White Paper: Proposals for Educating Young People in the United Church of God About Herbert W. Armstrong’s Importance to Church Beliefs and Practices

I will just leave this here in its entirety, without commentary, though I am highlighting some things. 

Crap, after highlighting things, I could find NO WHERE in this upcoming propaganda campaign any reference to teaching UCG youth about Jesus Christ and what it means to be a follower of him. Jesus gets the back burner once again.

What do you have to say about this?

White Paper: Proposals for Educating Young People in the United Church of God About Herbert W. Armstrong’s Importance to Church Beliefs and Practices

Posted on April 28, 2025 by nathanalbright

Authored by: Nathan Albright, Submitted for Consideration to Aaron Dean, Candidate for President of the United Church of God

Date: April 28, 2025

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Executive Summary

Herbert W. Armstrong, as the founder of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and a pivotal figure in the Church of God movement, played a transformative role in shaping the doctrines, practices, and global outreach of the church. His teachings, including the identity of the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the modern world, seventh-day Sabbath observance, and the emphasis on biblical prophecy, remain foundational to the United Church of God (UCG), an offshoot of the WCG established in 1995 to preserve Armstrong’s core doctrines. To prevent the emergence of “a generation that did not know” Armstrong’s contributions, as warned in the cyclical forgetting described in Judges 2:10, it is critical to educate young members of the UCG about his legacy. This white paper proposes actionable strategies for Aaron Dean, a candidate for UCG President who worked closely with Armstrong, to engage younger generations. These proposals leverage Dean’s personal experiences, modern educational tools, and community-based initiatives to ensure Armstrong’s significance is understood and appreciated.

Introduction

Herbert W. Armstrong (1892–1986) founded the Radio Church of God (later the Worldwide Church of God) in 1934, growing it into a global ministry through his radio and television program The World Tomorrow, the magazine The Plain Truth, and the establishment of Ambassador College. His teachings emphasized the restoration of biblical truths, including the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, Old Testament Holy Days, and the belief that Western European nations, particularly the United States and Britain, are descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. These doctrines, collectively referred to by critics as “Armstrongism,” form the theological backbone of the UCG, which was founded to maintain Armstrong’s teachings after the WCG’s doctrinal shifts in the 1990s.

Aaron Dean, having worked closely with Armstrong during his youth, is uniquely positioned to convey the historical and spiritual significance of Armstrong’s work. The biblical warning in Judges 2:10–11, where a new generation “did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel” and “did what was evil,” underscores the urgency of educating young UCG members. This white paper outlines five key proposals to integrate Armstrong’s legacy into the education and spiritual development of UCG youth, ensuring his contributions remain a living part of the church’s identity.

Proposals for Educating Young People

1. Develop an Interactive Digital Curriculum: “Herbert W. Armstrong’s Legacy”
   • Objective: Create an engaging, age-appropriate online course to teach UCG youth (ages 10–25) about Armstrong’s life, teachings, and impact.
   • Implementation:
     • Partner with UCG’s Media and Communications Services to design a modular curriculum hosted on the UCG website or a dedicated app.
     • Include short videos featuring Aaron Dean sharing personal anecdotes about Armstrong’s dedication, work ethic, and vision for the church.
     • Cover key topics such as:
       • Armstrong’s early life and calling (e.g., his transition from advertising to ministry after intensive Bible study).
       • The growth of The World Tomorrow and The Plain Truth, which reached millions globally.
       • Core doctrines (Sabbath, Holy Days, identity of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and prophecy) and their biblical basis.
     • Use interactive elements like quizzes, virtual tours of Ambassador College’s history, and discussion prompts for youth groups.
     • Offer a certificate of completion to encourage participation, tied to youth camp or festival credits.
   • Rationale: Digital platforms are effective for engaging tech-savvy youth. Dean’s personal stories add authenticity, while interactive features foster retention. A 2023 Pew Research study noted that 80% of teens prefer multimedia learning, supporting this approach.
   • Timeline: Develop and launch within 12 months, with pilot testing at UCG youth camps in 2026.
   • Budget: $50,000 for content creation, platform development, and promotion.
2. Establish an Annual “Herbert W. Armstrong Heritage Day”
   • Objective: Create a church-wide event to celebrate Armstrong’s contributions, fostering community engagement and historical awareness.
   • Implementation:
     • Designate January 16 (the anniversary of Armstrong’s death in 1986) as Heritage Day, held during Sabbath services.
     • Organize activities such as:
       • A keynote sermon by Aaron Dean or other elders who knew Armstrong, highlighting his role in restoring biblical truths.
       • Youth-led skits or presentations reenacting key moments, like Armstrong’s first radio broadcast in 1934.
       • A “Legacy Fair” where youth explore exhibits on Armstrong’s writings, media, and global outreach (e.g., his meetings with world leaders).
     • Encourage congregations to host essay or video contests for teens, with themes like “How Armstrong’s Teachings Shape My Faith.”
     • Distribute a commemorative booklet summarizing Armstrong’s life and UCG’s commitment to his doctrines.
   • Rationale: Annual events create lasting traditions, and youth participation fosters ownership. The Philadelphia Church of God’s similar efforts to honor Armstrong have strengthened member loyalty.
   • Timeline: Plan for January 16, 2026, with preparatory materials distributed by Fall 2025.
   • Budget: $20,000 for materials, contest prizes, and congregational support.
3. Incorporate Armstrong’s Teachings into UCG Youth Camps and Bible Study Programs
   • Objective: Embed Armstrong’s legacy into existing youth programs to ensure consistent exposure.
   • Implementation:
     • Revise UCG youth camp curricula to include daily 15-minute sessions on Armstrong’s contributions, led by camp counselors trained by Aaron Dean.
     • Use Armstrong’s writings, such as The United States and Britain in Prophecy or Mystery of the Ages, as discussion starters, focusing on their relevance to modern prophecy.
     • Integrate Armstrong’s emphasis on biblical obedience (e.g., Sabbath-keeping, tithing) into practical workshops, showing how these practices stem from his teachings.
     • Develop a teen Bible study guide, “Following in Armstrong’s Footsteps,” with weekly lessons linking his doctrines to scripture.
   • Rationale: Youth camps and Bible studies are formative for UCG teens, with over 500 participants annually. Embedding Armstrong’s legacy here ensures broad reach and spiritual connection.
   • Timeline: Implement at 2026 summer camps and roll out study guides by Spring 2026.
   • Budget: $15,000 for curriculum development and counselor training.
4. Launch a Mentorship Program: “Ambassadors for Armstrong’s Vision”
   • Objective: Pair young members with elders who knew Armstrong to share firsthand insights and foster intergenerational bonds.
   • Implementation:
     • Create a voluntary program where teens (ages 14–18) are mentored by elders, including Aaron Dean and others who worked with Armstrong.
     • Mentors share personal stories, such as Armstrong’s commitment to preaching the gospel globally, and guide mentees in studying his key booklets.
     • Host quarterly virtual or in-person “Legacy Talks” where mentors and mentees discuss Armstrong’s impact on their faith.
     • Encourage mentees to lead a congregational project (e.g., a sermonette or community outreach) inspired by Armstrong’s example of service.
   • Rationale: Personal mentorship builds trust and makes history relatable. A 2024 study by Barna Group found that 65% of Gen Z values one-on-one spiritual guidance.
   • Timeline: Pilot in select congregations by Fall 2025, with full rollout by 2027.
   • Budget: $10,000 for program coordination and virtual platform costs.
5. Create a Multimedia Archive and Podcast Series: “Armstrong’s Enduring Voice”
   • Objective: Make Armstrong’s sermons, broadcasts, and writings accessible to youth through modern media.
   • Implementation:
     • Digitize and curate a UCG online archive of Armstrong’s The World Tomorrowepisodes, Plain Truth articles, and books, with youth-friendly summaries.
     • Launch a monthly podcast hosted by Aaron Dean, featuring discussions on Armstrong’s teachings, their biblical roots, and their relevance today (e.g., prophecy in 2025 geopolitics).
     • Include youth voices in the podcast, such as interviews with teens who apply Armstrong’s principles (e.g., Sabbath-keeping in school).
     • Promote the archive and podcast via UCG’s social media, targeting platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where 70% of teens are active (Pew Research, 2024).
   • Rationale: Multimedia archives preserve Armstrong’s voice, while podcasts engage youth in a popular format. The Restored Church of God’s similar efforts have boosted engagement among younger members.
   • Timeline: Launch archive by Summer 2026 and podcast by Fall 2026.
   • Budget: $30,000 for digitization, podcast production, and marketing.

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Addressing Potential Challenges

• Skepticism About Armstrong’s Legacy: Some youth may view Armstrong’s teachings, like British Israelism, as outdated or controversial due to modern genetic research debunking it. Emphasize the spiritual intent of his teachings (e.g., understanding prophecy) and Dean’s personal testimony to bridge generational gaps.
• Overemphasis on Armstrong: Critics within UCG argue that focusing on Armstrong risks venerating a man over scripture. Ensure all materials frame Armstrong as a servant of God, not the source of truth, with clear scriptural grounding.
• Resource Constraints: Limited budgets and volunteer time may hinder implementation. Prioritize low-cost initiatives like the mentorship program and leverage existing platforms like UCG’s website to minimize expenses.
• Engaging Diverse Youth: Urban and international youth may feel disconnected from Armstrong’s Western-focused teachings. Tailor content to highlight universal principles (e.g., Sabbath rest, God’s plan for humanity) and include diverse voices in podcasts and events.

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Expected Outcomes

• Increased Awareness: Within three years, 80% of UCG youth (ages 10–25) will demonstrate basic knowledge of Armstrong’s contributions, measured via surveys at youth camps.
• Stronger Identity: Youth will articulate how Armstrong’s teachings shape UCG’s distinct identity, fostering commitment to the church’s mission.
• Intergenerational Unity: Programs like mentorship and Heritage Day will bridge gaps between older members who knew Armstrong and younger ones, strengthening church cohesion.
• Preservation of Doctrine: By embedding Armstrong’s legacy in education, UCG ensures its core beliefs endure, countering the doctrinal drift seen in the WCG post-1986.

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Conclusion

Herbert W. Armstrong’s role in restoring biblical truths and building the Worldwide Church of God is central to the United Church of God’s identity. Aaron Dean, with his firsthand experience, can lead efforts to educate young members, ensuring Armstrong’s legacy inspires future generations. The proposed digital curriculum, Heritage Day, youth camp integration, mentorship program, and multimedia archive offer a comprehensive approach to engage youth meaningfully. By implementing these initiatives, UCG can avoid the cycle of forgetting described in Judges, raising a generation that knows and values Armstrong’s contributions to its faith and practices.

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Recommendations for Immediate Action

1. Form a task force by June 2025, including Aaron Dean, youth leaders, and media experts, to prioritize and pilot the digital curriculum and Heritage Day.
2. Allocate $125,000 in the 2026 UCG budget for these initiatives, with phased implementation to manage costs.
3. Engage youth feedback via focus groups at the 2025 Feast of Tabernacles to refine content and ensure relevance.

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References

• United Church of God. (2025). Official website and doctrinal statements.
• Pew Research Center. (2023). Teens and Technology.
• Barna Group. (2024). Gen Z and Faith.

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This white paper provides a roadmap for Aaron Dean to educate UCG youth about Herbert W. Armstrong, ensuring his legacy endures in a way that resonates with the next generation.

Is United Church of God A Radical Departure From WCG Culture?

The following was posted on a UCG-related website, Edge Induced Cohesion. This is the biggest case of gaslighting I have ever seen on how special the departure of the United Church of God was when they left WCG. 

This all stems from an effort underway in the United Church of God to educate its youth about Herbert Armstrong, who he was, and what he taught. This will be presented in a separate post.

Gearing up for the GCE this weekend, I designed a booklet that will be distributed to all the elders in attendance with several dozen comments submitted by elders who were there in 1995—for both the May Indianapolis conference + the December GCE in Cincinnati—reminiscing on those events and what happened, as well as advice they would want all to take forward from here. I came away all-together re-energized about UCG in light of reading those experiences. What they did was profound. It was not like the Anglican Church deciding “we don’t like the Pope,” and creating their own church in every way almost exactly like Catholicism, except with the King as Pope. It was a revolutionary leap to create something that by design attempts to foster mutual respect and mutual deference among elders, and a major, radical departure from the WCG culture that preceded it. There is no pastor general; there is no hierarchy of ministry who are discouraged from socializing with those beneath their station. The titles are all corporate, save the Council of Elders. The incentives of UCG’s structure are for collaboration and a spirit of working together in good faith. In his written remarks, one minister expressed an astute observation that’s been rolling around my mind ever since: Unlike every other splinter group, UCG was not formed by a minister taking his following and starting his own thing; it was a collaborative effort of men and women in humility wanting to work together in mutual deference. Denny Luker famously denounced the former approach in a passionate, impromptu speech in Indianapolis, and it was a turning point for the organization to take roots. 

Those who have failed to internalize these lessons are those who have split off when they don’t get their way.

That is a pretty big hypocritical brush to label COGWA! 

Remembering history can be important, for many reasons. One is to understand the context within which your current circumstances came to be. Another is to learn from the wins and mistakes of those who came before. Theologically speaking it is good to know how in previous times, certain beliefs reigned and to understand why—whether correct or incorrect—so that you can try and stay grounded in Scripture when the winds of culture come blowing through the congregation. It’s better to be exposed to things in the past by a sympathetic voice first, than to hear it about from a hater who selectively quotes only the worst to scramble your faith—but only if the sympathetic voice is honest and unafraid to wrestle with the really tough questions. Only two ministers I’ve ever asked the question, “Did Mr Armstrong rape his daughter?” have been able to honestly talk about that uncomfortable question—and those two both, in so many words, expressed that while they felt the evidence stacked against that accusation, they ultimately couldn’t know for sure—but that it is their faith in Jesus Christ as the perfect head of the Church that drives their identity and energy as a minister. 

 

The lesson of your Scripture in Judges is that they forgot the LORD. There is no corollary for forgetting Mr Armstrong based on that Scripture. I could never imagine any New Testament author even in their weakest moments hoping that future generations would remember them. Not based on their writings, anyway, which exclusively point to Jesus Christ. Heck, I’ll bet Mr Armstrong himself would hate the thought of it, too. 

 

I think it’s good to talk to those who knew Mr Armstrong and saw incredible things happen in the Church of God because of him. I also think it’s good to read his book for all sorts of reasons, not least of which is to understand how culture can easily create false biblical interpretation (e.g. interracial marriage is wrong based on Noah’s perfect ancestry). Read The Plain Truth‘s from the ’40s about how Hitler was in Argentina; or the 50s/60s about how desegregation was a communist plot to weaken America. As I said, it’s better to hear from a sympathetic voice first, and to read something for yourself, to have a context within which to place the stories of people whose parents were forced to divorce because of bad biblical interpretation, or whose family members died because it was explicitly taught at that time that to seek medical attention was a sign of no faith. Only someone around at that time can contextualize that for you, and most will not excuse it, but they can at least wrestle with it alongside you (at least the honest ones).

Unfortunately, the WCG culture that was created by Mr Armstrong (and around him) leaves such a negative legacy, and all COG’s desperately need to shake off much of it. 

Yet, none of them ever do. They dig their heels in and praise him up one side and down the other. 

So I will count myself as an internal critic inside UCG against this idea. Take every proposal for implementation you list (which are all excellent and well-considered), but focus instead on how: “Jesus Christ’s leadership of His Church and work building His Kingdom is central to the United Church of God’s identity,” and how UCG leadership “can lead efforts to educate young members, ensuring Jesus’s legacy inspires future generations.”

LCG Looking To Have Doors Opened So That They Can Be "The Watchman"

 

One of the impediments of being an illegitimately ordained Church of God prophet like Bob Thiel is that he no longer has any legitimate claim to being a Watchman to the world, as he has in the past. Now he has to surrender that job to the Living Church of God. The very church that has refused to listen to him! I had better get out my umbrella because the spittle is going to be flying once again here in CA.

Why do the Churches of God all feel they have a need to be a Watchman? There is no COG today that is doing anything that bears a witness to the world like they think the old defunct Mother church did. 

Even the Worldwide Church of God never was a watchman because they could only talk about some angry god itching to spank the world or about that creepy "strong hand from someplace". Even with a supposed 8 million  Plain Truth subscribers, no real witness went to the world. No one remembers who the church was and the world has no idea who Herbert Armstrong was.

Yet, here we are with Living Church of God waiting for doors to open so their message can warn the world. Been there, heard that, done that.

The Church as a Watchman: Throughout history, God has used His servants to warn His people of coming events. Moses warned the Israelites that disobedience to His laws would bring punishments (Leviticus 26:15–39). Isaiah was told to tell God’s people their sins (Isaiah 58:1). Jeremiah warned the Israelites “you have forsaken the Lord…. Your own wickedness will correct you” (Jeremiah 2:17–19). Hosea’s message was that “they sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind…. Israel has forgotten his Maker” (Hosea 8:7, 14). Ezekiel was commissioned to be a watchman to the house of Israel and told he would be accountable for delivering God’s warning to them (Ezekiel 3:17–19). In Ezekiel’s day, the Israelites had already gone into captivity, which means that Ezekiel’s message must be delivered to modern Israelite nations today. Let’s pray that God will open doors to enable His Church to deliver that warning and that we stay focused on that mission.

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail