Meredith Defining Who Is An Armstrongite

Now when I use the word Armstrongite or any related words I am referring to someone who follows the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong or a practice that stems from a group. Any thing that relates to COGdom.

Now I remember watching a sermon by Meredith entitled 'Are You An Armstrongist?' or something like that. I watched around 2001. I cannot find it on their website.

In this sermon Meredith stated that LCG members are not Armstrongites, they are followers of God, not HWA. (A position I would disagree with. God did not work with HWA, as is proven with his many false prophecies and his immorality.)

Meredith also gave his own definition of an Armstrongite: one who follows HWA and does not 'grow into truth'.

Similar to the Jehovah's Witness doctrine of 'New Light' HWA taught that when God reveals new revelation it must be accepted and followed. If this is not done then one is no longer a true Christian. He has failed to 'grow into truth'.

This idea is quite succinctly explained by Hoeh in 1959 in this way:

"Here is the KEY that proves which individuals are in God's Church. It is composed ONLY of those who are GROWING INTO TRUTH as God reveals it. The moment anyone ceases to GROW, but wants to retain only what he had five or ten years ago, [that person is no longer a true Christian from that point]." (Herman Hoeh, A True History of the True Church, section 'Church Grows in Truth', 1959.)

What this doctrine led to in practice was to justify any of the (few) changes that were made under HWA and used to scare anyone who disagreed with any changes. (Personally I think a few of Meredith's changes are quite good, but the focus here is on how Meredith uses these ideas to maintain his legitimacy among LCG members. LCG is still a dictatorial cult.)

Meredith's definition of who is an Armstrongite plays on this idea of 'growing into truth'. It also invalidates those who wish to go back to something which Meredith has changed.

This assertion of Meredith's reflects the fact that some changes to Armstrongite doctrine has occurred under Meredith and this inevitably has caused some trouble for Meredith. COGs which cruelly forbid makeup, such as PCG, RCG and Bryce Clark's Enduring COG, use this matter of difference to attack Meredith's legitimacy. Meredith's definition of who is an Armstrongite invalidates those who wish to go back to a position which Meredith has changed. This definition of who is an Armstrongite is loaded in order to reconfirm Meredith's position as leader of LCG.

(By the way, every single COG has made changes to its teachings compared with HWA's WCG. That includes PCG, which has added many new doctrines which glorify their leader, UCG, RCG, which has rejected HWA's WCG teaching of a future Muslim King of the South, and every other COG.)