Literature

Raising the Ruins

The fight to revive the legacy of Herbert W. Armstrong

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Excerpt

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

—U.S. President John Adams

December 1770

Millions of people around the world are familiar with the expansive humanitarian and evangelistic work of Herbert W. Armstrong, even though he died more than 20 years ago.

Tens of thousands—mostly people affiliated with the Worldwide Church of God, which Mr. Armstrong founded—are aware of what happened to that organization after he died, when Joseph W. Tkach rejected his predecessor’s teachings, deserted his worldwide mission, and reduced the church to a small, mainstream Christian denomination with practically no work.

Very few, however, know what really happened behind the scenes during the Tkach transformation. And there is a scandalous reason for that.

Of course, no one in the church would have suspected the new pastor general of any maliciousness. The reality of the betrayal and how it came about was so stunning that most members of the Worldwide Church of God refused to believe it was even happening.

But the real reason most people are so fuzzy on what happened was the sinister fact that the new administration concealed its intentions from church members for as long as possible.

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Table of Contents

Foreword Read
Chapter 1: Absolute Power Read
Chapter 2: Legacies Read
Chapter 3: The Self-Appointed Apostle Read
Chapter 4: Credentials Read
Chapter 5: Tkach’s Fellows Read
Chapter 6: Fingerprints Read
Chapter 7: Riddled With Error Read
Chapter 8: Discard Read
Chapter 9: Incidental Points Read
Chapter 10: The Agenda Read
Chapter 11: Deathbed Repentance Read
Chapter 12: Stewardship Read
Chapter 13: Breaking Ground Read
Chapter 14: First Sip of a Bitter Cup Read
Chapter 15: Peanut Shell Read
Chapter 16: ‘Largest Audience Possible’ Read
Chapter 17: Battle Lines Drawn Read
Chapter 18: Round One: PCG Read
Chapter 19: Round Two: WCG Read
Chapter 20: Counterclaim to the Rescue Read
Chapter 21: The Infamous Preface Read
Chapter 22: Offensive Warfare Read
Chapter 23: © Philadelphia Church of God Read
Chapter 24: Victory Prophesied Read
Chapter 25: Raising the Ruins Read
Afterword Read
Notes Read
Index Read

About The Author

Stephen Flurry is executive editor of the Philadelphia Trumpet newsmagazine and president of Herbert W. Armstrong College in Edmond, Oklahoma. He hosts Trumpet Daily which airs live, weekdays at 11 a.m. Central Time.
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