PTM WEEKLY UPDATE -- MARCH 31, 2008

Greg Albrecht's serious-looking high school graduation picture, 1965

I grew up in a cult

Q. I have been a member of the Worldwide Church of God since 1979, and I remember hearing you preach, reading your writings, and hearing "about you" at church. As you have said, the WCG was wrong in so many teachings and attitudes. I believe the church's dedication to following God (as they understood) is probably the reason God worked within the hierarchy to turn it around to begin understanding the truth after Mr. Armstrong died. Is PTM still a part of the Worldwide Church of God? Tell me more about who you are. Tell me about your spiritual journey. I appreciate your ministry -- keep up the good work!

A. Yes, I have a long history in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) of Armstrongism -- as well as the transformed, post Armstrongism, Christ-centered WCG. My first awareness of Armstrongism, as I recount in my book Bad News Religion, was in 1954, at seven years of age. I grew up in it, was schooled in it, and received its best educational efforts (sorry about afflicting you with my high school graduation photo, but our staff insisted!). I eventually rose in the hierarchy of Armstrongism. I was a true believer. I preached Armstrongism in pulpits and I taught it in its college classrooms.

After Herbert Armstrong's death I experienced a long and painful journey through the valley of the shadow of death, as the gospel of Jesus Christ turned my world rightside up. It took years and it was humbling, but such a journey in the late '80s and early '90s enabled me to be blessed by God to be used as a part of what you call "the hierarchy," helping the new non-Armstrongist WCG through its historic transformation, while beginning to direct PTM, from its founding and inception in 1996, as a non-denominational, separate, religious non-profit ministry. For several years PTM existed under the governance umbrella of the WCG, but it became clear that we are entirely different entities, so a complete and final separation was effected.

In terms of Armstrongism, I find it completely flawed and without standing in Christ. I know and love many people who were once, like me, trapped by Armstrongism. I know and love many people who are still trapped by some contemporary version and iteration of Armstrongism (though most of those folks don't talk to me, nor would they contact me, as I am deemed to have "left the one and only true church/faith"). My view of Armstrongism? It is but one of the many swamps of "bad news religion." The notion that Armstrongism is the "one true church" is a pathetically sick, demented and twisted spiritual illusion (a notion I once believed nonetheless, and fervently proclaimed). What I left, by God's grace, was a collection of eclectic, toxic, spiritually dysfunctional cultic teachings that were and are a curse (Galatians 3:10).

I don't deny my cultic past -- I accept its reality, for it is what I was before Jesus introduced himself to me and allowed me to come to know him as Savior and Lord, to know his peace and rest.

I don't deny my cultic past -- I accept its reality, for it is what I was before Jesus introduced himself to me and allowed me to come to know him as Savior and Lord, to know his peace and rest. My cultic past -- indeed all of my past -- is what God has decided to use for his glory. I pray for the day when God's grace will cover the world as the waters of the oceans do, when Armstrongism, and all other "isms" will be gone and forgotten, a distant nightmare.

As for the current, transformed WCG -- God bless them! As an institution, they have officially faced their past, and its leadership continues to absolutely reject the Armstrongisms that had it in a spiritual death grip. Why did God do what he did in re-birthing, cleansing, redeeming the WCG to be what it is today? Not, in my opinion, because of any good thing - any value -- any righteous deed of the former WCG. God dispenses his grace, he reveals himself to us, in ways and times beyond our comprehension. He doesn't do so on the basis of our goodness, but he does so on the basis of his love. Why some and why not others? Why hasn't he transformed the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses yet? Don't know -- but I do know that he will, one day. God speed that day!

I am not employed by the WCG -- I do not speak for the WCG as I once did -- I am no longer a member of its board of directors, as I was for years. My -- and PTM's separation from WCG was amicable. I am good friends with many current WCG members, congregations and pastors, including the current President of WCG, Joe Tkach. But then I am good friends with members of many denominations and churches, their pastors and leaders. I am increasingly out of touch with what is happening in today's WCG, for I have little contact that would allow me a window into its ongoing mission, progress, plans, etc.

While PTM remains friends with the new, transformed WCG -- we are certainly not one and the same. We have no legal or physical connection whatsoever. All of PTM's funding and support comes independently, and we, as a ministry and online church, are a non-denominational church and ministry.

While PTM counts a number of former WCG members among our supporters, listeners and readers -- as well as some current ones -- the vast majority (probably over 80%) of those we serve come from a wide variety of legalistic, authoritarian, spiritually abusive movements and churches. Many find themselves in need of help, counsel, teaching and guidance as they transition out of their toxic church or movement. PTM knows this journey. We do all we can to be of help.

We also assist many who are no longer in a spiritually sick or dysfunctional institution, many of whom vow they will never again "walk through the doors of a church" -- but know they need grace-based, Christ-centered teaching. PTM and CWR (our online church) provides such spiritual food.

The religious background of those we help -- whether those in the process of leaving an unhealthy spiritual place, or those who have left and need to receive Christ-centered nourishment? Such individuals include, according to a survey we have just taken and are still processing, current and former Catholics, Baptists, Assemblies of God, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Nazarene, Episcopalians, Disciples of Christ, Word Faith churches, current and former members of health and wealth churches, Anglicans, Lutherans, Amish, Calvinists (Reform and Dutch Reform), Pentecostals of many types (including many Oneness Pentecostals) -- along with a host of movements and groups that are not as well known.

People tell us they find PTM by 1) referral -- word of mouth, from others we have helped 2) by references to our ministry they read in blogs and emails 3) by Googling, searching for ministries that fight legalism, absolutely stand for God's grace, without compromise, and are completely Christ-centered.

God has enabled PTM to minister to such folks -- burned out, religious refugees -- all over the world, by the tens of thousands. We thank God that he has used us to be one of his tools to help change the lives of people who had been trapped by bad news religion, helping them come to the fullness of his grace.

In Christ
Greg Albrecht

For more about Armstrongism, go to "What Is Armstrongism" in this Update.

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