Post-WCG Life and Theology ARCHIVES

I think Armstrongism could be summarized by listing the 10 major areas of theology and his particular twisted views on each of them:
1. Theology of Armstrongism - God a "family" not limited to Father and Son (orthodoxy teaches one God; Father, Son & Holy Spirit)
2. Christology of Armstrongism - Jesus "qualified" to become ruler (orthodoxy teaches he was already God made flesh and so did not need to qualify)
3. Pneumatology of Armstrongism - Holy Spirit is a "force" not God (orthodoxy teaches God is Spirit, God is Holy, God is Holy Spirit)
4. Angelology of Armstrongism - close to orthodox
5. Anthropology of Armstrongism - saved humans to become God (orthodoxy teaches saved humans are to live in eternity with God)
6. Hamartiology of Armstrongism - sin refers to small narrow selection from the OT laws (orthodoxy teaches sin is missing the mark, lawlessness)
7. Soteriology of Armstrongism - salvation by OT works and offered to most in a 100 year period (orthodox churches detail our election, calling, regeneration, conversion, union with Christ, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance and glorification in far greater depth than Armstrongism even considered)
8. Bibliology of Armstrongism - Bible a coded book unlocked only by Sabbath-keeping and British Israelism (orthodoxy teaches the Bible is understood by illumination of the Holy Spirit & British Israelism is a fairy tale)
9. Ecclesiology of Armstrongism - the Church at large is not of God, because they do not keep the OT Sabbath. Herbert claimed he was the only apostle for 1800 years and dictated a monarchial church government (orthodoxy teaches that the Church consists of all who have the Holy Spirit in them, not a fleshly observance of a physical day)
10. Eschatology of Armstrongism - post-tribulation, premillennial, literal 1000 years, Jesus returning in various years from 1940's to 1970's, well er "in our lifetime," key to prophecy is the fable of Anglo-Israelism (orthodoxy varies on this point, tho most believe the 1000 years is symbolic because apocryphal literature is a symbolic not a literal genre)

1. I am a mainline Protestant, believing in our freedom from authoritarian religion.
2. I am an Evangelical, believing in the Bible and the Gospel.
3. I am a theological liberal, believing that Christ's love ought to be spread liberally.
4. I am a post-evangelical, believing that the next move of the Holy Spirit is the right direction.
5. I am a fundamentalist, believing that what Christ taught ought to be the most important fundamentals of our faith.
6. I am a charismatic...believing that all of the gifts of the Spirit are for today, even though they are often faked.
7. I am a catholic (small c), believing in the universality of the church.
8. I am an orthodox (small o), believing that what the Holy Spirit has led the church to believe for 2,000 years is not to be flippantly dismissed by we who are Protestants.