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necessity there are matters that are submitted to Mr. Armstrong
that are reported to nobody else. Therefore, a natural gap exists
between the membership and Mr. Rader. There is also a gap between the
ministry and Mr. Rader merely because he doesn't owe reports to them.
If Mr. Armstrong wants him to give reports to the headquarters church
or the church as a whole at the Feast of Tabernacles, he does so. This
gap will occur with any individual who seems to have significant input
at a high level, but who doesn't interact every day or every week with
the people who are essentially underwriting in prayers, tithes and
labor, God's Work day by day, week by week, and month by month. I do
believe that the absence of that daily and/or weekly contact, as we in
the ministry have on the Sabbath or during Bible study, puts Mr. Rader
at a disadvantage in terms of what people want to think about him. It
would be better to acknowledge what we don't know and not draw conclu
Gions, rather than assume that what we don't know must be something
that isn't good.
I've had only minimal contact with Mr. Rader over the 20 years I've
known him. That's a lengthy period of time. My contact has always been
favorable. I think I can say that he's a very fair-minded individual in
weighing any question and in giving advice to anybody at any level.
I was very pleased with the important help Mr. Rader gave me in par
ticular, and others on the staff in the academic area during 1970-71.
I've also appreciated very much his input and judgment in assisting
Mr. Armstrong in terms of how to help and evaluate projects around the
world....Having been involved myself in one of the projects, in the
sense of getting some on-the-spot information about the hill tribes
in Thailand to Mr. Armstrong, I do feel that the judgment that he has
had in advising Mr. Armstrong on the worldwide trips has been very
important and truly worthwhile.•..
When you see a man like Mr. Tom Snyder ask questions, you realize how
important it is to know what your attitude is toward a problem. If
your conscience, if your understanding, is clear, no matter what is
thrown at you, you needn't be concerned. And some of those were very
personal and touchy questions that Mr. Rader fielded.... There
is
no
doubt that in showing respect for Mr. Ted Armstrong he handled a section
very diplomatically and properly -- the way that all of us would be
expected to.
The question of religion
in
terms of holidays was certainly fielded in
a way that was very direct at the beginning. Mr. Rader went right to
those things -- especially the Sabbath -- which are thought to charac
terize the church uniquely in terms of our relationship to Judaism
versus the traditional relationship to the general Christian community.
Where Sunday and the world's secular or religious holidays are con
cerned, Mr. Rader found it easy, and I think any of you could find it
easy, to describe the Feast of Tabernacles as one of joy and respon
sible pleasure. Certainly this ought to be apparent in contrast to
the excesses that arise on Christmas more than on any other day of the
year. He made the religion that the Church of God exemplifies come
across quite respectably.
I
hope you do reflect on how these things were fielded both in terms
of how the character of the Church was conveyed, and how you can be
diplomatic in explaining certain matters when somebody is trying to
fish for an answer that frnakly is better not said in some other terms.
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