Armstrongism and Armstrongite are generally considered derogatory by those to whom it is applied,[5] who prefer to be known as members of the Church of God (COG).
Herbert Armstrong's teachings have similarities to those of the Millerites and Church of God (Seventh Day) (sometimes referred to as "COG7" to differentiate it from similarly styled sects named "Church of God" which worship on Sunday and generally hold to traditional Christian teachings), from which WCG is spiritually and organizationally descended.
The religion is a blend of Christian fundamentalism, non-belief in the Trinity and some tenets of Judaism and Seventh-Day Sabbath doctrine.
[6] Armstrong himself had been a COG7 minister before the Oregon conference stripped him of his ministerial credentials and excommunicated him for his seeking to "water down" and change their long-established COG7 doctrines.
Armstrong taught that most of the basic doctrines and teachings of mainstream Christianity were based on traditions, including absorbed pagan concepts and rituals (i.e. religious syncretism), rather than the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Shortly after Armstrong's death in 1986, the Worldwide Church of God started revising its core beliefs toward the concepts, doctrines, and creeds of mainstream Christianity.
This resulted in many ministers and members leaving the WCG to start or join other churches, many of which continue to believe and teach Armstrong's doctrines to one degree or another.
The Godhead now temporarily consists of two co-eternal individuals (see Binitarianism), Jesus the Messiah, as the creator and spokesman (The Word or Logos), and God the Father.
[12]: 181 Walter Martin's book, The Kingdom of the Cults (1965) argues that Armstrong's teachings are largely a conglomerate of teachings from other groups, noting similarities in elements of his teachings to the Seventh-day Adventists (sabbatarianism, annihilationism, and their belief that the soul remains asleep until its bodily resurrection), Jehovah's Witnesses (whose belief differs from the mainstream Christian belief that the soul stays awake and goes to either Heaven or Hell immediately following death), and Mormonism (God Family doctrine).