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James Kieferdorf January 21, 2005 Dr. Frank Wright Dear Dr. Wright: I trust this finds you and your family well. May you have a blessed 2005. Please allow me just a few minutes of your time to express my concern regarding one of your board members. I am very concerned that Mr. David Cerullo is airing the program, Armor of God, on his television station, the Inspiration Network. I know that I am not alone in this concern. Armor of God is produced by the Church of God Jnternational (CGI), a church that was founded by the late Herbert W. Armstrong’s son, Garner Ted Armstrong. This fact is easily verified - see, for example, the enclosed page from the Church of God Timeline on the Internet. (Notice that Ronald Dart also appears on that page. Dart is the host of Born to Win, a radio program that, tragically, airs on many Christian radio stations!) This should sound an alarm to those familiar with Armstrongite doctrines. I wrote to Brother Cerullo about my concern and I was disheartened and disappointed in Brother Cerullo’s reply. It is enclosed. I wonder if Brother Cerullo took the time to really read my letter, as well as the documentation I sent him. My main concern is that the CGI’ s teachings deviate from Christian orthodoxy. You see, Dr. Wright, many young believers and those who have been in the faith a long time may get the impression that the Armor of God is an evangelical, orthodox ministry declaring historic biblical doctrines. It is not until one looks into the doctrinal teaching of the CGI that the real story is told. Often, the CGI presents their teachings so skillfully that the person is sold on these beliefs before he or she realizes it. Although Brother Cerullo enclosed a Statement of Position from the Armor of God, a comparison of the Statement of Position with the CGI’ s other writings prove it vague and even deceptive. Here is a list of some of the CGI’s teachings that differ from historic Christianity, but are in line with Armstrongism. 1) The CGI denies the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Their paper, "The Trinity - Fact or Fable," pages 6-8, says the following, ". . .considering the fact that the three-in-one concept is not taught in the Bible, but abounds in pagan religions, is it unreasonable to conclude that the doctrine of the trinity was borrowed from paganism?... Thus it is most likely that the concept of the trinity is thoroughly rooted in paganism.... The doctrine of the eternal trinity hides, distorts the glorious plan of God. It is most decidedly false doctrine, contrived to deceive people, preventing many from coming to an understanding of the incredibly wonderful, mind-staggering plan of God for mankind." It should be noted that this "mind-staggering plan of God for mankind" is Herbert W. Armstrong’s notion that man can become God. According to this false doctrine, if man can become God, God must not be limited to three Persons. In this same paper, speaking of Simon the Sorcerer from Acts 8, the CGI says, "Apparently, Simon went to Rome, where he dazzled the people with his sorcerous powers. In Rome, the ‘melting pot’ of pagan religions, Simon evidently became the ‘Peter’ (‘Pater or ‘Father’) of the Mystery Religion there, and ‘mingled’ the Christian concepts he had learned from Phillip and the apostles with pagan beliefs and concepts.. .it may well be that Simon, who was undoubtedly familiar with pagan triads, was the first ‘Christian’ trinitarian." These statements seem not to bother. Brother Cerullo or his program sales department, who investigated my claim. Personally, I find these statements concerning the blessed Trinity very offensive, disparaging, and unchristian. In a tape, "He Has Risen," the CGI speaker is discussing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and says that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in John 17:1-5. He then remarks, "There’s another slap to the Trinity." As I have already mentioned, the reason the CGI rejects the Trinity is the same reason Herbert W. Armstrong rejected the Trinity. Like Armstrong, the CGI teaches that man can become God. A closed Trinity would mean that man could not become God, so the Trinity must be rejected! It surely looks like they still want to remain true to one of Herbert W. Armstrong’s most notorious errors. 2) The CGI does not believe the lloiy Spirit is a Person in the Godhead. 3) The CGI does not believe in the immortality of the soul. 4) The CGI denies an eternal conscious hell, and teaches annihilationism. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cultic groups teach this same doctrine. 5) The CGI denies that the Christian goes into the presence of the Lord at death. The CGI makes this statement concerning Christians who accept the biblical doctrine of the afterlife: "What millions of Christians believe will happen when they die is also a delusion" ("Immortality, God’s Gift to the Saints," page 28). 6) The CGI denies that our Lord Jesus Christ died on a cross. They say that the Christian cross is pagan; Jesus died on a stake. 7) The CGI believes that people will have a chance for salvation after death. 8) The CGI follows the teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong that we cannot be born again in this life. They tell us that the Bible references to being born again are synonymous with the Resurrection. 9) The CGI teaches that Jesus was born again at His resurrection. One COT minister informed me, "Salvation is a process in which born again, new birth is referring to a literal change from human to divine, from flesh to spirit, at which time we become part of the God family." Thus, Jesus is the only one to have been born again at this time. I wonder, if Jesus had to be born again at His resurrection to become part of the God family, to what family did he belong before His resurrection? You may read this teaching on the "Born Again Jesus" on their website under literature, "Just What Do You Mean.. Born Again?" (http://www.cgi.org/booklets/bornagain.cfm) and in their printed article, ""The Trinity"- Fact or Fable?" pages 7-8. This latter article states: "Yes, truly converted Christians will be born" BORN INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD "at the return of Jesus Christ. Then, the God Family will be composed of not two, not three, but THOUSANDS of God Beings.... Soon, Jesus Christ will return in power. At that time, the earth will tremble before the most awesome event ever to occur in human history "THE BIRTH OF GODS!" 10) The CGI denies that believers will be resurrected in a body of flesh and bone. 11) The CGI denies the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. In my discussion with one minister from the CGI, he stated that Jesus rose spirit, but could assume a body of flesh and bone. This also can be shown from’their literature: The CGI’s website page that lists their Statement of
Beliefs (http://www.cgi.org/belief.cfm), under #22, states, "God’s
Son Jesus Christ has been changed back to spirit to live eternally
in the family of God." From "Just What Do You Mean..
Born Again?" The CGI teaches that after the resurrection, Jesus’ body was not flesh and bone, but "spirit body," which is immaterial with the capability of materialization during its appearances to men. Interestingly, the Jehovah’s Witnesses publications say the same thing. They teach the body of Jesus did not rise as flesh and bone, but spirit: "He materialized bodies of flesh and bone; for the occasion." "Jesus rose as a spirit person" (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1989, p. 335; You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1989, p. 172; The Kingdom is at Hand, 1944, p. 259). During my discussion with the CGI minister, I asked him, "If Jesus rose in a spirit body, and not flesh and bone, the body that was laid in the tomb, what happened to Jesus’ body?" His answer was, "The Bible doesn’t tell us." Wow, what a frightening statement! I told him that the Church of God International and the Jehovah’s Witnesses were in agreement on the Resurrection. He agreed with me saying we have a lot in common in our doctrinal position. At least the Jehovah’s Witnesses tell you what they think happened to the body of Jesus. "God disposed of that body, removed His body" (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1989, p. 217; You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth, 1989, p. 144). Unlike the CGI and Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian church does not believe that Jesus rose as spirit. The Christian church affirms that Christ glorified His flesh. The view that Christ’s raised body is a body of flesh and bone has been the stated position of orthodoxy for these twenty-one centuries of Christian history. 12) The CGI believes that Jesus Christ divested His deity. This is discussed in the tape, "He Has Risen." Also page 2 of "Just What Do You Mean, Born Again?" states, "When Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, He was once again, very God!" No Scripture is given for this statement, but I believe this is a reference to Philippians 2:6-7. Could this, again, be the same doctrine that Herbert W. Armstrong taught. Armstrong taught that Christ came to earth as a "mortal human." Another writer who is now with another splinter group of Armstrong stated, "Although Jesus was equal with God, and had been very God, he emptied himself..." (Tomorrow’s World, December 1971, Roderick C. Meredith, "Seven Keys to Mental Mastery," page 40). Notice the past tense "had been very God." 13) The CGI’s official newspaper, The International News,
has this to say of those Christians who worship our Lord on Sunday:
"What could be more cunning and diabolical than for Satan
to deceive men into worshiping his own image, disguised as Christ?
He often masquerades in a false ‘Christian garb’ and
has deceived men into worshiping him on his day, the first day
of the week, which we, call Sun-day" 14) The CGI states the following concerning the seventh-day Sabbath: "The observance of the Sabbath is basic to a Christian’s relationship with God" (Statement of Beliefs, number 23, http://www.cgi.org/belief.cfin). I wonder about the millions of Christians who do not worship Christ on Saturday. Is their relationship with God any less honoring or fruitful? One last statement from the CGI’s official newspaper, The International News.’ "Let’s be honest. Do the typical Sunday-morning preachers teach the truth of God from the Bible, or do they teach the commonly believed errors of heaven, hell, the immortality of the soul, the trinity, Sunday. Do they understand and teach correctly about the Godhead, if at all?... Do they teach the ultimate destiny of man-that he is to be born again by metabolic change into the very Kingdom of God?... What about God’s plan of salvation? Do they know, understand, and teach God’s seven-step plan of salvation as revealed through His annual holy days (Leviticus 23)?.. Tn view of these things, what do they have doctrinally correct? What do they teach? What is their proof’? Do they teach God’s truth, God’s doctrines, God’s laws-or Satan’s lies?" (http://www.cgi.org/ipJvol22no5/idola~ cfln). This is another disparaging statement about what we as orthodox Christians believe. Dr. Wright, I could give more quotes from the literature of the CGJ, but I think what I have presented adequately shows the true nature of this group. I am enclosing documentation, including a moving testimony of David Bell, a former CGI minister. He is now ~tudying for the ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, under the leadership of President R. Albert Mohier, Jr., an outstanding evangelical Bible teacher. I ask, Dr. Wright, how in good conscience, can Brother Cerullo, who is on the board of directors of the National Religious Broadcasters, have the program, Armor of God, a ministry of the CGI, air on his Inspiration Network? How can he air a program with such false teachings and that makes such numerous disparaging and offensive and blasphemous statements regarding the doctrines we hold so dear, saying they are nothing more than pagan, false, and unbiblical? Reterodox ministries have a right to be on the air on secular radio and television (as Herbert W. Armstrong was), We would then have to counter their teachings with the truth. On the other hand, I believe that there is a relationship of trust between a Christian TV or radio station and its viewers and listeners. People expect Christian TV and radio to be Christian. Christian stations should hold those who broadcast on them to a standard of the basic tenets of Christianity. I believe we would agree that a station that called itself Christian, but was broadcasting programs that espouse the tenets of Hinduism, was violating the trust its listeners place in it. The same would be true of a Christian station airing Jehovah’s Witnesses programs. I think we would agree that a line must be drawn somewhere. But where? Certainly, it must be drawn at least at the basic tenets of Christianity. The problem is that the Armor of God and the CGI are not on our side of that line, yet they are airing their programs on Inspiration Network, as well as other Christian stations. I believe that as Christ’s followers we ought to take a stand on issues as this one, even at the risk of unpopularity. I realize the pressures of the world are strong, and few are strong enough to withstand compromise. Only with Christ’s strength is this possible (Philippians 4:13). I ask you, Dr. Wright, to please take a strong stand on this issue and do all you can to have the Armor of God taken off Christian stations, such as the Inspiration Network. Blessings, signed by James Kieferdorf James Kieferdorf |