Afterword

“Buy the truth, and sell it not ….”

— Proverbs 23:23

Why did we do it? Why bog down in six grueling years of spiritual trench warfare? Why spend $5 million in legal fees and settlement costs for books and booklets we’re going to give away free?

The best answer to that question is, read it for yourself.

Everything we fought for and now own the copyrights to—7 books, 11 booklets and a monthly correspondence course—we now furnish to anyone who asks for it.

Mystery of the Ages is the capstone of Mr. Armstrong’s lifelong work. In it, he sought to summarize and make plain all the Bible’s major truths in one volume, supplying the reader with “the thread of the Bible.” He wrote it to be very accessible to the reader completely unacquainted with his teachings, which is why he marketed it to bookstores and libraries. Ask us for a free copy to see what was at the heart of the wcg v. pcg battle. What did Joseph Tkach believe was his “Christian duty” to keep out of your hands? Why did we so fervently disagree? Read it for yourself.

The Incredible Human Potential, which focuses on the transcendent destiny of humankind, is one of Mr. Armstrong’s most inspiring works. It explains the overview of God’s master plan for humans, answering our deepest questions about why we are here.

The Missing Dimension in Sex is a treasure trove of practical, Bible-based knowledge regarding marriage, family, dating and sex. A companion booklet we also own is Mr. Armstrong’s Why Marriage—Soon Obsolete?

Mr. Armstrong considered the message presented in The United States and Britain in Prophecy to be the “strongest proof” of God’s existence and the inspiration of the Holy Bible. Written during the 1930s, this book probably did more to help build the Worldwide Church of God under Mr. Armstrong than anything else he ever published. During his lifetime, nearly 6 million people had obtained copies. The foundational history and prophecy it covers is more urgently needed today than ever before.

The Wonderful World Tomorrow draws on numerous biblical passages to vividly describe what human civilization will be like during the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ, now just ahead of us. This is the vision that kept Mr. Armstrong’s focus on the future. It’s why he was such a positive, joy-filled, forward thinker!

We could go on. Other booklets by Mr. Armstrong that we will eagerly send you at no charge include: Does God Exist?, The Proof of the Bible, Who or What Is the Prophetic Beast?, The Plain Truth About Healing, What Science Can’t Discover About the Human Mind, The Seven Laws of Success, What Is Faith?, Just What Do You Mean … Born Again?, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? and Pagan Holidays—or God’s Holy Days—Which?

On top of all that, the 58-lesson correspondence course we won the rights to publish has become the basis for an updated 36-lesson course: Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course. Monthly lessons help you find your way around the Bible proving basic doctrines and learning vital lessons in Christian living.

Finally, I encourage you to request a free copy of another book that is central to the story you have just read. It is the manuscript that got my father fired and excommunicated from the wcg. It is the book that launched the Philadelphia Church of God. It is the agonized cry of the betrayed—and the call to remembrance of the faithful. It is the trumpet alarm we blasted to every minister and member of the wcg we possibly could: Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Those who, after reading Raising the Ruins, take the time to read Malachi’s Message will discover that everything I have described—the casting down of Mr. Armstrong’s teachings, the lies that supplanted them, the treachery of the men who drove the transformation, the breakaway of a remnant holding fast to the truths once delivered—was foretold in Scripture, just as the court battle itself was. Chapter 24 of this book gave you a look at the biblical basis for the faith that propelled us forward in our legal struggle; Malachi’s Message will give you an understanding of how God foresaw what would happen to His church in our day, and how He prophesied it in the Bible. Having read the details of what actually happened in the wcg, you will be amazed at how vividly descriptive and thorough the Bible’s prophecies of these events are. Malachi’s Message contains the scriptural indictment of the wcg’s betrayal of Mr. Armstrong—the truth that angered Joseph Tkach Jr. enough to summarily fire my father and later accuse him of trending toward “sociopathic cult” status. Read it for yourself.

Some few have criticized us for paying money for Mr. Armstrong’s literature. They question why we would give even one dollar to an organization we so fervently disagree with. But giving up “mammon” for the truth of God did not violate our faith one bit. On the contrary, God’s word says, “Buy the truth, and sell it not” (Proverbs 23:23). It is the Worldwide Church of God that ought to be ashamed that they “sold” the truth. Like Esau, they gave up their spiritual inheritance for what amounts to a bowl of soup.

You simply cannot affix a monetary value to spiritual truth. That is why Mr. Armstrong always gave away his literature for free. He did also offer his major works for sale in bookstores, but only to reach a larger audience with that material. However he went about it, Mr. Armstrong’s mission was always about giving the word of God—and to as many people as possible. As President Reagan remarked in 1986, Mr. Armstrong wanted to share that way of life with his community and throughout the nation—and the world, we would add. He genuinely wanted everyone else to have what he had been given. As his ministry grew, he invested every available resource the church had right back into the work so that the message could be freely distributed to the largest audience possible.

That’s who he was. That’s what he did. And now that you know the truth about his legacy, we hope you’ll take a closer look at what we fought for in court for six years—for the message Herbert W. Armstrong proclaimed.

That is why we did it—that is why we fought. And that is why, even after six years of litigation and spending millions of dollars, we will always make Mr. Armstrong’s literature available for free.

All you have to do is ask for it.

And then, read it for yourself.