The Failures of Armstrongism: It ALL Boils Down to This...
The Principal Heresies of Armstrongism:
The notion that Christians are obligated to observe the Sabbath, Holy Days,
and Dietary commandments of Torah
The mixing of the Old and New Covenants
The notion that Christians must earn their place in God's Kingdom
Rejection of the Trinity
Anglo-Israelism
The notion that traditional Christianity has been corrupted by paganism
The notion that spiritual understanding identifies someone as Christian
It ALL Boils Down to This...
Their failure to understand that the Hebrew Scriptures MUST be understood/interpreted in the light of the Christ event. In other words, their inability to understand that the Law, Prophets, and Writings point to Jesus of Nazareth, and that they were ALL fulfilled by HIM is at the root of most (if not all) of their theological failures! Think about it a minute and prove me wrong, if you can!
Lonnie Hendrix/Miller Jones
21 comments:
You should have included "The notion that we will become God exactly like Christ"
NO2HWA,
Absolutely right! Same line of thinking that led to the rejection of the Trinity.
That was me just a minute ago. Didn't realize I wasn't signed in yet!
I use slightly different verbiage on one of your points, Lonnie, but both our versions ultimately take us to the same place. Armstrongism filters the New Testament (Covenant) through the Old Testament (Covenant) instead of vice versa. Jesus brought to humanity the latest and greatest information, but Herbert W. Armstrong yanked everything Jesus taught right back into the Sinai Covenant. Made him into "that inconvenient dude."
BB
The notion that Satan was not defeated at Calvary and is the second part of the (still future) atonement. The way they think, it’s almost like salvation comes from removing Satan. Not from Jesus’ death and resurrection.
That’s a huge one IMO.
"...and that they were ALL fulfilled by HIM..."
Yes Lonnie, they were all fulfilled by Him, not abolished by Him. Had Jesus not perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the law He could not have been the sacrifice for our sins and He would still be dead, and we would have no hope.
And no one can convince you of anything. John 6:44
Yea they have that “dual covenant theology.”
Miller:
You did not explicitly state the heresy that gives me the most heartburn. But it may well be implicit in your list. It is the heresy of Neotheism which I think can be fairly represented as the idea that God is a super-human.
Along with this God as super-human view, is the diminishment of Jesus Christ. This view on Jesus bleeds into Armstrongism from the Arianist roots of the Millerite movement. HWA was not an Arianist but there are some Arianistic viewpoints that are found in the Armstrongist Doctrine of God.
I will not expand on this. I have written about it before to the point of harping on it.
Good thoughtful points. It reminds us that Armstrongism is not just orthodox Christianity with a few errant points. It is a whole errant package. It is not just a fishing boat with a leaky hull. It’s the Titanic.
Scout
Fulfilled the law so that we are no longer under the law. The requirements of the law are in fact abolished. If your belief is that ANY part of the law is no longer in effect (ie; sacrifices) then you believe the requirements were nailed to the cross.
You can’t have it both ways, either ALL is fulfilled and obsolete or NO PART is fulfilled and you are still under the entirety of the old covenant.
The law does its job when we realize we have no ability to approach God by our own keeping of the law. The law is an all or nothing deal. Break one smallest point, guilty of breaking all and earning death.
We do not make up our own covenants. We are either under Law or under Grace and Truth. You can’t mix them. You can’t pour new wine in old wine skins. You can’t establish your own version of a covenant and declare that you are an uber Christian and more saved than the thief on the cross. When Jesus says Do not judge, and by what measure you judge it will be measured back to you, I believe Him.
If I say I obey the law and break even the smallest point, I am under the wrath of God. If I recognize that apart from Jesus, I am dead, unworthy, unrighteous and completely unable to come near to the Holy One, well I am safe and sound in the presence of the only savior. The one who made the only way to the Father. And it’s only through His free gift of Grace that any of us change anyway. A quick hop, skip and a jump away from the Kingdom of the Cults and you will see all kinds of radical life changes upon confession that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead and we now have access to God in a way you otherwise will never have… I recommend stepping out of your echo chamber and praying for open eyes and ears to see all that the one true God is doing globally.
Good additions to the list, and I like the way that Byker frames it. From my perspective, the Armstrongist view of God and the defeat of Satan both can be attributed to their failure to understand the OT in the light of Christ.
John 6:44 - Another irony. YES, they were fulfilled by HIM. They were NOT abolished. I understand what that means. Do you? By the way, I'm convinced that the additions to my list suggested by other commentators here are valid. When was the last time you were convinced by a suggestion from someone else?
Watch out when eating that tiger shrimp......it may eventually kill you.
What nonsense. The teaching was that Satan was defeated, yet for a while and obviously I might add, is still in office as ruler of this current earth.
Nck
List: Don't forget playing those dangerous rock guitar solos are a satanic. But playing: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach is the most acceptable music although they were playing/composing music under the Holy Roman Empire. We'll just chew the meat and spit out the bone.
Tank
Thank you Lonnie/Millar for this piece.
I made many fine friends within wwcog during my sojourn there. Some last to this day. And my experiences in the church were in the whole positive. But underlying all that was an unending tension and stress, deep within. It was at times debilitating and painful as I struggled to met the high expectations of church membership. In other words I was trying to ‘earn’ my salvation by my works behaviour if you will. Failed miserably. Christ did it for me. By His mercy we are saved. What a burden has been lifted from us all. Yes I still keep the Sabbath, eat ‘clean and unclean’ foods, but don’t adhere to BI nonsense etc etc etc. And attend my local Jewish congregation, yes I’m one of the tribe lol. Abandonment of Armstrongism is not abandonment of Christ, for many of us it is returning to the restorer of our souls. What liberty He has brought us. Cheers.
Lonnie writes:
“In other words, their inability to understand that the Law, Prophets, and Writings point to Jesus of Nazareth, and that they were ALL fulfilled by HIM...”
Here is something that may be of interest that is related to the above:
Jesus was a First-Century Jew
"Intentionally or not, Christian scholars have been reluctant to acknowledge the Jewishness of Jesus. To
be sure, no one denied Jesus' birthplace in Judea to parents who were Jews. But the observation often stopped there... As a first-century Jew, Jesus thought like a Jew, he read his Bible like a Jew, and he made his arguments like a Jew...
"While various middoth have been identified throughout the New Testament, the middoth Jesus employed the most often were gezerah shawah and qal wahomer..." (Linda King, Jesus Argued Like a Jew, digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol19/iss2/5).
"... if we start assuming that Jesus read his Bible like we do ... that's a bad assumption... They way Jesus used the Bible, as unusual as it is for us, was understood and accepted back then" (Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So..., p.177).
Lk 24:36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Lk 24:37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
"Then Jesus explained to them what was going on:
Lk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
"I'm not sure why you are surprised. I have been telling you for years that everything that's happened here these last few days follows what scripture says — the books of Moses, the books of the prophets, the Psalms, every part of it. But since you are having so much trouble grasping what I said, let me spell it out for you — again" (Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So..., p.201).
Lk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Lk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
"Read your Bible: there you will find that I had to suffer and die, and that I would rise from the dead on the third."
"It's all right there in black and white.
"Only, it isn't — which brings me to my point.
"You can read the Old Testament as carefully and as often as you want — standing on your head, backwards, with special decoder glasses, or in Klingon — and you won't find anything about a future messiah dying and rising from the dead on the third day, the very thing Jesus says you will find there. Not a word. Don't even bother looking.
"So what is Luke's angle? Why does Jesus say something is in the Bible, when it clearly isn't. That makes no sense.
"No, it doesn't — until we are clear on what Jesus is actually telling his disciples" (Peter Enns, The Bible Tells Me So..., pp.201-02).
Here we are witnessing what many believe are signs that we are living in end times. And after these end times, when God is speaking of those who are saved, He says..... Rev 22:14 (( Blessed are they that do his commandments,)) that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.....[what commandments?]
Rev 22:15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.... Oh look 3 taken from His statutes and 3 from the list of the 10 that comprise His law. Sins that so many hope they can continue to do, because they want to believe Christ died to free them from having to keep the Law. If only God did not inspire the apostle Paul to write this.... Rom_3:25 ( Christ) whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance ((God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,))... Wow, so not sins committed after, repentance, are not necessarily past over, just our previous sins. And provision for IF we sin, 1Jn_2:1, not When we sin or continue to sin. That means the clothing of righteousness He gives us can get dirty?.....Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.... I suppose we can try to claim ignorance and hope that God will accept our "I thought we did not have to keep the law anymore" excuse. But you cannot fool God He knows our hearts. It is not just that people believe they don't have to keep the 10 anymore. The truth is "They just do not want to keep them". And He has already recorded His answer... Mat_7:23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'.... Let's keep our garment clean. If you Love God you will want to do whatever He says, no matter how hard it may be.
One thing I learned this past week watching the Kirk Cameron fiasco play out on YouTube is that "Orthodox" Christianity is not much different from the Armstrong splinter groups. All it takes is one doctrinal difference and you're now under the wrath of God, the scum of the earth!
To bring everyone up to speed, Kirk Cameron came out on his podcast and questioned a sacred Orthodox belief. After much study, he now favors annihilationism over eternal conscience torment in hell. The firestorm that created was something like I have never seen before. He was branded (by, not a few) a heretic, a lunatic, a hypocrite, false teacher, of Satan, and more we need not mention.
The point is, we can sit in judgement of Armstrongism and their strange beliefs not being orthodox, but truth to tell there are many on this site that are in the same boat. There are those here who, like myself, agree with Kirk and do not subscribe to an everburning hell fire that torments sinners forever. Guess what? It all boils down to this. You too would be branded a heretic. You too would be considered a failure and deceiver. You too would be considered by Orthodox Christianity as no better than Kirk Cameron.
Orthodox Christianity is not all it's cracked up to be. No wonder it is divided up into 41,000 denominations that can't get along!
You need to consider the context of Romans 3. He’s talking about how God could forgive anyone prior to the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the propitiation of sins for everyone including those who sinned prior to His death. Don’t take scriptures out of their context.
That’s another problem with Armstrongism. Scriptures were lifted out of their pages and even reduced to sentence fragments and used to support the false doctrines. The Bible becomes a spiritual battle just to read what is written in full context and not through Armstrong eyes.
Great testimony, I did likewise.
I would say that overall, BI is the worst of all the doctrines, because what it essentially teaches is that the Church must put their main focus on the nations of America and Britain in it’s relationship with God. When He has already called out His elect over the thousands of years over different areas of the world. Instead of their focus being on spiritual Israel (Church) which “is the big picture”, their focus is primarily on what they believe to be physical Israel. So essentially they have horribly limited Christ's sacrifice that extends to all mankind. In the OT, the passover sacrifice was for the children of Israel. But we are not of that covenant.
Simeon even understood:
Luke 2:30-32 For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
In the first century, the location of Judea were the first christians, then it spread. So in the first century our first christians were primarily Israelites. Over time it spread to different groups of people (Rev. 5:9).
"Fulfilled the law so that we are no longer under the law. "
Fulfilled the law so that we are no longer under the (condemnation of the ) law.
There, I fixed it for you.
The law defines sin, and and punishment for it. With Jesus' sacrifice we are no longer under the condemnation that the law requires. The law is still in force, however. To continue willfully violating the law negates any protection Jesus' sacrifice gives us.
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