Reference Books on WCG, Theology, Psychology, and Recovery
Reference Books on WCG, theology, psychology, and recovery.
Having been born into the Worldwide Church of God in the mid 80’s, the church’s perspective was the only frame of reference I had on our belief system, theology, psychology, and Christianity. While eventually I left the group, it took years of unlearning false doctrines, presuppositions and historical lies that the church taught as absolute truth.
Below are a few of the books that I found personally helpful in the years leaving behind a closed and destructive way of thinking.
The Worldwide Church of God
Armstrongism: Religion…or Rip-off
Marion McNair, one of the early evangelists of the Worldwide Church of God, compiled an extremely thorough book, which covers the inner workings of the church. It comprehensively details the major doctrines, personalities and history of the group. This title reaches back farther than most of the others to the 1920’s and the very beginning of the original Radio Church of God.
The Armstrong Empire - A Look at the Worldwide Church of God
Joseph Hopkins spent 2 years interviewing former members of the WCG and studying source material from church literature. He spends a great deal of time, presenting the doctrinal position of the Worldwide Church of God and contrasts this to the orthodox Christian perspective. This is a helpful read for anyone interested in understanding how WCG differs from established Christian doctrine.
The Broadway to Armageddon
Written by an elder in the Tennessee, Kentucky area, this book provides insight into lives of the field ministry, the extreme emphasis on demanding members money and how the ministry managed all details of member’s lives. There are a series of Church documents enclosed that documents the “liberal 1976 rebellion” of Al Portune, Al Corazzo and why so many ministers and members left during this event.
The Truth Shall Make You Free
Describing the “receivership” in the WCG in the late 1970s, the state of California froze the bank accounts of Stan Rader and Herbert Armstrong to prevent them from siphoning additional funds from the church. The case was ultimately thrown out as the AG changed in California. This presents a completely different perspective on Satan’s attack of “God’s Church.”
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web - Without Appendix
Written by a former evangelist in the WCG who served in the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, David Robinson sheds light on the inner workings of the church’s headquarters through his personal experiences. He illuminates a side of the church and belief system most aren’t familiar with.
Matches in the Gas Tank
Carla Power’s memoir gives a “first person perspective” of the results of a family subjected to a spiritually and physically abusive organization. The author ultimately transcends her upbringing, overcoming the abuse in her background. It is as uplifting as it is sobering.
The World in Flames - A Black Boyhood in a White Supremacist Doomsday Cult
Jerald Walker writes this passionate memoir as a reflection on his childhood, growing up as a young, blind black boy in Chicago. With both his parents also disabled, the reader gets a first hand understanding of what was going on in the church during the failed prophecies of 1972 and 1975.
British-Israelism Explained
Written by Samuel Hinds Wilkinson and published in 1923, this very readable book dismantles both the historical and biblical claims of the British-Israelism movement. As the theory gained momentum in the early 20th century, the author realized the necessity of addressing this legendary theory and dispel the flimsy assertions on which it’s based.
Daughter of Babylon, The True History of the Worldwide Church of God
Bruce Renehan assembled his short book after spending years untangling the unorthodox teachings of the WCG. Having served as a staff member in Pasadena CA, the church’s headquarters, this is one of the deepest references I have found exploring the historical claims to being the “One, True Church” that the WCG claimed. Clearly organized, he dismantles many of the prophetic and historical claims made by the church.
Recovery and Theology
The Kingdom of the Cults
In his 1956 book “The Christian and the Cults,” a 28-year-old Walter Martin wrote, “The Christian Church in this atomic age is faced with the highly ‘fissionable’ problem of accelerated cult activities both in the continental United States and on every major mission field throughout the world. In the definitive work on the subject of biblical cults, Dr. Martin takes apart every major group from a biblical perspective.
Scripture Twisting - 20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible
How often have you encountered some bizarre doctrine only to be stunned to hear a Bible verse quoted to support it? With new religious cults springing up almost daily and old ones growing rapidly, this is more and more common. How are they seemingly able to twist Scripture to mean something orthodox Christians have never believed it to mean in two thousand years? James Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and How to Read Slowly, has isolated twenty separate kinds of reading errors which are characteristically made by cultists as they interpret the Bible.
The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse
In a breakthrough book first published in 1991, the authors address the dynamics in churches that can ensnare people in legalism, guilt, and begrudging service, keeping them from joy. Written for both those who feel abused and those who may be causing it, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse shows how people get hooked into abusive systems, the impact of controlling leadership on a congregation, and how the abused believer can find rest and recovery. It outlines the techniques that leadership is likely to use on members.
Recovering from Churches that Abuse
A series of in-depth interviews from Christians who are recovering from various spiritually abusive organizations. Knowing that most people who escape such groups are minimized or not believed, this was to give a voice to those and learn from parallel situations and find common ways to come out of these organizations and cope with the aftermath.
Breaking Free - Rescuing Families from the Clutches of Legalism
Identifying what “legalism” is and how it affects churches and groups across the religious spectrum, the author deconstructs the presuppositions and their basic incompatibility with Christian doctrine. Focusing on the unhealthy extremes of legalism, it is written to those families who are seeking to come out of these organizations and how to retain a sense of spirituality.
Concise Theology - A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs
Theology matters! At last it can be understood easily, thanks to this “layman's language” approach to biblical belief. Authored by J. I. Packer, one of the premier theologians of Christianity, this summary of Christian teaching covers nearly 100 major Christian beliefs from a Reformed perspective. Brief, easy-to-understand chapters offer precise descriptions without sacrificing depth. Thoughtfully arranged and refreshingly readable, this is a book that belongs on the shelf of every Christian.
What We Believe
What do Christians believe about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the church, salvation, eternal life, and more? This contemporary classic from theologian R. C. Sproul provides a matchless introduction to the basics of the Christian faith.
Mere Christianity
In the classic Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, the most important writer of the 20th century, explores the common ground upon which all of those of Christian faith stand together. Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two from his three previous books The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith.
Psychology
Dangerous Personalities
The book written by Joe Navarro helps you identify 4 major characteristics of people you will meet, Narcissist, Emotionally Unstable, Paranoid and Predators. This will help you identify who you are dealing with and whether or how they are dangerous to your family, what characteristics and technique they largely employ and how to identify them. This works both for identifying individuals and ideologies.
Combatting Cult Mind Control
Steve Hassan navigates the complex world of cults and how they control members through a variety of techniques. Today, a vast array of methods exist to deceive, manipulate, and indoctrinate people into closed systems of obedience and dependency. This book can help you protect or regain your sanity, freedom, and health and help you protect others from the use of mind control techniques. People around the world remain largely unprepared for the new realities of mind control. As you read this book, you will learn to develop, use, and trust your critical thinking skills; your intuition; your bodily and emotional awareness; your ability to ask the right questions; and your skill at doing quick, useful research.
Freedom of Mind
Freedom of Mind identifies and explains how to identify and evaluate potentially dangerous groups and individuals. Hassan details his groundbreaking approach, the ‘Strategic Interactive Approach,’ which can be used to help a loved one leave such a situation. Step-by-step, Hassan shows you how to: evaluate the situation; interact with dual identities; develop communication strategies using phone calls, letter writing and visits; understand and utilize cult beliefs and tactics; use reality-testing and other techniques to promote freedom of mind. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is knowledge and awareness.
The True Believer
The True Believer was the first and most famous of Eric Hoffers’s books and called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. This landmark in the field of social psychology is completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today as it delivers a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.
History and Other Resources
Who We Are and How We Got Here
In Who We Are and How We Got Here, Reich allows readers to discover how the human genome provides not only all the information a human embryo needs to develop but also the hidden story of our species. Reich delves into how the genomic revolution is transforming our understanding of modern humans and how DNA studies reveal deep inequalities among different populations, between the sexes, and among individuals. It is helpful when examining British Israelism and their specific claims to the nations of America and Great Britain having originated from ancient Israel.
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
Who are our ancestors? Where did they come from? Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has blown the lid off what we thought we knew. Acclaimed science writer Adam Rutherford explains exactly how genomics is completely rewriting the human story—from 100,000 years ago to the present. A continual study in understanding where our ancient ancestors came from.
On Tyranny
While written more generally to show how power corrupts, the parallels between the “Wonderful World Tomorrow” and the communist dream of conformity in the 1960-1980s is striking. The WCG belief system is largely reflected totalitarian states from the 20th century.