Field Guide: Herbert W Armstrong: Teachers with an appeal to former HWA followers

This information about the ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong is part of the
Field Guide profile Herbert W. Armstrong -- The Myth and the Man
which is part of a larger profile of the Worldwide Church of God under founder Herbert Armstrong.

"The March of the Clones"

In a Nutshell

After the death in 1986 of Herbert W Armstrong (HWA), founder of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), the top leadership of that organization embarked on a program of change. By 1995, they had drastically altered or eliminated completely many of the doctrines upon which Armstrong had built the denomination. This led to a wave of defections from the WCG which began shortly after Armstrong's death. Many former members joined one of the larger corporate groups which formed around individual ministers and groups of ministers who had resigned from their ministerial jobs in the WCG in protest over the changes.

But many others chose instead to find independent settings in which to continue practicing their religious beliefs. In these settings, it has been typical in recent years for former WCG members to recommend to one another the articles, books, magazines, newsletters, radio programs, audio and video tapes, and public appearances of a number of independent Bible teachers. Many who make use of this kind of information view it as merely one of many sources of input to augment their own personal study.

But there are quite a number of former WCG members who appear to be on a perpetual search to find one specific teacher or group which can "take the place" of the role that Herbert Armstrong and his organizations used to fulfill in their lives. They may be looking for a single teacher who is the main "servant of God" in modern times. They may want to be part of one central "Work of God" that they believe is necessary to preach the true Gospel to the world, and warn the world of the coming Great Tribulation, and of the imminent return of Jesus Christ to set up the Millennial Kingdom. So how might they go about identifying such a leader or group?

For many former followers of Herbert W Armstrong, "doctrine" seems to be the defining issue in deciding who is "a servant of God." Thus any media preacher who bombastically and dogmatically thunders against what they believe to be false doctrine, and who embraces some of the doctrinal distinctives that they believe to be true, may be accepted without question as a spokesman for God. But the Bible does not define God's servants only by their doctrine. The Pharisees in Jesus' time believed and taught obedience to the Law of God. But Jesus did not recognize them as spiritual leaders.

To coin a phrase, "Fruit is more important than bark."

The Allure

Former WCG members who yearn for the "Good Old Days" as they were under the leadership of Herbert Armstrong are often looking for teachers whose ministry has doctrines and teachings which dovetail with some of the more distinctive concepts promoted by HWA's ministry. These would include in particular:

 Condemnation of the observance of traditional holidays because of evidence of pagan roots

 Promotion of the observance of the weekly Sabbath

 Promotion of the observance of the annual Holy Days listed in Leviticus

 Promotion of a version of the British Israel theory

 Prophetic End Time speculation which includes a resurrected Roman Empire in Europe, with a German leader at the head of it fulfilling the role of the Beast of Revelation, and aided by the support of the Pope of Rome as the False Prophet of Revelation

 Promotion of the view that the "Seven Churches of Asia" in the Book of Revelation were prophetic symbols or types of sequential historical eras of the Church.

 Promotion of the view that God works in each generation primarily through one man

 Promotion of the view that there is only one organization on earth that is truly "The Church of God"

In addition, many former HWA supporters may instinctively be attracted to those teachers who have some of the more general qualities of HWA's style and approach:

 A "prophetic" leader who is bombastic, dogmatic, self-assured, self-aggrandizing, and who leaves no question that he considers himself to be God's Spokesman for the End Times

 Continual "fresh revelation" to keep from getting "bored with religion"

 Simplistic "keys" to understanding the Bible

 Emphasis on detailed, systematic Bible study rather than on viewing the Bible primarily as providing "inspiration for living"

 Emphasis on knowledge rather than emotion

 Emphasis on a list of rules and behaviors to check off for self-evaluation of "spiritual standing"

Finally, some former WCG member may have specific personal needs which have been unmet since Herbert Armstrong died, and if a new teacher can fill some of these needs as well as exhibit the qualities listed above, he may have a particularly strong appeal to certain such seekers. These would include the need for:

 Dogmatic answers to all doctrinal questions—a complete doctrinal package with no loose ends.

 A sense of security and confidence in salvation because of possession of special spiritual knowledge unavailable to most of mankind.

 A way to feel special and set apart.

 Relief of fear of the unknown in the face of frightening and deteriorating world conditions.

 A "father figure" to offer reassurance that he has all things under control, if only one is obedient to his guidance.

Concerns

There are a number of current teachers whose tapes, literature, broadcasts, or public appearances have made the rounds of exWCG circles who do, indeed, fit much of the profile above. And thus they are able to gather a following from a certain segment of former WCG members. However, these teachers all also exhibit one or more of the following negative characteristics which deserve careful scrutiny by their listeners:

 Unsupported claims to be the only, or the main, spokesman for God on earth.

 Unsupported claims to have prophetic insight into forgotten or hidden spiritual knowledge.

 Bizarre doctrinal aberrations which are masked by more conventional teaching until the listener or reader has become "hooked" on the material of the teacher.

 Speculative prophetic schemes and idiosyncratic interpretations of obscure Biblical passages presented as necessary for "deeper spiritual understanding."

 Claims of special knowledge and gimmicks that will allow the listener or reader to get "closer to God."

 Acceptance of a role of spiritual superiority over followers.

 Exercise of almost unconditional power or influence over the lives of followers, including such tactics as encouraging followers to make extreme life choices such as moving to be near the teacher.

 False dogmatic prophecies and predictions, excused with weak explanations when the events do not come to pass.

Players

Profiles of specific teachers

The following teachers who have had influence in exWCG circles in recent years each exhibit characteristics of one or more of the areas of concern listed above. Links are provided to profiles of each of these men. Some are short entries in the Field Guide's Who's Who Digest, others are more extensive individual profiles.

R. G. "Brother" Stair

Ronald Weinland

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Careful effort has been made to give credit as clearly as possible to any specific material quoted or ideas extensively adapted from any one resource. Corrections and clarifications regarding citations for any source material are welcome, and will be promptly added to any sections which are found to be inadequately documented as to source.

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Teachers with an appeal for former followers of
Herbert W. Armstrong