Splinter Groups Dismiss Leaders

Splinter Groups Dismiss Leaders

Founders of two splinter groups from the formerly heterodox Worldwide Church of God (WCG) have been booted by their own boards.

In December, the Church of God, International (CGI), of Tyler, Texas, revoked the ministerial credentials of Garner Ted Armstrong, who for 30 years was part of a WCG radio and TV saturation.

Armstrong created his own organization in 1978 after being excommunicated from the WCG by its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, his father.

The CGI board said it pulled Garner Ted Armstrong’s credentials in the wake of both a sexual harassment suit by a Tyler masseuse and the discovery that Armstrong had a five-year extramarital affair.

According to Bronson James, secretary of the CGI’s ministerial council, the organization “will continue to do the work of the church in a freer fashion than before, without a cult of personality” that had grown up around Armstrong. “It was painful to have to exercise biblical judgment” of Armstrong’s actions, he says, “but it was a wake-up call for all of us.”

Armstrong has started an “evangelistic association” in Flint, Texas, and has tried to rally support via mass mailings and an Internet-based campaign.

On January 20, in a separate development, the United Church of God (UCG) in Arcadia, California, fired its president, David Hulme. A former presenter on the WCG’s World Tomorrow television program, Hulme led a movement to start the UCG in 1995, winning an estimated 17,000 WCG members dissatisfied with the older church’s doctrinal shifts to orthodoxy (CT, June 16, 1997, p. 66). Hulme’s dismissal involved differences regarding a plan to move headquarters to Cincinnati.

Copyright © 1998 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

Catching Up with a Dream: Evangelicals and race 30 years after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cover Story

Catching Up with a Dream

Obituary: CT Editor Emeritus Lindsell

God on the Box

Evangelism: Groups Battle over Catholic Outreach

Nigeria: Church Leaders Refocus on Ethics

Obituary: Racial Reconciler Spencer Perkins

President Disillusions Christians

Do We Love Coke More Than Justice?

Christian Coalition Retrenches

Mexico: Words Against Weapons

Adventist Doctor Targets Smoking

Storm Disaster Galvanizes Church

Pro-Life Activist Ordered to Jail

Evangelicals Gain Legal Status

Government Recognition Demanded

Muslims Aim to End Televangelism

Drive-Through Church: Food for Soul

Mormon Church Suspends Construction

The Unfinished Mission to the 'Aucas'

News

News Briefs: March 02, 1998

The Burden of Spencer Perkins

Trucker’s Testimony

Editorial

Beware the Spotlight

Breaking the Black/White Stalemate

Still Wrestling with the Devil

Hospice Care Hijacked?

News

News Briefs: March 02, 1998

Jimmy Carter’s Lesson Plan

Adventures in Fasting

Comic Relief: Chocolate Theology

Should We Give Up on Government?

Dispatch from Lady Caroline: How Apin Akot Redeemed His Daughter

The Moral Minority

Sproul on the Will

Classic & Contemporary Excerpts from March 02, 1998

View issue

Our Latest

News

Conservative Anglicans Call for Archbishop to Repent Over Same-Sex Relationships Stance

As the issue continues to divide the Church of England, Justin Welby spoke on a popular podcast about how his views have “evolved.”

Go Slow and Repair Things

We’re facing huge problems in our culture—problems an election alone can’t solve. But by God’s grace, we can do the small, daily work of repair.

In a Polarized World, but Not of It 

On Election Day and beyond, conservative and liberal Christians can better understand each other and be ministers of reconciliation. 

Gen Z Is Turning Online for Spiritual Guidance

Where Ya From?

Navigating Cultural Identity with Danielle Marck

Danielle Marck shares the experiences that pivoted the direction of her life toward her callings from God.

News

Charlie Kirk Aims to Expand Turning Point USA to Evangelical Campuses

But not all Christian campuses have embraced the conservative group.

News

Sarah Jakes Roberts Evolves T. D. Jakes’s Women’s Conference

At a record-setting event this fall, 40,000 followers listened to her preach about spiritual breakthrough and surrender.

News

The Evangelical Voters Who Changed Their Minds

Amid a hyperpartisan electorate, a minority plan to vote differently than they did in 2016 and 2020.
Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube