Rhinestones, Books, and Hospitals vs. Plaques, Scandals, and Endless Splits

Armstrongism had a real knack for denigrating anyone outside their exclusive little circle—especially if they were an entertainer, and heaven forbid, a professed Christian entertainer. Nothing set Herbert Armstrong’s blood boiling more than country music. Yet the man would happily sink into the velvet cushions of the Ambassador Auditorium and elsewhere, reveling in grand operas dripping with adultery, murder, and every other sin that Armstrongites supposedly held in such high disdain. Oh, the sheer hypocrisy of it all—the self-proclaimed apostle of purity getting his cultural high from highbrow debauchery while sneering at the honest, heartfelt twang of ordinary folks. How “godly.”

Today, Dolly Parton died. She was a larger-than-life figure who captured the attention of people from every walk of life, across political parties, racial lines, and cultural boundaries. She grew up in a strict Pentecostal faith-filled home in Tennessee, where gospel music filled the air as her entire family sang. Like many raised in fundamentalism, she later stopped attending church regularly and said the most important part of her day was talking to God by herself in the mornings. She wrote many songs about God, faith, love, and hope. She believed that true faith means loving everyone without conditions, supporting people from all walks of life, and avoiding hypocrisy.

Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80 in Nashville after a brief battle with cancer, surrounded by loved ones. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, had predeceased her in 2025.

A Jewish woman wrote today:

Dolly passed away at 80 years old today.She was a woman of strong faith-the healthy kind. Although I am Jewish, I have many Christian friends who have demonstrated,as Dolly did, what it means to truly follow Christ's teachings. Unlike the phonies that we snark about here, she was the complete opposite. I wish more people were like her, in every faith. She embraced everyone regardless of race, religion,sexual orientation, and nationality. She not only talked the talk, she walked the walk.

Another person wrote:

In 1988 Dolly Parton pulled every 7th and 8th grader in Sevier County into a room and told them to pick a buddy. She made them sign a contract.. if BOTH graduate, she hands you both $500. One fails, nobody gets paid. The county dropout rate went from 35% to 6%. She handed out the checks herself. 

In 1989 she offered $500 to every kid in the county who wanted to go to the local college. 

 

When Gatlinburg burned in 2016, she sent 900 families $1,000 a month for six months. You've probably heard that part. Here's the part you haven't: The fund raised more than expected, so she showed up in May and handed every one of those families another $5,000 on top. Then she quietly put $3 million into the recovery group that handles the years after the news trucks leave. 

She built her county an entire hospital. She played a benefit concert in 2007, Dollywood and the Stampede matched it, and LeConte Medical Center opened in 2010 with a birthing unit and a women's center in it. 

In 2022 she started covering 100% of tuition, books, and fees for Dollywood employees. Full-time, part-time, AND seasonal. 

In 1991 she paid for a bald eagle sanctuary because the birds couldn't be released back into the wild, no press release. 

And when Hurricane Helene came through here in Western North Carolina, she wrote a personal check for $1 million and her companies matched it. She didn't owe North Carolina anything, but she helped us anyway. 

She started the Imagination Library because her daddy couldn't read or write. Before he passed, he told her it was the most important thing she ever did.

So, right now, I know that there is a certain element reading here that is getting all pissy and offended in self-righteous indignation at the mention of Dolly on this blog. So my question is: What will the Churches of God be remembered for in 50 years from now? What will people say about Church of God leaders who ruled their churches with heavy hands and abusive tactics?

What legacy has Herbert Armstrong left in Pasadena? Ninety percent of the city now knows nothing about the guy, other than a few plaques on the dismantled grounds of the old Ambassador Campus. Those that do remember recall all of the scandals and news articles eviscerating the church and its leaders. What lasting legacy has HWA left, other than hundreds and hundreds of splinter groups all claiming they are the one and only true church and that they and they alone are the best? What has Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, or Gerald Flurry ever given us that was meaningful and worthwhile? Endless “prophetic” updates that somehow never quite land, demands for more tithes to keep their personal empires humming, and the constant reminder that everyone else is wrong while they alone hold the keys to the kingdom. A true monument to humility and service, no doubt—scattered little kingdoms more skilled at condemning the world (and each other) than actually lifting a finger to help it.

A lot of the major religions (Catholic and Protestant) formed the first schools of learning in Europe and the US, though today most have drifted from their religious roots. Churches have built hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities, schools, and much more. All of the Ambassador Colleges have been sold and now dismantled, either bought by another cult or torn down to make housing for the elite. Other than Ambassador Auditorium, there is no legacy of the church passing anything on to their communities.

What will our legacy be as a church? At the present moment in COG history it is rather a shitty mess.

At whatever point in time Dolly meets her moment of glory and in whatever location it might be, she will be told: “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”