramifications worked
out by the end of the year.--Janis. H.)
Comments
from ESN:
They
say "building funds" are illegal in some states. Many
Christian churches have a building fund before they move from meeting in a
high school or other building to holding services in their own church building.
Question:
Was Hank Hanegraaff given a bribe for his support?
Answer:
No, he was given a fee for his appearance.
Comments
from ESN:
Why
did Hank Hanegraaff have to have a "fee" for his appearance? Was he in desperate need of
the money
for CRI and a bargain was struck? Hank Hanegraaff
is alleged to have taken a bribe in the past from Phil Aguilar's Set-Free cult
to cease exposing the darker side of his ministry. (Included in a 400+ page
investigative report on
Hanegraaff that the ESN compiled from various documents and
testimonies, especially from the Group for CRI Accountability.)
Question:
Will you publish a financial statement for all to see?
Answer:
We have already been publishing a financial statement in the WW News [Worldwide
News], once a
year.
Comments
from ESN:
Are members given a detailed financial statement regularly? How detailed is it compared to
the "divided pie" they used to print once a year in the WN for all
members? See what a genuine Christian financial
statement looks like.
New
news:
WCG
Auditors Exposed for Dishonest Practices
Many
of you felt an apology should be forthcoming from the pulpit. The leaders, did
this at the conference, and encouraged ministers to do the same. I suspect
that whether the ministers follow through, will depend upon the individual
minister.
Many
of you were concerned that the leaders, by paying my expenses, would
intimidate me into supporting them. While I appreciated their gracious
hospitality, this was not the criteria I used in my assessment of the change.
There were three ways:
-
I
actually sat in the meetings where 200 to 300 ministers and their wives
were actually taught the changes. Certainly, those teachings were not
staged for my benefit.
-
At
all the meals I spoke with individual Pastors and their wives about the
changes (as well as the pain, anger, etc.) Many of them, at first, didn't
know me and thought I was a member.
-
I
overheard conversations between other members who were unaware that I
could hear them.
I
appreciate all of you who spent time and money to clue me in on the abuses of
the past. Even though I am convinced the change is genuine (although
admittedly not in force in some areas), all your input was not in vain. It
contributed in a positive way. That is, with that information under my belt, I
knew what to ask, what to watch for, and what to purse in my questioning.
If
any of you wish to write and ask me any specific questions that I may not have
covered, please feel free to do so.
Sincerely
in Christ,
JANIS
HUTCHINSON
Comment
by ESN:
Why have some in the Christian arena lacked discernment? Were they, along with
Janis Hutchinson, seemingly
taken in by propaganda from smooth-talking WCG leaders at headquarters? Read:
Research Letters Concerning Worldwide Church of God
Changes.
UPDATE:
D. James Kennedy died September 5, 2007 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 by Tim LaHaye, T. Cullen Davis, Nelson
Bunker Hunt), plus a list of members, can be found in the following reports:
The
Council for National Policy
Council
of National Policy (past/present officers and
prominent members)
LET'S FOCUS IN ON "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY." (expose`
by former FOTF employee Randy Shafer which documents the unscriptural and New Age direction of Focus on the Family)
Twenty-Rules
of Disinformation (Includes 8
Traits of A Disinformationalist)
Back to Letters to Janis Hutchinson
(exposes the deceit and propaganda regarding the Worldwide Church of God doctrinal changes)
Back to
Research Letters Concerning Worldwide Church of God Changes
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