| Hank Hanegraaff was instrumental in helping the
Worldwide
Church of God become accepted in the eyes of mainstream Christianity,
calling it a "transformation
that may well be without precedent in church history."1
He said that Joseph
Tkach Jr. and other leaders of the WCG "expressed their gratitude
for CRI's support and encouragement in their transition from cultism to
Christianity."
For much more info on corruption exposure in
Christian Research Institute and Hank Hanegraaff and Worldwide Church of
God, see OIU
Newsletter, Volume 4, Part 2. Also see links at bottom of this page.
Why
did Hank Hanegraaff have to have a "fee" for his appearance with the
WCG leaders? Was he in desperate need of the money
for CRI and a bargain was struck? Hank 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 (part of a 400+ page investigative report on Hanegraaff that the ESN
compiled from various documents and testimonies, especially from the Group
for CRI Accountability). Could Hank possibly have done the same with the WCG leaders? When
author Janis Hutchinson met with WCG leaders, she asked them about this
and was told Hank "received a
fee" for his appearance.
Hank continues: "I will be so bold as to say
that what you and I are now witnessing in the Worldwide Church of
God is only a faint foreshadowing of what God is going to do in the days
ahead IN CULT EVANGELISM AROUND THE WORLD." (Ibid.)
At the September 26, 1995 memorial services of
Joseph Tkach Sr. Hank was there--offering condolences to Tkach Jr. A
picture of the two together with arms touching was printed in the January
2, 1996 Worldwide News with this caption: "Kindling
Friendship--A meaningful moment between Joseph Tkach Jr. and Hank
Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute."
In a October 1995
co-laborer letter Hank says that the
WCG leaders "met privately with me [Hank], behind closed doors..." Read
parts from the letter
In this same letter Hank goes on to give
credit to CRI for the WCG's change: "God has sovereignly brought
the sacrifices, the obedience, and the generosity of so many CRI partners
to fruition in the extraordinary transformation of a major cultic movement."
Hank continues to say that the WCG was:
"a contemporary cult willing to lay it all on the line for truth as
revealed in God's word." He also praised the late Joseph Tkach, Sr., labeling him "a man who
risked losing his reputation, his livelihood, his career, and world
respect in his all-out devotion to finding and proclaiming the truth."
[October 6,1995 co-laborer in Christ letter]
Has Worldwide Church
of God leaders really "laid it all on the line" for the truth?
What in the World is Worldwide Church of God Doing Now?
(Includes WCG selling copyrights to
HWA's literature to an Armstrong offshoot for approximately $3 million.)
MORE ON HANEGRAAFF:
The alleged
financial and ethical improprieties of Hank Hanegraaff and letters from
the group for CRI
Accountability have been compiled in a 400+ page investigative report. One of the accusations against him is that he had his
hired staff write large portions of his book Christianity in Crisis
without crediting or adequately compensating them. He is also alleged to
have plagiarized writings by other well-known fundamentalist writers
like D. James Kennedy2.
Letter
to ESN concerning Hanegraaff's ethics.
Christian Research
Institute in the News Again (includes updates for 2005)
Hanegraaff does not
believe in mind control and
CRI wrote an article3 that sincere cultists are lost (although
there is "an occasional exception") and that they were
"not really seeking God" but "seeking anything other than
God" when they went into the cult. The article further
maintains that "it is possible for sincere people, even people who
were a part of the fellowship of true Christians, to be deceived into
following "another Jesus." But the cultists are "to
blame" and are "guilty of sin."
CRI Never Answered Any Letters from Exiters:
Hank never answered any letters that we know of from
any exiters that attempted to warn CRI about the duplicity involved
concerning the Worldwide Church of God changes.
Following are three letters
out of many that pleaded with him about the changes, but to no avail.
Letter #1: [all
emphasis ours]
Edmonton, Alberta
April, 1994
Dear CRI:
Recently I heard a "Bible Answer Man" broadcast in my
hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, and was quite disturbed about your comments
on the Worldwide Church of God. You mentioned that historically, they are
looked upon as a cult by mainstream Christianity, but recently have become
more Orthodox in their beliefs. They are now considered Brothers and
Sisters in the faith.
Well this letter is to inform you that I do not believe that this is
so. I was a member of the WCG for six years, and I finally woke up to
their insidious tactics. They are stating one thing to the Christian
community and another to the local membership. I would appreciate it
very much, if you people could get to the bottom of this. I must tell you
that they're still very much a cult, and their mainstream beliefs are only
to bring more people into their organization.
Sincerely,
L. P.
Letter #2: [all
emphasis ours]
April 15, 1994
Dear Mr. Hanegraaff,
I was disturbed to hear you say on 4-14-94 that the Worldwide Church of
God needs to be applauded for moving closer to orthodox Christianity and
is no longer holding to such doctrines as Sabbath keeping, etc. for
salvation.
I can say, with very good evidence, that the WCG is telling the
media one thing and telling its members something else in order to no
longer be considered a cult!
I am enclosing a copy of part of a letter I received from Jim Baldwin
of Charlestown, NH, who was a former elder in the WCG, showing why he
believes the WCG is still a cult. I am also enclosing a copy of a letter I
received from Watchman Fellowship (a Christian research and apologetic
ministry) showing how the members are not being made aware of all the
changes.
I just exited this last week. Within the last few months I have heard
many comments by our ministers telling us that there is only one true
Church of God and if we have any doubts, we need to prove it. We have also
been told that, "If we don't keep the Sabbath, we will begin to be
put in a spiritual death that will eventually put us outside the body of
Christ," "If we don't tithe, we are stealing from God!" We
were also told recently that the Old Testament Feast days are from God and
commanded to be kept.
Since our local congregation is having an "open house" in
May for subscribers to the Plain Truth in this area, we have been
instructed for two months on how to "recruit" them. We were told
a list of dos and don'ts to say to them, including, "Don't reveal all
our doctrines." I could no longer stand everything they are planning
on doing to these new people to get them to join the WCG under the guise
of "accepting Christ."
There is still the fear, guilt, authority, control, and
disfellowshipping-fellowshipping going on if there are any divisions. Our minister even
stated recently, "I don't want to hear of any dichotomies in this
church or I won't say what I will do, or more so what God will do!"
The members are still living by grace plus works
and the freedom in Christ is not experienced or known in this church.
Please warn people that the WCG is still a cult! Thank you for your
ministry. It was through some related WCG material you sent, leading me to
investigate the WCG further, that I began my journey out of confusion and
darkness to freedom!
Sincerely,
D. Williams
Letter #3:
Dear Mr. Hanegraaff,
This is my second letter to you on the subject of the Worldwide Church
of God and how the members are not receiving all the new information the
leadership is giving to the media.
On May 5 on The Bible Answer Man, it was either you or Ron Rhodes that
stated there was cause for rejoicing in the Christian circles because the
WCG had now announced that the Holy Spirit is a person. And yes, I agree
with you, it is important the WCG accept the doctrine of the trinity. You
also stated that the Holy Spirit is working with the WCG and this is total
repentance. I am going to have to take exception with your saying this is
"total repentance."
However, and I think that this is a very important fact, the WCG is
still employing abusive practices with its members-disfellowshipping,
control, guilt, etc. To cite one example: Our 19 year old son, who hadn't
been attending the church in several months, was recently invited to the
church's youth prom by a girl from [a nearby WCG church]. When they showed
up, he was approached by the associate pastor and an elder who told him,
"You are not a part of this church, so you will have to leave."
He left and came back at the end of the prom to pick up the girl and take
her home.
The leadership does believe that most of what Herbert W. Armstrong
taught was wrong, but they have not told the members everything and the
ministers are not preaching all the new truth. The changes that they are
making are being done in stages so as not to cause confusion and
discouragement among the members, especially the old-timers. Some of these
changes could take years, as they are so radical as to what was formerly
taught. They are just being introduced gradually as "new
understanding" in how the doctrines of the church are expressed.
If you really want there to be total
repentance, then pray that the MEMBERS can be told the truth and set free
from all the lies that have been perpetuated on them all these years by
HWA. The Holy Spirit is working with the people and cares for them. He has
been helping some of them to receive the message of grace and freedom from
the law (weekly and annual Sabbaths, tithing, etc.) But how long are the
rest going to have to wait to hear this?
Thank you for your radio program. It has helped me to understand the
truths of the Bible clearly and is helping to free me from the false
doctrines of the WCG that I have held for many years!
Sincerely,
D. Williams
Read:
Unavailable! Worldwide News – Prior to September 1995
(shows the
contradictory and confusing statements made during the changes.)
Footnotes:
1January 1996 CRI newsletter
2
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), plus a list of members, can be found
in this report
and in the transcript Let's Focus in on
"Focus on the Family."
3
Are
Sincere Cultists Lost?
Set
Free, CRI and Calvary Chapel (covers how CRI is strongly implicated in taking a bribe from Set Free in
order not to expose them as a cult anymore)
CRI in the News Again
(Misuse of funds?)
Propagandist Hank
Hanegraaff Makes It Big Promoting the Tkach/Albrecht Transformation Deception
(From OIU Newsletter 6, Pt 1)
Federal
Criminal Mail Fraud Investigation Launched Against CRI and Leader Hank
Hanegraaff
[offsite link]
Hank
Hanegraaff Lawsuit
(Hank accused of financial fraud and other criminal activities; offsite
link]
Facts,
Points and Questions Surrounding the Coalition of
WCG Propagandists
Smoke,
Mirrors and Disinformation - The New Age Ties of the Apologetic
Ministries (CRI
& their adherence to the Lausanne Covenant; much info; offsite link)
CRI's
Telemarketing
(Letter to ESN)
Back to Research Letters Concerning Worldwide Church of God Changes
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