CoreIssue
12-30-2006, 12:33 PM
Worldwide Church of God
Christian or Cult?*
The Worldwide Church of God (WCG), with headquarters in Pasadena, California, was officially begun in Oregon in late-1933/early-1934 by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) (originally called "The Radio Church of God" -- changed to WCG in 1968). (The "original" WCG should not be confused with the organization "The Church of God International" in Tyler, Texas, founded in 1978 by Herbert Armstrong's "disfellowshipped" son, Garner Ted Armstrong.) Once a very large organization with a huge media impact, Armstrongism has waned in recent years. At its peak, Armstrong's radio/television broadcast, "The World Tomorrow," aired on more than 446 television and radio stations, but was eliminated in 1994 and replaced with spot ads and a two-minute time-slot radio program. Armstrong's grossly misnamed magazine, The Plain Truth, peaked at a monthly distribution of more than eight million, but has since fallen to less than 100,000 (and will probably decrease even further with its 1997 change from a free to a paid subscription basis).
Full Article (http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/armstrong.htm)
Christian or Cult?*
The Worldwide Church of God (WCG), with headquarters in Pasadena, California, was officially begun in Oregon in late-1933/early-1934 by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) (originally called "The Radio Church of God" -- changed to WCG in 1968). (The "original" WCG should not be confused with the organization "The Church of God International" in Tyler, Texas, founded in 1978 by Herbert Armstrong's "disfellowshipped" son, Garner Ted Armstrong.) Once a very large organization with a huge media impact, Armstrongism has waned in recent years. At its peak, Armstrong's radio/television broadcast, "The World Tomorrow," aired on more than 446 television and radio stations, but was eliminated in 1994 and replaced with spot ads and a two-minute time-slot radio program. Armstrong's grossly misnamed magazine, The Plain Truth, peaked at a monthly distribution of more than eight million, but has since fallen to less than 100,000 (and will probably decrease even further with its 1997 change from a free to a paid subscription basis).
Full Article (http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/armstrong.htm)