Thank God for the Easter Bunny

For decades, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) of Herbert W. Armstrong taught a curious message blending Adventism, Mormonism and British Israelism, while claiming to be the only true Christian church. After the death of Armstrong in 1986, his anointed successor Joseph Tkach, Sr began to gradually change the long-established theology of the WCG in the direction of standard evangelicalism or even mainline Protestantism.

"The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God" is written by J. Michael Feazell, the right hand man of both Tkach Sr and the current leader, Tkach Jr. Somewhat surprisingly, the book says very little about what actually happened when the WCG was "liberated" from Armstrongism. Most of it reads like a sermon, other parts sound like an internal manual for Church administrators with titles like "Strategies for sound body life" and "The path of renewal".

Feazell does make two interesting admissions. First, he reveals that there were a lot of intrigues and conspiracies going on at WCG headquarters in Pasadena during Armstrong's last years. Second, he confirms that the changes after the old man's death were rammed through by an authoritarian, central leadership - most members (interestingly enough) refused to accept the new course. Says Feazell: "To involve pastors and members of a cult in the planning and implementation of doctrinal changes that completely transforms the core assumptions and values of the cult is to destroy the process before it begins". He also writes: "If you take the pressure off, people will revert to their old ways. (...) If we were to stop teaching the changes right now and invite members to go back to the old doctrines, I am convinced that a certain percentage would do so". The book contains statistics showing a steep fall in membership and church attendance due to the doctrinal changes, especially the rejection of Sabbatarianism.

In general, however, Feazell simply sidesteps all the controversies. He says nothing about the (bizarre) court case between the reformed WCG and a splinter group, the Philadelphia Church of God. Instead, the author tells a few, admittedly disturbing, personal anecdotes. Thus, Feazell almost lost one of his children to pneumonia before deciding, at the last moment, that the WCG's prohibition of modern medicine is unbiblical. This is indeed a scary aspect of cultism. The Jehovah's Witnesses' ban on blood transfusions comes to mind.

On a funnier note, the author quotes C.S. Lewis' stories about Narnia to drive home a theological point about inclusive salvation, and exclaims: "Praise God for Fred Rogers and Santa Claus! Praise God for the Easter Bunny and chocolate eggs! Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Lord." Well, at least it sounds funny to an outsider - maybe Feazell is saying it with a straight face. (Armstrong opposed Christmas and Easter as "pagan". Fred Rogers is apparently a children's channel show host who once dressed as Santa Claus, which bewildered Feazell's kids.)

Believe it or not, but the pro-Armstrong and anti-Tkach book "Raising the ruins" by Stephen Flurry, a member of the Philadelphia Church of God, is actually much more interesting! See my extensive review of it elsewhere.

Feazell's surprisingly boring book only deserves two stars. But sure, thank God - or was it the God Family - for the Easter Bunny, LOL.