The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God: The Remarkable Story of a Cult's Journey from Deception to Truth

by J. Michael Feazell

Book Overview

A Compelling Story of Grace and Liberty We believe in the life-changing influence of grace and truth. Rarely, however, do we see it demonstrated with such explosive power as in the case of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310250110
• ISBN13: 9780310250111
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

herbert

this is the other part of the story of the world wide church of God. read it very interesting.

Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God

Excellent. I grew up in the Worldwide Church of God, but had left it by the time all of the changes happened (went to college). I always felt that I could never get a straight or satisfying answer to what was going on and what the doctrinal changes were. This book made it so clear to me. I read it slowly to digest everything. It brought back tons of memories. One concern of mine though is that the church was referred to as a cult and having lived my life in that church for 13 plus years, I still to this day don't think my experience was that way. I have very fond memeories of the church and when I left there was no negative consequences,etc.for doing so. I learned so much being a part of that church that I feel has made me a better person in life.

Former Pastor Comments

I am a former WCG pastor. My family and I are fully supportive of the remarkable changes occurring within the WCG. I deeply miss the denomination, but alas our family has been deeply wounded on the battlefield of reformation, and there was no place within the denomination for healing.Mike's book brought tears to my eyes for its amazing frankness. Herbert Armstrong was a traveling salesman who got his religion out of a public library. He ignored a "multitude of counsel," was largely uneducated in regard to biblical exegisis, biblical languages and other skills of good theology. WCG ministers largely had their minds filled with a Bachelor of Arts in "Armstrongism" not real theology. So, even many of the "educated" ones have had to first unlearn gross error before learning real Christianity.The doctrines of the "new" WCG are incredibly balanced theologically. I pray that Armstrong's legacy of an overbearing administration is also soon reformed. I was glad to see Mike briefly address this dangling issue in his book.I was one of those who returned to seminary to get a master's degree, so as to un-learn Armstrongism and be bathed in truth. It was a personal revival, both renewing and at times a disheartening experience. I was amazed to see genuine fruits of the Holy Spirit in professors and classmates from a variety of denominations, in a way that I had never experienced before. I was also saddened at the ever-present legalism and man-made rules of other denominations. One seminary professor set me straight, declaring that all denominations are probably 80% wrong doctrinally. How great God's grace is! 80% wrong, yet 100% right if their faith is in Jesus Christ -- how wonderful is God's grace! We all differ in human understanding (which we call doctrine) yet all agree that salvation is in Jesus and that we are to love God and neighbor.Armstrongism is dying, thank God! This book, is excellent. I struggled with some of the "this is how to reform a church" comments, but by and large, an excellent read.

Let Freedom Ring

A sound theological base is vital to the spiritual health of any church organization. In this book, J. Michael Feazell lays out the errant theological history of the old Worldwide Church of God and engages the reader in a fascinating personal and corporate journey ending in that church's embracing of Christian orthodoxy. In this accurate and painfully honest account from an insider's perspective, Feazell is unflinching in his examination of Herbert Armstrong's church under the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wisely chooses not to vilify or judge Armstrong, however, revealing him for what he was in reality, simply a fallible human. He describes how easy it is to fall into error when a charismatic leader offers believable solutions to Christian nominalism and the sense of "unravelling" that occurs when people are confronted by a world they believe to be on a downward moral and behavioral spiral. Feazell shows how appealing religious legalism and transactionalism can be to those inclined to "law and order" and how readily some with a need to be "right" can accept an "only true church" mentality. The good news he presents is that it doesn't have to be this way. Through an honest appeciation for sound biblical scholarship and a willingness to "listen" to the word, he shows where peace and healing are available and that one really can be free to rest solely in Christ.Besides being an interesting and informative read, I found this book important in two other ways. First, it can help people in the new Worldwide Church of God who struggle with a lingering false identity rooted in tradition and who continue to carry various forms of residual baggage. Feazell's clear annunciation of the New Testament message, especially in the areas of the New Covenant and our freedom in Christ, would serve to help those whose cultural identities remain partially obscured from the effects of years in legalism, to complete trust in Christ alone. Secondly, for those outside the church's fellowship, the book sends a powerful message warning against the dangers inherent in lack of education and disdain for Christian theology, history and doctrine. Any church or movement can benefit from Mr. Feazell's analysis and prevent or correct the evils that flow from exclusivist teaching and legalism. While exposing the heartache resulting from the bad fruits of an aberrant theology, this book is really one of hope and encouragement. It offers liberation through the power of the gospel to any individual or church that find themselves boxed in through fear and guilt, a negative worldview or the need to feel important. Mr. Feazell's book, like the title of the first chapter, may well prove to be a "crack in the dam" against the psychological and religious forces that seek to keep people in bondage. It deserves a wide reading.

A church takes courage to make needed changes

I came in contact with Herbert W. Armstrong and what was then called the "Radio Church of God" in another time, in 1956. Then, in 1958 I came to "God's own college" - the church's Ambassador College - answering Armstrong's call to young people to share in the telling of a Christian message that he claimed had not been preached for 1900 years. I have worked most of my adult life for the Worldwide Church of God, and many of those years were lived under the shadow of this charismatic leader. Then came the turbulent years of doctrinal changes, which drastically altered my life and turned it right side up. When I heard that Mike Feazell's "inside story" of the Worldwide Church of God was being published, I was quite anxious to read his personal experiences. We had lived through a miraculous liberation of the Worldwide Church of God from false religious teaching. I wanted to hear the full story from someone who was "in at the creation," so to speak.I found the book so compelling that I essentially read it at "one sitting" over a recent weekend. I believe most people will be astounded at the story as well. If you want to understand - both intellectually and emotionally - what it was like to be a member of and actually live and work at the pulsating hub of what Ruth Tucker has called "an unorthodox fringe church," then you will find this book a fascinating, instructive and sobering read. Most exciting and exhilarating is Feazell's recounting of the period when the actual spiritual liberation of the church occurred during the last dozen or so years. Reading his book immersed me into those years once again -- the time when we were confronted with the real truth about belief after belief that we had once accepted as "gospel truth." We all know what it's like to live through revolutionary times, as our age has been one of change upon change. To be immersed in the world of religious change - and to experience it even vicariously - is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Mike Feazell's book provides all of us - whether we were a part of the old Worldwide Church of God or had never heard of it - with the chance to understand what it means to face the truth and finally to be able to let go of beliefs on which we had once staked our lives, but had come to find out were simply wrong and unbiblical.