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'''Armstrongism''' is the common name of the particular doctrine identified with the preaching of Herbert W. Armstrong, a radio preacher in the 30's and 40's, and original founder of ''The World Wide Church of God'' and ''Plain Truth Magazine'' in 1950. It has been classified as a [[cult]]<ref>

'''Armstrongism''' is the common name of the particular doctrine identified with the preaching of Herbert W. Armstrong, a radio preacher in the 30's and 40's, and original founder of ''The World Wide Church of God'' (commonly styled as the ''Worldwide Church of God'' or ''WCG'') and its monthly publication ''Plain Truth Magazine'' in 1950.

 

During the time that Armstrong led the organization, due to its unique teachings which departed from historic Christanity, the WCG was classified as a [[cult]]<ref>

[http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-kingdom-of-the-cults/chapanal021.html#gsc.tab=0 The Kingdom of the Cults - The Worldwide Church of God—From Cult to Christianity Summary & Analysis, by Walter Martin (bookrags.com)]  

[http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-kingdom-of-the-cults/chapanal021.html#gsc.tab=0 The Kingdom of the Cults - The Worldwide Church of God—From Cult to Christianity Summary & Analysis, by Walter Martin (bookrags.com)]  

 

[https://www.gotquestions.org/Worldwide-Church-God-Armstrongism.html What is Armstrongism? Is the World Wide Church of God a Cult? (gotquestions.org)]</ref>. For example, WCG opposed [[Trinity|Trinitarianism]] as an evil deception by Satan, asserting from [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|proof texts]] in the [[Bible]] that God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) were two separate beings, essentially two Gods. At its height, The World Wide Church of God boasted 150,000 members scattered throughout the world.  

[https://www.gotquestions.org/Worldwide-Church-God-Armstrongism.html What is Armstrongism? Is the World Wide Church of God a Cult? (gotquestions.org)]</ref>. He opposed [[Trinity|Trinitarianism]] as an evil deception by Satan, asserting from [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|proof texts]] in the [[Bible]] that God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) are two separate beings, essentially two Gods. At its height, The World Wide Church of God boasted 150,000 members scattered throughout the world.  

After his death in January 1986, Herbert W. Armstrong was expected by many to be succeeded by his heir-apparent son, the charismatically handsome and well-spoken televangelist Garner Ted Armstrong, whose espoused doctrines follow that of his father, namely, denial of the Trinity, denial of the bodily resurrection, and denial of biblical salvation. Amid charges of sexual misconduct, his forced departure from his father’s domain landed him in Tyler, Texas, with thousands of television followers<ref>An article in the [[Los Angeles Times]] reported that "The rift between the father and his heir apparent began in 1972 when Herbert Armstrong ousted his son from the church for four months, after an extra-marital affair, saying the son was "in the bonds of Satan." [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-16-me-armstrong16-story.html TV Evangelist Formed Own Church After Break With Father (latimes.com)]</ref>. His playboy lifestyle followed him into the 1990’s with new charges of sexual misconduct, again forcing a temporary step-down from his new church. Armstrong's own personally appointed successor, Joseph Tkach, Sr., whom he anointed a week before his death, together with his son Joseph Tkach, Jr., soon became embroiled in controversial charges of having deviated from the original doctrine of Armstrong's church by a form of [[Syncretism|syncretistic]] compromise with aspects of mainstream Christianity. The church split into factions, one of them the ''Restored Church of God'', led by David C. Pack (personally trained by Armstrong himself), which claims to have faithfully retained all of the doctrines preached by Herbert W. Armstrong. Garner Ted Armstrong together with his supporters helped reorganize the church into the [[Corporation|corporate]] ''World Wide Church of God, International'', incorporated in 1978.  

After his death in January 1986, Herbert W. Armstrong was expected by many to be succeeded by his heir-apparent son, the charismatically handsome and well-spoken televangelist Garner Ted Armstrong, whose espoused doctrines follow that of his father, namely, denial of the Trinity, denial of the bodily resurrection, and denial of biblical salvation. Amid charges of sexual misconduct, his forced departure from his father’s domain landed him in Tyler, Texas, with thousands of television followers<ref>An article in the [[Los Angeles Times]] reported that "The rift between the father and his heir apparent began in 1972 when Herbert Armstrong ousted his son from the church for four months, after an extra-marital affair, saying the son was "in the bonds of Satan." [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-16-me-armstrong16-story.html TV Evangelist Formed Own Church After Break With Father (latimes.com)]</ref>. His playboy lifestyle followed him into the 1990’s with new charges of sexual misconduct, again forcing a temporary step-down from his new church. Armstrong's own personally appointed successor, Joseph Tkach, Sr., whom he anointed a week before his death, together with his son Joseph Tkach, Jr., soon became embroiled in controversial charges of having deviated from the original doctrine of Armstrong's church by a form of [[Syncretism|syncretistic]] compromise with aspects of mainstream Christianity. The church split into factions, one of them the ''Restored Church of God'', led by David C. Pack (personally trained by Armstrong himself), which claims to have faithfully retained all of the doctrines preached by Herbert W. Armstrong. Garner Ted Armstrong together with his supporters helped reorganize the church into the [[Corporation|corporate]] ''World Wide Church of God, International'', incorporated in 1978.