Article & Book Reviews -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Conservative Theological Journal
Volume: CTJ 02:7 (Dec 1998)
Article: Article & Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous


Article & Book Reviews

By the faculty of Tyndale Biblical Institute & Theological Seminary and others
Mal Couch, Editor

Transformed by Truth by Joseph Tkach, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Books, 1997, 207 pp., cloth, $19.99

In Transformed by Truth, Joseph Tkach, President and Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God, chronicles the historic changes that have taken place in that former cult leading to its renouncing of the heretical teachings of its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, and its embracing and proclamation of orthodox, Biblical Christianity. This is an amazing book about an amazing, unprecedented, event in the history of the Christian church. Partly apologetic, partly historical, partly deeply personal, partly exhortative, Tkach delivers a narrative that should cause every reader to lift up praise to God for the convicting and transforming work of His Word and His Spirit, and to ponder his own faith and practice in light of what God has revealed in the Scriptures.

There are numerous elements that motivated me as I read this book. First and foremost is Tkach’s passion for the Word of God. Tkach repeatedly emphasizes the authority of the Bible as the sole source of truth for the Church. He discusses how the reforms in the church took place as a result of the leadership searching the Scriptures for answers to puzzling questions about their teachings (ironically this at the insistence of Armstrong in his final years). He details their doctrinal errors and how they occurred, followed by a presentation of biblical truth on each.

Secondly, Tkach writes with a great passion and burden for the body of believers past, present, and future in the Worldwide Church of God. The reader is allowed to share in Tkach’s personal testimony and outreach to those formerly within the Worldwide Church of God who have formed splinter groups in reaction to and rejection of the reforms made. He

exemplifies how to lovingly share the truth by denouncing teachings, not teachers.

A fourth outstanding characteristic is how clearly Tkach compares the former doctrinal position of the church with the present doctrinal position. Tkach lays out the various doctrines of the church past and present with precision for the reader to understand, and he provides a copy of their present doctrinal statement in the appendix. He also charts for the reader the doctrinal positions of the major groups which have split off from the Worldwide Church of God.

My only concern with the content of this book is Tkach’s statement that he must be honest about the errors Armstrong taught and still sho...

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