The Journal: Herbert Armstrong’s ‘W’, AC and SEP Halls, and the Pope

The latest issue (says #175, print date July 31, 2015) of The Journal was sent out electronically and received today.

Items covered included the ‘W’ in the name Herbert W. Armstrong, old WCG buildings, Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2015, and the Pope.

Here is something on the middle initial from The Journal also :

James Phillip Arnold: “Mr. Armstrong, I have read your autobiography in The Plain Truth and do not see what the W in your name stands for. You know, that W between the Herbert and the Armstrong. Just what do you mean by the W in Herbert W. Armstrong? Mr. Armstrong, what does the W in your name stand for?”

Herbert Armstrong: “Nothing. It stands for nothing. I added it years ago.”

This is not particularly news. I have long had the following in my article 15 Accusations and Truthful Responses About Herbert W. Armstrong, a version of which was published years ago in The Journal:

No middle name

Accusation No. 1: Herbert W. Armstrong was named Herbert Armstrong at birth and did not have W as his given middle initial.

This is true according to Roderick Meredith of Charlotte, North Carolina, and from one of Herbert W. Armstrong’s relatives who lives near Tyler, Texas.

In all U.S. States I am aware of, anybody can take just about any name he wants, including middle initials, as long as he has no intent to defraud anyone.

There were apparently so many Herbert Armstrongs that Herbert W. Armstrong decided the sheer number of them caused confusion. One of them even lived across the street from the Pasadena, Calif., campus of Ambassador College (the school Herbert W. Armstrong founded) in the early days, causing problems with mail deliveries.

Someone else who claimed to ask him about it reported the following:

I let loose the quizment somewhat as follows: “Mr. Armstrong, I have read your autobiography in The Plain Truth and do not see what the Win your name stands for. You know, that W between the Herbert and the Armstrong. Just what do you mean by the W in Herbert W. Armstrong? Mr. Armstrong, what does the W in your name stand for?”

The slight jerk of the head, the eyes now near slits, a metathought could well be arising in his brain that the young man standing before him might be one of those deviant students who came to question, to distort, to wreck.

But then the double take and doubt lifted like a misbegotten mist, and his face softened, like his hand, and he matter-of-factly replied: “Nothing. It stands for nothing.

I added it years ago.” I believe he said something about needing to add an identifying letter for postal purposes and that he wanted a letter that worked well with his name (Arnold JP. What’s the plain truth about the W? The Journal, print date September 29, 2009, p. 3).

Why Herbert W. Armstrong chose W is not clear, but by adding it he made his name more distinctive.

In Herbert W. Armstrong’s early years it was not unusual for people to have middle initials that did not stand for anything. An example is Harry S. Truman. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, President Truman’s initial did not represent a middle name.

Here is the piece on old WCG buildings:

Two relics of the glory days of the Worldwide Church of God are available: one for sale and the other for controlled demolition for a movie scene, One is part of the old Summer Educational Program (SEP) grounds in Minnesota. The other is the former Hall of Administration on the erstwhile Ambassador College campus in Pasadena, Calif. Near Orr, Minn., a gymnasium and office space on seven acres are avail- able that include “nice views of Pelican Lake,” according to a real-estate broker’s brochure. “The building housing the gymnasium is approximately 110 by 130 [feet]. The adjoining office building is ap- proximately 70 by 80. “The property was once part of a youth Bible camp that disbanded in the late 1990s. The mostly level grounds offer panoramic views of Ambassador Point and Pelican Lake.” For more information contact Cold- well Banker Properties North at (218) 749-8222(218) 749-8222. Ask for listing agent Tim Lillquist. Halfway across the continent, as part of a planned redevelopment of the former AC campus in Pasadena, the former Hall of Administration is scheduled for “controlled demolition” between now and September 2015. The offer for the administration hall is not for you to buy it. It’s so you can use it as a “unique SFX [special effects] filming opportunity.” “This is a unique opportunity for production companies to film scenes which might require such scripted elements as explosive pyrotechnics, con- trolled burns, interior simulated gun- fire, vehicle crashes, demolition and/or other types of SFX and stunt sequences.” So if you’re working on a movie and need to blow up a building for an exciting scene or two, maybe the Hall of Ad is just the ticket. For more information contact the City of Pasadena Film Office at (626) 744-3964(626) 744-3964

I reported about the status of the former Hall of Administration earlier (see Ambassador Hall of Administration is to be demolished).

One article in The Journal asked if Pope Francis could be the last pope. More on that can be found in the video Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist?

I also wrote a book about that (see The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book).

The Journal also had a listing Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2015. Those interested in learning more about the Feast of Tabernacles may wish to study the article The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians?

The Journal also had the usual letters to the editor and other advertisements, various comments, and opinion articles.

The Journal itself is available by paid subscription (though Dixon Cartwright says some subscriptions are free to those who cannot afford it). It tends to have a non-Philadelphian approach to many matters.