“The Plain Truth” was the magazine of Herbert W
Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God. Headquartered in the Californian town of
Pasadena, Armstrong's group preached an eclectic message weaving together
several different strands of alt-Christianity (my term). Ideas derived from
Adventism, Mormonism and even British Israelism can be found in the
Armstrongite gospel.
This issue of “The Plain Truth” was published in 1984. It gives a curious impression. On the one hand, the magazine contains optimistic political articles. The main one deals with the transformation of China under Deng Xiaoping, something the editors clearly supported. There is also an interview with Swedish right-wing politician Per Unckel, in which he accuses the Social Democrats of making Sweden too socialist, while expressing the hope that the welfare state will be abolished within 15 years in favor of something better. Once again, the editors sympathize with this (normal neo-liberal) perspective. On the other hand, other articles have an apocalyptic tone, arguing (a bit like the Jehovah's Witnesses) that peace and world government can only come through the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the millennial kingdom…
I'm not entirely sure how Armstrong managed to weave *these* strands together!
The Worldwide Church of God also had a radio and TV broad cast, called “The World Tomorrow”. The magazine contains a long list of networks hosting it, including RJR at Jamaica's Montego Bay, CFDL at Deer Lake in Newfoundland, and a radio station in Harrisburg, USA (yes, *that* Harrisburg). Armstrong's strange new gospel was even heard at Radio Luxemburg!
Not sure how to rate this publication, simultaneously both boring and intriguing, but in the end, I will give it three stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment