In engineering it used to be that a building under design underwent many revisions. The needs of those using the building as well as building codes and considerations like fault lines and hurricanes were important. In the confusion of designing a building, and hashing, and rehashing data, needs, and safety considerations something would always get lost in the shuffle. For this reason, toward the end, an outside consulting firm was always contracted to examine the final design proposals and make recommendations on large design projects. This procedure was based on the assumption that a new, outside perspective would often see flaws that those intimately involved would overlook. The engineers involved in original design all had their own agendas and perspectives. In the counsel of many there is wisdom and this applies to structural design as well as theological problems.

I believe that when questions arose concerning doctrine and legitimate attempts were made to clarify doctrine a number of things got lost in the shuffle. First, theological doctrine is not approached like designing a building. God reveals doctrine and understanding to his apostles and prophets. Ordinary Disciples can receive revelation. Our minds have to be opened to see truth when it is presented. The church is likened to a building and the human body in several inspired scriptures, but only Christ; the revelator is the source of knowledge. Scholars are not the source of biblical knowledge.

Beliefs are driving forces. The beliefs of the Islamic world, Judaism, Catholicism and other mystery religions have a strong tendency to solve the problems of heretics by annihilation. This is not New Testament theology but does demonstrate how strong beliefs can drive people, even if those belief systems are wrong or flawed in some ways. Such is the case I have discovered with modern doctrines in the many branches of the church. Everyone is convinced of that his understanding is absolutely correct. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to understand someone is wrong.

Many beliefs of the Churches of God have evolved over the last 45 years. These beliefs were developed over a long period of time in the heat of spiritual battle, church politics and a lot of competition for the favor of the laity. Tithes and offerings are important and people, even in the Churches of God, still vote with their paychecks.

Consider the state of the church in 1969-70, just before a series of massive doctrinal change. I have often heard that period referred to as "Camelot." Yes, this was a time of prosperity. The real zenith of the broadcast work of the church was not reached until the late 80s. For the most part everything in 1970 and 1986 looked real good. But there was a problem beneath the surface. Spiritual decay had set in back even before 1969.

Consider this scripture relating the real sin of Sodom, I have not found many people who know this, but the real sin of Sodom was laid long before rampant sexual immortality. Sexual immorality was only the end result of something started long before in Sodom.

Ezekiel 16:

48 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not

done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and

thy daughters.

49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,

fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in

her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the

poor and needy.

50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination

before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

One of the main problems for wooden buildings in many parts of the world and even the Southern United States is termite infestation. The termites generally invade a building without even being recognized at first. Soon the structure of the building is weakened. Usually no remedy exists except to bring the building down and start over.

Yes, just as termites can destroy a building, Spiritual Termites have destroyed the foundation of the Churches of God. There is no cure except to bring the structure down and scatter the flock. But something had to happen to let the termites have access to the foundation. And, just as the scriptures from the Book of Ezekiel cited above show, whatever happened to Sodom happened a long time before her final state of depravity. Likewise, what happened in the Church of God that allowed the foundation to be attacked happened before 1969. Strengthening the hand of the poor and needy always figures into God’s equation for his work somehow. I am unable to find anything in the work of the church from the 70s on, which could remotely be called a legitimate attempt to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Rather, the norm was to focus on a warning message and develop real estate projects.

But how, you ask could Satan possibly undermine the entire structure? The gift of healing was present in the 60s, was it not? Yes, it definitely was. The gospel was being preached and extending into remote areas of the world, was it not? Yes, it was. Didn’t the new understanding the scholars presented help bring the church to a new threshold of understanding and contact with God? Yes, it most certainly brought the church to a new threshold but that threshold lacked the gift of healing.

There has to be a point that can be identified from the history of the Worldwide Church of God or Radio Church of God where a basic flaw in thinking affected doctrine and became a basis for the domino effect that has caused the collapse of the entire structure. Just like when termites successfully breach a protective barrier to undermine the wood structure of a building, there had to be one point where Satan infiltrated the thinking patterns of the ministry or Mr. Armstrong.

Before looking into the one point where all of this deception probably began, we need to consider some basic questions and definitions.