Story of the Worldwide Church of God

[Guest]

I think there are many similarities between the WWCoG (before their transformation) and the Jehovahs’Witnesses. Here are a few that come to mind:

Both were founded by energetic, charismatic men (Herbert W. Armstrong, Charles Taze Russell) who lacked formal Biblical or theological education.
Both founders developed "unusual" doctrines as a result of their study of scripture.
Both churches leveraged print media very successfully to propagate their teachings.
Both were very critical of traditional Christianity.
Both claimed to have discovered Biblical teachings that had been lost to the church.
Both had a strong “end times” emphasis and believed themselves to be God's representative in the Last Days.
Both denied the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
Both denied the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Both were very legalistic.
Both are generally regarded by traditional Christians as heretical cults.

[Guest]

I just wanted to share a personal experience I had back in 1983. I know it was 1983 because, as a grade 11 student (I think you refer to them as juniors in the US), I was no more than a few months old as a Christian and that's the year I became one.

I was riding on a public transit bus on my way to church. I noticed a Plain Truth magazine sitting on a seat and I started to read it (I had looked at them before a few times). I don't know about other cities but in our city these magazines were everywhere!!

Anyway, I remember reading an article titled "Why Christian's Shouldn't Smoke". As I was reading it I had an experience. It's hard to describe but I saw what I can best describe as an evil presence coming from the magazine. The presence was so strong that I couldn't look at the magazine and had to turn my head. I never read them again (obviously).

I reason that God was protecting a young ignnorant lamb at the time. After my first couple of years as a Christian I've had to learn eveything the hard way!!

Steve

[Guest]

I think there are many similarities between the WWCoG (before their transformation) and the Jehovahs’Witnesses. Here are a few that come to mind:

Both were founded by energetic, charismatic men (Herbert W. Armstrong, Charles Taze Russell) who lacked formal Biblical or theological education.
Both founders developed "unusual" doctrines as a result of their study of scripture.
Both churches leveraged print media very successfully to propagate their teachings.
Both were very critical of traditional Christianity.
Both claimed to have discovered Biblical teachings that had been lost to the church.
Both had a strong “end times” emphasis and believed themselves to be God's representative in the Last Days.
Both denied the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
Both denied the personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Both were very legalistic.
Both are generally regarded by traditional Christians as heretical cults.

I see a lot of parallels with the Seventh Day Adventists in this list. In fact, didn't the WWCG and JW's both spring from the SDA movement?

[Guest]

I wouldn't say they sprang from SDA, but they were both influenced by certain SDA doctrines.

[Guest]

I see a lot of parallels with the Seventh Day Adventists in this list. In fact, didn't the WWCG and JW's both spring from the SDA movement?

It was my understanding that the WWCG did (indirectly), but not the JWs. However, having looked up "Charles Taze Russell" in Wikepedia, I found that he was indeed influenced in 1870 by Johah Wendall, an Adventist.
His followers were known as "Bible Students", and Russell founded the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, and of course became president. Russel died in 1916, and one "Judge" Rutherford, became president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in 1917. The "Bible Students" separated from the Society in the same year. Rutherford coined the term "Jehovah's Witnesses" for the members of the Society. The "Bible Students" have continued to this day, and continue to follow Russel's teachings. They operate some websites in which they try to make clear that their teachings are different from that of JWs.

[Guest]

Hi, guys,

However, having looked up "Charles Taze Russell" in Wikepedia, I found that he was indeed influenced in 1870 by Johah Wendall, an Adventist.

In the pursuit of clarity, Jonas Wendell was an Adventist, but he may not have been a Seventh-Day Adventist. There were other Adventists in the 1800s.

BTW, did somebody mention in this forum that the Seventh-Day Adventists were at one time non-trinitarian? I'd be interested in leads to resources for that.

Thanks,
Emmet

P.S.: edited to correct spelling....

[Guest]

BTW, did somebody mention in this forum that the Seventh-Day Adventists were at one time non-trinitarian? I'd be interested in leads to resources for that.

Yes, Mort Coyle affirmed that. That Seventh-Day Adventists are now Trinitarian can be determined from their website. I have searched Ellen G. White's The Great Controversy which pretty well defines Seventh-Day Adventist doctrines, and could find no evidence that she did not believe in the Trinity.

[Guest]

I haven't referred to SDA's view on the Trinity, past or present.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say on the topic though:

During its history the Seventh-day Adventist movement has shifted from a semi-Arian [9] to an orthodox Trinitarian theology. Two of the church's principal founders, James White and Joseph Bates, had a background in the Christian Connection church, which rejects the Trinitarian nature of God. However, the teaching of Ellen White, regarded as an inspired prophet by Adventists, and who had received teaching in the Methodist church, proved influential in shifting the church towards Trinitarianism.[10]

The evolution towards Trinitarianism can be observed in the successive doctrinal statements of the church. The 1872 Declaration of the Fundamental Principles taught and practiced by the Seventh-Day Adventists[5] mentioned Father, Son and Holy Spirit but did not contain an explicit affirmation of the Trinity:

"That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal, infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; unchangeable, and everywhere present by his representative, the Holy Spirit.

That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom God created all things, and by whom they do consist...

By 1931 the Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-Day Adventists[6] included a Trinitarian statement:

That the Godhead, or Trinity, consists of the Eternal Father, a personal, spiritual Being, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite in wisdom and love; the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, through whom all things were created and through whom the salvation of the redeemed hosts will be accomplished; the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, the great regenerating power in the word of redemption.

The Seventh-day Adventist denomination formally adopted a Trinitarian position with their 1980 statement of Fundamental Beliefs [7]:

The Trinity: There is one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal Persons.

Despite the denomination having been officially Trinitarian for several decades, there remain small factions and individuals within the church who continue to argue that the authentic, historical Adventist position is semi-Arian.[11]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-da ... t_theology

[Guest]

I haven't referred to SDA's view on the Trinity, past or present.

Sorry, Mort. I checked and now see that it was the WWCoG to which you were referring.

[Guest]

No problem.