It is my editorial responsibility to briefly comment on certain articles of Herbert W. Armstrong, in order to assist the reader's evaluation of this material. Please read the articles by Herbert W. Armstrong before reading my comments.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. When we get sick or injured, and need the Almighty's healing power, our faith is tested. All too often, we fail the test. Like the disciples, we need the Messiah to "increase our faith," Luke 17:5.
Herbert Armstrong's article, "Does God Heal Today?" helps to shore up, to increase, our faith in the Creator to heal us when we are sick. Because of the power of the American Medical Association, trusting God for healing can be a very controversial subject. Few realize that the AMA is one of the most powerful labor unions in the world. As Dr. Robert Mendelsohn has written, modern medicine as a whole, is a powerful religion against God.
Herbert W. Armstrong learned the lesson of divine healing shortly after he was baptized in 1927. In Chapter 17 of his Autobiography (1967 edition), "Learning Whether God Answers Prayer," Armstrong relates how, through a severe experience and Bible study, that God does heal, today!
Mrs. Armstrong had a series of afflictions, and had contracted blood poisoning as a result of a rose thorn. For three days and nights, she was unable to swallow a drop of water or a morsel of food. The doctor told Armstrong she could not last another twenty-four hours. A neighbor lady asked if she could ask a man to come and anoint and pray for his wife's healing. The man answered the Armstrong's questions, from the Bible, and they began to understand, and believe.
They knelt in prayer, and as he anointed Loma Armstrong with oil from a vial he carried, "He uttered a quiet, positive, very earnest and believing prayer which was utterly different from any prayer I had ever heard. This man actually dared to talk directly to God, and to tell God what He had PROMISED to do! He quoted the promises of God to heal. He applied them to my wife. He literally held God to what He had promised! . . . You have promised,' he said to God, and you have given us the right to hold you to your promise to heal by the power of your mighty Holy Spirit. I hold you to that promise! We expect to have the answer!' (pages 317-318)." They believed, and Mrs. Armstrong was dramatically healed. Even the doctor was astonished.
Further Bible study taught Armstrong that there are two conditions which God imposes: (1) we must keep His commandments, I John 3:22, and (2) we must really BELIEVE, Matthew 9:29 (page 322). When Armstrong later learned that the resurrection of Jesus was not on Sunday, so that the very foundation for Sunday sacredness crumbles, he wanted to share this new truth with the man that anointed his wife for healing. Upon study,this man rejected the Sabbath, for even though he admitted it was Bible truth, he knew it would put him at variance with his own church. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong found this man dejected and depressed. "Brother," he told Armstrong, "something terrible has come over me. God has left me. He doesn't answer my prayers any more. I don't understand what has happened (page 328)." Armstrong knew that when one deliberately, knowingly, from the heart, rejects knowledge, God will reject him, Hosea 4:6.
The day of miracles is not past. Hebrews 13:8 and John 14:12 show that Christ will continue to perform miraculous healings, in our day. It is not true that God has changed and works through medical science today.
Diving healing began with God's Old Testament Church. Divine healing is a miracle from Almighty God, as a result of believing prayer. The same conditions of obedience and faith for divine healing existed during the Exodus, and still do today, Exodus 15:23-26, I John 3:22. God is our healer, the doctors are not. Any honest doctor will admit that drugs, medicines, or knives cannot heal. Only God can heal!
Scripture labels other modes of "healing" IDOLATRY. For centuries, Israel's means of healing was faith in God alone. Later, they departed from God, and turned to heathen methods of medicine. King Asa of Judah forsook God, and sought the physicians instead. He died, II Chronicles 16:13. Herbert Armstrong's son, Garner Ted Armstrong, wrote in a Good News magazine article (June, 1964, pages 4, 22), "To rely on any foods, supplements, medicines, drugs, knives, or even on fasting, for healing (and none of these can, ever have, or ever will heal!) is to break the commandment against idolatry!"
Modern medicine originated in paganism. Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, was a pagan deity of medicine. King Ahaziah of Israel fell through a lattice, was injured, and sought Baal-zebub whether he would recover. Elijah rebuked him for not seeking the God of Israel, and told him he would die. So, he died, II Kings 1:1-17. God did not raise up medical science today, and bless it and work through it. The example of Hezekiah in II Kings 20:1-7 again shows that faith and obedience are required for healing from God. (Comment: It also shows that upon seeking God, one should also perform whatever physical therapy is required to assist the healing process. Isaiah told Hezekiah's servants to make a fig poultice to lay on Hezekiah's boil.)
It IS God's will to heal; healing is forgiveness of physical sin. Just as God forgives all our iniquities, so will He also heal all our diseases, Psalm 103:2-3. It is God's will to heal, Ephesians 5:17, Luke 5:12-13. Sickness is generally the penalty of violating physical laws of health. Healing is the forgiveness of this kind of sin, removing the penalty for the sin. None but God can forgive sin, so none but God can heal. When Jesus healed, he showed that he was forgiving sin, Luke 5:18-26, Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:3-12. Jesus heals because he paid the penalty for our sin, in our stead, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Matthew 8:16-17, I Peter 2:24. Jesus suffered scourging to pay the price for our physical transgressions, John 19:1.
We "break bread" at Passover to symbolize our faith in Christ's body, beaten for our healing. We take the broken bread unworthily, if and when we put our trust in doctors and medicines, instead of in Christ, thus putting another god before Him. See I Corinthians 11:23-30.
There is a need for doctors, to help us to prevent sickness and get in harmony with nature's laws. Doctors should concentrate on helping us eat right. Naturopaths and chiropractors are more in line with what doctors should be. Medical doctors, all too often, resort first to drugs and surgery. It is wise to use a doctor to assist in childbirth, setting broken bones, and helping to repair damage. Doctors cannot heal, and often take all of their patient's money, Luke 8:43-48. Healing is out of their line, and doctors should not be looked to in faith for healing.{1}
Healing is part of the Gospel Commission, Matthew 9:35; Luke 9:1-2, 10:1, 9; Mark 16:15-18.
The New Testament Church believed in, and practiced, faith healing. See Acts 3:1-11, 4:29-31, 5:15-16, 19:11-12; James 5:14-15.
We should leave the way and the time to God. God promises to heal you. Accept His promise, stand on the promises, expecting an answer, knowing you will get it. But, leave the "how" and "when" to God in His way and His time. The Scripture cannot be broken! "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth ALL thy diseases!"
Of all the religious articles Armstrong has written, it appears that "Does God Heal Today?" has aroused the most opposition and controversy. Some unstable, unbalanced, individuals in the Church, have acted unwisely, drawing unnecessary persecution from medical and legal authorities. Lawsuits against the church, or against families who do not seek medical care for their sick children, have given the doctrine of divine healing a bad name.
As a result, the booklet was "killed" about the late 1960s or early 1970s. In some church areas, members were told to burn their copies. A May 30, 1973, Interoffice Memo to Regional Directors of the Worldwide Church of God, states that "Does God Heal Today?" was killed because of objections of "medical authorities."
Rather than continue to boldly proclaim God's Truth, Armstrong gave in to pressure and de-emphasized divine healing. His 1979 booklet, "The Plain Truth About Healing," is a far cry from "Does God Heal Today?" For a review of this newer booklet (revised by Armstrong's successor, Joseph Tkach, in 1987), see the chapter in Biblical Health and Healing entitled, "The Attack Against Healing and Health." Some gleefully rejoiced that the Church had discarded the "heretical" doctrine of divine healing. The 1991 "Statement of Beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God" does not even mention divine healing as an important tenet of faith.
We should not throw out the doctrine of divine healing. As Armstrong wrote,
If something breaks on my automobile -- something that can be fixed back either by myself or a specialist in a garage, I do not just PRAY and DO NOTHING, and expect God to do for me what I can do for myself.
How then, should we properly practice the doctrine of divine healing?
God's Church should set forth a high standard for God's people to exercise faith and obedience in God, trusting God for healing. Those who at times do not live up to higher levels of faith should not be browbeaten or put down. The Church's function should be to shore up, to encourage us to have faith in God, and to understand God's laws of health.
Church members should seek to obey God and have faith in Him. They are individually responsible to apply the Bible in their own lives, to decide what they will, and will not do, when they are sick.
Church members should call for the elders of the church when they are sick. Seek God FIRST, then decide what, if any, physical means should be used.
Church members should not trust, or rely upon, medical doctors. They should realize that many doctors are unscrupulous, but should seek and find, if possible, sensible physicians for consultation and advice when necessary. There are a few good doctors, like Luke, today, but they are very hard to find.
If you have children, you should be very sensitive to their health situation. Many governments today will put the parents in jail if they do not seek "competent" medical attention when their children are sick. Exercising discretion, yet trusting God and using natural means, is extremely important.
Using these sound-minded principles, "Does God Heal Today?" becomes an anchor for our faith in time of need. We recommend the original article be read by every believer.
Today, you can write books and articles advocating homosexuality, bestiality, how to make bombs to kill policemen, etc., and not fear persecution or prosecution. But, if you write in favor of divine healing, or promoting Bible Laws of Health, watch out!
Fear of "medical authorities" caused the Worldwide Church of God to kill the free booklet, "Does God Heal Today?" That same fear causes some today to include a "disclaimer" with their religious articles on healing and health. One Sabbath-keeping church prefaced their article with this statement: "The reader should not construe what is written to be specific advice or a course of action to be followed with regard to any health problems." The supposition is, that if someone did interpret the article as medical advice, and consequently died or was harmed, then they or their heirs could successfully sue the church. Crackpots and extremists abound who can do harm to themselves and others by wrongly interpreting almost any teaching. Courts today grant huge settlements for the most ridiculous reasons.
"Does God Heal Today?" is balanced, and uplifting, holding up the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in a reverent and respectful manner, shoring up our faith in God. If opposers of God take unwise actions, which are not supported by the article, and then turn and sue, let them. We should trust God for healing, and trust Him to defend us from such wicked lawsuits.
The classic doctrinal article, "Divorce and Remarriage," by Herbert W. Armstrong, was originally published in 1953. It was an outgrowth of the article, "The Plain Truth About Divorce and Remarriage," published in the March, 1948, issue of The Plain Truth. The 1953 article was withdrawn from publication several years before 1974, when the Worldwide Church of God drastically changed its teaching relative to marriage and divorce. Many people today who have become part of the Church of God since the early 1970s, have never read this most important material. We are reprinting "Divorce and Remarriage," so that this basic Bible truth will not be lost.
It is interesting to note that this article has been totally misinterpreted by some. Herbert W. Armstrong's "Divorce and Remarriage" article does not justify setting up a church judicial system to decide on the validity of members' or prospective members' marriages. Yet during the 1950s and 1960s, that is exactly what the Radio (Worldwide) Church of God did. Prospective members were sometimes denied baptism if the ministry decided that their present marriage was adulterous, and they refused to separate. Members whose cases were taken up by the Church sometimes found that the process was less than uniform, and even arbitrary. Sometimes, a "liberal" WWC minister would undo a previous decision of a "conservative" minister. This demonstrates that there were divergent opinions of the simple divorce and remarriage teaching. There is nothing in the Bible, nor in Herbert Armstrong's public writings, to justify a judicial system of administration of the doctrine of marriage. Actually, the ministry should strongly proclaim the Truth, and disfellowship members only in flagrant cases of sexual sin and rebellion. Thankfully, this kind of Church judicial system of the administration of the doctrine of divorce and remarriage is almost entirely extinct today.
In reaction to this ungodly administration of bondage, the Worldwide Church of God then went to the opposite extreme, but this was a second erroneous position. In 1974, the Church's teaching on "Divorce and Remarriage" was drastically changed. If a member's mate was, or became, a non-member, the Church member was given full permission to divorce and remarry. The marital state of a new member, no matter how many previous marriages and no matter what the circumstances, was by Church fiat declared to be valid in God's sight. Any kind of "fraud" was grounds for annulling a marriage with the right to remarry. This new doctrine was a total repudiation of the 1953 article, "Divorce and Remarriage." Instead of correcting the faulty administration (Church-enforced judicial system, which included investigating and prying into people's private lives), the Church threw out the baby with the bath water, and changed the doctrine itself! This modern view demotes marriage from a divine institution to merely a temporary agreement regulated by the state. In contradiction to Luke 16:15, 18, this view says that whatever "marriages" the state "legalizes," are acceptable to God. The Worldwide Church of God, and almost all its offshoot groups, hold this diabolical view.
Herbert Armstrong did not follow the teaching of his own 1953 article. Four times in his Divorce and Remarriage article, Armstrong condemned ministers who deceive the people with false teaching allowing unscriptural divorce and remarriage. It is sad that in 1974, Armstrong did what he and the Bible condemns, in throwing away his former correct teaching. In 1976, he encouraged Church evangelist Raymond McNair to remarry, after Raymond had divorced his first wife. I am not aware of a single Church of God organization which publishes strong material exposing the universal sin of anti-Biblical divorce and remarriage.
In 1977, Armstrong married a divorcee, claiming her first marriage had been annulled. In 1982, the couple engaged in a bitter divorce suit. In 1984, the divorce was finalized. Yet regardless of Armstrong's personal lifestyle, the Truth of the Almighty is not dependent on how he did, or did not, live up to it.
A third erroneous position is held by a couple of splinter groups from the Worldwide Church of God. They teach, with no scriptural support, that non-sexual "fraud" is grounds for annulling a marriage. For example, if a man insisted that his bride be German, and she deceived him, and they lived together as man and wife for years, and had several children, then he, according to this erroneous teaching, upon discovering that she had deceived him, could divorce her and remarry. Another example is drunkenness which does not surface until some time after marriage. The sober mate would not have married the other if he/she knew of the other's problem with alcohol. Therefore, it is reasoned that when the truth comes out, the sober mate has the right to divorce and remarry. These groups also claim that they, and not us, are adhering to the teachings of the 1953 "Divorce and Remarriage" article. Herbert Armstrong's 1953 article does not support their position.
In summary, we have discussed the following three erroneous D&R views:
Correct Doctrine taught, but not consistently practiced, and enforced by an arbitrary church government with conflicting interpretations.
Wide-open permissiveness, almost anything goes.
Divorce and remarriage permitted for non-sexual fraud, which has no scriptural support.
Please carefully read the 1953 article. Can you find one scripture, or one sentence of Armstrong, supporting a church judicial system to pry into people's private lives to see if their marriage is bound or unbound? Can you find any support for divorce with the right to remarry for non-sexual "fraud"? Can you find support for divorce and remarriage for any reason? No, you cannot support these positions either from the Bible or Armstrong's early writing.
Supported by the Bible, Herbert Armstrong's 1953 article on Divorce and Remarriage is like a beacon in today's sea of easy divorce and rampant remarriage. There are few, if any, Biblical topics more important, and essential to the gospel message, than a correct teaching, and loving application, of the doctrine of marriage and divorce. May the Eternal help us to live up to His precious Truth!
1. God
2. Jesus Christ
3. Holy Spirit
4. Bible
5. Satan
6. Man
7. Sin, Love, Law
8. Sacrifice of Christ
9. Resurrection of Christ
10. Repentance, Spiritual Life
11. Water Baptism, Passover
12. Sabbath
13. Holy Days
14. Clean & Unclean Foods
15. Carnal Warfare
16. Covenants, Abraham's promises
17. Christian Living
18. Church of God & its Mission
19. Resurrection of Just and Unjust
20. Return of Christ, Kingdom of God
Doctrinal statements are rarely if ever intended to be a comprehensive compilation of a church's beliefs. However, it is puzzling why Herbert W. Armstrong left out some truly fundamental, foundational beliefs he taught, such as tithing and the truth about divorce and remarriage, along with many other teachings which distinguished the Worldwide Church of God from others.
Also, it is hard to understand why church doctrinal fundamentals were not officially published by the Worldwide Church of God until 1991, five years after Armstrong's death, and different than those he wrote.
During the greater part of its history, most of the membership of the Worldwide Church of God did not even know their church had a statement of beliefs. J. Gordon Melton, author of the immense compilation of doctrinal statements of American religions, The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Religious Creeds, was unable to obtain the Fundamentals of Belief of the Worldwide Church of God. He merely quoted a few statements from the Constitution of the Church, which is another document that few Church members have ever seen. In the following section, I reproduce part of it.
Herbert W. Armstrong obviously wrote the Constitution and By-Laws of the Radio Church of God. In the section, we will quote portions of that document, which we have in entirety.
The October 24, 1948 Constitution and By-Laws of the Radio Church of God, in Article IV, Section 1, states that thirteen directors shall control the corporation.
All directors, except Herbert W. Armstrong, shall be appointed for a term of one year or until such time as a successor is appointed.
Herbert W. Armstrong shall hold office perpetually be [sic.] virtue of having been called by divine authority of Jesus Christ as evidenced by the founding, development and growth of this work, the salvation of souls, the raising up of local churches of those converted by and through this ministry, the effective proclaiming of the true Gospel to the entire nation by word of mouth, by radio, and by printed word, which achievements could only be accomplished by the divine direction and power of God working effectually in and through the one specially called for this mission.
This statement would prevent the Savior from directing His Church! It is false to imply that God will always be working with the top leader, no matter what. The Apostle Paul warned the brethren that it was possible for HIM to fall, Galatians 1:6-10.
Article X, Section 1, entitled, "Basic Doctrine," states:
The doctrine of the Church shall be that of a plain and literal understanding of the Holy Bible, believing it means exactly what it says: _ of the Bible alone, and not as interpreted by any other book or person, but it is a point of basic doctrine in the Church that we understand the Bible to reveal a divine Creator, the Almighty God, a divine Saviour, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came in the human flesh, proclaimed the Gospel of the coming world-ruling Kingdom of God, which it is obligatory for all Christians to believe; who died to pay the penalty of our sins in our stead; who was raised from the dead after three days and three nights in the grave by God the Father; who ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven; who is soon coming again literally, and in Person to earth to set up the Kingdom of God, and as King of kings and Lord of lords, to rule all nations by this world-ruling kingdom for one thousand years; we believe in the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Article X, Section 3, defines the "Basis for Fellowship":
The basis for fellowship in the Church or any of its local congregations shall be LOVE alone, plus the adherence to and belief in the general basic doctrine stated in Section 1 above, and the requirements of repentance of sin (the transgression of God's law), and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit evidenced by the fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5) in the member's life.
These broad general guidelines for doctrine and fellowship would, if followed, preclude division and excommunication for picky doctrinal points. Differences other than the broad basics could, and would, be tolerated, as long as love and mutual respect continued.
But what would happen if someone lacked love and caused division in the church? The 1948 Constitution and By-Laws specified what to do, according to the Bible. The original By-Laws stated in Article III, Section 3, "Dismissal of Members":
Since we are warned in the New Testament that even of our own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to cause division and draw away disciples after them; that "wolves" in "sheep's clothing" making an appearance and pretense of being true disciples or ministers will enter in among God's true Christians for greedy purpose; and since we are commanded to mark them that cause divisions and offences contrary to the teaching of the Bible, and to avoid them; and since Jesus specifically taught that unprofitable servants shall be cast out of the Kingdom of God; and since the Scriptures instruct Christians in the procedure for disfellowshipping such; therefore it shall be the duty of every member of the Radio Church of God to follow this scriptural instruction, by first going to the guilty one and then if necessary telling it to the Church (Mat. 18); and the one guilty of fomenting strife or division, or of continuing in the breaking of any of the Commandments of God, or persisting in a spirit of opposition, competition, dissension, or disloyalty to this Church, its mission and work, or any of its institutions, shall, upon approval of the pastor and two thirds of the members present at any meeting be excluded from membership and disfellowshipped by the congregation, provided, however, that two weeks' notice of said meeting shall have been given the one in question and the congregation in advance, and the one involved shall have had opportunity to appear in his or her own behalf, and provided further that the scriptural steps pointed out in Matthew 5 and 18 shall have been followed in a sincere attempt to reconcile the offending member. In the case of a member at-large, distant and inaccessible to a local church, an offending member may be excluded by the general Pastor of this church upon approval of a majority of the directors, but only after a full and fair review of all the facts and evidence, the offending members having had opportunity to present his or her case in person or in writing to the entire board, and after prayer.
If Matthew 18:15-17 (as well as the rest of the chapter) and Matthew 5:21-26 were followed to resolve differences and problems in the church, you would have a very unique spiritual body. I am not aware, however, that the Radio Church of God, or any other church organization, has actually followed the above spiritual guidelines. On separate occasions in three different organizations, a minister disfellowshipped me based on information he gained from other members coming to him behind my back, and not coming to me. On the first occasion, the minister announced that I was disfellowshipped before a meeting of elders and deacons, without informing me of his decision. I only learned that I had been kicked out by hearing of it "through the grapevine." On the last occasion, the minister told me that "Matthew 18 doesn't apply in your case."
Marion McNair, in his book, Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-Off?, pages 242-243, confirms that these original scriptural guidelines were not followed. About 1954, Radio Church of God evangelist Marion McNair was removed from the ministry after Herbert Armstrong conducted a secret trial and private sentencing without McNair's knowledge or a public hearing. McNair concluded that "Armstrong violated the letter and the spirit of his own constitution."
On January 5, 1968, the Radio Church of God changed its name to "Worldwide Church of God." Its re-issued Constitution and By-Laws completely changed Article III, Section 3 on "Dismissal of Members" to the following (notice that it no longer abides by the principles of Matthew 18):
We are warned in the New Testament that even of our own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to cause division and draw away disciples after them; and that wolves' in sheep's clothing' making an appearance and pretense of being true disciples or ministers, will enter in among God's true Christians for greedy purpose. We are commanded, and the authority therefore vested in the Church, if the same be deemed for the protection or other benefit of the church, to mark them that cause divisions and offences contrary to the teaching of the bible, to make a full statement of the reasons to the congregation for doing so, and/or disfellowship such persons and avoid them. The determination as to which remedial procedure is to be invoked, and whether or not the same is deemed expedient,' shall be within the sole and subjective discretion of the ministers duly authorized by the church to make such a determination.
It is possible that the change in the Constitution on disfellowshipping members was made in 1968 in conjunction with the change in church name.
The altered guidelines are not scripturally based on Matthew 18 as the original was. They flatly contradict the Bible and invoke a dictatorial, tyrannical system. It is almost certain that this change was made without consent of the church members. How vastly different were the later teachings of Herbert Armstrong than his early writings!
Known by many as "The 1939 Article," this famous piece of Worldwide Church of God historical literature has been misunderstood and mis-interpreted by many, yet it has an important lesson for us today.
The 1933 Division of the Church of God, Seventh Day
In order to understand Herbert Armstrong's article, we must start with a basic understanding of 20th Century Church of God, Seventh Day history. The Church of God, Seventh Day, emerged from the 19th Century as an association of locally independent churches, with headquarters of the Bible Advocate magazine at Stanberry, Missouri. The "big push" evangelistic outreach in the early 1920's resulted in substantial church growth. However, political infighting and an attempt at more centralized control resulted in a great split of the church into two roughly equal groups, in late 1933. The result was competing organizations centered at Stanberry, Missouri, and Salem, West Virginia.
Whereas Stanberry remained as a loose confederation of local churches, Salem mandated a so-called "Bible Government," based on 12 apostles, 70 evangelistic ministers, and 7 financial stewards. These were chosen by lot at a special meeting in Salem, WV in November, 1933. Andrew N. Dugger and C.O. Dodd were chosen among the 7, and Herbert W. Armstrong was chosen as #40 of the 70. It was voted that world headquarters was being transferred to Jerusalem, Israel. Further historical details are given in my book, History of the Seventh Day Church of God, Volume I, chapter X, and History of the True Religion, by A.N. Dugger and C.O. Dodd, chapter XX. Both are available from Giving & Sharing.
The Salem "re-organization" was not what it was advertised to be. Headquarters was not really at Jerusalem at all. Ministerial licenses were issued at Salem, and sent to a man in Jerusalem, who then forwarded them to the recipient. Many of the "70" never served in their capacity. It was pure politics. Herbert W. Armstrong lost his ministerial credentials from Salem in 1937, because of his teaching in favor of Holy Days and Anglo-Israel.
This is the background for the article, "Did Christ Reorganize the Church?"
The contents of Armstrong's 1939 article are diametrically opposite to the later teachings of Armstrong, and the Worldwide Church of God. Here is a summary of this famous article:
Definition of the Church: The church is not a specific organization, but a spiritual organism, composed of those saints whose names are written in Heaven, and who have, and are led by, the Holy Spirit.
Definition of a Christian: The true Christian has God's Spirit, and must be willing at all times to be corrected and chastened, and must continually seek to grow in God's knowledge as revealed in the Bible, never trusting any man or group of men.
Origin and Rebellion of the Church: The Church began at Mount Sinai, when God set up Israel as a nation, or holy kingdom, having organization and church government, with church and state inseparable. At first, God was their head and king, but soon they wanted a man to be their king, to be like the Gentile nations around them. Israel was married to the Lord in the Old Covenant ceremony, and it was the marriage that formed God's people into an organization with church government. Because of disobedience, God turned the government, the organization, from His people Israel, over to the Gentiles (Exodus 19:5-6; Leviticus 26:14-28; Jeremiah 3:8). He divorced Israel, and gave the kingdom first to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and then on through Persia, Greece and Rome, Daniel 2:31-37. Because of the sins of Israel, Gentile world-ruling kingdoms were given the authority to rule over God's people.
Jesus did not establish Church Government in the New Testament Church. Christ did not restore the kingdom to Israel, Acts 1:6. He did not bring the government, the organization, the authority to rule, back from the Gentiles to His people. He never set up an organization with boards of men, with authority to govern over spiritual affairs, or financial affairs, of the Church.
The twelve disciples were given power and authority, not to govern and rule the Church, but over demons and to cure diseases, to preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, Luke 9:1-2. An apostle does not mean one IN authority, but one UNDER the authority of Christ. Apostles were sent by Christ, not to rule, but to preach, not to bear authority, but to minister and serve. There is no hint in Scripture that the twelve constituted a church board, with power to rule or decide what doctrine the other disciples must believe. The apostles did not continue on as a group of twelve at all. Paul and a few others were called apostles (e.g. see Acts 14:14). The purpose of the original twelve was to be a witness of Christ's resurrection, Acts 1:21-22.
The seventy Disciples did not constitute a church board. The only place in the New Testament where "the seventy" are mentioned is Luke 10. Instead of assembling as a church board, they separated two by two, to heal, cast out demons, and preach the gospel in preparation for Jesus' message. They ended their work before Jesus was crucified.
The "Seven" were never a financial board for the church. The seven, mentioned in Acts 6, were not appointed to receive and handle the tithes of the whole world-wide church. They never supervised the financial affairs of the ministry, hiring and firing ministers, and paying them their salaries. Their "business" was not financial control, but waiting on tables, feeding and serving the material needs of the widows and orphans.
It is unscriptural for anyone to claim that the "Twelve," the "Seventy," and the "Seven" should continue as Church Boards today. Some say that "the principle" of the 12, 70 and 7 shows that church government today should follow this pattern. But Armstrong concludes:
There is not one single HINT in the New Testament of any Church BOARD with authority to rule, to govern, to decide doctrine, or to handle tithes and church finances ([for] the whole church). . . . Jesus never organized, or re-organized His Church! . . . All authority and power to rule is limited solely to each LOCAL congregation. But there is NO BIBLE AUTHORITY for any super-government, or organization with authority over the local congregations!
Jesus commanded His disciples NOT to exercise authority and lordship over the brethren, Mark 10:42-43. The authority, the government, the rulership, was turned over to the Gentiles for 2,520 years, until Christ restores the kingdom at His Second Coming.
Church Government Originated in Babylon. Roman Emperor Constantine, a beast ruler, summoned the Nicene Council, which decided against Arius' anti-trinitarian doctrine, and enforced trinitarianism and Sunday-keeping. It was Constantine who injected and introduced into the (false) church the idea of a board to decide doctrine, and to rule. Constantine made doctrine, as decided by church rulers on a board, the basis of fellowship and unity in the Church. The first real Popish ruler was Leo I (440-461 A.D.), for whom "the plan of government of the Roman Empire was an obsession. He applied and adapted that form of government to the church, forming the Papacy," (Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Vol. 7, page 529). Myers' Ancient History, says that the Church, under Leo I, set up "within the Roman Empire, an ecclesiastical state [government] which, in its constitution and its administrative system, was shaping itself upon the imperial model."
Church government is the image of the beast! The principle of church government is the image of the beast.
Those who are in, and members of, such an organized church government, submitting to doctrines declared by unscriptural boards as a fellowship test, are in Babylon, and actually worshippers of THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST! . . . Brethren, let us have the courage to accept the TRUTH, and to COME OUT!
The purpose of the Church is NOT to build an organization, but to help called- out individuals overcome, so as to be trained to be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God, after Christ's Second Coming. God did not plant any super-organization, or establish any church government, or set men in authority over either spiritual or financial affairs, in the New Testament Church. Our fellowship is first with God and Christ, then with each other, in LOVE. Saints are to assemble for their mutual edification, and for this purpose, to keep things decent and in order, local elders and deacons are to be ordained in every local congregation. We should work together to unselfishly give the Gospel truth to the world.
There is to be no super-organization over and above the local congregations. All such organizations and governments are part of Babylon, and shall be rooted up, Matthew 15:13.
What has split and divided up the saints in the Church of God? Nothing but ORGANIZATION _ which has led to politics, ministers lusting for rule and for power _ striving against one another, lining up the brethren on THEIR side, against the other! It is SUCH PREACHERS who have split up and divided our brethren! . . . Organization and church GOVERNMENT has brought us only strife, jealousies, divisions, bitterness! It is not of God, and it can bear no other fruit.
I agree wholeheartedly with Herbert W. Armstrong's eloquent 1939 Church Government article. In the additional articles of the February-April, 1939 Good News, Armstrong makes several powerful points:
God works powerfully to convert a single soul. God does not work through organizations. He uses men who respond to Him and are called by Him. The calling of the Ethiopian eunuch shows that God is in total control. He called a man, granted repentance to him, and sent a minister to serve and assist him. "In the wake of a God-called minister is a steady stream of conversions."
Love, not doctrine, is the basis for fellowship and unity. All honest and sincere brethren do not always see all points exactly alike.
LOVE, charity and tolerance for the brother with whom we do not altogether agree, is God's basis for fellowship and unity.
. . . We want to work with, and co-operate with those Church of God ministers who may even see a few points a little differently than we _ but we cannot fellowship nor co-operate with deceit, pretense, hypocrisy, lust for power to rule.
The first tithe is the LORD'S. The New Testament does not instruct us to pay tithes to a central finance committee or a BOARD with authority to disburse tithes to various ministers. In the Old Testament, there were local storehouses, and tithes were turned over to the individual priest in each city. This is the way it should be done today.
Some today, who are ignorant of the history and background of the 1939 Article, conclude that Herbert Armstrong was against local churches being incorporated. This is not true. At the time he wrote the 1939 Article, Armstrong's "Radio Church of God," was reaching 100,000 every week. The Eugene Church was incorporated about this time, with a board of trustees. Armstrong clearly presents the case in favor of local autonomy, as opposed to central, super-government organizations such as that of Salem, West Virginia, or Stanberry, Missouri. He was contending with ministers from these large organizations, and in 1937 had been put out of the ministry of the Salem organization. No, the question was not church incorporation. Armstrong opposed central church government, and supported local autonomy.
On page 11 of the February-April, 1939, Good News, we find that Armstrong had raised up Sabbath Schools in Vancouver, Washington, and Cottage Grove, Oregon. Elder Bartschi officiated at the Lord's Supper at Cottage Grove, Brother Spires at Vancouver, and Elder Roy Dailey at Jefferson. Local autonomy was being practiced. Page 10 shows that tithes are to be paid locally. Page 11 shows that various ministers, who were co-operating with Armstrong, would be attending the 1939 Feast of Tabernacles, in Eugene, Oregon.
Those who use the 1939 Article to support their argument against religious organizations being incorporated, are twisting what it plainly says. I recently have become acquainted with a minister who leads a group of people who left another organization. He refuses to incorporate, because he feels that incorporating a church is becoming part of Babylon. Yet, he has demonstrated an authoritarian, high-handed church rulership, attempting to enforce doctrine. He refuses to work with, or allow me to attend, even though our differences "from a distance" are really quite small. In letter and spirit, he is at variance with the 1939 Article, yet he claims to believe in it, and cites it as support for his actions. Let us hope and pray that this individual changes his views. I have learned by this interaction, that one can have a Babylonish church government without even being incorporated! Incorporation has little, if anything, to do with how a group functions and operates.
Today, the Worldwide Church of God definitely does NOT believe in the 1939 Article! In the early 1950's, Herbert Armstrong did a dramatic, almost unbelievable, about-face in his belief and understanding of church government. He established an authoritarian, one-man ruling, central church government, that received tithes centrally, paid ministers' salaries from a central headquarters, enforced strict doctrinal conformity, fired ministers at will, disfellowshipped members for daring to question the rule of church leaders, refused to work with others, and claimed to be the only organization through whom God was working. Through a gradual process, the church took on a totally different personality. Before his death in 1986, Armstrong claimed that the "Primacy of Peter" doctrine was valid after all, and that he, as The Apostle, had absolute rule in the Church. The "Babylon" of what his organization became, was far more devastating than the Salem and Stanberry organizations of the Church of God, Seventh Day.
Here are some of the stark contrasts:
1939 Article
The Church is a Spiritual Organism.
A Christian is one who has, and is being led, by the Holy Spirit.
Church leaders do not have authority to enforce doctrine. Doctrine is not to be determined by church boards.
Apostles do not have power to decide what doctrines other disciples must believe.
Local congregations have most Church authority. There is no Bible authority for any super-government in the Church.
Tithes are to be paid and used locally.
We should work with, and co-operate with, even attend the Feast of Tabernacles with, other Church of God ministers and brethren, even if we differ on a few points of doctrine.
Later Worldwide Church Practice
The Church is an Organization, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG).
A Christian is one who is a member of the WCG organization.
Church leaders must enforce doctrine, as determined by headquarters.
There is only one Apostle (Armstrong, replaced by Tkach). He has all power to rule the Church.
Local autonomy is of the devil. Headquarters is the ruler in all church matters.
Tithes are to be paid centrally, and are under the sole jurisdiction of headquarters.
There is no room for differences. God has only one organization, the WCG.
It should be noted that the current views of the Worldwide Church of God are different than the 1939 article and later practice. One has to "read the newspaper" to keep up with their current, constantly changing, views.
This Review, and the 1939 Article itself, steps on some toes. We have been so steeped in Babylonish governmental systems, Gentile forms of government on our jobs, our schools, our political, judicial, religious and commercial systems, that we can easily become offended when someone says the whole environment has become rotten to the core. But, the truth is, that this is exactly what has happened.
Some may say that Herbert Armstrong would never have amounted to much, had he not switched from local autonomy to authoritarian church government. To hold such a position is to deny the power of God. Armstrong was reaching 100,000 every week with wide radio coverage in 1939, when he was practicing local autonomy. He showed how God works to save a single soul, as the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch demonstrates. God does not need any of us to do His work. The Creator will use whom He chooses, when the time is right. And we must never forget that God alone is the one who calls sinners to repentance. We must never run ahead of God, nor usurp His role in government over the Church.
The lesson of the 1939 Article is that we must have patience, love and respect of others. We must have the zeal to share God's Truth with others. The minister we mentioned previously, claims to believe in the 1939 Article, yet is acting contrary to it. In 1939, Herbert Armstrong had the love and zeal to share God's Truth with others in a wicked and perverse, crime-ridden generation of bootleggers and criminal mobs. But in our day, this minister, and so many others, do not care enough about others to make the Truth of God available. They wield a doctrinal litmus test over little, picky points. They squabble and fight against other ministers and brethren. Shame on those who practice this wasteful activity!
Let us learn from history. Babylonish church government produces ruin. Let us come out of Babylon!
Also available from Giving & Sharing: History of the Seventh Day Church of God, Volume I, by Richard C. Nickels, $9.50 suggested donation, and History of the True Religion, by A.N. Dugger and C.O. Dodd, $7.50 suggested donation. These items will be sent free or on loan if you cannot afford to send a donation.
This article was originally published as Study No. 141.
I agree with Herbert Armstrong's conclusion that the Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Northwestern Europe are descended from the "lost" Ten Tribes of Israel. There are many books on this subject, both before and after Armstrong's time, that present considerable evidence on this line.
Armstrong should have given credit to J.H. Allen's 1902 book, Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright, as a source of much of his writing on the subject. Armstrong had access to more sources than Allen's book.
The doctrine of Israel identity, called "Anglo-Israel" or "British Israel," has been attacked by numerous religious writers.
As with the subject of the Trinity, few realize just how important the Israel identity teaching is to our overall understanding of prophecy, Biblical Law, and the role of the Church in these times. Dr. Walter Martin, Protestant expert on "cults," classified the Worldwide Church of God as a non-Christian cult primarily for two reasons: Anglo-Israelism, and anti-Trinitarianism. By softening up the Trinity teaching, and killing its mainstay book on the United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy, the Worldwide Church of God continued to change more doctrines until it can avoid the "awful" label of "fundamentalist cult."
Many "Israel Identity" believers (almost all of whom are Protestant Sunday-keepers) have racist and anti-Jewish beliefs. One of the leading groups, Destiny Publishers of Merrimac, Massachusetts, led by Howard Rand, publishes the book, In the Image of God, which purports the repugnant "beasts of the field" theory that nonwhites are not in God's image and cannot be saved. It is said that Howard Rand attended the Feast of Tabernacles with Herbert W. Armstrong in 1945. However, the Anglo-Israel teaching of the Worldwide Church has never been racist.
To study the doctrine of the identity of Israel, you may wish to order these books: (1) Europe and America in Prophecy, by Garner Ted Armstrong, from Church of God, International, P.O. Box 2530, Tyler, Texas 75710, (2) The Migrations of Israel: History and Purpose, from Church of God, The Eternal, P.O. Box 775, Eugene, Oregon 97440-0775, (3) In Defense of David's Throne, and Dan_He Was a Serpent's Trail, by Keith Hunt, over 200 pages and 150 pages respectively, available from Keith Hunt, c/o The Truth of the Matter, 4955 NW 47 Terrace, Tamarac, Florida 33319, (4) Britain's Royal Throne, and "What Happened to the Lost Tribes?" by Brian Williams, Summerlands, 38 Hill Head, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8AR, England.
Giving & Sharing distributes the standard pro Anglo-Israel text, Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright, by J. H. Allen, written in 1902. Other good books on this subject are: St. Paul in Britain, by R.W. Morgan, and St. Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury, by Lionel Smithett Lewis. The historical evidence for the identity of the Anglo-Saxon peoples as part of Israel is very substantial.
However, it appears that at times, Herbert Armstrong has made extreme prophetic statements that may prove to be in error. For example, he wrote in The United States and Britain in Prophecy, "In this fearful awesome atomic age, World War III will start with nuclear devastation unleased on London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, without warning! God help this nation to wake up before it's too late!" No responsible student of the Bible would dare to make such specific statements, unsubstantiated by the Bible, unless the Almighty told him directly that this would happen exactly this way. I believe that Bible prophecy shows our Israelitish nations will be devastated and taken captive if they do not repent. But I cannot say for sure whether these specific cities will be destroyed by nuclear attack. When the Eternal wants His people to know specifics relating to prophecy, He will make it known through a prophet who is 100% accurate.
That this is an early article of Armstrong is attested to by his recommendation to eat "very little or none of the meats called unclean' and forbidden under the Old Testament Mosaic law." Also, Armstrong recommends those lacking faith to be healed by God to seek the best medical attention possible, even the best doctors who charge the most. Later, Armstrong's views would be much more strict on these issues.
Today we are facing a stranglehold of the public by the generally money-greedy medical profession, as medical costs (and profits) soar, while public health is not improving. In 1928, good and kind physicians, who did not operate on the patient's wallet, were much easier to find. Today, it is quite common for doctors to insist on unnecessary, expensive, operations, and prescribe medicines that can be dangerous and/or ineffective.
Obviously, in his very early study of the Bible, Herbert W. Armstrong accepted the Trinity without question. This is shown in his comment in this article, referring to Jesus as "the second member of the Trinity," as well as the earliest edition of "Tongues: Is the Pentecost Experience Being Repeated Today?" It was not until the late 1930s or 1940s when he studied this issue and concluded that the Bible does not support the Trinity doctrine.
It is remarkable how far society has degenerated. This 1928 article on evolution states that college professors in that day had to be careful to be subtle in their promotion of atheistic evolutionary faith in no God. Today, the wraps are off, and the Christian student has to be careful not to let anyone know he or she is a Christian! What a contrast!
FOOTNOTES
{1} In ancient China, doctors were paid when their patients were kept well, not when they were sick. Believing it was the doctor's job to prevent disease, Chinese doctors often paid the patient if the patient lost his health. When a patient died, a special lantern was hung outside the doctor's house. Too many of these lanterns would certainly hurt business for a doctor.
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