>Ethics Daily is reporting that the group that broke away from the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong and his Radio Church of God has changed its name to reflect the group’s commitment to evangelical Christianity.
The following is an excerpt from the article published by Ethics Daily:
The Worldwide Church of God, which re-examined and later rebuked the teachings of founder Herbert W. Armstrong after his death in 1986, has changed its name to Grace Communion International.
It’s the second name change for the denomination that Armstrong founded as the Radio Church of God in 1934, and church leaders say it’s a better reflection of its mainstream evangelical theology.
“We are a church that God radically transformed,” said church president Joseph W. Tkach, who is a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals. “Our new name is consistent with the transformation and aptly describes what God has made of our fellowship.”
Armstrong denied the Christian belief in the Trinity and took Old Testament law to heart. He urged followers to abide by ancient dietary restrictions, to observe traditional Hebrew festivals, to mark the Sabbath on Saturday and to reject Christmas, Easter and birthdays as pagan holidays.
The transformation that God has worked in the lives of those who are part of the Grace Communion International is good news to all of us because it tells of the power of the Holy Spirit to teach truth to those who are seeking the truth.
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Grace Communion International, Herbert Armstrong,
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>The Worldwide Church of God, now Grace Communion International, still practices a lifetime top-down hierarchy, with Joe Tkach Jr. authoritative Pastor General in perpetuity.Also, the church continues to refuse to provide any financial accountability for the money still being donated directly to Joseph Tkach Jr., either in the present, or monies that were accumulated/tithed in the past. The millions of dollars made on the sale of both college campuses in the mid-1990s has never been accounted for.More information on the name change, with links to posts on the various ex-WCG blogs on the Internet, can be found here.Thank you.
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>Thank you for this information. I do not know much about the finances of the group. Maybe your comment will help others evaluate the situation of this group.Claude Mariottini
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>A Google search reveals those who criticise and say GCI hasn’t changed at all, as well as those (still following Mr Armstrong’s teachings) who criticise because it has changed.It is easy for the nay-sayers and knockers to criticise everything GCI do based on its doctrinally flawed past, rather than looking to what God is guiding it to do today, thanks to His infinite grace. Thank God, He forgives.
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>Many like myself desperately loved the changes that occured in the WCG. We fully accepted all, but the power of the church leader has remained unchanged. I remember the joy of members and ministers only to see many of those hopes dashed. Ministers that were told they would have input into matters found this did not happen.The leader's salary has never been disclosed. He has absolute say and even after over 12 years after he admitted the government needed to change and the power curtailed, he has not.One of the most disturbin(current) things the church has done since the changes is to sell for $3 million dollars Herbert Armstrong's most damaging doctrinal publications to the most dangerous of the cults to splinter off from the church. This was after they said it was their "christian duty" to keep these books out of print. Sadly I believe the evangelical community should have not so readily accepted the WCG at face value. Though I understand they cannot see behind the scenes.Sadly this "transformation" could have been something to rejoice about. But it was not. It turned many away from Christ.
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>I would like to address the idea that those critical of the WCG or Grace Communion International are bitter or devotees of Herbert Armstrong.It was a minority of the members who left that went to splinter groups. Tragically well over 40,000 left and chose to not attend any organized church. Many more, like myself, luckily found healthy orthodox churches. The WCG's sale of the dangerous cultic writings of Herbert Armstrong in 2003, many years after the changes, was just one in many instances highlighting that many "changes" still need to be made.They need our prayers. But this is not a church I would recommend at this time.
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>Dear Friend,Thank you for your insight and this information. I have to confess that I do not know all the things that is happening in this new denomination.Here is my advice: if you love the Lord and want to faithfully follow His teaching, look for a group of believers who love the Lord and live by his teaching. Any church that follows the authority of a man, who is more interested in money than in Christ, and who carries out teachings that are not biblical, may not represent the true church of Jesus Christ.May the Lord bless you in your search for the truth.Claude Mariottini
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