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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, August 29, 1980
Page 8
you get right down to the lowest common denominator. The bedrock is
going to be religious prejudice. You just have to recognize it and you
have to accept it."
Focus Now on the Church
Mr. Rader mentioned that as he continues to be interviewed around the
country, more and more people are wanting to know about the Church. It's
"very interesting," he said, "to see all of these people giving us free
[air] time, asking questions that a few months ago I had to make believe
were being asked. In other words, they would ask me one question, and I
would answer it, and slide the gospel in right behind it. Now I don't
have to do it anymore. They start right off, and they want to know
about Mr. Armstrong. They want to know about the Church, its genesis.
They want to know about its members. They want to know where the Church
is, where it can be found. They weren't asking those questions a few
months ago. It has to be from the publicity or, if you want to say, the
notoriety, we have been getting."
So while Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Rader and others are educating the public
about the true facts of the lawsuit, we are also correcting misinformation
about God's Church. Mr. Rader pointed out that he is finding a lot of
thinking and caring people who really want to know, and on whom all of
this is having a positive effect. Being spoken against in the media has
caused many to take an interest in us. We are going to continue to capi
talize on this.
Putting it all on balance, it is not the lawsuit or our ads or anythinq
else we can do that is the key to the whole matter. "ive can be thankful,"
Mr. Rader reminded us, "that we're on God's side and all through the last
20 months we should have become very aware of that. We could not have
managed against this kind of onslaught if we had not been on God's side,
if He had not been watching over us, giving Mr. Armstrong the power and
the vision to lead us at this crucial time."
A Time of Confrontation Is Coming
Mr. Rader warned--and therefore none of us should be surprised when it
happens--that a time of confrontation is coming� Now that most of the
misleading statements and accusations against us have been put to rest,
we are nearing what Mr. Rader has often called "the period of the big
shootout" between Mr. Armstrong and the attorney general. Elaborating
on this in response to a question, Mr. Rader said, "We are going to have
a classic Biblical battle--just like out of the Old Testament--David
versus Goliath...the two people who had been selected, one by God, and
one, let's say by the forces that were contrary to God...."
So how will Mr. Armstrong carry on this battle with the attorney general?
Mr. Rader explained that Mr. Armstrong will act in behalf of the Church
as its temporal head in such a time and manner that it will be plain he
is acting for none other than the "highest principled reasons, which are
the ones which Mr. Armstrong has laid out from the beginning.'' It will
all devolve to the basic question: Who will rule God's Church--Christ
or Caesar? That is the real issue.