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Sunday 17 April 2016

After Ambassador

Original AC logo
Once upon a time there was something called Ambassador College. One campus in Pasadena grew to three. Then two closed and Ambassador University had a brief existence at Big Sandy. Then it all collapsed.

But not to worry. Now there are slavish imitations operated by the squabbling sects that claim Herb Armstrong's mantle. They all have at least one thing in common - none of them are accredited. Nor do any of them seem to have key faculty with experience beyond the Armstrong gulags.

United Church of God: Ambassador Bible College.

COGWA: Foundation Institute.

PCG: Herbert W. Armstrong College.

Living Church of God: Living University.

Restored COG: Ambassador Center.

Obviously, there's an awful lot of duplication of resources, but these guys just don't trust each other. Granted that PCG and RCG are in something of a category of their own theologically, you'd have to wonder at what significant differences of substance exist between the other three (other than competing egos).

Lots of photographs of smiling, compliant young people. Add them all together and multiply by ten and it'd still be hard to justify just one tertiary operation. What real price for a junk qualification?

4 comments:

Minimalist said...

To become accredited, they would have to lay out millions of dollars and have a staff of real professors hanging around on six-figure salaries (as high as the cult leaders' rip-off salaries!). There was only one man foolish enough to try this: Joseph Tkach: He laid out 10's of millions (what it costs to create a university)on Big Sandy and it crashed instantly! All that money, up in smoke!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the greatest pity is that none of these institutions,if we can call them that, are aware of the works of serious scholars who over the past few decades particularly have done significant work which ,believe it or not, have added weight to Arnstrongism.I am not talking about the silly doctrines you guys seem fixated on or the failed prophecies and Bi which receive excessive attention. I have a longer post on the thread below with Kevin's article where I elaborate Check it out Ian Boyne

Christopher McNeely said...

"What real price for a junk qualification?"

Well, my two years at the 'accredited' AU in Big Sandy started losing value the second I stepped onto campus in August of 1993. In fact, several of my old 'professors' are teaching at the UCG 'college.' Doc Ward's insights into the Gospels were pretty worthless then. (Actually, I'll be fair and say that the only decent class I had at AU was Mark Kaplan's OT Survey: by the time I got to take Bible classes at Indiana University with Herbert Marks, I was well-prepared).

What continues to amaze me is how firmly COGers hold onto their hostility and suspicion to all things learned and theologically-schooled. In every other area of life the average UCG/etc. member would seek professional, credentialed, advice. But when it comes to theology, the presence of education and certification is utterly disqualifying.

Anonymous said...

"the silly doctrines you guys seem fixated on..."

I suppose dignifying that sort of pejorative comment with a response would be OK.