Stanley Rader
Stanley Rader | |
|---|---|
 Stanley Rader, circa 1980 |
Stanley R. Rader (August 13, 1930 – July 2, 2002), was an attorney, accountant, author and, later in life, one of the Evangelists of the Worldwide Church of God, then a Sabbatarian organization, which was founded by Herbert W. Armstrong.[1]
Before meeting Armstrong
Stanley Rader was born and raised in
First associations with Armstrong
In 1956 Rader met Armstrong, leader of what was then called the
The Radio Church of God had been previously
Joining WCG
Rader, who still considered himself Jewish, was baptized into WCG by Armstrong in 1975 using a hotel bathtub in the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong. This move allowed Rader to reposition himself as a high-ranking church evangelist[2] in an attempt to quell misgivings by many in the ministerial hierarchy, who felt that Rader's undue influence on Armstrong was troubling.
60 Minutes interview
In a 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, Rader defended himself, remarking to Wallace, "I don't take stupid pills." Wallace read to Rader a portion of a letter Armstrong was drafting, asking Rader to resign from any church positions that would make him Armstrong's successor. Wallace then played a tape of Armstrong reading the letter. Rader started to sweat, before finally declaring: "Now I say you've acquired this by illegal means. I intend to have my attorneys today not only sue you if you use this. ... Mike, look, I think you'd better scrap everything because you're on my list. Okay? You're never going to live it down, Mike, I guarantee it. ... you're contemptible. ... I'd like you to get out of here, immediately!" Rader then stormed out of the room, and accused the press of distorting the facts.[3]
Popularizing Armstrong
Whereas the plan of
As a consequence, the AICF transformed
]Armstrong, in the company of Rader, began introducing himself to any world leader who held political power and was willing to meet with the aging, grandfatherly figure for a photo opportunity for The Plain Truth, during which the leader would receive expensive gifts, such as Stueben crystal. Armstrong sold his new AICF portfolio approach to the church membership as being a new phase in preaching the church's gospel.
Business relationships
Rader used his own professional legal accounting practice, and also incorporated new companies in order to conduct profitable business enterprises on behalf of the Worldwide Church of God. The companies largely owned and controlled by Rader included:
- Rader, Helge & Gerson, which provided legal representation for the church.
- Rader, Cornwall, Kessler and Palazzo, which provided accounting services for the church.
- Worldwide Advertising, Inc., which booked The World Tomorrow on radio and television stations.
- Mid-Atlantic Leasing, which leased light aircraft and a Gulfstream II, to enable Rader and Armstrong to fly around the world meeting kings, princes, presidents, and prime ministers, all paid for by the Worldwide Church of God.
- Wilshire Travel, which made the travel bookings for Rader and Armstrong.
- Gateway Publishing, which printed books used by the church.
WCG placed in receivership
By 1979, California
During this time, Rader was the point man for Armstrong, and rallied other religious groups to his defense. With the backing of a nonprofit, religious lobbying coalition formed to thwart state intrusion, Rader successfully introduced a bill into the
Book
In 1980, Rader wrote a book called Against the Gates of Hell: The Threat to Religious Freedom in America, which was published by the Worldwide Church of God's Everest House corporation. It was about the investigation by the State of California into the finances of the church. The National Council of Churches praised it as "the seminal work on church/state relations in the 20th century."
Resignation
Although Rader appeared to have won the financial receivership battle, his plan to create the AICF cultural empire had come to a halt. In 1981 he resigned as General Counsel and Treasurer of the Worldwide Church of God. Armstrong paid Rader a special $250,000 bonus, after taxes, in appreciation of his vigorous defense of the church against the state receivership. Rader also received substantial pension payments arising under his contractual agreement with the church.
Death
By the time that Rader died on July 2, 2002, just two weeks after being diagnosed with acute
References
- ^ a b c d Cartwright, Dixon. "Stanley Rader, WCG evangelist and treasurer and confidant of Herbert W. Armstrong, dies". News of the Churches of God. The Journal. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Rader Ordained - AR10 November 19, 1979". Ambassador Report. The Painful Truth. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Stanley Rader on "Sixty Minutes" with Mike Wallace". Ambassador Report. The Painful Truth. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "The Lawsuit - AR7 January 21, 1979". Ambassador Report. The Painful Truth. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Petris Bill Passes", Ambassador Report, Issue 13, September, 1980
Bibliography
- Stanley Rader, 71; Advisor in Worldwide Church of God - Stanley Robert Rader, the long-time confidant of the late Herbert W. Armstrong of the Worldwide Church of God, has died. He was 71. - Los Angeles Times/July 4, 2002 - By Larry B. Stammer
- "The Devil and Stanley Rader" Article in The American Lawyer
External links
- Against the Gates of Hell: The Threat to Religious Freedom in America by Stanley R. Rader Online copy of Rader's book defending Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God
- Against the Gates of Hell by Stanley R Rader - Herbert W. Armstrong Searchable Library & Archive - HWALibrary.com
- Stanley R. Rader Resigns Article by Herbert W. Armstrong
- Ambassador Report
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
