Flurry's Open Letter to the ACOGs

Gerald Flurry's Philadelphia Church of God gets my vote for most delusional of the ACOGs - and there isn't even a close second! In my humble opinion, Gerald's slavish devotion to the memory of Herbert Armstrong, along with his attempts to imitate all aspects of "the work" that Herbie founded (including the Worldwide Church of God, The Plain Truth Magazine, Ambassador College, Ambassador International Cultural Foundation, etc.) put him in the "bat sh-t crazy" category! For me, this opinion was recently reinforced by his An Open Letter to the Churches of God.

The letter's opening tells the story about what follows: "Herbert W. Armstrong was part of something great. He led the Worldwide Church of God, which was a work of miracles. Do you remember that glorious history? Too many of God’s people don’t. God challenges us to always keep the big picture."

Hmmmm, I remember that history well, but I do NOT remember it being "glorious." Indeed, from my perspective, I remember a manipulative, corrupt, and authoritarian regime which pedaled a plagiarized, heretical theology and squandered the contributions of members and coworkers. I remember a narcissistic old conman and his adulterous son with a tremendous gift for oratory. I remember an organization which immersed itself in the Old Testament and Headline Theology. That's what I remember!

Mr. Flurry remembers things very differently. According to him: "Over Mr. Armstrong’s 55 years in Jesus Christ’s ministry, the work blossomed. It started with nothing and grew into a huge, Spirit-led work that spread God’s beautiful truth across the world." In other words, Mr. Flurry measures success by numbers (income, circulation, influence, etc.). I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like prosperity theology to me! He continued: "Do you remember that history? God put our tithes and offerings to magnificent use, and we were happy to be part of such a noble cause." Indeed, Flurry still believes that things like private jets and Steuben Crystal are a "magnificent use" of church folk's tithes and offerings!

What about you? Do you remember that history? In the words of Gerald Flurry, "Do you remember that glorious history?" Was God responsible for all of that "success" or was it a warped and twisted old man and his minions? Was God responsible for 1972/1975 in Prophecy? Was God responsible for the thoroughly discredited and racist teaching of Anglo-Israelism? Was God responsible for Stanley Rader? Was God responsible for Gerald Waterhouse? Was God responsible for GTA's shenanigans or his catastrophic fall from grace? Was God responsible for the State of California's intervention in Church affairs or the Mike Wallace expose on 60 Minutes? Was God responsible for Joseph Tkach's rise to power and overhaul of doctrine? Was God responsible for the collapse and splintering of the Worldwide Church of God? Was God responsible for all of those ruined marriages, deaths from not seeking medical attention, and abused spouses and children? If not, what exactly should we attribute to Herbert Armstrong?

Flurry finished his "Open Letter" by recounting all of the great "accomplishments" of his own Philadelphia Church of God. He lists the Philadelphia Trumpet magazine, Key of David television program, Armstrong Auditorium ("with its Swarovski Strass® crystal-trimmed chandeliers, Baccarat crystal candelabra, Spanish marble, Azerbaijani onyx and world-class acoustics, is one of the finest performing arts venues in the world."), Armstrong College, and Armstrong International Cultural Foundation as the key achievements of him and his church. Really? Nevertheless, Flurry considers his greatest contribution to the church the new "truth" which he has introduced through his own booklets and pamphlets. You know, I think he may be right. The same god who inspired Herbert Armstrong continues to work through Gerald Flurry in 2025! What do you think?

Camelot? or NOT?