The Midnight Cringe

What happens when a branch of the Church of God, one that's been led by a single autocratic figure, suddenly loses its leader. That's what recently happened to the Church of God's Faithful, a South Carolina-based PCG splinter (see last month's article). Robert Ardis has gone to whatever eternal reward awaits him.

You'll be relieved to know that the sect magazine, The Midnight Cry, has continued to be published. There's obviously a new editor. Who can it be? One Jon Ardis. Could this be the anointed son? CGF apparently continues "all in the family". Gerry and Stephen over in PCG; Robert and Jon in CGF. Nepotism? Oh my goodness, gracious no. How could you even think it?

Prophetically (!) this issue's cover is emblazoned with the words, The Writing Is on the Wall. That could well be true, but possibly not in the intended sense. Ardis the Younger has penned a fairly bland editorial. Kiwi writer Wally Lawton draws on his vast knowledge of the Bible to pen an article on Iran/Persia and prophecy. Reuben Lister warns us all that national slavery awaits.

Sad to say, these prophecies are about to become a reality and it’s hard to accept that Great Britain, America, and the nation we call Israel will all be reduced to insignificance. All will go down together, ending in slavery and utter despair.

He's right about one thing, it is hard to accept. Impossible, in fact, fanciful misrepresentations of Deuteronomy 28:64-68 notwithstanding. Have these geniuses ever considered the logistics of such an undertaking?

So will the tithe-payers continue supporting CGF, or will there be a general wising up? It appears that Jon is paddling hard and the team is standing by with buckets ready to bail as necessary.

Whether that will be enough remains to be seen.

The PDF is available to download.

Willie's World

One of the enduring characters on the fringe of Armstrongism over the decades has been William F. Dankenbring. The one-time Plain Truth writer launched a publishing operation in the 1970s featuring his own work, but also that of Raymond McNair (Ascent to Greatness) and Ivor Fletcher (The Incredible History of God's True Church). Basil Wolverton provided original artwork for his The Keys to Radiant Health, and Herman Hoeh agreed to write the foreword to his creationist tome, The First Genesis. Somewhere along the path, though, Dankenbring "jumped the shark" and became a date-setter with few peers. For many years now he has produced a periodical called Prophecy Flash! to promote his predictions.

Anyone who has read Dankenbring's guff in recent years knows just how much he loathes President Obama. We all have our personal political views - that's the foundation of a democracy - but Dankenbring drapes his biases in lurid biblical fantasy. The current Flash (March-April) is no exception. Some of the headings from the 'Prophecy Briefs' section.

President Obama wants to rule the world
Obama aspires to be King of the world
Obama wants to be UN chief
Fecklessness has its rewards: Barack Obama will be the next UN Secretary General

Dankenbring date setting from 2008

And...

Move over, Benedict Arnold, there's a new traitor in town - Barack Obama!

And how about this:

Earlier this year and also last year I wrote about the signals that some thought Obama was emitting to be the Muslim Caliphate, that is, the Islamic leader of all the world's Muslims. He might indeed be acceptable for that position. 

To keep your disgust fresh, the current issue is available as a PDF download, but be aware that there may be a significant mental health risk involved.

Another black eye for Bob

COGWA's John Carmack has posted a response to a lengthy attack by Prophet Bob Thiel (ThD) over at COG Perspective. Did Bob expect anything else?

I certainly don't have a canine in this altercation, but gotta say, in my opinion at least, John has the high moral ground here.

Meantime Bob, we're all waiting for clarification on that super-impressive Trinity ThD you claim to have earned.

Some things never change

Luke 6:45. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Few will argue this concept. Are we focused on good or evil? Are we focused upon ourselves or upon others? Are our motives pure? People often can figure these things out by listening to what we say or by reading what we write.

As we all know, HWA's co-worker letters tended to focus a great deal on raising money and his lifestyle reinforced the perception that money was quite important to him. Is it any different for the other COGs?

Here is the opening paragraph from the latest UCG member letter:

March 2016 

Dear Brethren, 

More than 22 percent of the Church's revenue comes through the Holy Days offerings. It is an important part of our giving as we obey the explicit command: Three times a year your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." (Deut. 16:16-17)

Some things never change.


Posted on behalf of Kevin. He has been associated with WCG and UCG for over four decades and is currently in the process of reassessing what is fact and fiction.

The Strumpet

The Living Armstrongism blog has a review of the latest issue of PCG's The Trumpet. The cover speaks for itself. "The issue contains an inflammatory cover made by Gary Dorning trying to stir up resentment and fear of President Obama. PCG leans far to the right in regards to politics so they wish Obama was not president." (Redfox).

American politics; sheesh. Bear in mind that traditionally the COGs have pretended to be politically neutral, discouraging their members from voting. The reality is somewhat different. Herbert Armstrong's political views were well known, and church publications leaned heavily in advocacy journalism. That is even more apparent in the squabbling sects today.

The latest Trumpet Weekly apparently beats the same drum. The cover is supplied by a reader in the States, and features another political piece by heir presumptive, daddy's pride and joy, Stephen Flurry.

More interesting is the question of how many COG members ignore the non-voting advice. I can say, hand on heart, that I voted throughout the years of my WCG membership with a clear conscience (and I'm darn sure I didn't vote the way the ministry would have supported). Anecdotally one suspects that a substantial part of the COG demographic does indeed turn up to cast a ballot though most wouldn't admit it.

For the full baloney rundown on this issue (baloney as in the mag, not the review), hit the link above.

Two Gerrys carry the baton

Squished planet, squished beliefs... like sheep to the slaughter indeed!

UPDATED. If you enjoy BBC comedy, you'll know about "the two Ronnies". If you enjoy COG soap operas you'll be delighted to learn that there are now "two Gerrys".

Gary Leonard is the first off the block to release the contents of a member letter announcing Gerry Weston's ascendancy to the status of leader in the Living Church of God. This April 6 member-only letter went forth over the signature of the current Presiding Evangelist, Roderick Meredith. Once again, Gary's sources have proved invaluable. Excepts:

One of the main reasons I wanted to write all of you members directly is that I want all of you to be fully aware and “on board” about the coming transfer of Mr. Gerald Weston here to Headquarters to become President and COO of this Work. I will remain as the Presiding Evangelist and human “head” of the Church as long as God gives me strength. But Mr. Weston will be in charge of running the physical day to day operations... Mr. Weston has pastored churches all over the United States, pastored and served as Regional Pastor of the Kansas City area for 13 years, pastored the churches and directed the whole Work in Canada for 13 years, and is now effectively running the churches and Work in Britain, Europe and the Middle East.

In all these years, he has been tried and tested and has been constantly loyal to the Truth, to God’s leadership in this Work and to all the things that matter. I have talked to literally scores of ministers and brethren from all over and not one has ever raised a big “issue” with Mr. Weston!

So it is after much prayer and Bible study and “multitude of counsel” that I have decided to select him and appoint him—in the name of Jesus Christ—as the next administrative leader over the Work here. I hope all of you will join me in being totally loyal to Mr. Weston in helping him, in supporting him and praying for him that God will guide and use him in every way.

For more, click across to Gary's Banned blog at the link above.

Some thoughts. This was certainly not unexpected. Now it's out in the open, though, we can expect a good deal of realignment behind the scenes.

Meredith has not appointed Weston as a new Presiding Evangelist, he's determined to hang on as spiritual leader as long as he can. Technically this is then an administrative appointment, whatever that means in practical terms. It could be an uncomfortable marriage with Meredith still capable of pulling rank (remember the Global fiasco?) though his capacity for this is unclear. Potential for friction at the very least.

In a separate post, Gary indicates that Meredith's health is poor. He has apparently been hospitalized recently and now uses a wheelchair.

The two Gerrys. Flurry and Weston. Let the soap opera continue.

The Journal - 182nd issue

The latest issue of The Journal: News of the Churches of God has been released.

In this issue there's an article about the arrest (seemingly unjustified) of chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer in 1981. Heavy-handed police officers have, it seems, been around for a long time. Fischer's personal account of the event is available in full online.

Tom Kerry's Church of God Ministries International, based in New Orleans, is prominently featured. Tom and his followers have spent up big on studios to broadcast their scintillating take on "the gospel as a witness and warning" via the Internet. Original!

Keith Slough asserts that "Jesus is the forgotten man in our old-Worldwide theology." I know he'll find more than a few 'amens' out there. He takes a while to get to the point, but ends up saying: "When we preach the gospel, if we leave out the focus the early true church had on the “Messenger” - the person of Jesus Christ - we water down the true gospel."

Self-anointed religious expert Joe Kovacs has endorsed a children's book on the COG Feasts by UCG member Ramona Wood. Kovacs, executive news editor for the right-wing WND, is "COG-friendly", but I'm not aware that he actually walks the walk rather than just talking the talk.

As always, the complete issue can be downloaded in PDF format. Back copies of The Journal dating back to 2012 can also be accessed from the sidebar.

Was World Vision conned?

There's been a bit of a flap about the use of World Vision Canada's headquarters facilities in Mississauga, Ontario by Roderick Meredith's Living Church of God. The LCG has hired the location for one of its proselytizing seminars in May: "Has God Abandoned Mankind?" 

So what's the problem? Organisations hire out their facilities all the time. World Vision, however, is more selective than most. A great backgrounder comes from Martha over at As Bereans Did. It seems World Vision may have been under some misapprehensions when it hired out the rooms.

The Bereans website decided to ask a few questions - and possibly point out a few germane facts. Here's the reply they got from World Vision Canada.

In fact, the Worldwide Church of Tomorrow [sic] (founded by H W Armstrong) had a radical shift after Armstrong’s death and has become thoroughly evangelical and renamed their movement as Grace Communion International. This denomination is a member in good standing both with the National Association of Evangelicals (USA) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada... Given this outcome, we do not have any concerns with their use of our facility.

You've got to hope the office staff are, in general, a lot more competent than whoever emailed that masterpiece.

Given the outright contempt LCG shows for evangelical organisations such as World Vision, you've also got to wonder what kind of assurances the LCG representative gave when hiring their facilities. As others have pointed out, using World Vision may lend LCG an air of false legitimacy in the eyes of the evangelically-minded community.

Would World Vision hire out their facilities for recruitment purposes by the Jehovah's Witnesses? The Moonies? If so, no problem. If not, then they do indeed have a problem.

Fragmentation reissued in paperback

Good news, you no longer need to remortgage the house in order to acquire a copy of David Barrett's study Fragmentation of a Sect: Schism in the Worldwide Church of God. Oxford University press is releasing a paperback edition (with a few very minor revisions) later this year.

This is an academic work focused on the sociology rather than the usual agenda-driven stuff that tends to be published elsewhere. If you prefer debunking and steamy apologetics larded with Bible texts, this probably isn't the book for you. In my view, however, the story of the dissolution of the WCG is better told without the invective. It's a story that speaks for itself, and David Barrett is one of the keenest observers of the COG phenomenon. If it helps, I'm told Joe Tkach hated it - which in my view is the ultimate recommendation.

You're going to have to wait till August to get your hands on a copy, but preorders are being taken with a price tag of $29.95 US/£19.99 UK. If that sounds expensive, be ye aware that the nice people at OUP in NZ have the locally sourced hardback edition listed at just under eighty smackers, so quit with the complaining. Amazon currently has the HB at $61.

An ebook edition you ask? Sadly not the Oxford way.

More on this closer to August.

Bob throws his toys at John

... if Bob has "stretched the truth" on this matter, how can anyone believe a word he says on anything else.

Bob Thiel must be feeling brittle after having the headlights turned on his claims recently. Gary Leonard has been relentless, and the immediate past posting here also raised important issues for Bob's credibility. Bob, however, has decided to vent his spleen at John Carmack, a COGWA member who operates the Church of God Perspective site. Over to you, Bob.

While I cannot address all the lies and innuendoes on the internet about me, since someone who claims to be in the Church of God has once again posted false and misleading statements about me, that perhaps this would be a good time to answer lest those who believe such things feel that they are wise in their own eyes.

Actually, Bob, it wouldn't be at all difficult to clarify the little matter of your ThD credentials. But more on that later. Here's Bob's post. I guess I'm not completely unbiased here, but I find Bob quite incoherent in parts. In fact, his defense of his own 'specialness' seems downright pathetic. But what do I know, if you're up to it you can click across and judge for yourself.

What is interesting is that Bob chooses to respond to John, but not address issues others have raised. Is that because he can't?

Explain what TCU means please Bob.

The issues around the legitimacy of Bob's CV are quite straightforward, relying on matters of fact, yet Bob keeps fudging. It's important because if Bob has "stretched the truth" on this matter, how can anyone believe a word he says on anything else. How simple would it be for Bob to type up a proper CV that lists and documents his qualifications rather than grandstanding and evasions? No need to "answer detractors" - just provide the documentation.

If Bob doesn't know how to set out an academic CV, I'm sure he can find lots of examples online.