The Methodology of Bible Study: Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course

Today, I want to talk a bit about the methodology that Herbert Armstrong used when it came to how he interpreted the Bible to those who subscribed to the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, and listened to his sermons and messages. In Volume One of the 1955 Correspondence Course, Herbert outlines four different ways that one could approach studying the Bible properly. They are: 

1) What the Bible is, how it was written, how to study it, and why "no one understands it." 

In reality, the Correspondence Course was full of this, in extremely detailed, specific instructions, down to exactly what Bible to get, and what pencils to use, how long to study, and the methods of indoctrination (i.e. meditation, habit, writing, etc.) So, to say this was not used as an approach isn't correct. This approach was used in combination with their chosen approach. So yes, they did use this as a methodology, detailed, specific, and exact. 

2) To start at the very beginning, with Genesis. 

They say they did not adopt this approach - but in reality, they kind of did, just not with the Correspondence Course exactly. They used this approach with the Youth Bible Stories/Studies, leading the children through the tumultuous and violent Old Testament, punctuated with intensely graphic illustrations by Basil Wolverton, Church member and illustrator of MAD Magazine Fame. After a full childhood of indoctrination of the horrors of the wrath of God, the opening of the Earth, David, Samson, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Balaam, Rachel, Esau, Jacob, Rebekah, and others - finally, around 11 or 12 years of age, they received the lesson called "The Introduction to Jesus Christ". 

3) The New Testament. 

This is the method nearly every Christian Church has adopted - the foundation being Jesus Christ, the foundation of the Christian Church, the Gospel of Salvation, the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline Epistles, the writings of other Church leaders, and the symbolic and controversial Book of Revelation, and using this understanding to understand the books of the Old Testament, whose books pointed to and were a shadow of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament pointed to. This was the one method that was completely rejected as the approach for the Correspondence Course. 

4) To begin with the very present. 

The chosen method of how to study the Bible was number four - "the one we have adopted". Which, truly, is not "Bible Study" at all. 

This approach first and foremost was a "fear tactic" of speculation, inconsistencies, falsehoods, and irregularities. Below, you will see the text of how they rationalized their approach. 

To Begin with the Very Present

They begin by saying "the whole world seems suddenly to have erupted in chaos in physical violence".

Sadly, chaos and physical violence has been going on for millennia. Ignored are countless world wars, plagues, diseases, famines, pestilences, persecutions that have been far, far worse than the 20th century that Herbert lived in. It does not take a lot of research to look back and see generations and periods of time that make our current time look absolutely blissful. 

Remember, this was written in 1955. Just about everyone who read this in 1955 (assuming 18 or older) is extremely old or, frankly, dead. The intonation is the Bible would mean more to them as it's related to THEIR LIVES. Of course, things turned out very, very differently, as we all know. Besides some serious localized conflicts, diseases, and a wide range of social issues, the generations ahead of them in their prime of life (1955 -2005) were to be some of the most prosperous and bountiful years for many of the readers in many years. What Herbert Armstrong indoctrinated them with, on the other hand, was a fear and paranoia of the future which was doomed to imminent and total annihilation at virtually any time, within the next three to five years on a constant, ever-moving, but never-reaching timetable. 

Instead of studying the Bible, with the foundation being Jesus Christ, the foundation was fear. The foundation was prophecy - most of which was completely incorrect. The foundation was British Israelism, which, again, has been proven (through DNA and genetic analysis) as completely incorrect. The foundation was based completely on Herbert's worldview through HIS eyes - through HIS life - conveyed and transmitted to others through this course. 

Quotes That Immediately Followed This Text: (Said to a 1955 Audience.) 

"YOU LIVE IN A WORLD OF CHAOS" (we still do, we always have.)

"Mass Destruction of the Earth's Inhabitants Appears Imminent" (FALSE). 

"The Outlook Grows More Serious" (WE'RE HERE.) 

"This World's Civilization Has Come to a Crisis!" (WE'RE HERE)

"It is Time to Be Concerned" (ALL of those who read this were able to live out their lives without Armageddon.) 

"You will Learn The Only Way To Avoid the Dire Events Shortly To Fall." (They Didn't.) 

"In our Generation the Entire Earth is Endangered" (We're Still Here). 

"The World's Population Can Be Wiped Out in a Few Hours". (It Wasn't.) 

"This World is CRASHING to it's DOOM!" (We're Still Here.) 

Lesson One said the Following in BOLD LETTERS. (Remember the Psychological Condition Herbert taught)

WHAT would HAPPEN if HE WERE NOT TO RETURN (Fear Inducing) 

NO SOUL would be SAVED ALIVE (Panic Inducing)

SUICIDAL ATTEMPTS (Negative Thought, Fear Inducing) 

CUT SHORT (Cresendo, Emphasis)

TIME OF TROUBLE (Fear Inducing) 

ONE CLIMACTIC PERIOD 

MODERN SCIENTIFIC WARFARE (Fear Inducing) 

HYDROGEN BOMBS, ROCKETS, GASES (Panic Inducing) 

MASS MURDER (Fear-Inducing) 

DESCRIBING WAR WEAPONS OF OUR DAY (Panic Inducing) 

FORCE OF THE EVIL NATURE (Negative Thought, Fear Inducing) 

Does MANKIND REALLY KNOW THE WAY TO PEACE (Doubt Inducing) 

WITHOUT HEEDING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN (Fear Inducing) 

The first lesson of the AC Correspondence Course was designed to make you afraid, to fear, to panic - and if you believed what was written, to try to escape what was said to about to happen. The problem? Nothing like this happened in their lifetimes. 

Another thing to mention: In this one lesson, the order of scriptures were all over the place without context: 

Matthew, Mark, Jeremiah, James, Luke, Proverbs, Romans, Isaiah, 1 Corinthians, II Timothy, II Peter, James, Micah, Isaiah. (Cherry-picking/proof-texting/find scriptures that fit what we're saying). 

Some may say I'm giving HWA too much credit for this methodology. Intentional, or unintentional - he knew what he was doing. Herbert Armstrong made a choice to use fear and worry - unfounded fear and worry - a psychological manipulation of mind conditioning to use the world at that time as the foundation of interpreting the whole entirety of scripture. That was the trap - a trap many in the splinters are still trying to use today. 

Finally, let me reiterate that this was written in 1955. History and time has proven everything written here was false. The predictions were incorrect. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not the foundation. Fear, panic, worry, and doubt - and money - were the foundation. This was intentional manipulation. This was spiritual extortion. This was a SCAM, plain and simple. This is 2018. My hope is people will not fall for the trickery any longer. 

submitted by SHT

42 Months Till Tribulation Begins at End of 2019..or 2020...or 2021...or 2022, or Whenever.

It is that time of the month again and our resident Chief Pharisee James Malm is making another absurd prediction as to when the tribulation will start.  As usual, the couch potato waffles his dates, but rest assured he is 100% correct!  It is all guaranteed to go down at the end of 2019 or maybe 2020.  As usual, Pharisee Malm is pretending to be a prophet to the Church of God and is still unable to predict the date of all hell breaking loose.

Unable or unwilling to hold down a real job where he has to actually work, the Pharisee sits at home all day writing his version of church history, creating his own doctrines and working overtime in reading any news he thinks will support his erroneous expectations for his prophecies.

He naively thinks his imagined great understanding is so superfantabulous that he is influencing the United Church of God and the Living Church of God into examining their doctrines and will have an influence on them to teaching his flawed interpretations.

I can guarantee you the end of 2020 will be here and the deluded Pharisee will be predicting some other future date because his god was not yet ready to come.  Pharisee Malm is just another liar in the midst of the COG wasteland.

At this time all events are lining up for the 42 month great tribulation to begin at the end of 2019, or if things go slowly at the end of 2020.  

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to call an election with a polling date in late May.  The logic is that there will soon be a general war and he can use the Independence Day festivities to celebrate the defeat of Israel’s enemies and generate an election result giving him a strong mandate to control the Trump Middle East Peace Process.  

This year the Israeli Independence Day by the modern Rabbinic Calendar is May 9 2019 or by the internationally used Papal Calendar May 14th.  President Trump has agreed to withhold his Peace Initiative until a new government is formed after the elections.  

If Bibi gets his way there will be war in early 2019 followed by elections in late May or June. 

Once the confusion of war has settled and new governments have been set up, the Trump Peace Initiative will be unveiled.  US and International officials have been working very hard consulting parties throughout the entire region to put together a peace deal.  This deal is actually a completed basic peace deal which would be put in place with more advanced issues to be discussed according to a rigid time table.   Whether the miracle worker is set up in the Vatican in late 2019 and the tribulation begins at the end of the year or takes another year will depend on God’s will.  

While acknowledging that things could go slowly and take another year, I have no choice except to do everything possible to prepare the brethren in case this does indeed come in 2019. 

The Chief Pharisee imagines his "work" as being able to prepare the way for the two witless witnesses to go forth into Jerusalem and preach his message. Ultimately though, Pharisee Malm has another motive in mind.  Since he has no desire to work a real job, he, like so many other COG fools that have set themselves up to have gullible followers fund their useless and unrewarding lives.

At that point, Spring Festivals and doctrinal material along with Proverbs and the New Testament will commence and continue through the Fall Feast in order to provide solid doctrine and spiritual meat for the brethren in preparation for the advent of the miracle worker, God’s two servants and the decision to stay or leave.  Preparing the brethren for these things is the purpose and reason for the existence of  this work.

Please support this work to publish sound doctrine and warn the brethren with your prayers and offerings.  11/25/18 entry

Herbert Armstrong's Mind Conditioning Technique That Roped In the People

Today, I want to write a short bit into the Methodology that Herbert Armstrong used to brainwash - yes, brainwash - those who subscribed to the Ambassador College Correspondence Course into the way he was thinking. This will help for you to see how he did what he did, and how he conditioned the mind to accept his theology. 

The text below is from the Ambassador College Correspondence Course, lesson 2, from 1955. Let's take a look. 

Rewriting The Mind

Perhaps the most important thing that Herbert used was mind conditioning. He did this by causing you to rewire the mind to focus only on what he wanted you to focus on. By using specific, cherry-picked scriptures without context or background, he would ingrain the particular scripture he wanted you to look at into your mind. He would have you focus only on those particular scriptures - to read them, to re-read them, again, and again. This technique literally "burns" the scriptures that Herbert deemed important into your mind. 

Herbert admits that this technique is "intended to show you where to look" - to "help" you to "know" how to study the Bible. This focus on particular scriptures - called "cherry picking" - is used to bolster his way of belief and to support his doctrines. Notice that there is little in the way, if any, context whatsoever to the scriptures. Take a scripture, explain it the way you see it, and then have the individual re-read it, and re-read it over and over again, and then - importantly - writing it down. 

The principle here is to literally rewire your brain to accept the conclusions that Herbert Armstrong came to, by focusing on individual scriptures and not the context of the scripture, the chapter, the book, the timing, or anything at all. This, again is "mind conditioning", used to distort and change the true meaning of the scriptures which can be only understood by proper context and understanding of the entire message written. 

Writing It Down

Herbert said the writing is "EXTREMELY NECESSARY". This is also why note-taking in church services was emphasized so greatly. When you hear or read - AND you write - it ingrains it into your brain. 

From an article at Forbes.com, it says this: 

Writing things down happens on two levels: external storage and encoding. External storage is easy to explain: you’re storing the information contained in your goal in a location (e.g. a piece of paper) that is very easy to access and review at any time. You could post that paper in your office, on your refrigerator, etc. It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know you will remember something much better if you’re staring at a visual cue (aka reminder) every single day.

But there’s another deeper phenomenon happening: encoding. Encoding is the biological process by which the things we perceive travel to our brain’s hippocampus where they’re analyzed. From there, decisions are made about what gets stored in our long-term memory and, in turn, what gets discarded. Writing improves that encoding process. In other words, when you write it down it has a much greater chance of being remembered.

This technique was understood by Herbert as an advertiser. He knew that when we write it down it "encodes" into our long-term memory. From day one, from the Correspondence Courses to sermons - what would we write down? Individual scriptures - and sometimes, the pastor's explanation. This method of brain-washing, or mind-conditioning, caused us, in combination with other tactics, to accept one scripture and one explanation over context and correct biblical literacy. 

Half an Hour a Day

Herbert understood it wasn't just writing a scripture down and the explanation and stopping - he made sure it GOT INTO YOUR HEAD, by causing you to study his chosen scriptures with his personal explanation - and reread it - and write it - at LEAST half an hour a day. This combination of encoding and time will rewrite anyone's mind if they are open to it. And anyone who listened to Herbert Armstrong was well aware he was using the power of his authoritative voice to believe what he was saying. The more you read, wrote, and read and wrote again, the more you began to accept his beliefs as true beliefs. Again, completely ignoring other scriptures and context. 

Emphasis on Large-Type Words

Have you ever wondered why in the world Herbert Armstrong always typed in Large Type words? He was using advertising techniques. On this vein, check out the 20 most effective words in sales and see how Herbert implemented some of these. Read this article on creative print advertising to see techniques Herbert used as well. 

Yet Herbert admits here - in plain language - exactly why he uses bold, capital letters in his material, such as the Ambassador College Correspondence Course. HE says "pay no attention to the small type", but read the large type words. This is the method to read all of his literature to get to the core of what Herbert wanted you to get in your head - all of the Co-Worker letters, the Personals, the Pastor Generals - all of it - ignore the small type and read the large type to get what he wanted into your head. This is how he subliminally got to people, using the power of printed text. This was another aspect of mind conditioning he used to brainwash his people. This is how I have come to see exactly how Herbert was thinking, and coming to conclusions about his entire empire and mindset while reading his material. He knew exactly what he was doing. He also knew you'd forget in time this technique, but it would be in your head subconsciously. In short, he was training you how to read his material the way he wanted you to to get the results he wanted. 

Other certain splinter leaders continue to use this technique to brain-wash their followers as well. 

What was not used in this method? Context and Questions. This was classic: Here's a scripture. This is what the scripture says. Write it down. This is what it means. Next scripture. Rinse, and repeat. This was how they "proved" their doctrines. This is how they "proved" their understandings. People bought this for one reason: They were subliminally conditioned. 

I will write next time about the methodology he used as to "where to start" reading the Bible, and why he chose that particular method. It has to do with one word: Fear.

submitted by SHT