Once considered a cult, denomination goes orthodox Religion Today Tuesday, June 13, 2000 The Worldwide Church of God, once considered a cult, is stabilizing since losing much of its membership five years ago. It was founded in 1934 as the Radio Church of God by the late Herbert W. Armstrong and widely shunned in orthodox Christian circles. Armstrong rejected the Trinity while insisting that tithing and observance of the Old Testament Sabbath were necessary for salvation. After Armstrong's death, the church went through dramatic theological changes when its new leaders announced that many teachings were in error, the Los Angeles Times reported. By 1995 the church had declared itself to be a mainstream Christian evangelical denomination, and has become a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. The move toward orthodoxy was welcomed by other churches, but led to a dramatic loss of income and membership. The Pasadena, Calif.-based church has 30,000 members in the United States, and 30,000 overseas, a spokesman said. When the changes began, it reported 104,000 members. Between 10 percent and 15 percent of its 400 congregations in the United States worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, and most observe Christmas and Easter. Those practices were condemned by founders of the church, spokesman Greg Albrecht said.

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