Herbert W. Armstrong

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Herbert W. Armstrong

Born July 31, 1892 (1892-07-31)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Died January 16, 1986 (aged 93)
Pasadena, California, U.S.
Cause of death Heart conditions, Aenemia
Burial place Altadena, California
Residence Pasadena, Tucson
Education Attended North High School in Des Moines[1]
Occupation Evangelist
author
Title Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God (1946-1986)
Known for Radio evangelism
founding the Worldwide Church of God
Successor Joseph W. Tkach
Spouse Loma Dillon (1917-1967)
Ramona Martin (1977-1984)
Children 4 with Loma (Beverly, Dorothy, Richard David, Garner Ted)
Parents Horace Elon Armstrong
Eva Wright Armstrong
Relatives Dwight L. Armstrong (1904-1984), brother

Herbert W. Armstrong (July 31, 1892 (1892-07-31) – January 16, 1986 (aged 93) was the founder of the Worldwide Church of God and an early pioneer of radio evangelism, taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon. As head of the California-based church which he founded in 1946, Armstrong was a controversial figure. His unique doctrines and theological teachings, sometimes referred to by critics as Armstrongism, included the interpretation of biblical prophecy through the belief that the British and American peoples were descended from the lost ten tribes of ancient Israel[2] and the requirement of observing Mosaic Law including the laws concerning the Sabbath, dietary prohibitions, and the Levitical "Holy Days".

He later founded Ambassador College and the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, which promoted the arts, humanities, and humanitarian projects.[3] Through his role with the foundation, Armstrong and his advisers met with heads of governments in various nations, for which he described himself as an "ambassador without portfolio for world peace."[4]

Armstrong believed that world events during his lifespan mirrored Bible prophecy, indicating a soon-coming return of Jesus Christ.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Herbert Armstrong was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 31, 1892, into a Quaker family. He regularly attended the services and the Sunday school of First Friends Church in Des Moines.[1] At age 18, on the advice of an uncle, he decided to take a job in the want-ad department of a Des Moines newspaper, the Daily Capital.[5] His early career in the print advertising industry which followed had a strong impact on his future ministry and would shape his communication style.[6]

On a trip back home in 1917, he met Loma Dillon, a schoolteacher and distant cousin from nearby Motor, Iowa.[7] They married on his 25th birthday, July 31, 1917, and returned to live in Chicago.[8] On May 9, 1918, they had their first child, Beverly Lucile, and on July 7, 1920, a second daughter, Dorothy Jane. In 1924, after several unforeseen business setbacks, Armstrong and family moved to Eugene, Oregon where his parents now lived. There they would have two sons, Richard David and Garner Ted. Armstrong continued in the advertising business despite the setbacks.[9]

[edit] Beginnings of ministry

During their stay in Oregon, his wife, Loma, became acquainted with a member of the Church of God (Seventh Day), Emma Runcorn. Emma and her husband O.J. were lay leaders in the Oregon conference of the Church of God, Seventh Day, a 7th-day-keeping adventist group that rejected the authority of Mrs. Ellen White and her teachings. Loma became persuaded that the Bible taught Sabbath observance on Saturday, the seventh day, one of the beliefs of that church.[9] Her assertion of this to her husband was met with dismay and appeared to him to be "religious fanaticism."[10] She challenged him to find biblical support for Sunday observance. As his business was struggling against larger competitors, Armstrong had the time to take up this challenge. He began what would become a life-long habit of intensive, lengthy Bible study sessions. He soon felt God was inspiring this, opening his mind to "truths" that historical Christian churches had not found or accepted. Shortly after, as related in his autobiography, Armstrong would take up a similar study on the topic of evolution of the species after a conflict with his sister-in-law.[11] His studies on the Sabbath and evolution convinced him that his wife was right, and that the theory of evolution was false. He was eventually baptized by the pastor of Hinson Memorial Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon[12], though it is not known that he ever joined the denomination [13]

In 1931 Armstrong become an ordained minister of the Oregon Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day).[14][12] The existence and history of this church became a significant factor in Armstrong's later beliefs.[15][16] However, he ultimately severed ties with them as the result of a doctrinal dispute when he began to teach what would later make up his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.[17] His ministerial credentials with the church were revoked in 1938.[12] This, Armstrong believed, indicated God was now directing him in leading a revived work into the next "church era".[16]

[edit] Radio and publishing

In October 1933, a small 100-watt radio station in Eugene, Oregon, KORE, offered free time to Armstrong for a morning devotional, a 15-minute time slot shared by other local ministers.[18] After positive responses from listeners, the station owner let Armstrong start a new program of his own. On the first Sunday in 1934, the Radio Church of God first aired.[19] These broadcasts eventually became known as The World Tomorrow of the future Worldwide Church of God.[20] Shortly thereafter, in February, 1934, Armstrong began the publication of The Plain Truth, which started out as a church bulletin.[19] The broadcast expanded to other cities, and in 1942 began to be broadcast nationwide from WHO of Des Moines Iowa, a 50,000-watt superstation.[20]

It was during this period that Armstrong began to reveal a tendency toward sensationalism[citation needed] that would be the source of controversy for supporters and critics alike from that point until his death. Critics point to numerous statements in his early writings that proved to be inaccurate. For example, a statement from a lead article in the February 1939 edition of The Plain Truth, about a coming world war, said this:

By way of brief review of previous articles, and radio messages, notice, first, that this war will involve ALL nations. It will be the first real world war. Secondly, it will center around Jerusalem....And thirdly, this war will END with the Second Coming of Christ![21]

Such a mix of doctrinal teaching and speculation about world and prophetic events would attract both followers and detractors for decades to come.

From his new contacts in Los Angeles, Armstrong began to realize the potential for reaching a much larger audience. He searched for a suitable location and chose Pasadena, California, as being ideal as it was a conservative residential community. During this time, Armstrong also reflected on starting a college to teach members of the growing church. Hence, in 1946 Armstrong moved his headquarters from Eugene to Pasadena and on March 3, 1946, the Radio Church of God was officially incorporated within the state of California.[20] It quickly acquired its own printing plant and was broadcasting internationally in prime-time radio time slots. On October 8, 1947, his new college, Ambassador College opened its doors with four students.[20]

[edit] International Expansion

During the 1950s and 1960s, the church continued to expand and the radio program was broadcast in England, Australia, the Philippines, Latin America, and Africa. In 1952, The World Tomorrow began to air on Radio Luxembourg, making it possible to hear the program throughout much of Europe.[20] The beginning of the European broadcast provides the context of a booklet published in 1956 called 1975 in Prophecy! This controversial book provided Armstrong's vision of what the world would look like by 1975 - featuring illustrations of mass burials and tidal waves destroying cities.[22] Overall he thought that World War III and Christ's return was at the doorstep, probably to occur within his lifetime--to him a joyous truth, as the Bible describes a utopia to follow. Armstrong believed that God had exciting plans for mankind that would see the end of such wars--though the message went far beyond an earthly utopia.[23]

Several books and booklets focused on the key events that would signal the imminence of Christ's return, and taught of a specific end-time prophecy to be fulfilled, manifested in the form of European peacekeeping forces surrounding Jerusalem, at which time his church would be taken to a place of protection, or "place of safety" -- possibly Petra in Jordan.[12] World War III was predicted to be triggered by a "United States of Europe" led by Germany which would destroy both the United States of America and the United Kingdom.[24] From the place of safety they would continue the work and prepare to help Christ establish Utopia upon His return.

In 1952 Armstrong published Does God Heal Today? which provided the details on his doctrine on healing. Among his tenets were that only God heals and that medical science is of pagan origin and is ineffective. He believed that most illnesses were caused by faulty diet and that doctors should prescribe proper diet rather than medicine.[25]

The book The United States and Britain in Prophecy was published in 1954. It became the most well known and requested church publication with over six million copies distributed.[26] In this book, Armstrong makes the claim that the peoples of the United States, the British Commonwealth nations, and the nations of Northwestern Europe are descendants of the lost ten tribes of Israel.[27]. This belief, which is related to British Israelism, formed the central basis of the theology of the Worldwide Church of God[28]. Armstrong’s book used and copied from a book by J. H. Allen, Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright, first published in 1917.[29][30]

The volume of literature requests for material written by Armstrong continued to grow during the 1960's and 70s, and the literature was translated into several languages and distributed to a worldwide audience. They were distributed for free "as a public service." The Plain Truth magazine continued to be published and circulated, eventually reaching a monthly press run of eight million.

On April 15, 1967, Armstrong's wife, Loma, died.

[edit] Worldwide Church of God

Main article: Worldwide Church of God

On January 5, 1968, the Radio Church of God was renamed the Worldwide Church of God.[31] Shortly before, the church began to broadcast a television version of The World Tomorrow.[20] The program would eventually expand to 382 U.S. television stations, and 36 television outlets internationally, dwarfing televangelists Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts, and Jim Baker.[32] By this time, Garner Ted Armstrong, the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, was the voice and face of the program. It was speculated that with his charisma and personality, he was the logical successor to Armstrong, but doctrinal disagreements and widespread reports of extramarital sex led to his suspension in 1972. Armstrong declared that Garner Ted was "in the bonds of Satan".[33][12] After initially changing his behavior he returned, but these issues resurfaced, coupled with his challenging his father's authority as Pastor General, resulting in his permanent excommunication in 1978.[34]

[edit] Ambassador International Cultural Foundation

With the assistance of church accountant and adviser, Stanley Rader, Armstrong created the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation in 1975. The foundation was funded by the church.[12] The foundation's efforts reached into several continents, providing staffing and funds to fight illiteracy, create schools for the disabled, set up mobile schools, and provide funding and staffing for several archaeological digs of biblically significant sites.[35] These humanitarian projects led to Armstrong receiving a series of invitations to meet with prominent world heads of state. The list included (among others) Margaret Thatcher, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, King Hussein of Jordan, and Indira Gandhi.[36][35]

[edit] Honors

Armstrong was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government.[37]

[edit] Final years

In 1977 Armstrong married Ramona Martin, then 38, a long-time member and church secretary who had a 15-year old son from a brief, annulled previous marriage.[38] The controversial marriage would last for only a few years. The Armstrongs separated in 1982 with Herbert Armstrong returning to live in Pasadena full-time, and the marriage finally ended in divorce in 1984.

Armstrong had predicted that Jesus Christ would return in his lifetime, basing this on the sequence of events that he believed the Bible indicated must precede the return of Jesus Christ. He had long written of his belief that the primary sign to look for would be some sort of dissolving of the Eastern Bloc alliance under Soviet control, followed by those nations' subsequent incorporation into an eastern leg of a United States of Europe.[22] In August 1985, Armstrong's final work, Mystery of the Ages, was published. He called it a "synopsis of the Bible in the most plain and understandable language". It was more or less a compendium of theological concepts as articulated by Armstrong. Including the notion that the bible was ‘a coded book’ to which he alone had been given the key.

In the last years of his life, he took a number of heart medications and had his personal nurse travel with him. This apparent contradiction of his own practice and his teachings led to discussions with one of his closest advisors, Joseph W. Tkach, on changing the church's stance on divine healing.[39]

In September 1985, with his failing health widely known, Armstrong delivered his final sermon on the Feast of Trumpets in the Ambassador Auditorium. He spent his final days confined to his campus home on South Orange Grove Boulevard.

Almost until his final days, there was uncertainty about who would succeed Armstrong in the event of his death. The church's Advisory Council of Elders, acting on a clause in church by-laws added in 1981, was to select a successor after his death [40], yet Armstrong reportedly worried about the ramifications if certain individuals, such as his son Garner Ted or evangelist Roderick Meredith were selected.[41][42] Finally, Armstrong opted to select the next Pastor General personally.[41] Armstrong told the Church's Advisory Council of Elders of his decision to appoint evangelist-rank minister Joseph W. Tkach on January 7, 1986.[43] Tkach had worked closely with former church executive Stanley R. Rader prior to Rader's retirement from active service with the Church, and had been ordained to the ministerial rank of evangelist along with Rader and Ellis LaRavia in 1979.

Only nine days after naming Tkach as his successor, Armstrong died shortly before 6:00am on January 16, 1986, at the age of 93.[44] Initially, a small private service was planned, seeking to avoid sensationalism and deification. But when rumors circulated that protesters might attempt to demonstrate during the funeral, the church leadership quickly decided to invite the public, including the thousands of local church members.[citation needed] Approximately 4,000 people attended, including a number of local political figures. He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in nearby Altadena between Loma and his mother, Eva Wright Armstrong. Hoeh officiated at the graveside service and Tkach gave the closing prayer.

[edit] Theology and teachings

  • Armstrong taught a form of Sabbatarianism, stating that the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) was an eternal commandment of God and should be kept from sundown to sundown as a day of rest. [45]The Worldwide Church of God accordingly met on Saturdays. He believed that the observance of Sunday as the "Lord's Day" was a papal and/or satanic corruption introduced without authority from God or the Bible[46].
  • Armstrong adhered to a form of British Israelism which stated that the British, American and many European peoples were in fact descended from the so-called Lost Tribes of Israel, using this belief to state that biblical references to Israel, Jacob, etc were in fact prophecies relating to the modern day. In the course of this teaching, he also accepted the concept of an Assyrian-German connection and often made identifications of other nations in "Bible prophecy", such as Russia and China. [47]
  • As a result of this, Armstrong believed that a unified Europe (identified by him as a "revived Roman Empire" and as the "beast" of Revelation 13) would oppose Jesus at his second coming in the battle of Armageddon. Furthermore, he stated repeatedly that this unified Europe would have previously defeated and enslaved the American and British peoples. [48] He often pointed to the European "Common Market"[49] or European Community as its precursor, but tended to refer to it as "a kind of United States of Europe". Splinter groups today usually identify the current European Union as the unified Europe Armstrong devoted much writing to.
  • Armstrong taught that God's purpose for mankind was to "reproduce himself", and that the process of being "born again" was not instantaneous - that the believer (as a result of baptism by immersion) was only "begotten" until reborn as a spirit being at the return of Jesus[50]. These "begotten" believers were referred to by him as the "firstfruits" of a divine harvest and were perceived as the "true Christians" of the current age. The (re)birth of the "begotten" was referred to as the "first resurrection".
  • Armstrong continually preached that Jesus Christ would return to the earth to "rescue" humanity from the brink of self-annihilation, resulting in the establishment of "God's government" and a 1,000-year period of utopia under the rule of the reborn "spirit beings", or the aforementioned "firstfruits", during which the living would voluntarily accept "God's way of life". [51]
  • Armstrong did not accept the concept of eternal judgement in this life. He believed that those who had died as unbelievers prior to the return of Christ existed in a state of "unconsciousness" (see Soul sleep) until a second resurrection, during which they would be offered the choice to submit to God's government.[52] As part of this tiered resurrection, the truly "wicked" who would not accept God's government and laws in any form would be judged guilty of rebellion against God and annihilated (cease to exist) in a third gathering and resurrection. He identified this as the "second death" mentioned in the book of Revelation. [53]
  • In Armstrong's view, the scourging of Jesus prior to crucifixion "paid the penalty" for physical disease and sickness, allowing the option of divine healing. [54]The crucifixion itself was considered to be the act which enabled God to allow humanity into the three-tiered resurrection scheme, as Jesus had paid the initial death penalty for breaking the Law.
  • Armstrong did not accept Trinitarianism, believing it to be a doctrine of satanic authorship as part of a "counterfeit Christianity" (which he identified as the Roman Catholic Church). He believed that the Holy Spirit was the substance that comprised God as opposed to a separate person. [55]
  • Because of his teachings identifying both the primacy of the Sabbath and the "identity of modern Israel", Armstrong would come to accept that the Mosaic Law had not been "done away". Although he excluded certain segments he regarded as "already fulfilled", "ceremonial" or otherwise unfit, he taught adherence to the Levitical food regulations and the observance of the "Holy Days" of the Mosaic Law[56]. The Worldwide Church of God regarded all seven of these annual festivals as worship days, including Sukkot or the "Feast of Tabernacles", which was practiced by setting up church conventions in various cities to which members would travel.
  • As part of a larger paradigm in which non-scriptural observances were often discarded, Armstrong rejected such traditional holidays as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and the observance of birthdays, stating that these were of pagan origin. A similar principle extended also to the display of crosses and depictions of Jesus.
  • Armstrong placed much emphasis on faith in God for healing and taught against the medical practice, except in the case of "repair" (setting of broken bones, cleansing of wounds, etc).[57] He personally spoke highly of principles of good diet (outside of the Levitical food regulations) and proper living, and members of the Worldwide Church of God as a result tended to gravitate towards whole grains, home-grown vegetables and the like, although such acts were not an express tenet of faith.
  • Armstrong publicly placed much value in sexual mores, preaching and writing often against fornication, masturbation, adultery and other practices he viewed as aberrations, authoring the book "God Speaks Out On The 'New Morality" (later retitled The Missing Dimension in Sex) on the subject. As a result of this fundamentalist view on morality, he also taught against the use of cosmetics, long hair on men, and other matters of personal appearance.
  • Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God viewed Revelation 2, which contains seven messages to seven churches in Asia Minor at the time of its writing, to actually be descriptive of seven "church eras" in chronological order. He implied that the "Sardis" church ended with his severance from the Church of God, 7th Day and that he had begun the "Philadelphia era", which would be followed by a "Laodicean era" of distinctly lesser adherence to his teachings. He apparently modified this teaching from an earlier version preached by a previous Church of God, Seventh Day minister, G.G. Rupert [58].This concept has assumed greater importance among current WCG splinter groups, as those that practice Armstrong's teachings tend to view the modern Worldwide Church of God (and sometimes other splinter groups) as "Laodicean"[59].
  • Armstrong instituted a three-tiered annual tithing process for his followers. The first tithe (10% of member's gross household income) went to the Worldwide Church of God organization, which viewed itself as the "Levitical priesthood" of the era and thereby entitled to support by tithes. The second tithe (a second 10% of member's gross household income) was saved by members and used as individual support during the "Feast of Tabernacles". The third tithe (a third 10% of members gross household income), which was paid every three years per member, was used ostensibly to support widows and other members in need.[60] The church did not overtly solicit funds from outside but did accept donations from "co-workers".

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Armstrong (1967), Ch 1
  2. ^ Armstrong, Herbert W.. The United States and Britain in Prophecy. 
  3. ^ Rader (1980), p. 21
  4. ^ Armstrong, Herbert W. (August 29, 1974). Letter. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
  5. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 2, Heading "Learning Important Lessons"
  6. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 3, Heading "Learning Effective Ad-Writing"
  7. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 9, Heading "I Meet Two Pretty Girls"
  8. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 10, Heading "The Wedding Day"
  9. ^ a b Armstrong (1967), Ch 15
  10. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 15, heading "Religious Controversy Enters"
  11. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 16
  12. ^ a b c d e f Tkach (1997), chapter 12
  13. ^ Bruce Renehan, Daughter of Babylon,ch.15 (Interview with John Kiesz)
  14. ^ Armstrong (1967), Ch 24, Heading "ORDAINED Christ’s Minister"
  15. ^ Hoeh, Herman L. (1959). A True History of the True Church, section titled "The Gospel Goes to All the World". 
  16. ^ a b Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages, Ch 6: Mystery of the Church
  17. ^ Nickels (1996) Appendix A -- Technical Notes
  18. ^ Nickels (1996)
  19. ^ a b Boston (2002), Appendix, pg 237
  20. ^ a b c d e f Boston (2002) pg 238
  21. ^ Armstrong, Herbert W (February 1939). "Where and How the World War Will Start". The Plain Truth IV (2): 1-9. 
  22. ^ a b Armstrong, Herbert, W (1956). 1975 in Prophecy, pp. 10-28. 
  23. ^ Armstrong, Herbert W.. The Incredible Human Potential, pg 29, 24-29, Headings "Incredible Human Potential Revealed", "Outer Space-Planets Now Dead". 
  24. ^ Armstrong, Herbert, W (1956). 1975 in Prophecy. Pasadena, CA: Radio Church of God, pp. 4-10. 
  25. ^ Armstrong, Herbert, W (1952). Does God Heal Today?. Pasadena, CA: Radio Church of God. 
  26. ^ Flurry (2006), pg. 3
  27. ^ Armstrong, Herbert W. (1976). Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?. Pasadena, CA: The Worldwide Church of God, p. 44. 
  28. ^ Tkach (1997), chapter 9
  29. ^ Orr, Ralph G., How Anglo-Israelism Entered Seventh-day Churches of God a history of the doctrine from John Wilson to Joseph W. Tkach, study paper from the Worldwide Church of God, revised ed., 1999
  30. ^ Tkach(1997), Chapter 7
  31. ^ 1968 Certificate Of Amendment Of Articles Of Incorporation Of Radio Church Of God
  32. ^ Flurry (2006), pg 2
  33. ^ Chandler, Russell. "Armstrong, 93, Founder of the Worldwide Church, Dies", Home edition, Los Angeles Times, Jan 17, 1986, pp. Section 1, Page 3. Retrieved on 2008-08-13. 
  34. ^ Nickels (1996), Heading "About the Author" Heading "About the Author"
  35. ^ a b Flurry (2006), pg. 25
  36. ^ Rader (1980), inset photographs after pg 128
  37. ^ L'Harmattan web site( in French)
  38. ^ "Bride in Work 15 years" (25 April 1977). The Worldwide News V (9): 1. 
  39. ^ Tkach (1997), chapter 8
  40. ^ Flurry (2006), pg 34
  41. ^ a b Flurry (2006), pg 35
  42. ^ Tkach(1997), Chapter 6
  43. ^ Flurry (2006), pg. 36
  44. ^ Flurry (2006), pg. 16
  45. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, Which Day Is The Christian Sabbath?, p. 52
  46. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, Where Is The True Church? 1984, p.24
  47. ^ Plain Truth magazine, February 1985
  48. ^ Herbert Armstrong, The United States And British Commonwealth In Prophecy (1972), p.217
  49. ^ Herbert Armstrong, Plain Truth magazine, June 1967, p. 2
  50. ^ Bob Larson, Larson's New Book of Cults, p. 470
  51. ^ Herbert Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages, p. 344-345
  52. ^ Herbert Armstrong, Mystery of the Ages, p.352
  53. ^ p. 354
  54. ^ Herbert Armstrong, The Plain Truth About Healing, p.33
  55. ^ Roger R. Chambers, The Plain Truth About Armstrongism, p. 18, 1988
  56. ^ Herbert W. Armstrong, Pagan Holidays - Or God's Holy Days - Which, p.26
  57. ^ Chambers, p.32
  58. ^ Bruce Renehan, Daughter of Babylon, Ch 13
  59. ^ Gerald Flurry, Malachi's Message, p. 6, 1999
  60. ^ Chambers, p.20

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

Preceded by
—		 Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God
1946–1986		 Succeeded by
Joseph W. Tkach


Persondata
NAME Armstrong, Herbert W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Evangelist
DATE OF BIRTH 1892-07-31
PLACE OF BIRTH Des Moines, Iowa, USA
DATE OF DEATH 1986-01-16
PLACE OF DEATH Pasadena, California, USA
Languages