On Second Thought

From a Sect Called Worldwide to a Wider World Community

Henry Sturcke

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English

Henry Sturcke
31 March 2022

Memoirs; General & world history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Religious fundamentalism

What if this isn't the end of the world? Henry Sturcke suppressed this question as long as he could. For good reason: he was a pastor in a strict church that expected the imminent return of Jesus Christ to establish the wonderful world tomorrow on earth.

Wrestling with questions while failing to live up to his expectations of a good pastor, Henry battled burn-out. Meanwhile, the denomination he served, the Worldwide Church of God, was wracked by upheaval. Soon after the expulsion of its public face, pioneering televangelist Garner Ted Armstrong, Worldwide became embroiled in a landmark church-state legal confrontation. Then Herbert Armstrong, Worldwide's autocratic founder, died. The fragmentation of Worldwide that followed took a surprising turn: Armstrong's successors repudiated much that he had taught, while myriad breakaways vied for the claim to convey his legacy faithfully.

By this time, Henry had begun to face his doubts. As a self-prescribed therapy for a renewed bout of depression, he enrolled in theology courses at a nearby university, leading after years of uncertainty to a surprising continuation of his ministry.

On Second Thought is the third book in a trilogy. The first book, Fooled into Thinking: Dylan, the Sixties, and the End of the World, tells of Henry's first exposure to Worldwide's apocalyptic message. The second book, Those Elusive True Values: Journey to the Heart of the Armstrong World, covers his study at Ambassador College, Worldwide's educational arm.

By: Henry Sturcke
Imprint: Henry Sturcke
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 431g
ISBN: 9783952522721
ISBN 10: 3952522724
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 31 March 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Henry Sturcke, born in New Jersey, studied photojournalism at Boston University and theology at Ambassador College, Pasadena. After stints as a correspondent in Brussels and Washington, he was ordained as a minister of the Worldwide Church of God, a strict fundamentalist sect living in expectation of the imminent end of the world. He served congregations in Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Switzerland before resigning and earning a Th.D. at the University of Zürich, after which he entered the ministry of the Reformed Church in Switzerland.