"An
Appeal for New Covenant"
1974
Haynes Letter to Garner Ted Armstrong
Urging change for the Worldwide Church of God
February 19, 1974
Mr. Garner Ted
Armstrong
300 West Green
Street
Pasadena,
California
Dear Mr.
Armstrong:
Just hung up
from a conference call with Walter Sharp in the
Big Sandy Region, and heard the news about the
change in Pentecost from Monday to Sunday, with
apparently still a question about which week we
should keep it. I'm glad to see a little
progress.
I read in the
Bulletin last Friday your challenge to write in
any questions that we might have concerning any
doctrine, policy or procedure of the Worldwide
Church of God. I also was a little disappointed
at your lengthy discussion of the man who had
hang-ups about the cross-walks and columns,
because I felt it would make everyone wonder what
would happen if they did write in a legitimate
question.
I do have
several personal questions about doctrine, policy
and procedure of the Worldwide Church of God and
Ambassador College. I feel that there are two
fundamental problems with the Church. First, the
Church is turned inward, having cut itself almost
entirely off from the outside world, immediate
family and friends. They are no longer the salt
of the earth which seasons, nor are they a light.
Of course, you know this, and I realize you've
worked toward correcting it.
Second, there
is no room for individual conscience in God's
Church. We have virtually controlled the members'
minds through fear -- not of God, but of man and
the threat of being thrown out of God's Church.
Most all of our people are still on the
"milk" of God's word, and not the meat.
They continue having to "lay again the
foundation of repentance from dead works,"
simply because they don't see a great deal of
evidence of the fruit of God's Holy Spirit in
their lives. When you control a man's mind, you
don't allow God's Spirit to lead that individual,
or Christ to live His life in that individual.
You stifle his initiative, personality and
spirit. We've legislated nearly every aspect of
Christian life -- from hair length to how to keep
the Sabbath -- where the Bible is not plain.
We've stifled our members' prayers by
over-emphasizing a prayer outline and the clock;
we've all but crushed any desire to study God's
word.
The above two
points are fundamental, but even they are not the
only issues or questions. I don't know any other
way but to just list my questions for you. I
don't feel we have received answers to these
following points:
1. Divorce
and remarriage. Even if we are not
doctrinally incorrect, the way we've administered
the doctrine in the past hasn't borne good fruit.
We have even gone into old cases and reversed our
original judgment. In almost all cases we've
refused to baptize a person before he separated.
Any way you look at it, there are still grave
questions about this -- and is there any
indication of any more consideration of these
questions? We've just come out with the new
booklet, which does not change our position about
marriage and divorce.
2. Church
government. Our present configuration does
not seem to be in line with what the New
Testament teaches. This is made plain and
irrefutable in Mr. Herbert Armstrong's 1939 Good
News article. I've studied the article, and it's
awfully difficult to disprove what it contains.
It condemns our present organization, any right
to control people's minds or decide what
doctrines they are to believe. It also condemns
tithing to a central government. (I have not
Xeroxed one copy of the Good News, nor have I
distributed this article.) Have you read the
article? It sounded like you were talking about
an entirely different article in your Personal in
the last Worldwide News -- an earlier one in the
"Bulletin" that met the problem of
voting for ministers and deacons head on.
3. Our
commission and the true gospel. There is
strong evidence in God's Word that our present
thrust to "warn the world as a witness"
is not the Church's correct commission. First of
all, Matthew 24 is a prophecy, not a command.
There is evidence that the two witnesses (Rev.
11) and a very powerful angelic being (Rev. 14:6)
will preach the final warning message to this
world. The commission of the early New Testament
Church was to "Go you therefore and teach
(make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28 is a command to
the Church, not a prophecy. And yet I heard Mr.
Herbert Armstrong at the conference plainly say
that "Matthew 28 is not our
commission." Christ further elaborated
"and that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem" Lk. 24:47). Paul
said, "And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and
hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we
pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
God." (II Cor. 5:18-20) Paul also says
"But we preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks
foolishness" (I Cor. 1:23), and "for I
determined not to know anything among you save
Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (I Cor.
2:2). The Bible nowhere gives a first and second
commission. Christ instructed Peter three times
to "feed my sheep." Our present thrust
to be a watchman is very difficult to prove. It
certainly isn't very merciful and compassionate.
The real good news is reconciliation to God
through Christ by repentance and remission of
sins. I'm not against the proclaiming of the
coming government of God, but I don't see Bible
evidence for two commissions of the Church, and
the one we place importance on being different
from the thrust of the New Testament Church.
4. Tithing.
As a doctrine and by command, tithing is
virtually impossible to prove from the New
Testament, especially second and third tithes.
The principle of giving 10% is certainly a good
one, but the New Testament nowhere commands
tithing, especially to a central government. The
Bible says, "every man according as he
purposes in his heart, so shall he give."
Christ showed that the attitude in giving is more
important than the amount (Mk. 12:42; Mt.
6:19-21). When Christ sent the disciples out, he
said to take "such things as they give"
(Lk. 10:7). The disciples didn't set the amount
they were given. Paul apparently didn't require
the Corinth Church to give money to him at all.
Matthew 23 and Hebrews 7 are weak proofs for
commanded tithing. In Matthew 23:23 Christ shows
that the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy and faith, are more important than the
technical aspects of the law -- which opens up
several other subjects as well. Our present
method of tithing increase by every person as
goods and services change hands eventually puts
all of the wealth in the Church. Our present
method of ministerial tithing is strictly
Levitical. We seem to slip in and out of the
Levitical priesthood at random -- especially in
matters of second and third tithe. I hesitate to
quote figures, because I'm sure that I don't have
exact figures, but when I hear that remodeling of
ministerial homes has cost in excess of
$200,000.00 for a single home, it makes me
wonder. Especially when I see many of God's
people in poverty. I'm against constant pleas for
sacrifice, when its hard to see any sacrifice at
Headquarters -- I'm speaking of the elaborate
salaries, unlimited expense accounts and palacial
buildings. How much is really spent for the
direct (not indirect) preaching of the gospel?
5. The
understanding of the New Covenant. How much
of Old Testament laws, judgments and statutes
(apart from the ten commandments) should be
enforced today? Does the Church, or any one man,
have the right to decide what doctrines everyone
must believe? Is there room for individual
conscience or convictions within the Church? Such
things as make-up, birthdays, hair length, dress
length, wigs, tithing, etc., could be matters of
individual conscience.
6. Is it
Biblical the way we "mark" people?
7. Can we
really prove that we're Israel?
8. What
really is Satan's fate?
9. Can we
prove that the Feast of Tabernacles should
not be kept in the local areas, as it was in the
New Testament?
10. Does
God require us to put leavening out of our homes?
11. Church
eras -- How can we be sure we're
Philadelphia?
12. I
seriously question your qualifications as a
minister. The issue is not a matter of
forgiveness, but of qualification. I can't agree
that your fruits are any greater now than they
were prior to our knowledge of your activities.
How many times have you been baptized? Were you
disfellowshipped other times before the public
announcement to the people? How many years before
action was taken did Mr. Herbert Armstrong know
of your activities? Revelation 2:2 -- "Thou
hast tried them which say they are apostles and
are not, and hast found them liars." John
10:1-5 explains that a true minister comes in by
way of Jesus Christ and true conversion before he
can lead Christ's sheep. I John 3:4-10,
especially verses 7 and 8 -- "Little
children, let no man deceive you: he that does
righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous. He that commits sin is of the devil;
for the devil sins from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil." The
latter part of verse 10 says, "Whosoever
does not righteousness is not of God, neither he
that loves not his brother." We have to
follow a man as he follows Christ. If we can't
judge the righteousness os an individual, how can
we follow him as he follows Christ? There are
other scriptures that apply -- I John 2:4-6;
Romans 2:21-24.
I'm not
against you as a person. I have many fond
memories of our small relationship in Ambassador
College. But I also remember at least three
Passovers between '65 and '68 when you told all
of us that you were more ready to take the
Passover than at any other time. I simply cannot
agree with executive privilege. There is
absolutely no way in the world to keep the whole
Church from knowing the facts about your past.
And as they find out, as I know many already
have, it is going to be very difficult to explain
these things away. The question of not only your
credibility, but the credibility of the entire
ministry is at stake.
I in no way
think I have presented complete evidence about
anything I've written in this letter. These are
all sincere questions that I have about God's
Work. I hope these questions don't leave you
"bewildered, giggling to yourself in
hideous, disbelieving laughter."
I have in no
way attempted to lead off a following, but have
fought, pleaded, and spent many dozens of hours
in conversation trying to persuade people that
Christ is in charge of the Church, and that
changes will be made. I'm frankly coming to the
place where I wonder if there's any hope for this
organization. I fear that Headquarters is losing
control, or possibly has already lost control by
putting a period at the end of almost all of our
doctrines. I hope I'm wrong, and if I am I'll be
willing to admit it.
Respectfully,
Dale Haynes
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