The Painful Truth has been graciously been given the original color issues of the Ambassador Report that came out in June of 1976. For many decades the most any of us have seen online has been either scans or the articles painstakingly typed out and posted. Check the first three issues here:
All of the Church of God related sites, blogs and newsgroups that exist today owe their existence to these foundational works. Ambassador Review/Report set into motion the ultimate downfall of the church into hundreds and hundreds of irrelevant little groups that do not have the ability to ever match what the mother church originally accomplished. The corruption was massive and widespread at that time and still is today in the hundreds of splinter groups.
The widespread use of the internet that exploded in the early 1990's brought the corruption into the living rooms of church members around the world. The church could no longer cover up or keep secret things that they were doing. From the denials that doctrines were changing to exposé's of lying evangelists starting new churches, the stories became tangible evidence that things were no longer "kosher" in the Church of God.
Because of this widespread exposure countless Churches of God have never been able to accomplish the dreams and lofty goals they wish for.
Cool, when are they going to be "THREE D" with the help of special colored glasses?
ReplyDeleteIt is so good to see how these publications originally looked. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteImagine having been right there in Pasadena in 1976, being able to purchase these initial booklets, and raptly reading and rereading every detail, knowing that the materials had been compiled, researched, and published by some of the people whom you knew and trusted! It was exhilarating!
ReplyDeleteIt brings back a lot of memories to see these again. I had forgotten about the Vista del Arroyo Hotel, and now remember writing a letter to the editor of the Pasadena Star News objecting to the possiblilty that the hotel would be given to Ambassador College, a place where the freedoms of the Constitution and Bill of Rights were not respected or practiced.
These were exciting times. Many of us had realized for some months that there was something terribly wrong about the prophecies, the doctrines, and the ethics practiced in Armstrongism, and there was an unparalleled mass exodus to new found truths and freedoms. In many ways it was very similar to what is unfolding in the remnant groups today, as members attempt to get to the bottom of what is really happening in their splinter groups. Truly, the leopard-like leaders of the ACOGs have been unable to change their spots, in spite of what can so readily be known. Hopefully, these historic documents will give it all a final push in the right direction!
BB
BB: I remember going to Bungalow News and reading them. I also remember the controversy over the censorship of the mail in the Student Center. The students were highly pissed at what went down and it stirred up quite a controversy. All of this was the first sign that the church was no longer able to control the informaiton stream as they had in the past. The amazing thing was to watch the administration, evangelists and ministry lie through their teeth denying anything portrayed in the magazine was going on. It was exciting times!
ReplyDeleteProbably the most fascinating aspect to this, Gary, was that the people who were initiating this were not the fringers who could have easily been dismissed. They were serious, studious, gung ho types that had fully and idealistically bought into the program, only to realize that the program was terminally flawed and unable to be repaired.
ReplyDeleteActually, there was a confluence of several processes ongoing at the time. Dr. Ernest Martin, one of the few faculty members with intellectual integrity, was re-researching many of the doctrinal positions of the WCG, and publishing papers, sharing what he really had learned from his research as opposed to being forced to cave into all of the guided or "approved" conclusions.
Many of the people who were reading Ambassador Reports were also attending Dr. Martin's meetings, and having their eyes opened to the errors inherent in Armstrongism. And, of course, in an attempt to regain control, the "super deacons" were busily photographing WCG members from a not so skillfully secreted van as they walked towards the good doctor's meeting hall. They'd be identified, their tithe records would be checked, and they would soon be personna non grata at WCG/AC.
The administration suddenly looked like a bunch of keystone cops trying to assess, react, and control all of this. And then suddenly, the receivership petition hit the courts.
BB
I remember those days very well. It was a time of disillusionment and turmoil. Our world was turning upside down and we knew there was no trusting those in power if we weren't totally brainwashed. I was one who eagerly snapped up each copy as it came out. Thanks for putting these up as I no longer have the originals. Allen C. Dexter
ReplyDeleteBB. I know a couple of them. They contacted me to get in contact with the Painful Truth administrator to see if he would want the color versions. They were impressed that all of them has been posted over the years and for the impact they had and still have. It was a major coup for James.
ReplyDeleteReading the 'man power' reports. Just horrible how these self righteous men tore down students and knew far too much personal and intimate things about them. I suspect much of it made up or coerced out of them.
ReplyDeleteIt shows how power mad and cruel these ministers are.
Gary,
ReplyDeleteJohn was the one I knew best, because we worked together on a temporary project at AC Press, the old English Perfect Bindery. He had no car at the time, and I was always glad to give him a ride. He had attended AC Bricket Wood, and apparently when he transferred to Pasadena, he fell in with some of the guys I used to hang out with in the weight training room. I was no longer a student by that time.
I also knew Bill. We got together to play our guitars a couple of times, but he was much more advanced than I, as I soon found out when he was accepted into the AC big band.
I also knew "Morris Robinson" the guy that did the artwork and cartoons quite well, although I knew him by his real name. He was a cool Australian with a great sense of humor.
But, yeah. This will attract a lot of people to the PT website. Another golden era for James! Very happy for him and for all of the people who will now have access to this.
BB
Anyone have photos of HWA's home in Tucson? Would be interesting to see that one.
ReplyDeleteI heard the dog had an air conditioned dog house.
Where is Romana by the way?
This was prompted by reading the Ambassador reports
And I might add that my entire thanks goes out to a certain person who wishes to remain unnamed, who bought this project to fruition with his skills and love of technology. He put in many hours to make this a first class presentation.
ReplyDeleteToo bad they dont offer a PDF download. There's no way in hell I am going to read or even browse through a flash flipbook thing.
ReplyDeleteRamona takes care of Dr. Martins books. You can still call her and order them. She's very sweet and will still include a personal note with each book she sends out.
ReplyDelete1.14 AM I agree with you. I'm finding it very hard to zoom in on my tablet, and it keeps pulling to one side. On my 5.5 inch smartphone, it's hopeless.
ReplyDeleteI Google ambassador report, and it listed hwarmstrong.com. I downloaded in PDF format, the ambassador report, with its 72 issues, totalling 2088 pages.
ReplyDeleteI had a browse through it, very interesting.
Cheers TradingGuy
Yes I could offer these in pdf but the tech guru does not want the work copied after all the long hours he put in to create this work of art.
ReplyDeleteMost people find flipping books easy to master after you figure it out. I personally like the format. I can blow up the text and drag the text side to side, up and down. Its quite easy to figure out. it is no different than reading a book. So if you have problems with it and dont want to take the time to figure out the simple technology then use the old pdf or html text pages.
You can find what you want here in the directory page:
http://www.hwarmstrong.com/menu/directory.htm
You who have tablets or look at the PT with a phone, why do you use these devices to read articles? I would think reading something like a long article would be terrible on the eyes. Someone tell me.
ReplyDeleteAs you suggested, James, the device tells the tale. No problem on iphone (although the print was very small), ipad, or laptop. Android presents some challenges, as Android generally does in many other areas.
ReplyDeleteThere are always going to be positives and negatives to everything we encounter. Using a computer is a metaphor for life. Often, what tells the tale is how badly we want to reach a goal, and the determination we use to be successful in obtaining it.
BB
James, With a tablet, you can read articles whilst in bed. Plus you can more easily bring the device closer to yourself, which is important as your eyesight deteriorates with old age. Another point is that tablets generally have better screens with their IPS technology, rather than most laptop and computer monitors with their NT screens. Only more recent higher end laptops or monitors have good screens. For instance, these recent high quality 4K monitors cost a small fortune.
ReplyDeleteAt the time. were these publications known of by members outside of Los Angeles area?
ReplyDeleteyes
ReplyDeleteThe reader problems appear on my windows 8 tablet. Many older programs are not backward compatible with windows 8 and windows 10. ipads have less than 25% of the tablet market. So I'd be surprised if a simple reader would have problems on android.
ReplyDeleteThe public libraries in my state have computers available to the public. Even with all of my devices, I sometimes need to use the library computers for some functions, mostly because the laptop I also have is deliberately air gapped because I can't risk any security breaches.
ReplyDeleteAs I alluded, if someone really wants to see these ARs badly enough, they are going to find a way to see them, and it will be worth the effort. Granted, the truths presented within them may be inconvenient truths for some.
BB
Only on "Herbie Pad" are the full color videos of HERBIE loving his daughter and raping her IN LIVING COLOR!
ReplyDeleteOnly a cult guru like Herbie could put himself in a full-blown competition with TV's Sunday keepers.
I'll wait for the Kingdom, when I'll find out why so many TV Sunday preachers also liked boinking their daughters.