TWENTY YEARS AGO IN THE CHURCH OF GOD
compiled by Richard Burkard
In 2004 I mark 20 years as a baptized member in the Church of God (originally Worldwide). To mark the
occasion, I thought it might be interesting to see what Worldwide Church of God publications wrote and
ministers preached back in 1984 - and see how accurate the words turned out to be. We'll add to this historical
record throughout the year, so please check back for updates!
Would you like this anthology to continue? We'll do it if there's interest - so e-mail us and let us know.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1984: It's three minutes before midnight on the Plain Truth cover -- and the big headline
asks, "Who Will Stop the Nuclear Clock?" Apparently the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists will; as of this writing, its
"Doomsday Clock" which the PT copies (but never credits) sits at seven minutes to go. But of course, Jesus is the
real answer - and Herbert Armstrong's "World Peace, Just Around the Corner!" gets around to saying that in the
last paragraph of a rambling article about evolution, angelic creation, human vs. animal brains and two trees.
Practically the remainder of this issue is practical and theological, as opposed to prophetic. The closest item to
a futuristic article is John Halford's look at Switzerland's effort to provide "safe zones" from nuclear attack for
every citizen by 2000. We're not sure if this ever was accomplished.
All WCG congregations receive a tape from Herbert Armstrong during November on "a red-hot topic" -
abortion. (The message was presented after the "blessing of little children" in Pasadena.) He notes in 1983, the
old Soviet Union had six times more abortions than the U.S. And based on Romans 8, he concludes divine life
begins at concepcion, so human life does as well -- and by extension, Christians have divine life now, although
we do not possess the Holy Spirit yet.
.
OCTOBER 1984: The emphasis is on families in this Feast-time Plain Truth -- but the fall festival season is never
mentioned. Instead, a series begins on "The Plain Truth About Child Rearing." In an introduction, Herbert
Armstrong encourages parents to fulfill Proverbs 22:6 "by teaching the child to think for himself or herself....
according to the spirit and attitude of God's law." He adds he knows of no psychologists who "have the Holy
Spirit," so they are therefore "incompetent to teach authoritatively" on this topic. (Did Mr. Armstrong ever meet
James Dobson?)
In the news, Gene Hogberg sums up a European Community summit by seeming to correctly write that
"America and Europe increasingly go their separate ways." An article by Keith Stump on Italy quotes from a 1935
PT prediction by Herbert Armstrong about the coming "reincarnation of the once great and powerful Roman
Empire." And Mr. Armstrong declares Israel sinned even before Mount Sinai by fighting against the Amalekites
in Exodus 17. He admits "God himself even commended them to go to war" - but tries to explain it was man's
choice to do so, and it's still sin to do so. We instead should rely on God to fight our battles, he explains.
There's also this noteworthy suggestion from Robert Boraker, in an article on Ireland's lack of peace: "Sectarian
hatred and prejudice are learned at home and nourished in the community.... Parents should first set a good
example by rooting religious prejudices out of their own attitudes."
SEPTEMBER 1984: The European Community's ten-country logo is cracking on The Plain Truth cover - and titles
of two articles inside offer seemingly divisive prognoses. One asks if the E.C. is "threatened with collapse" over
farm policy, while the other says there's a "colossus in the making." But a short Personal by Herbert Armstrong
stands out even more for stating the magazine explains "prophecies of events soon to occur, in the next two, five
or 10 years!" Neither scenario for Europe turns out to happen by 1994.
The issue also offers Ronald Kelly's "Four Great Qualities of Leadership." They are in order:
wisdom/understanding, courage, vision and consistency/dependability. You may use these to analyze COG
leaders of the last 20 years as you wish.
As it happens, a taped sermon by Herbert Armstrong on "End-Time Prophecies" is played for WCG
congregations in early September. This pre-Feast message warns based on the November election, there "may
be only one year left." (Nope.) He also declares Israel is "in the hands of the Catholics." And he clarifies Joel 2:31,
explaining end-time plagues are not the same as the tribulation.
(And after Feast of Trumpets services on September 27, 1984, your author is baptized by a WCG minister in
Oklahoma City. At last check, that minister still served a WCG congregation.)
JULY-AUGUST 1984: The magazine has a combined issue timed to coincide with the Los Angeles Olympic
Games -- including a dramatic cover photo of a pole vaulter going over the bar, and the headline "In Pursuit of
Excellence." Eight years later, BellSouth would have practically the exact same artwork and headline wording in
a monthly bill insert; whether this was plagiarized is never officially determined.
Herbert Armstrong's "Personal" is about competition -- "the attitude with which Satan inoculates human minds."
Yet he does not argue for a ban on sports, and makes points that 2004 Churches of God might want to consider.
"To harm the other fellow and to gain by so doing for self is a kind of competition that is wrong.... when there is a
spirit of hostility toward the other side -- then it does break God's law.... Competition can be evil, or good,
depending primarily on the attitude in which it is participated."
Gene Hogberg's historical review of the Olympics says the Los Angeles games were "at the site of the only other
Summer Games held in the United States (in 1932)" -- forgetting the St. Louis Games of 1904. This error is never
corrected in subsequent issues. But he does include a somewhat prophetic 1983 quote from U.S. track star Edwin
Moses, who claimed at least half of the U.S. Olympic team used illegal drugs.
A sidebar article by Keith Stump warns of possible terrorism (which does not occur) - writing: "experts are
predicting the focus might begin shifting to U.S. soil...." And Graemme Marshall's related essay on a lack of good
sportsmanshp predicts things will get worse: "Watch for the unthinkable to happen - actual fisticuffs on the tennis
court and golf tee!" We don't recall seeing any of that, although NASCAR pit crews just had a scuffle during a
race.
On other topics, the July-August issue has yet another article - "and we make no apology for it" - about Thailand's
King and Queen (major Ambassador Foundation supporters). And Donald D. Schroeder dares to write that
heterosexuality "is not altogether inborn. Nor is homosexuality...." Rather, the process of sexual feelings begins in
infancy based on how adults treat children.
Many WCG congregations hear a taped sermon from Herbert Armstrong during July on prophetic matters. He
warns financial troubles at Continental Illinois Bank could trigger the uniting of Europe, since "all relationships in
the world involve money." (Answers: no and maybe.) Mr. Armstrong goes on to claim God closes all salvation,
from Adam's fall until Jesus came - which could leave questions about the fate of Biblical names such as King
David and Moses.
An August taped sermon by David Albert on eternal life makes a comment which could surprise some COG
worshipers. He endorses the idea of "progressive revelation" in the Bible, based on Hebrews 2:6-10 - the
argument often made by mainstream denominations to explain everything from a lack of tongue-speaking to
Sunday worship. He also quotes twice from the book The Incredible Human Potential, since he contends Herbert
Armstrong's writings "will someday be Scripture!"
JUNE 1984: The Plain Truth cover story asks whether the emerging science of genetics and biotechnology is "off
the track." Author Michael Snyder writes, "Some researchers insist that within this century, genetic manipulation
will remove the tragedy of birth defects." (See? Even researchers' predictions can be wrong.) Mr. Snyder
concludes science IS in fact off-track by not ecnouraging lifestyle changes for prevention of problems, and
instead "tampering with dangerous molecular elements...."
The main "world news" article by Gene Hogberg warns of trouble in the "Quiet Corner" of Europe -- namely
Scandinavia. Submarines by the hundreds are encroaching into Sweden's waters, and the Soviets have a heavy
military concentration near a small border with Norway. There's plenty of military history and geography -- but
also the question: "Is NATO on its last legs, as some feel?" Well, no -- the alliance still exists.
Elsewhere, an article on cultural differences by Ronald Kelly urges you to respect "whatever limited good
human beings accomplish.... admire the good qualities, overlook the not-so-good...." (Whether the Bible does
this with Kings David and Solomon is a topic for you to study.) Norman Shoaf focuses on the trait of honesty and
predicts you won't find much if you "turn out the lights in New York City for a few hours." Such an outage
happened there in August 2003, but no crime wave was reported.
As for Biblical matters, Donald D. Schroeder declares, "disastrous earthquakes can be prevented!" How? By
turning from your sins to God. But a separate John Halford article declares, "You Need MORE Than Faith in Jesus!"
While admitting "most modern [Bible] versions are better than 99 percent accurate," he warns you should read
Paul's writings as "faith OF Christ" instead of "faith IN Christ." Mr. Halford never explains Galatians 3:26 in KJV:
"You are all the children of God by faith IN Christ Jesus." (Or for that matter, Eph. 1:15; Col. 1:4, 2:5; I Tim. 1:14; II
Tim. 1:13, 3:15; and I Pet. 1:21.)
MAY 1984: "New Volcanic Activity WHY?" asks the cover of The Plain Truth. It's timed to mark four years since the
eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. Dan Taylor's article warns the "Mono-Inyo Craters" near San
Francisco "are considered the next most likely to erupt" in the U.S. (Thankfully, so far they have not.) The article
also attempts to link volcanic eruptions to the "El Niño" weather pattern - but such a claim in Scientific
American has not been replicated in recent years. Taylor admits "time and chance" might have caused the
volcanic eruptions which ravaged Martinique in 1902 and ancient Pompeii - "But don't count on it!" He never
declares what law the people of the Pacific Northwest violated.
The May issue also includes an article by former Israeli cabinet member Moshe Kol, about Jerusalem's
International Cultural Center for Youth. A look at the second page explains why it's there: "....the ICCY grants
monetary awards annually to outstanding candidates (one award is in the name of Herbert W. Armstrong)." The
amount of this award, presumably from the Ambassador Foundation, is never stated -- but there's a Herbert W.
Armstrong Square at the ICCY building entrance, and a children's playground in a park with his name.
"Terrorism in the '80s" is another topic, as British author and "terrorism authority" Christopher Dobson says in an
interview: "...terrorism can never succeed in overthrowing a country unless the government itself is rotten and
falls." Dobson dares to say "the Israelis themselves used terrorism against the British mandate forces" in the
1940's. And he notes terrorism "can never be entirely defeated" as long as one man has explosives. For some
reason, another terrorism article is separated from this one by 11 pages - and Dan Taylor correctly warns: "an
America that has seemed nearly impervious to terrorism may begin to suffer along with the rest of the world."
APRIL 1984: The Plain Truth cover story is about economic growth in the "New China," timed for a trip there by
U.S. President Reagan. Gene Hogberg's article is quite rosy, as opposed to condemnatory - as the word
"Communist" appears only once. (Perhaps this is because the WCG had inroads in China during these years,
including cultural exchanges and a Chinese feast site.) His point is that the U.S. is shifting toward Pacific alliances,
as a "rift" develops with Europe.
An article on Bible misunderstanding by Clayton Steep declares scientific research has confirmed what the Bible
teaches about animal fat in Leviticus 3: "a fatty diet contributes to heart disease.... a link between a fatty diet and
certain types of cancer...." Of course, the "Atkins Diet" was years away from popularity at that point. The issue is
also noteworthy for a four-page article by a U.C.L.A. professor, about archeological discoveries at Terqa, Syria.
The Ambassador Foundation is never mentioned as being involved with the project.
MARCH 1984: "The Gulf War" is a subheading in the Plain Truth cover article, on a possible "holy war" in the
Middle East. The war in this case is Iran v. Iraq (Ayatollah Khomeini is named twice, while Saddam Hussein never
is). But much of what Gene Hogberg writes could be cut and pasted into news magazines today -- warnings
about truck bombs and Islamic Jihad. "Iraq already has on hand approximately 30 long-distance over-water
Exocet missiles," it adds. I cannot recall ever hearing about the use of these missiles, against Iraq or Western
coalition forces - so did they really exist?
"Beware of 1985!" begins a different article by K. Neil Earle. We should worry about a big U.S. trade deficit (it
hasn't been in the black since) and a return to double-digit inflation (that hasn't occurred in the U.S. since 1984,
either). And he writes the coming boom in computer-related jobs will make teaching among the "occupations on
the wane." Why so many U.S. school districts have a shortage of them today is a mystery to me.
A major article introduces readers to "Otto Van Habsburg: Man with a Mission." Van Habsburg correctly foretells
"the national disintegration of Yugoslavia." And he warns of "a chain reaction all through the Middle East" if Iraq
collapses - not to the U.S., but Iran.
Other articles tell of Bible prophecies already fulfilled. Roderick Meredith declares "sowing your seed in vain"
(Lev. 26:16) was what farmers in Northwest Europe did during the two World Wars. And Herbert Armstrong's
"Personal" contends, "the 'PRIDE' of America's power was certainly broken in Vietnam." (Compare this with the
November-December section below.) Mr. Armstrong did not live to explain how it was healed for Kuwait and
Iraq.
Some WCG congregations hear a sermon on child-rearing in March from David Hulme. He turns to Proverbs
31:15, 27 and asks if "working women" can do what those verses say - about providing food for the family and
watching over household affairs. He never mentions verses 16 and 24, about women buying fields and selling
linen. Mr. Hulme also warns against a "cult of softness" tearing down societal morals, such as the cross-dressing
displayed by pop stars Boy George and Annie Lennox, as well as the beat of rock music being opposite the
human heartbeat to the point of upsetting the brain.
FEBRUARY 1984: The Plain Truth comes gift-wrapped - well, in its own plastic
bag - because it's the 50th anniversary issue. Herbert Armstrong admits his "Personal" on "The Only Real Value of
a Human Life" could not have been written in 1934, because he didn't know it then. His answer now: the human
spirit being begotten with God's Spirit, "to be born VERY GOD, a child in the GOD FAMILY." The anniversary
issue also launches Herbert Armstrong's series "A World Held Captive," which eventually becomes a booklet --
as in kidnapped by Satan.
Dan Taylor's article "Where We Have Been" attempts to show how the magazine was "ahead of its time" through
history. It includes speculation about the next war in 1934, a November 1939 quote that "this may not.... be the
'Armageddon war' at all," and a 1943 warning of "a federation of 10 nations" in Europe - and in fact the European
Community had 10 members in 1984. (It has several more now.) The article also recalls a 1950 warning that "the
United States.... had won its last war." (See November-December 1983 below.)
An interesting chart in this issue shows how magazine prices had changed in 50 years. Time went from 15 cents
in 1934 to $1.75. Canada's Maclean's jumped from 10 cents to C$1.25. Yet The Plain Truth still has no subscription
price. Today, that's only true for one year for first-time subscribers.
Moving from news to weather, Donald D. Schroeder cites "several years of severe drought" in the 1950's, where
most people in North America "didn't get the message." He then admits years of "unusually favorable weather"
followed - explaining God allowed "added prosperity and time for us to finish his work of proclaiming Christ's
gospel of the kingdom of God." He never explains why God kept those blessings happening during the "free
love" and "prayer banned from schools" years of the 1960's -- years some ministers cite as the start of U.S. moral
decline. (The anniversary issue traces that all the way back to Sigmund Freud and the 1920's.)
As for the future, Clayton Steep declares "This IS 'the Time of the End!'" And he offers this evidence: "....for the
first time in history, thanks to modern means of communications, the moment is approaching when the true
gospel will have been preached in all the world." Which is curious, since Paul thought that moment already had
happened 1900 years before (Col. 1:5-6).
Several pages in the issue are filled with photos of the Worldwide Church of God's various arms:
* The Plain Truth - read by "more than 20 million people.... each month."
* The World Tomorrow - "considered by U.S. media officials to be the longest continuously running radio
broadcast in the United States."
* Ambassador College - which had "education extension programs reach into most major nations."
* The WCG itself - mentioned only on one page in three paragraphs, one of those captioning photos.
In some local WCG congregations, two more tapes from Herbert Armstrong tapes were played during
February. One on "The Law of God vs. the law of rituals" claimed Church history dates not from 31 A.D., but from
Lucifer's rebellion in Isaiah 14. He warned verse-by-verse Bible studies "can be deceptive" -- and went on to say
there's a "50-50 chance" that the 20th century was the "last century."
The other headquarters tape was about "Unity" - in which Mr. Armstrong said even one departed member was
too many, but that many remained in WCG while only a few had left. He declared unity is "in the Church now"
through its government -- but he added there are NO prophets in the Church now because God has revealed
prophecy. And citing Mt. 17:10-11, Mr. Armstrong said only three of 20 "major points of doctrine" restored in the
modern church came from the Sardis era.
JANUARY 1984: The Plain Truth displayed a Pershing-2 missile test on the cover, along with a circulation of
6,347,000. An article on land reclamation linked the Netherlands to the Biblical tribe of Zebulun, based on
Genesis 49:13 and Deuteronomy 33:18-19.
K. Neil Earle wrote in an article on his homeland, "There is no sidestepping the truth: Canada is in grave peril as
she enters the last years of this century." Somehow Canada still exists today -- perhaps by recalling Mr. Earle's
formula for national success: "cooperation, common sense, the middle way."
Some WCG congregations heard a tape on January 7, as Herbert Armstrong listed 18 truths restored under "the
Philadelphia commission." They included second and third tithes, and the "master plan" of salvation outlined in
God's Holy Days. He also said Jesus was not a "smart aleck," nailing the Law of God to the cross. How ironic that
11 years later to the day, many WCG congregations watched a videotape of Joseph Tkach Sr. debunking many
key elements of Mr. Armstrong's teachings.
Another tape sent from Pasadena during January featured Herbert Armstrong's sermon on "The Foundation of a
New World." He cited John 6:44 as revealing only "one door" - and said it's NOT the Catholic Virgin Mary, or the
Protestant Jesus. Mr. Armstrong never quoted John 10:9, in which Jesus Himself says: "I am the door; if anyone
enters through Me, he will be saved...." (NASB)
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1983: With apologies for starting a bit early, this headline caught my eye on the
year-end Plain Truth cover: "WHY AMERICA HAS WON ITS LAST WAR." Gene Hogberg's news analysis went all
over the map:
* "War between Nicaragua and Honduras is a greater likelihood than ever - with the possibility, some believe, of
pulling the United States along with it." To this day, no such war has occurred.
* "America's will to win was lacking in Korea and Vietnam and is still lacking today." This amazing statement was
made only months after U.S. military intervention in Grenada to restore democracy.
* "Some believe events in Central America offer the opportunity to 'refight the Vietnam War.' The United States
will win this time, they contend.... But God says otherwise. He says he will break - once and for all - the pride in
the nation's power." So why did the U.S. prevail in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq?
* "There is now every indication that the so-called 'Big Drought of 1983' - which suddenly descended upon an
otherwise waterlogged country - could turn into a prolonged Dust Bowl-like situation." If that happened, it is not
noticeable in the U.S. today, as vast numbers of farmers remain in the wheat and corn belts.
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