Banned by HWA! News and Observations About Armstrongism and the Church of God Movement
Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
The book is a memoir by Pamela Redd that details her journey of self-discovery, personal recovery and identity rebuilding after being disfellowshipped from the Worldwide Church of God, formerly known as the Radio Church of God.
For decades, the church spread its message through pirate radio stations, WLS superstations, and Mexican radio stations. In the cool of late-night evenings, their powerful signals reached deep into the heartland of America. The World Tomorrow" radio program, presented by Herbert W. Armstrong, was broadcast on Mexican radio stations.
Specifically, the program was aired over the superpower 100,000-watt station XELO in Juarez, Mexico. This station, having an exclusive channel over the North American continent, could then be heard in virtually every state.
In addition, the broadcast was also carried by powerful border stations XEG and XERB, along with XELO.
The church expanded, impacting lives in various ways. Church leadership often claimed we existed in a constant state of harmony.
The decline of Armstrongism began in 1971–1972. Prophecies claimed the world would end by 1975, ushering in eternal bliss, with believers dwelling alongside the lion and the lamb.
One failed prophecy after another tore the church apart. When 1975 passed without event, the focus shifted to new time cycles and myths.
The church limped along, with prosperous years and lean ones.
Money was squandered in ways that would shock members even today if they knew the full extent.
Beneath the surface, it was a festering cesspool of corruption and deceit. Then, its vulnerability was laid bare.
Armstrongism’s greatest vulnerability wasn’t ex-members, dissidents, or the disfellowshipped—it was the internet and WiFi. When the internet spread, the church’s tightly woven stories began to fray. Headquarters could no longer dictate the narrative. People shed their silence and fear of losing salvation. Ex-members, apostates, critical thinkers, and dissidents, wielding firsthand knowledge of the church’s wrongs, exposed it to scrutiny the leadership couldn’t stifle. They labeled it a “rumor mill” and tried to quash it. They couldn’t.
The truth exposed the church’s gaslighting and lies, which could no longer hold.
Armstrongism thrived on control, relying on members’ perceived ignorance. “Pay, pray, obey, and never question” was the mantra for decades. But with computers and smartphones, the church became a public embarrassment. Never in its history has the extent of its folly been so clear.
Today, the youth are slipping away—quietly, in groups, in waves—realizing fear, guilt, and fantasy aren’t needed to live a good life.
Regular members are leaving too. Some mourn years lost, others feel grateful for their newfound freedom, and many are simply fed up with the lies.
For decades, the church warned that Satan and his forces—through the Catholic Church, world governments, or vast powers—would persecute them. Yet, the Church of God’s reckoning came from within, from its own members.
One thing is certain: the church will never recover. Not next year, not in five years, nor in fifty—if it even survives that long. Freedom and truth have a way of changing everything.
The original article this was based on was written in 1956 and republished year after year, well into the early 1970s. Each time, the prophecies grew more elaborate.
Then, lo and behold, 1975 came and went, and Herbert backpedaled so fast even GTA couldn’t keep up.
Who could forget that in 1971, construction began on Herbert’s $11 million monument to himself, even as members were still told that 1975 would be the final year before everything hit the fan?
Shortly after this, the Worldwide Church of God, Herbert, and others faced lawsuits over financial mismanagement. Around the same time, the Jonestown tragedy unfolded, with 918 people taking their own lives or being killed by their cult leaders.
Armstrongites took these events as clear signs that the end was near and Satan was furious.
Meanwhile, during this same period, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were also unraveling after proclaiming 1975 as the end times. Given that Herbert Armstrong borrowed heavily from the JWs, it’s no surprise they faced nearly identical problems.
Check out this video about the Jehovah’s Witnesses and 1975. Just swap WCG for JW, and it’s practically the same story.
