Herbert W. Armstrong (July 31, 1892 - January 16, 1986) founded Radio Church of God founded October 21, 1933 and renamed the Worldwide Church of God on June 1, 1968, as well as the beginning of Ambassador College (later University ambassador) October 8, 1947. He was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, first taking broadcast on January 7, 1934 from the KORE Eugene 100 station Oregon, Oregon. Armstrong preached what he claimed to be a comprehensive combination of doctrine throughout the Bible, in the light of the New Testament book, which he maintained came directly from the Bible. These theological teachings and teachings have been called Armstrongism by non-adherents. His teachings included the interpretation of biblical prophecy in the light of Israel Israel, and required obedience to passages from the Mosaic Law including the seventh-day Sabbath, dietary prohibitions, and the law of the "Holy Days".
Armstrong states that behind the contemporary world events arose various biblical prophecies. At the end of 1951, Dr. Herman Hoeh (a graduate of the newly graduated Ambassador High School) said, with confidence, that Mr. Armstrong was "apostle," who was sent with the same commission as the early disciples, to preach the good news message. Armstrong often says that, like John the Baptist (Elijah), he is the voice that preaches in the spiritual wilderness of religious confusion. For this reason he is considered the "Apostle" and the end of the "Elijah" who declared God's representative, the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the World before the return of Jesus Christ. He also established the Ambassador of the International Cultural Foundation, which promotes art, humanities, and humanitarian projects. Through his role with the foundation, Armstrong and his advisers met with heads of governments in various countries, where he described himself as "a portfolioless ambassador for world peace."
In the years after Armstrong's death in 1986, Church of God leaders around the world came to the conclusion that many of his doctrines were unbiblical. These doctrines were subsequently rejected and the church now fully agrees with a statement of faith from the National Association of Evangelicals. Given these doctrinal changes, in April 2009, the denomination changed its name to Grace Communion International (GCI) to better reflect the New Testament, a grace-centered teaching.
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Herbert Armstrong was born on July 31, 1892 in Des Moines, Iowa, into the Quaker family, the son of Eva (Wright) and Horace Elon Armstrong. He regularly attends Sunday morning services at First Friends Church in Des Moines. At the age of 18, on the advice of an uncle, he decided to take a job in the advertising and advertising department of the newspaper Des Moines, Daily Capital . The early career in the print advertising industry that followed has a strong impact on its future service and will shape its communication style.
On the way back home in 1917, he met Loma Dillon, a school teacher and a distant cousin of nearby Motor, Iowa. They married on their 25th birthday, July 31, 1917, and returned to live in Chicago. On May 9, 1918, they gave birth to their first child, Beverly Lucile, and on July 7, 1920, the second daughter, Dorothy Jane. In 1924, after several business setbacks, Armstrong and his family moved to Eugene, Oregon where his parents lived at the time. While living in Oregon, they had two sons, Richard David (born October 13, 1928) and Garner Ted (born February 9, 1930). Armstrong resumed advertising business despite a setback.
Maps Herbert W. Armstrong
Commencement of service
During their stay in Oregon, his wife, Loma, became acquainted with a member of Lord's Church (Seventh Day), Emma Runcorn. Emma and her husband O.J. are lay leaders in the Oregon Oregon Church of the Seventh Day conference, a Seventh-day Adventist group that defends seven days that reject Ellen White's authority and teachings. Loma became convinced that the Bible teaches the Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day, one of the church's beliefs. Her statement about this to her husband was met with anxiety and revealed to her to be "religious fanaticism." He challenged him to find biblical support for Sunday celebrations. As his business fought against a larger competitor, Armstrong had time to face this challenge. He started what would become a lifelong habit of intensive and lengthy Bible study sessions. He immediately felt God inspire this, opening his mind to the truth that the historical Christian churches have not been found or received. Shortly thereafter, as related in his autobiography, Armstrong will take a similar study on the topic of species evolution after the conflict with his brother-in-law. His studies of the Sabbath and evolution assured him that his wife was right, and that the theory of evolution was wrong.
He was finally baptized, along with his brother Dwight L. Armstrong, in the summer of 1927 by Dr. Dean, a non-Sabbath priest at the Hinson Memorial Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon. But it is not known whether he ever joined this denomination. He would later recall more than four decades later that he believed, "When baptized, I knew God then and there gave me HOLY SPIRIT!" Apart from his own unique teaching of baptism, his own story is worth noting because there is no mention of the process of laying on of hands or special prayer in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, which is considered essential for membership in the Church of the Lord of the World. and the reason for many new converts is rebaptism.
In 1931, Armstrong became an ordained minister at the Oregon Church of God (Seventh Day) Conference. The existence and history of this church became an important factor in Armstrong's later beliefs.
While a member of the Church of the Lord (Seventh Day), Armstrong became acquainted with ministers John Kiesz and Israel Hager who began to suspect that Herbert was a bit too arrogant and tended to oppose church doctrine. They cite Armstrong's refusal to submit to the ministers of the Lord's Church to be baptized but go to a local Baptist minister as a point. After his ordination, Armstrong allied with two other mischievous ministers under the name of Andrew Dugger and CO Dodd, both of whom have compiled a book called A History of the True Religion, from 33 AD to Date, where they claim that the Church The first century New Testament had quietly descended through history and eventually became the Sabbath-keeping Church (Seventh Day). Dugger also predicted that the apocalypse would occur in 1936. Finally, this led to the expulsion of Dugger and Dodd and when they promised to make Armstrong an apostle in their new church, The Church of God (Seventh Day), he joined them.
Having severed ties with the Church of the Lord (Seventh Day) as a result of a doctrinal dispute, he began to teach the form of British Israelism, which would later compile his book the United States and Britain in Prophecy . His priestly credentials with the Dugger church were repealed in 1938. This, Armstrong believes, shows God now directing him in leading the revived work to the next "church era".
Radio and publishing
In October 1933, a small 100-watt radio station in Eugene, Oregon, KORE, offered spare time for Armstrong for morning service, a 15-minute time slot shared by other local ministers. After a positive response from the listener, the station owner let Armstrong start his own new program. On the first Sunday of 1934, the Church of God's First Radio was aired. This broadcast is finally known as The World Tomorrow of the Lord's Church worldwide in the future. Shortly thereafter, in February 1934, Armstrong began the publication of The Plain Truth, which began as a church bulletin. It was at this point that Armstrong began to make prophetic claims and among them was the claim that Hitler and Mussolini were the prophesied Prophets and the False Prophets of the Book of Revelation that would deceive the nations for a short time before the return of Jesus Christ. It tickles the interest of the audience. The broadcast was extended to other cities, and in 1942 began nationwide broadcast from WHO of Des Moines Iowa, a 50,000-watt superstation.
Critics point to statements in his early writings that proved inaccurate. For example, the statement of the main article in the February 1939 issue of The Plain Truth , of the coming world war, says this:
By way of a brief review of previous articles, and radio messages, note, first, that this war will involve ALL the nation. This will be the first real world war. Second, it will be centered around Jerusalem.... And third, this war will end with the Second Coming of Christ!
From her new contact in Los Angeles, Armstrong began to realize the potential to reach a much larger audience. He searched for a suitable location and chose Pasadena, California, as the ideal because it is a conservative residential community. During this time, Armstrong also reflected on starting a college to help grow the church, by teaching and training young men and women. Therefore, in 1946, Armstrong moved its headquarters from Eugene to Pasadena and on March 3, 1946, the Church of God Church was formally incorporated into the state of California. He bought a luxury house on the Millionaires Row, just off the Rose Parade route on Orange Grove Boulevard, quickly gained his own printing factory, and broadcasted internationally in prime-time radio time slots. On October 8, 1947, his new campus, Ambassador College opened its doors with four students.
International expansion
During the 1950s and 1960s, the church continued to grow and radio programs were broadcast in England, Australia, the Philippines, Latin America and Africa. In 1953, The World Tomorrow began broadcasting on Radio Luxembourg, making it possible to hear programs across Europe. Early European broadcasts provided the context of a book published in 1956 called 1975 in Prophecy! In this book, Armstrong put forward a controversial vision of how the world could be seen in 1975 - featuring illustrations of mass cemeteries and tidal waves destroying cities. Overall he thinks that World War III and the glorious return of Christ are at the door and that world peace and utopia will follow. Armstrong believes that God has exciting plans for mankind that will see the end of such a war - even though his message goes far beyond the earthly utopia.
Some books and booklets focus on key events that will signify the coming of Christ, and teach the end-time prophecies to be fulfilled, manifested in the form of European peacekeepers around Jerusalem, at which Church of God will be taken. to a shelter, or "safe place" - maybe Petra in Jordan. World War III is predicted to be triggered by a "German-led United States" led by Germany that will destroy the United States and Britain. From the place of salvation they will continue the work and prepare to help Christ establish Utopia upon His coming.
In 1952, Armstrong published Did God Heal Today? which provides details about his doctrine of healing and his ban on doctors. Among his teachings is that only God heals and that medicine derives from infidels and is ineffective. He believes that most illnesses are caused by the wrong diet and that doctors should prescribe the right diet rather than drugs. He taught that members do not go to doctors for healing but must believe in divine healing alone. This is his teaching even though his father died in 1933 after a "prayerful evening prayer." This teaching has been the cause of much controversy because the individuals affected by these teachings came to die.
This book the United States and Britain in Prophecy was published in 1954. It became the most famous and requested church publication, with over six million copies distributed. In this book, Armstrong makes the claim that the peoples of the United States, the Commonwealth of England, and the countries of Northwest Europe are descended from the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. This belief, called English Israelism, forms the main base of the theology of the Lord's World Church.
Franz Josef Strauss, a great politician in post-World War II Germany, became the target of broadcasting and publishing a media blitz released by Armstrong to Europe via a daily offshore pirate radio broadcast by his son Garner Ted Armstrong, The Plain Truth >, and the Ambassador College campus at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire, England. Strauss is described as an upcoming FÃÆ'¼hrer who will lead the United States of Europe into a prophetic World War III against the US and Britain sometime between 1972 and 1975, and emerged victorious. In 1971, Strauss played with the prophetic interest shown to him, as Herbert W. Armstrong recalls in a 1983 letter: "I comforted him at dinner at my home in Pasadena, and he spoke to lecturers and students at Ambassador College I have maintained contact with him. "Strauss also appeared in an interview on The World Tomorrow television show.
The volume of literary requests for material written by Armstrong continued to grow during the 1960s and 70s, and the letters were translated into several languages ​​and distributed to audiences around the world. They are distributed for free "as a public service." The Plain Truth magazine continues to be published and circulated, eventually reaching 8 million presses per month.
On April 15, 1967, Armstrong's wife Loma died, three and a half months before their 50th birthday. Before he died, he sent letters of coworkers who were often criticized for his rough tone to members who "failed" and because of his call to earn more money.
Church of the Lord Worldwide
On January 5, 1968, Radio Church of God was renamed Worldwide Church of God . Not long before, the church began broadcasting the television version of The World Tomorrow. The program will eventually expand to 382 US television stations, and 36 international television outlets, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts and Jim Bakker. At this time, Garner Ted Armstrong, son of Herbert W. Armstrong, is the voice and face of the program. It speculates that with his charisma and personality he was the logical successor to Armstrong, but the doctrinal disputes and extensive reports of extramarital sex caused his suspension in 1972. After initially changing his behavior he returned, but the problem reappeared, coupled with challenging his father's authority as Father General, which caused him to be permanently "fired" (the term church for excommunication) in 1978.
The Ambassador International Cultural Foundation
With the help of accountants and church advisors, Stanley Rader, Armstrong founded the Ambassador of the International Cultural Foundation in 1975. The foundation is funded by the church. Foundation efforts reach out to several continents, providing staff and funds to fight illiteracy, setting up schools for the disabled, setting up mobile schools, and some archaeological excavations of biblically significant sites. These humanitarian projects caused Armstrong to receive a series of invitations to meet with leading heads of state, including (among others) Margaret Thatcher, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, King Hussein of Jordan, and Indira Gandhi. Armstrong is also recognized internationally as Ambassador for World Peace.
Awards
- Order of Treasure, from the Japanese government
- The King Albert I Watch (one of four specially commissioned by King Albert, after a ceasefire, made of iron cannons), was presented by His Royal Highness Leopold III of Belgium in November 1970 for the most significant contribution to world peace; Armstrong is also a founding board member of the King Leopold III Foundation for Nature Conservation
- Presidency Merit Medal, presented by President Marcos of the Philippines in 1983 at the Manila Presidential Palace
- The Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Kingdom of Thailand
- The Cross of Constantine, presented by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodoras in 1982 in Jerusalem
- Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Iloilo University and Angeles University in the Philippines
- Professor Herbert W. Armstrong from Emeritus Constitutional Law of the University of Southern California (1983)
Last year
In 1977, Armstrong, in his 80s, married Ramona Martin, 38, an old member and church secretary who had a 15-year-old son from a previous marriage. Controversial marriages will last only a few years. The Armstrongs split up in 1982, with Herbert Armstrong returning to live in Pasadena full-time, and the marriage finally ended in a divorce in 1984. During the pre-trial process in divorce cases, Armstrong's lawyers have sought to limit evidence of "previous incestual behavior with his daughter during years, "but his wife's lawyer said" it's important because church leaders suspect Mrs. Armstrong has broken the agreement on love and loyalty. "
In his later years, Armstrong declared that he did not know whether Christ would return in his life but knew, according to the sequence of events in the Bible, that the coming of the Lord was drawing nearer. He has long written about his belief that the main sign to look for is a kind of dissolution of the Eastern Bloc alliance under Soviet control, followed by the incorporation of those nations into the eastern legs of the United States of Europe. In August 1985, Armstrong's last work, Mystery of the Ages , was published. He writes that "time can prove this to be the most important book written in nearly 1,900 years" and calls it "the biblical synopsis in the simplest and most understandable language." That is more or less a summary of theological concepts, as articulated by Armstrong, which includes the idea that God deliberately codes the Bible "so it will not be understood until our modern times".
In September 1985, with his failing health widely known, Armstrong delivered his final sermon to the Feast of the Trumpet at the Ambassador Auditorium. He spent his last days confined to his home on a college campus in Pasadena, California, on South Orange Grove Boulevard.
Nearly until his last days, there was uncertainty about who would replace Armstrong in terms of his death. The Elder Council's Advisory Council, acting on a clause in the parent-in-law of the church that was added in 1981, was to choose a successor after his death, but Armstrong reportedly worried about the consequences if certain people were chosen, such as his son Garner Ted or evangelist Roderick Meredith. Finally, Armstrong chose to elect the next Pastor personally. Armstrong told the Advisory Council of the Elders Church about his decision to appoint Joseph W. Tkach's ministerial minister on January 7, 1986. Tkach had worked closely with former church ex-Stanley R. Rader before Rader's retirement from active service with the Church, and was ordained ministerial ministerial office along with Rader and Ellis LaRavia in 1979.
Armstrong's teaching and the church he created has been the subject of much criticism and controversy. Armstrong's theology and teachings are maintained by his followers, but face criticism from former followers and the larger Christian community. Common points of criticism and controversy include:
Theological
- Safety: Armstrong believes that the repentance, faith and indwelling of God's Holy Spirit enable true and full obedience to God's law, but emphasize that obeying God's law (and repentance after sin) requirements for safety. Critics claim that Armstrong taught salvation as legalistic compliance with God's law, including laws such as keeping the Sabbath, food laws, and other laws kept by the ancient Israelites but not typically kept by 'mainstream' Christian denominations.
- The Covenant: Armstrong taught that the New Testament is the 'amplification' of the Old Testament, and that certain laws (excluding ancient unregenerative customary law) of the Old Testament still apply to Christians. These include laws such as literal Sabbath observance, 'Clean and Not Clean' meat and the celebration of Holy Day. He believes that the New Testament is still in the future, to be completed as a marriage covenant between Christ and the Church and that Christians today exist 'between' the two Covenants. Critics say that Armstrong made two Covenants confused and selectively chooses which aspects of the two Covenants to defend.
- The Gospel of the Kingdom: Armstrong taught that the reason for Jesus Christ's presence on earth is to proclaim the gospel message of the Kingdom of God literally to be established on earth at the time of Christ's second coming. , and that the message of the Kingdom must be the focus of the gospel rather than the person of Christ. Critics point out that this represents the diminished person and importance of Christ, through whom salvation is obtained, and that this is a misconception about the nature of the Kingdom. Armstrong taught that - the Gospel "of" Christ - begins to transform into - a Gospel "about" Christ - about twenty to thirty years after the founding of the Church in 31 AD He makes a remarkable claim that the Gospel Christ brought (from the Kingdom) had been "not reported to the world" for about 1,900 years "until the first week in 1953" when he began to report it again on Radio Luxembourg.-
- Divine prophecy: Proponents believe that Herbert Armstrong was inspired by God and has the gift of understanding prophecy. They believe that many of his predictions are inspired. Armstrong is considered gifted with spiritual understanding as well and that, through him, God reveals the true meaning of passages of Scripture which, up to his day, remain locked or sealed (so that it can not be properly understood). The desire to understand it was with Armstrong since he was a child, "always curious' why?" or how?' The obsession to understand it has had a major influence in setting up Plain Truth and Ambassador College magazines in the coming years. "- According to critics, Armstrong's predictions are full of speculation and most remain unfulfilled. British Israelism: Armstrong taught the form of British Israelism, which is the belief that people of Western European descent, especially English (Ephraim) and the United States (Manasseh), are direct descendants of the ancient Kingdom of ancient Israel. This theory is inconsistent with the findings of modern research on Jewish genetic history. Generally criticized for poor research standards, and general inconsistencies with archaeological, anthropological and linguistic research.
Personality, personal behavior and governance
Armstrong is often criticized for living in extraordinary wealth compared to some church members. The personal luxuries enjoyed by Armstrong include private jets, best suits, furniture and other conveniences.
Doctrine concluded from the Bible
Armstrong teaches obedience to principles which he believes can be inferred from biblical purposes. Examples of these teachings include:
- Women are not allowed to wear makeup because it is believed that this does not please God. Armstrong stated
The Church of God, the now-present Christ's Bride, will not rise to meet Christ back in the air with faces painted and revoked and repainted eyebrows! How clever, without us suspecting it, does Satan influence leading leaders to overthrow the Church in many ways!... Now JESUS ​​CHRIST, through his chosen messenger, will SAY this question once and for all!... How to? it goes into our mid-20th century society and the last one? FROM PROSTITUT!... Women do not use make-up to PLEASE GOD today - because I can tell you ON THE AUTHORITY, it does not please HIM!
- The use of drugs and doctors is not recommended because members are expected to place their faith in God for healing. Armstrong states:
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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