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when I wrote an article on church organization.
There had been much confusion and argument among the
"Sardis" brethren about church organization. When the new
so-called "Bible Form of Church Organization" was introduced at
Salem, naturally the Stanberry people argued against it. I think
we all became confused on the question. It's like being too close
to one tree to see the forest. I KNEW that the so-called "12, the
70, and the 7" was entirely misapplied, and definitely NOT God's
form of organization. But also I knew that the "General
Conference" form was not Biblical. In both of those -- Stanberry
and Salem -- the people voted -- government from the bottom like
these dissenters today.
For this reason I did write an article more than 35 years
ago, in the February, 1939, GOOD NEWS -- WHICH WENT TO OUR OWN
"Philadelphia Era" MEMBERS -- NOT to the Salem or Stanberry
membership -- intended to PROTECT OUR OWN MEMBERS WHO WERE MY OWN
CONVERTS, AND NOT TO CONFUSE OR TAKE MEMBERS FROM EITHER OF THEM
-- proving that this so-called "Bible Form of Organization" was
NOT Biblical.
By that time our own churches, and the RADIO CHURCH OF GOD
were operating separately from either of them. But I had not, as
yet, come to understand WHAT IS the true Bible form of church
organization. When the true knowledge was revealed, LATER, to
those of us in the "Philadelphia Era" we put it into practice and
PUBLISHED THIS TRUTH.
Brethren, do you realize THIS IS THE ONLY CHURCH on earth,
so far as I know, which has consistently GROWN in grace and the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18) as
God commands. We GREW into the TRUE knowledge regarding church
organization and government.
We published an article revealing new truth about church
organization in The GOOD NEWS, November, 1952, and again in August,
1953, "GOVERNMENT in Our Church," and in November, 1953, "JUDGING
and DISCIPLINE in God's Church." As God revealed truth, His
Church accepted it. And long since, we came into the FULL TRUTH
on church organization and government.
We may not have ALL truth on ALL subjects even yet, I
suppose -- though if we KNEW of any truth we do not have, we
would have accepted it! But, to constantly check what we do
hold, and research for any possible NEW truth, we do have, at
Pasadena Headquarters, an EIGHT-MAN team of scholars and
researchers, CONSTANTLY RESEARCHING critical doctrinal questions,
and reporting their findings and recommendations to Garner Ted
Armstrong and myself for final decision. IN MULTITUDE OF
COUNSELLORS there is safety (Proverbs 11:14).
Yes, far more safety than in ONE single scholar of Biblical
research, who is subject to MUCH error!
So when that article of 35 years ago, written while we
were slowly growing into the true knowledge of the subject of