Fragments in Focus - 6

Chapter five of Fragmentation of a Sect is called Revolution and Schism.

HWA & Rader

In 1981 Herbert Armstrong established a committee of top ministers - the Advisory Council of Elders.  The move was kept secret from Stan Rader.  Armstrong was playing a high stakes chess game to freeze Rader out of the succession.  That at least is the way Aaron Dean tells the story.

Successors were named - and then replaced - on a kind of 'flavor of the month' basis.  Among those so designated for a while was, apparently, Herman Hoeh.  Nine days before his death Joseph Tkach's turn came up.  The rest, as they say, is history.

David Barrett identifies Trinitarianism as the first significant doctrinal issue that the new leadership cabal confronted "in response to a Roman Catholic priest challenging an anti-Trinitarian letter in Plain Truth." (p.89)  The other major domino to fall was British-Israelism.  The process Barrett labels denominalization was to become unstoppable, and breakup inevitable.

The about face has been described as a five stage process (p.95)

1. Change? What change?
2. We haven't changed any doctrines; we're simply clarifying the language in which we describe them.
3. Mr. Armstrong, on his deathbed, asked Mr. Tkach to look into precisely this area/to correct the errors in this book.  We're doing exactly what he wanted us to do.
4. Although well-intentioned, Mr. Armstrong sometimes got a little carried away in his enthusiasm.
5. Mr. Armstrong was wrong.

The deceit was transparent to most.  Longserving minister Dennis Diehl called Tkach out on this.

If something is wrong for you, then leave it. Don't destroy it and drive many to despair, skepticism and, in some few cases, literal suicide.

Instead you made everyone else leave.  Now that's power: stupid, self-serving and egocentric power.

Barrett maintains that, from their perspective, the Tkach leadership "had found the Truth, and had seen the error of their (and their church's) ways, and had an absolute duty to bring their church out of darkness into light."

(My personal assessment is less sunny than this. Rhetoric is one thing; underlying motives are always more complex than any justifications offered, especially with leaders who seem to take pride in being non-reflective in their practice.)

There is discussion of the extent of membership loss, and the enigma of Herman Hoeh who, contrary to his convictions, lent his name and reputation to bolster the new regime.


To continue.

Fragments in Focus - 5

The fourth chapter of David Barrett's book Fragmentation of a Sect is entitled Schism and Scandals in the Seventies. In just over 20 pages Barrett reviews WCG's decade from hell.  He discusses:

Garner Ted Armstrong

- The prophetic failure of 1972 (and 1975)
- Changes in doctrine over Pentecost and D&R (divorce and remarriage)
- What Barrett describes as "the liberal dilemma"
- The sex scandals that engulfed first Garner Ted Armstrong and later Herbert Armstrong
- The ousting of Garner Ted

If you want a potted summary of the Worldwide Church of God's tribulations at this crucial moment in its history, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than this.  I personally found this painful territory to revisit.  A few highlights (or perhaps lowlights...) that caught my attention...

- Marion McNair recalling that the move to Pasadena was a response to the fallout from the failure of Armstrong's now forgotten prophecies in the 1940s
- The final exchange between father and son that included Ted's famous outburst: "You fucked my sister!" followed by Herbert's equally famous response
- Recollections of the scapegoating over the STP (Systematic Theology Project), the madness of the 'cultural revolution' that followed Ted's expulsion, Stan Rader and Herbert's disastrous marriage to Ramona Martin

There are more comprehensive accounts, but Barrett's purpose with this chapter is to provide needed background for later developments. This he does remarkably well.

A couple of personal comments. In the opinion of this reviewer it was in the Seventies that the rot became apparent to anyone with eyes to see, and every crisis that followed hinged on the period from the 1972 fiasco to the receivership crisis.  It was, for many, the end of innocence.

To continue

Fragments in Focus - 4

In chapter three David Barrett introduces Herbert W. Armstrong and provides some essential background to his early years.  His role in advertising is mentioned, and Barrett goes as far as to say (and I thoroughly agree) that "The success of the Worldwide Church of God came from its professional marketing..."  Whether in magazine publishing, television or radio, WCG's PR was a class act.

Armstrong's predilection to play fast and loose with the facts, however, is demonstrated in his claims to have separated from the parent body, the Church of God (Seventh Day), in 1933, foregoing any further salary from that organization.  The impression is also given that Armstrong took a principled decision to leave his former affiliation.  In fact Richard Nickel's research turned up evidence to the contrary: "A ledger book from the Church of God Publishing House in Salem, West Virginia, in 1937, also shows that Armstrong received pay at this time."  In reality his ministerial credentials were revoked in late 1937 for "continuing to preach contrary to Church doctrine."

Barrett also relates the embarrassing incident over the Has Time Been Lost? booklet with the Church of God (Seventh Day).  In 1965 the legal beagles at Ambassador College discovered that the mother church was also publishing a booklet with the identical title and very similar content.  They then dashed off a letter requiring them to cease and desist. It probably seemed a reasonable case of righteous outrage, as Armstrong had copyrighted the content back in 1952.  COG7 however kept excellent records, pulling a copy of their own title out of the files from the 1930s, and finding that it appeared on their literature list as early as 1925!  Apparently they were more generous than Armstrong's lawyers, not pressing WCG to withdraw the plagiarized publication.

John Halford, current editor of Christian Odyssey, published by Grace Communion International (the name WCG now operates under), explained to Barrett that yes, there were problems with Armstrong's writings that justified their withdrawl from circulation.  One of the issues was, he stated, that Armstrong "never went back and rewrote and updated."  This is a kind way of letting the apostle off the hook somewhat.  But Barrett doesn't have to look far to find examples to the contrary; for example the 1986 edition of the Autobiography in which most references to his son Garner Ted are carefully excised.  Another example would be the 1960s booklet The Wonderful World Tomorrow: What It Will Be Like, co-authored by Garner Ted but republished with minor changes some twenty years later soley under Herbert Armstrong's name.  Contra Halford, WCG publications underwent regular revisions, but usually to paper over the many cracks in fact and failed prophetic chronology.


To continue

Fragments in Focus - 3

(Continuing the review of Fragmentation of a Sect by David Barrett.)

Chapter two attempts to provide an introduction to the doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert W. Armstrong. Barrett makes the interesting comment that, unlike some other heterodox groups, WCG was upfront about its beliefs.  This is broadly true but it is also true, as this reviewer can personally attest, that new members were often surprised, after baptism, to discover some of the church's more demanding teachings.  Triple tithing, for example, was not widely advertised until people had joined the fold, nor the anti-medicine stance. Awareness of issues like these also varied depending on exactly when you joined the WCG. In the mid 1970s, for example, high demand requirements were deemphasized in church publications.

Barrett's discussion falls under four main headings:
- Sabbatarianism and Law
- Millenarianism
- Connections to Seventh-day Adventism (and possibly to Mormonism)
- British-Israelism

This material is intended to provide background information, and much of it will fall into the "general knowledge" category for readers already familiar with WCG.  Having said that, there may be some surprises. Barrett estimates, for example, that at its height in the 1920s the British-Israelite movement could claim only 5,000 or so members in the United Kingdom, and fewer still in nations beyond its borders. This would make WCG, which reached a 100,000 plus membership, the most significant BI body of all time.

In Barrett's view BI was the heart of Herbert Armstrong's message, and one he often claimed credit for through some sort of unmediated revelation. He applied Paul's words in Galatians 1:11-12 to himself, and in a 1976 sermon stated: "I came to the truth in a way I know of no other church leader. I know of no other minister who ever came to it by himself through the leading of God in that way."

Which is hardly the whole story given his prior exposure to the work of individuals like G.G. Rupert and J.H. Allen (author of Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright). Barrett quotes a 1928 letter from Armstrong to Allen's publisher, in which he floats the idea of his own book, acknowledging that it would essentially be a rewrite of Allen. Anyone who has read Armstrong's The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy alongside Allen's book will immediately recognise the substantial dependence (i.e. plagiarism) of Sceptre by Armstrong. And yet, as Barrett comments, this link "would be ignored for the next half century or more."

Also of interest are comments by John Halford in personal correspondence to Barrett about the use made of Worldwide's BI publications by Aryan supremacist groups (p.37).

The WCG's ties to William Miller's adventist revival, and through that to Seventh-day Adventism, are widely known. Barrett reminds his readers of the SDA church's early opposition to Trinitarianism, a denial that was preserved until recent times in Worldwide. He also notes the opinion expressed by this reviewer that the WCG owes a good deal to Mormonism both during its formative years alongside the Church of God (Seventh Day), and following separation from that body.

In chapter three the discussion turns to the origins and history of Worldwide.

To continue.

Fragments in Focus - 2

(This is the second part of a review of Fragmentation of a Sect. Author David Barrett is a former teacher, intelligence officer and journalist, He has been a freelance writer specialising in new religious movements for 20 years. He gained his PhD in Sociology of Religion from the London School of Economics in 2009. The present book is based on his doctoral thesis on schisms in the Worldwide Church of God, published by Oxford University Press in January this year.)

In his first chapter Barrett provides an outline of his work, its purpose, and the ground rules he followed.

Fragmentation is "an intensive case study," not of the Worldwide Church of God in general, but of the problems that arose when members (including ministers) were presented with radically conflicting demands.  On the one hand this was an extreme example of an "obey those in authority" community. Even if the Church was wrong on an issue, loyalty trumped conscience, and it was up to God to provide the necessary correction.

On the other hand, members had distinctive beliefs that had been hammered in over the decades. Few Christian communities could claim as many distinctive and uncompromising doctrinal propositions to which assent was required: the seventh-day Sabbath, the Old Testament Holy Days, a form of triple tithing, a reconceptualization of the godhead (as an expanding family), dietary restrictions, a belief that Christ was to return in their lifetimes, British Israelism, the apostleship of Herbert W. Armstrong...

So what happens when a lock-step "heterodox sect" like Worldwide becomes rapidly "denominationalized"?  One term to describe the conundrum is cognitive dissonance.

The focus of the book is, then, on what happened to "the hundreds of ministers and tens of thousands of members... who refused to 'convert' along with their movement."  This is the largely untold story of the 'reformation' that receives little examination in books written by insiders like Joe Jr. and Mike Feazell.  Those tens of thousands - including not a few readers of this blog - simply disappeared off the membership lists; where did they go and why?

But Barrett isn't writing as a journalist, but as a scholar. "I am not concerned here with the spiritual truth of the beliefs of those I am studying." In order to maintain objectivity he is studious in his terminology. WCG is described as a millennialist (or millenarian) Sabbatarian movement, rather than an Adventist body.  The prolific gaggle of fractious factions are collectively referred to as 'the Worldwide family.'

Drawing on earlier studies Barrett observes that movements like Worldwide can be placed on spectrums ranging from non-totalitarian to totalitarian, and inclusive to exclusive. Quoting one such source: "the inclusive organization retains its factions while the exclusive organization spews them forth." Barrett notes that inclusive "most certainly does not apply to the Worldwide Church of God."  A diversity of beliefs, differing perspectives and - horror of horrors - voices of dissent from "a loyal opposition" within?  Unthinkable!

A contrast is drawn to another highly schismatic form of fundamentalist Christianity, the Christadelphians. This community, unlike WCG, has had little centralization, and yet has an unenviable record for fragmenting. Perhaps there is a word of caution here for those independent bodies in the 'Worldwide family' that now imagine that they have safely sidestepped future division by adopting a local, congregational polity.


To continue.

What does the Catholic Church have in common with UCG?

One College of Cardinals in Rome, the other in Cincinnati.  Ratzinger and Denny Luker both bow out.  No worries, the nuns/ladies (cross out whichever does not apply) do get to pass out the refreshments at the conclave(s)...

Oh well, at least there is a vote.

Beyond the Quest

Some weeks ago I read Thomas Brodie's surprising book Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus.  Surprising because it is a very personal, autobiographical account that engages in an almost peripheral way with the author's conviction that Jesus is a fictive character.

Brodie, an Irish Dominican priest, bares his soul.  Indeed, at times I flinched at the degree of self-discosure and vulnerability contained in the book.  Whatever else you might think about Brodie's views, it can hardly be doubted that here is a man who has little concern with appearing to be other than he is.  He is upfront about his troubled journey as a scholar, and he is unguardledly frank about the role of intuition in steering him on a radical path.  But then, the title is a strong indicator of content with the word beyond.

It is, in short, a singular work.  Brodie even goes so far as to cast doubt on the existence of a 'historical Paul' (chapter 16), but without making a case that would do much more than raise the eyebrows of his peers.  He is also unconvincing (at least to me) in some of the more detailed arguments he offers (in particular chapter 7). 

And yet I put down the book with a good deal of respect, and some measure of admiration, for its author.  It is, after all, more personal statement than theological treatise.  Brodie makes it clear from the beginning that he knows the risks involved in writing a book like this.  The Ratzinger-era church has not been gentle with those of its clergy and scholars who have failed to follow the party line.  While it might not be a tightly argued book, it is certainly intense in its own way as it follows the transformation of one man's faith from the bog-standard certitudes to something much more tentative and nuanced, and something altogether deeper.  For this reason alone I would, while not endorsing everything in it, warmly recommend it. 



Amazon link: Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus