Attached to the letter that Herbert Armstrong sent to Rod Meredith that was posted on The Servants News, was this addendum by Aaron Dean. The alt.religion.w-w-church-god forum was a vibrant source of news about the church during all of the changes.
Rod Meredith, like Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry and Bob Thiel, has rewritten his history to serve his own ends. Dean calls him out on it.
Aaron Dean, Herbert Armstrong’s Personal Aide, Confirms Accuracy of Above Letter on the alt.religion.w-w-church-god Forum, January 8, 1999:
I have nothing to hide and don't mind if people ask what HWA thought. Some have asked and I have answered these same questions before. People should not be allowed to rewrite their own histories to their own ends.
What happened in GCG is precisely why I couldn't join Global. I wish I had been wrong. If it will help people find God and Christ instead of men, feel free to use my post. It will probably bring some hate mail, but I have gotten use to it as I am sure some of you are. I wish people could become zealous instead of zealots. I have found you can become zealous for God, but only zealots for men.
Regards,
— Aaron
ps. I edited my note a bit for clarity. It is below.
AKDean@aol.com wrote:
Hi,
That is the letter that was in Mr. Armstrong's files. HWA did talk to not only RCM [Roderick C. Meredith], but others about how he was wrong about Stan [Rader]. Mr. A didn't apologize to people, and had other ways of apologizing—some of which could be misinterpreted. His discussion with Rod about SRR [Stanley R. Rader], I imagine Rod took to be an apology. Of course he wanted to see it this way. To RCM it seemed either he was right or SRR was right. Since SRR turned out to be a 'bad guy' RCM assumed he was vindicated. This helps to justify why he maintains he should be in charge. He never understood the issue was not about him and SRR, but him seeing himself as next in line.
It did not change RCM's problem, as you can see from the letter RCM's problems stemmed from well before SRR. The fact that HWA never reappointed RCM to a position of power shows that he knew RCM still had the problem. The COE [Council of Elders] was never a power body, although many seemed to see it as that.
RCM took the fact that those he disliked (and it is interesting to note they were always the ones between him and the top) turned out to have problems, so it seemed a vindication of his problem. Mr. Armstrong still felt the same way about RCM up until his death.
One thing HWA did say, was that "Rod will be personally loyal to me" (HWA). Of course RCM wanted that same loyalty to himself, never realizing that what HWA really wanted was loyalty to GOD. That is why HWA, amid the confusion of the receivership did appoint RCM over Church Administration in '79.
Unfortunately RCM began immediately to try to solidify his position as heir to the church, and had to be removed within the year, and was never reappointed to a high administrative position. It was RCM's own words that caused him to be sent toHawaii, not anyone else. I pray that he eventually can come to see himself, just as I pray for so many other self appointed leaders.
— Aaron Dean