Customer Reviews

Flying Free: A Journey from Fundamentalism to Freedom

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John Morgan is a very prolific writer and researches his book very well. "Flying Free" is a story of coming out of the legalistic adventist cult of the Worldwide Church of God(WCG) which is a last ditch effort of adventism to keep the traditions of the proposed second advent of Christ, and interpreting the prophecies of the Old and New Testament, according to a set time for a literal second coming to a physical earth, of Jesus Christ.

John was a member of the WCG during the latter half of the twentieth century, and had done thorough research of the materials used in this book, which are laid out in order, and according to sections that elaborate on the history of the WCG, and on the life of Herbert W.Armstrong(HWA), who was the main leader of that system, on the doctrinal teachings, on the rules and regulations of the system that came down from their leader (HWA), on the initial set up of the system itself, and how it's operation was similiar or disimiliar to other religious systems.

He uses good reference materials, that are authentic and reliable. There are many listed illustrations with graphic descriptions of the abrasiveness and aggressiveness of the leadership as it was. John shows how the WCG was a caste system from the beginning, and progressed to a Hitlerian dictatorship.

While some of John's conslusions may be described as 'old guard,' others are very radical in their opposition to the system's abusive treatment of the membership, and of the deceptiveness that prevailed in the traditional hardcore line of 'the end justifies the means."

Using first hand knowledge and experience, John puts together a thorough outline of the system, as it was, with the merchandizing of the membership, abusive counseling of members who confessed "sins" to their ministers, the expensive lifestyles and excess of the leadership, the elitism taught through the British/Israeli theory, the false prophecies that were used to compel members to pay in excess of 3 tithes plus offerings, the structure of the hierarchy, the brain washing techniques,etc.

John describes the history of the drastic changes within the system, as it's new leaders inherit the top position in the church hierarchy during the late 1980s.

Although I do get the feeling that Joseph Tkach Sr. is given too much credit for the changes that I am fairly sure some others may have been equally, if not more responsible for their design and implementation, the important details of their implementation are in place for the reader. But the actual inner workings of the system as it changed are not to be overlooked, because they lay out for us the motives for taking the church over, rather than leaving and setting up their own system somewhere else. A discussion of that part of the history of the changes is kind of left in limbo by the book.

However, "Flying Free" does describe the multiple doctrinal disagreements, disfellowshipments, exit wars such as the infamous 'Westcoast Walkout' & the 1979 'Palace Revolution,' where some former members attempted to sue the WCG, the changes that were made under the Armstrongs, and the changes that were made after Joseph Tkach took over the Pastor General's position, especially during the early 1990s, the more than 500 breakoffs that resulted from the changes(listed on pg. 259 of "Flying Free")and the church wars,etc.

The last chaper (chapter 7)gives multiple scholarly resources and references in order to give the reader reference options outside the Bible, which are to clarify any errors, or other alleged erroneous conclusions of the men who wrote the Bible, and also to promote the concept of grace as it is taught in today's Protestant systems. These proposed Bible helps are useful to the extent that one understands that they are based on trusting the writers of history to know their sources, and so may need to be matched with other more up-to-date reference materials.

On page 246, John states, " I am no longer limited by a physical book, the Bible." This statement suggests that the Bible, like the men who wrote it is limited, and may be just another writing of ancient men, who were themselves limited by tradition, by enviornment, by culture, race,etc. However the author does not really clarify in the book, exactly how these men writing the Bible, can also limit God to their writings.

There are several appendices that include documented histories and testimonies of members, co-worker letters from HWA and the leadership, strange doctrinal teachings, tithing doctrines and the defense of a monetary tithe, prophecies of the Armstrongs, problems within the hierarchy, conflicts,etc.

John appears to feel free to promote a more intellectual approach to the Scriptures, and gives some excellent examples of how that was not the approach of the legalistic WCG.

John Morgan is a very prolific writer and researches his book very well. "Flying Free" is a story of coming out of the legalistic adventist cult of the Worldwide Church of God(WCG) which is a last ditch effort of adventism to keep the traditions of the proposed second advent of Christ, and interpreting the prophecies of the Old and New Testament, according to a set time for a literal second coming to a physical earth, of Jesus Christ.

John was a member of the WCG during the latter half of the twentieth century, and had done thorough research of the materials used in this book, which are laid out in order, and according to sections that elaborate on the history of the WCG, and on the life of Herbert W.Armstrong(HWA), who was the main leader of that system, on the doctrinal teachings, on the rules and regulations of the system that came down from their leader (HWA), on the initial set up of the system itself, and how it's operation was similiar or disimiliar to other religious systems.

He uses good reference materials, that are authentic and reliable. There are many listed illustrations with graphic descriptions of the abrasiveness and aggressiveness of the leadership as it was. John shows how the WCG was a caste system from the beginning, and progressed to a Hitlerian dictatorship.

While some of John's conslusions may be described as 'old guard,' others are very radical in their opposition to the system's abusive treatment of the membership, and of the deceptiveness that prevailed in the traditional hardcore line of 'the end justifies the means."

Using first hand knowledge and experience, John puts together a thorough outline of the system, as it was, with the merchandizing of the membership, abusive counseling of members who confessed "sins" to their ministers, the expensive lifestyles and excess of the leadership, the elitism taught through the British/Israeli theory, the false prophecies that were used to compel members to pay in excess of 3 tithes plus offerings, the structure of the hierarchy, the brain washing techniques,etc.

John describes the history of the drastic changes within the system, as it's new leaders inherit the top position in the church hierarchy during the late 1980s.

Although I do get the feeling that Joseph Tkach Sr. is given too much credit for the changes that I am fairly sure some others may have been equally, if not more responsible for their design and implementation, the important details of their implementation are in place for the reader. But the actual inner workings of the system as it changed are not to be overlooked, because they lay out for us the motives for taking the church over, rather than leaving and setting up their own system somewhere else. A discussion of that part of the history of the changes is kind of left in limbo by the book.

However, "Flying Free" does describe the multiple doctrinal disagreements, disfellowshipments, exit wars such as the infamous 'Westcoast Walkout' & the 1979 'Palace Revolution,' where some former members attempted to sue the WCG, the changes that were made under the Armstrongs, and the changes that were made after Joseph Tkach took over the Pastor General's position, especially during the early 1990s, the more than 500 breakoffs that resulted from the changes(listed on pg. 259 of "Flying Free")and the church wars,etc.

The last chaper (chapter 7)gives multiple scholarly resources and references in order to give the reader reference options outside the Bible, which are to clarify any errors, or other alleged erroneous conclusions of the men who wrote the Bible, and also to promote the concept of grace as it is taught in today's Protestant systems. These proposed Bible helps are useful to the extent that one understands that they are based on trusting the writers of history to know their sources, and so may need to be matched with other more up-to-date reference materials.

On page 246, John states, " I am no longer limited by a physical book, the Bible." This statement suggests that the Bible, like the men who wrote it is limited, and may be just another writing of ancient men, who were themselves limited by tradition, by enviornment, by culture, race,etc. However the author does not really clarify in the book, exactly how these men writing the Bible, can also limit God to their writings.

There are several appendices that include documented histories and testimonies of members, co-worker letters from HWA and the leadership, strange doctrinal teachings, tithing doctrines and the defense of a monetary tithe, prophecies of the Armstrongs, problems within the hierarchy, conflicts,etc.

John appears to feel free to promote a more intellectual approach to the Scriptures, and gives some excellent examples of how that was not the approach of the legalistic WCG.