What is Armstrongism?

By COGwriter

What is Armstrongism?

Various ones have definitions.

Here is a link to a related video: What is Armstrongism? Are Some Dismissive of Original Christianity?

Basically the term Armstrongism is a derisive label that anti-Church of God people have used to discourage people from following doctrines held by the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God (WCG).


Herbert W. Armstrong

Here is a definition from Wikipedia:

Armstrongism is the teachings and doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong while leader of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG).[1][2] His teachings are professed by him and his followers to be the restored true Gospel of the Bible. Armstrong said they were revealed to him by God during his study of the Bible. The term Armstrongite is sometimes used to refer to those that follow Armstrong's teachings. Armstrongism and Armstrongite are generally considered derogatory by those to whom it is applied,who prefer to be known as members of the Church of God (COG). ... Armstrong taught that most of the basic doctrines and teachings of mainstream Christianity were based on traditions, including absorbed pagan concepts and rituals (i.e. religious syncretism), rather than the Judeo-Christian Bible. His teachings have consequently been the source of much controversy. (Armstrongism. Wikipedia, accessed 09/30/19)

Yes, because Herbert W. Armstrong taught biblical doctrines, this caused controversy.

But that was to be expected.

Jesus taught:

20 If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).

And that is normally what people who refer to the Church of God as Armstrongism, basically intend as a form of verbal persecution, or at least an insult.

Those of us who properly understood what he taught, understood that the following was one of his most fundamental teachings.

Don't believe me – BELIEVE YOUR BIBLE – BELIEVE GOD! I always say...check up! Listen without prejudice, with open mind, then check up--go to your BIBLE, and BELIEVE what you read there. (Armstrong HW. Personal from the Editor. Plain Truth. September 1963.)

Many who have been critical of the teachings of the old WCG did not really understand that we were not ever to believe Herbert W. Armstrong above the Bible, and that all doctrines had to be taught in, or at least consistent with, the Bible.

My First Exposure to 'Armstrongism'

I first heard Garner Ted Armstrong, the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, on the radio back in 1972.

He spoke against evolution. Since I agreed with what he had to say on that subject (and much later wrote a book about it, which is available free online: Is God’s Existence Logical?), I decided to listen to him again.

It was the second time I heard him that he made more of an impression than some others who I heard on the radio. He asked what happened to babies when they die. By this stage of my life, I had rejected the Roman Catholic concept of Limbo -- which now, even the Church of Rome does not embrace (for details, see What is Limbo? Is There Such a Place as Limbo? What Happens to Babies When They Die?). Also, none of the Protestant explanations I was familiar with made sense. So, the old Worldwide Church of God's teaching caught my attention (later, I wrote more about the fate of babies, which is available in the free online book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation).

In time, it was clear that the WCG taught the seventh-day Sabbath, the Ten Commandments, clean and unclean meats, and against Christmas.

Now, having been familiar with literature from the Seventh-day Adventists and some other groups, those particular doctrines were not unusual.

Anyway, I talked about some of the WCG teachings with some of my more religious friends. One of them wanted me to to talk to someone older who would try to talk me out of what he called Armstrongism.

So, when I was 15 years of age, once every week or so for a couple of months, I met with some Protestant counselor and we discussed various WCG teachings. Towards the beginning of our meetings, he lent me a book that was against Herbert W. Armstrong and the WCG. That book may used the term "Armstrongism."

Anyway, I read the book.

And what did the book basically say?

Well, it basically said that the WCG taught many things that differed from Protestant tradition. Several of the doctrines the book said that Herbert Armstrong taught were unfamiliar to me at the time.

However, when I would look up scriptures, including scriptures that the book referred to, those tended to get me more persuaded that the WCG was teaching biblical doctrines.

Perhaps the most famous critic against the Church of God was the late Dr. Walter Martin, who prefers to use negative labels such as "Armstrongism." He preferred that possibly because he knew that the expression Church of God is used extensively throughout the New Testament for the true Church (about 12 times in singular and plural forms), and he preferred to call the true Church of God derisive names. Here is something from one of his books:

The Armstrong cults believe that Armstrong was God’s sole channel of divine truth. (Martin W. The Kingdom of the Cults. Baker Books, 2003, p. 502)

But that is not true.

That was never the position of any truly in the Philadelphia remnant. See also: Is the Genuine Church of God a Cult? 

Later Exposures

Several years after reading anti-COG literature, I began to attend WCG services and was baptized in 1977.

From time to time, when I had theological discussions, someone would bring up the term Armstrongism.

And although they condemned the doctrines verbally, they could not disprove them scripturally.

Sometimes they would try with a few mistranslated and/or misunderstood parts of the Bible, but they would tend to give up when biblical proof was given.

So, they seemed to prefer to rely on name calling, like using the term Armstrongism or calling the WCG a cult.

Perhaps they thought that should scare me off.

Notice that Paul was charged with being the leader of a religious cult:

2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: "Your Excellency...5 We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes...

10...Paul said, "I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. 11 You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. 12 My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. 13 These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.

14 "But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.

(Acts 24:2,5,10-14, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.)

Christians with "Nazarene" practices have long been accused of being part of a cult (or "sect," Acts 24:14, NKJV/NJB) by persecutors of various types.

Jesus warned that the faithful would be persecuted and insulted:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12, NKJV)

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12, NIV)

Some have made false and/or misleading claims about various ones associated with the COGs. For the facts on some of the more common accusations, please see 15 Accusations and Truthful Responses About Herbert W. Armstrong and Who is COGwriter?

The Apostle Paul warned that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecutions" (2 Timothy 3:21).

So, of course, keeping the same practices that Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene ringleader called the Apostle Paul, and others throughout history does not make one part of an inappropriate "cult" (see also Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes?).

As far as being a 'cult" in the modern negative sense of the word, no the WCG did not brainwash people, prevent them from being in contact with relatives, or some of the strange things that groups now considered cultic have.

But, compared to the mainstream churches, the WCG was not large.

Then and now, even the relatively small size of the genuine Church of God is consistent with the type of church that Jesus said He would have:

32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32, NKJV)

32 Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. (Luke 12:32, Douay-Rheims)

Note that both Protestant and Catholic renderings of Jesus' words demonstrate that His followers should NOT be afraid of the fact that His real flock will be little. Jesus also taught only a few would find the way to eternal life in this age (Matthew 7:14; 20:16). The Apostle Jude indicates that the number of saints was relatively small (Jude 14), while the Apostle Paul called the small group a “remnant” (Romans 11:5).

As far as name calling goes, the New Testament showed that happened to real Christians. Satan has encouraged the same practice throughout the church age.

Of course, Jesus predicted that. Jesus Himself taught:

20 If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (John 15:20).

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).

The Apostle Paul taught:

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. (2 Timothy 4:16)

If you really believe that you should follow Jesus, please do not be turned aside by those who speak against those who teach His message--Jesus and the Apostle Paul both suggested that those were signs of being part of the true Church of God.

In my view, the main reason that some have made claims about the genuine Church of God supposedly being a cult is that they "are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).

Other later exposures to the term Armstrongism have come from people who fell away from the faith (if they even really ever understood it) and turned against it, often making improper statements about it (e.g. Banned by HWA and Ambassador Watch). But such a falling away was prophesied (cf. Matthew 24:12-13, 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:3, 1 Timothy 4:1; Zechariah 13:7-9; see also The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings).

The Original Faith

Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

Can One Worship Christ — IN VAIN?

 Do you know what Jesus himself said of these people who want to worship him without obedience to God's Commandments?

Listen to his words: "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men … Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition" (Mark 7:7-9).

Back to the Faith Once Delivered

But what does GOD tell you in his Word?

Through Jude, God says: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares … ungodly men, turning the GRACE of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ"(Jude 3-4).

Yes, even before the New Testament was completely written, ungodly men had crept inside the Church to corrupt it — turning GRACE into LASCIVIOUSNESS.

And what is "lasciviousness"? It means "license" — unrestrained liberty — abuse of privilege. In other words, license to do that which seems right in human eyes according to human conscience — though it disobeys God's LAW! And that is exactly what those ungodly men, even in the first century, did — turned GRACE into unrestrained privilege to disobey God's law and turned to human conscience as a guide! And once introduced, the practice has persisted and spread over the whole world until today!

This is one of the FABLES the apostle Paul warned us men would turn to. Paul said: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived … For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts [lasciviousness — human reasoning] shall they … turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto FABLES" (II Tim. 3:13; 4:3, 4).

But, one will argue, Jude said these men would deny the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not the men who teach a "no works" doctrine believe in Christ? Do they deny him?

Yes, they DENY him! God says: "They profess that they know God; but IN WORKS they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every GOOD work reprobate" (Titus 1:16). The way of human reason — that seems RIGHT — is often DISOBEDIENCE to God! (Armstrong HW. False Conversion! Tomorrows World magazine, November 1969.

Anyway, original Christians did keep the seventh-day Sabbath and strove to keep the Ten Commandments. They avoided unclean meats. They did not keep holidays like Easter or Christmas. Instead, and all scholars who have studied this should know this, they kept days considered Jewish like Passover.

Labeling beliefs of the early Christians as Armstrongism is a way to mislead people to believe that the old WCG did not hold to many of the original Christian doctrines.

A problem that most do not realize is that many of the major beliefs and practices of the Greco-Roman-Protestant faiths were not held by original Christians.

Notice the following admission from Harvard Protestant scholar HOJ Brown:

It is impossible to document what we now call orthodoxy in the first two centuries of Christianity (Brown HOJ. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody (MA), 1988, p. 5).

Simply put, many of the doctrines that now are considered to be heresy were held by the early church and many doctrines now considered to be mainstream were condemned as heresy by those associated with the early church.

IMPOSSIBLE TO DOCUMENT means that there was no proof that what has been considered orthodox Christian doctrine among most who professed Christ actually was original Christianity. Well, it is impossible to document, because it did not exist.

Doctrines held by the early Christians include:

Notice the following teachings of early Christianity that historical documents shown were held during the times of the Ephesus and/or Smyrna eras–all of which are accepted by the Continuing Church of God and only a relatively few of which are practiced/taught/still accepted by Roman Catholics, Orthodox, or Protestants though early leaders considered as “saints” by the Catholics also held them):

Baptism of Christians was by immersion and did not include infants.

The complete Bible with the proper Old Testament and New Testament was relied on by the true Church in Asia Minor.

A Binitarian or Semi-Arian view, that acknowledged the Holy Spirit, was held by the apostolic and post-apostolic true Christian leaders.

Birthdays were not celebrated by early Christians.

Born-Again meant being born at the resurrection, not at the time of conversion, which is when a spiritual begettal occurs.

Celibacy for Bishops/Presbyters/Elders was not a requirement.

Christmas was not known to be observed by any professing Christ prior to the third century, or ever by those holding to early teachings; December 25th did not come from the Bible.

Church Governance was properly hierarchical.

Church services were scripturally, not ritualistically, focused, and did not resemble modern “mass” nor “church celebrations” that many attend.

Circumcision, though not required, was long practiced by original Nazarene Christians.

Confession of sins were not made to priests and did not require penance.

Deification of Christians (which begins after the first resurrection) was taught by the early leaders of the Church.

Duties of Elders/Pastors were pastoral and theological, not predominantly sacramental–nor did they dress as many now do.

Easter per se was not observed by the apostolic church.

The Fall (and Spring) Holy Days were observed by true early Christians.

The Father was considered to be God by all early professing Christians.

The True Gospel included the Kingdom of God and obedience to the law of God and was so understood by the faithful.

Heaven was not taught to be the reward of Christians.

Holy Spirit was not referred to as God or as a person by any early true Christians.

Hymns were mainly psalms, not praises to Christ.

Idols were taught against and the cross was not adorned.

Immortality of the soul or normal humans was not taught.

Jesus was considered to be God by the true Christians.

The Kingdom of God was preached.

Leavened Bread was removed from the homes of early Christians when the Jews did the same.

Lent was not observed by the primitive church.

Limbo was not taught by the original church.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, was blessed (Luke 1:28) and called blessed (Luke 1:48), but was not prayed to, etc. by true early Christians.

Military Service was not allowed for true early Christians.

Millenarianism (a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth, often called the millennium) was taught by the early Christians.

Monasticism was unheard of in the early Christian church.

Passover was kept annually on the 14th of Nisan after sunset (so early during the night) by apostolic and second century Christians in Asia Minor.

Pentecost was kept on Sunday by certain Jews and was observed then by professing Christians.

Purgatory was not taught by the original apostolic church.

The Resurrection of the dead was taught by all early Christians

The Sabbath was observed on Saturday by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church.

Salvation was believed to be offered to the chosen now by the early Church, with others being called later, though not all that taught that (or other doctrines) practiced “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

God’s Six Thousand Year Plan for humankind to rule itself was believed by early professors of Christ.

Sunday was not observed by the apostolic and original post-apostolic Christians.

The Ten Commandments were observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians–and in the order that the Church of God claims they are in. Properly keeping the Ten Commandments helps build character so that Christians can better serve and make eternity better.

Tithes and Offerings were given to support the ministry, the churches, the needy, and evangelical travels and proclamation.

Tradition had some impact on the second century Christians, but was never supposed to supersede the Bible.

The Trinity was not a word used to describe the Godhead by the apostolic or second century Christians, though a certain threeness for the future was acknowledged.

Unclean Meats were eaten by the early allegorists, but not by true Christians.

The Virgin Birth was acknowledged by all true ante-Nicene Christians.

The Continuing Church of God continues to teach all the above as they were held by Jesus’ original apostles and their truly faithful early followers.

The Continuing Church of God also specifically traces its history from the original apostles like Peter, Paul, and John through through their faithful descendants like Polycarp, Polycrates, and certain other known early leaders/bishops in Asia Minor until the early third century, certain known leaders/bishops until around 135 A.D. in Jerusalem, and until around 211 A.D. leaders/bishops in Antioch like Serapion. While Peter played a predominant role among the apostles, after his death, that leadership role would have passed to another apostle (John) and not to an elder who may have lived in Rome.

The above was copied from the Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God. Leaders were specifically mentioned by name as they help demonstrate that men considered as Christian saints by the Greco-Roman-Protestants held to Church of God doctrines. Hence, they were not an invention of Herbert W. Armstrong as critics like to pretend. To equate many of these doctrines as Armstrongism shows an ignorance of early Christian beliefs

While some derisively label many of those doctrines as Armstrongism, a review of ALL OF THEM shows that early professors of Christ held to them.

Got Questions?

In late August 2019, I ran across at article at GotQuestions.com titled: What is Armstrongism?

It had many errors, so I sent the following email on August 31, 2019:

Dear GotQuestions?

From time to time I have found some of your articles helpful.

However. your article titled, What is Armstrongism?, has several errors.

Do you have any interest in fixing them?

If so, let's start with the following false statement in the article:

The most well-known of Armstrong’s teachings is that of Anglo-Israelism. This is the belief that modern-day Jews are not the true physical descendants of Israel.

That is false. Herbert Armstrong taught, and the Continuing Church of God teach, that the Jews are one of the 12 tribes and hence the Jews are physical descendants of Israel.

The article asserts:

These beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God were not new and were rooted in an anti-Semitic misinterpretation of Scripture.

The Worldwide Church of God was NOT anti-Semitic.  Herbert Armstrong was a friend to Israel, met with top leaders in Israel, etc. Furthermore, because of doctrines like the Sabbath, Holy Days, and avoiding biblically unclean meats, it would be much more accurate to state the the Worldwide Church of God (and now the Continuing Church of God) hold to an original Judaeo-Christianity.

The article asserts:

Armstrong taught that at death one is in a sleep-like state until Jesus returns to earth. There would then be three resurrections. The first would be of the faithful Christians. Second would be the bulk of the population who would have a second chance to accept the gospel and be saved, despite the clear teaching of Scripture that there is no “second chance” for salvation after death (Hebrews 9:27).

Herbert Armstrong taught, and the Continuing Church of God teach, that God will give all one real opportunity for salvation. Not a second chance.

The article asserts:

Armstrongism was only one of many salvation-by-works philosophies that look to the keeping of the Old Testament laws as a means of salvation.

But this is what Herbert Armstrong actually taught:

Since we are to be SAVED, as your Bible states repeatedly, by GRACE, therefore these people simply cannot conceive of any WORKS whatsoever. They don't understand that the Christian life is one of TRAINING for WHAT WE SHALL BE DOING through eternity IN THE NEXT LIFE. They miss the WHOLE PURPOSE of salvation!

Does that word "grace" sound a little technical — a little theological?

"Grace" is a term used in the Bible. It means undeserved FREE GIFT — and unmerited PARDON.

Nowhere does the Bible teach earning your salvation by your own "WORKS." But what most do NOT understand is that the Bible DOES teach, over and over again, that we shall be REWARDED according to our WORKS! ...

But now what of that scripture that says: "... ye are not under the law, but under grace"? (Rom. 6:14.)

Now that you are UNDER GRACE — does this mean you are given license to disobey God's Law?

Listen to GOD'S answer: "What shall we say then' Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God FORBID! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. 6:1-2.) Later, verse 12: "Let not sin [transgressing God's Law] therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Once again, verse 14: "For sin [transgressing the Law] shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the Law, but under grace." The very next words show PLAINLY this does not mean you are free to BREAK God's LAW — to DISOBEY God, "What then? Shall we SIN [break the Law], because we are not under the Law, but under grace? GOD FORBID! Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

GRACE does not mean license to SIN. And the BIBLE definition of SIN is: "Sin is the transgression of the LAW" (I John 3:4).

You were UNDER THE LAW, when the Law stood over you, claiming its penalty. When Christ paid the penalty, and satisfied the claims of the Law, you were no longer under the Law, but under GRACE. (Armstrong HW. What Will You Be Doing In The Next Life? WCG booklet, 1969)

Anyway, since I presume that you wish to provide accurate answers, this will help you.

Feel free to ask if you would like more information.

Perhaps I should mention that the Continuing Church of God is one of the six or seventh largest groups whose leaders were once part of the old Worldwide Church of God.

Best regards,

Bob Thiel
Overseeing Pastor
Continuing Church of God

The following response was received on September 1, 2019:

Thank you for your feedback. I will forward your email to our managing editor.

Blessings,

Gwen for Got Questions

Well, as of October 11, 2019, the article was not corrected.

Yes, many who do not have the love of the truth trash biblical doctrines. Just because the late Herbert W. Armstrong held to many doctrines that original Christians held, does not make his teachings 'Armstrongism.'

By the way, as far as British-Israelism goes, Herbert W. Armstrong held to the biblical belief that there was a separation between Israel and the Jews in the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kings 11). The New Testament confirmed the separation (James 1:1). And even the Jewish historian Josephus reported it in the first century:

...[W]herefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers (Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, 11:5:2).

What Herbert W. Armstrong taught who received the physical promises of the Jacob to his sons as laid out in Genesis 48 and 49. He did not teach that salvation had anything to do with race or being one of the tribes of Israel. And, Herbert W. Armstrong also directed funds to support Liberty Park in Jerusalem--and he was honored by the then mayor of Jerusalem (Teddy Kollek) for doing so back in 1978. Herbert W. Armstrong was not anti-semitic, but those not interested in the truth have spread lies about many things related to him and what he taught.

The Bible teaches that "the Devil" (Satan) is "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:9,10). Jesus said the Devil was "a liar and the the father of it" (John 8:44). Do not be dissuaded by those who do not really believe the Bible and make misleading comments about the CCOG: "lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11) as the Apostle Paul wrote.

The Apostle Paul also warned that Satan's ministers can seem to be "ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) so all should be careful about Church of God accusations. If you hear one, first find out if it is REALLY true (most I have read are not upon detailed investigation), and then if it is, if that should according to scripture disqualify the entire church--and even then consider what happened related to the faithful in scripture.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that according to Catholic scholars, the Christians that kept closest to the Apostle John's practices (sometimes called Nazarenes or Judaeo-Christians; see also Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes?) did understand that there were three resurrections.

Here is what the Catholic scholar Bagatti wrote related to a late fourth century Greco-Roman bishop:

St. Gregory of Nyssa … he himself was not considered a true Christian by some who held the three resurrections, the millenarianism, the restoration of the Temple with bloody sacrifices; these are all doctrines of the Judaeo-Christians (Bagatti, Bellarmino. Translated by Eugene Hoade. The Church from the Circumcision. Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi, 13 Maii 1970. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari, 14 Junii 1970. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970. Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, 1971, p.11).

Here is some of what Gregory actually wrote:

And what means this opposing array of new Altars? Do we announce another Jesus? Do we hint at another? Do we produce other scriptures? Have any of ourselves dared to say "Mother of Man" of the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God : which is what we hear that some of them say without restraint? Do we romance about three Resurrections ? Do we promise the gluttony of the Millennium? Do we declare that the Jewish animal-sacrifices shall be restored? Do we lower men's hopes again to the Jerusalem below, imagining its rebuilding with stones of a more brilliant material? (Gregory of Nyssa. Letter 17 to Eustathia, Ambrosia, and Basilissa. Translated by William Moore. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 5. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893)

So, near the end of the 4th century there were people that did not consider that the Constantinian Greco-Romans were Christians and they held to the doctrine of three resurrections. Like the Judea-Christians mentioned above, we in the Continuing Church of God do believe in the three resurrections, millenarianism, the restoration of bloody sacrifices (but we do not believe that a Temple has to be rebuilt in this age for that to occur--nor is it clear that was a required position by the Judaeo-Christians of the late 4th century), we do accept that sacrifices will occur in the millennium as per Zechariah 14:21, and we oppose the need for new altars in which the Greco-Romans believe that they are regularly sacrificing Jesus on (the Bible says Jesus only needed to be sacrificed once--Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10). While we do teach that Mary was the mother of Jesus and that Jesus is now God, since Mary cannot grant divinity and Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity when He came in the flesh (Philippians 2:7) and did not retain it until after His resurrection (cf. John 20:28), we do not use the expression "Mother of God" to describe Mary (see also Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).

Teaching three resurrections was NOT an invention of Herbert W. Armstrong. But referring original Christian doctrines as "Armstrongism," as well as other Satanically-motivated name-calling techniques, has worked on many. Sadly, often because of wrong teachers and traditions (Jeremiah 16:19), few are willing to believe original faith ("the faith once for all delivered to the saints" Jude 3).

For more information check out the following:

Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?

Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

If you are not sure what to do, please be like the Bereans of old and "search the scriptures" and valid historical sources to demonstrate what if what is stated here is true (cf. Acts 17:10-11).

Since what is stated here is true, you should realize that Herbert Armstrong strove to teach original Christianity.

And that original faith is what we in the Continuing Church of God also stand for.

Hopefully, God will move you steadfastly support us as we "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).

Here is a link to a related video: What is Armstrongism? Are Some Dismissive of Original Christianity?

Thiel B. What is Armstrongism? COGwriter (c) https://www.cogwriter.com/armstrongism.htm 2019 2022 2024 0710

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