Apostle Malm has stated the purpose of his commission and ministry:
Isaiah 58:1
1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
Now that he has established that, he wants your money! Like all good harlot daughters of the mother church, he is begging for money to support his vital (in his eyes only) ministry. He is shouting the same blubbering nonsense that the other 600 some harlot daughters have been preaching for decades. Not a single one of them has ever accomplished anything or told the truth.
This full post has also been put up at the news site, as I work to use the news to also present the Gospel. As time passes and things unfold I intend to use the keen interest in the news that events will bring to really reach out and fulfill Is 58:1.
This is only the earliest beginnings of that plan. I am preparing to begin advertising in earnest over the next few weeks and content [on the news site] will become more scriptural. Please consider supporting this effort to provide a message of warning and hope to the world.
This is a tremendous opportunity to really preach the Gospel of warning. repentance and hope; which is being overlooked by the major COG groups: who are asleep at the switch!
Anyway, back to the Apostle’s bible quote. Like a good harlot daughter he only quotes ONE verse from the Isaiah 58 - verse 1.
He conveniently ignores verse 4:
In his arrogant pride he is just another false prophet in a long line of Armstrongites who have ripped the church apart with strife and quarreling. His way is the only true way and all who disagree with him are rebellious sinners. Lot's of love in that belief!4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
Then on to verses 6 and 7:
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
The Apostle has been telling his acolytes to fast that God's will be done. Nothing of the sort has happened. Apostle Malm, like the rest of the harlot daughters of Armstrongism have tightened the chains of oppression
and injustice and made the yoke even tighter and heavier. Myriads of laws, rules and regulations are laid out (i.e. the women's hat stupidity) to burden believers down more and more.
Armstrongites don't share their food with the hungry, or provide the homeless with shelter, or clothe them. They have been taught by Herbert himself that we are not of this world and should not worry about the world around us. Christ is coming at some point in the future and will take care of it all then. So, at this point in time it is more important to give that money you should have used to care for others, to the Church of God for it's so called work. Only UCG (whom Apostle Malm despises with derision) comes the closest to this with Victor Kubik's ministry LifeNets Apostle Malm certainly is doing no such work in the world. He is not caring for the sick, the homeless, or the oppressed! Instead he has turned into the oppressor!
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
When we see the Apostle Malm doing these things then he might, just MIGHT be considered worthy of being listened to. Instead he is proud, boastful, arrogant, and dismissive. He is nothing more than a liar and a false prophet of Armstrongism.
11 comments:
The Armstrong franchise package might have been effective at one time, but that time has long since passed. Their "facts" can be too easily checked into and diffused or debunked. Also, since militaristic authority has fallen out of favor in the workplace (the place from which many societal trends spring), very few people who hear this type of message are going to be willing to commit. Asceticism works most effectively when self-imposed, not when sold and implimented by self-styled dictatorial gurus.
These guys should explore mainstream Christianity. The Armstrong franchise package applied many big black lies and false innuendo to this in an effort to make their own beliefs seem reasonable.
Malm must preside over the National Enquirer or Jerry Springer COG! Too surreal!
BB
The National Enquirer has had more 'truth' in it over the years than Armstrongism has ever had!
I could get into a Jerry Springer Church of God. I would love to see the various church leaders duke it out on stage as they make complete asses of themselves. Oh wait, they already do that!
Note to REALITY:
actually Reality, the Annania and Saphirah story was meant as a joke and slam against Peter by Paul and Luke who felt him unqualified to follow.
Here were two people who said they would do one thing, give all, and didn't, held back being condemned by a man who said he'd do one thing, not leave jesus, and held back, denied him.
It's an internal joke not lost on the original audience to not follow peter who was no better than Judas
The sad aspect to this is that any time someone speaking with religious authority comes out with these strict edicts based on the narrowest interpretations of Old Covenant precepts, it sends people scurrying out to collect evidence to support the possibility that Father God and Jesus Christ might never existed in the first place. That's literally what happened to me in the mid-1970s! I hope they know what they are doing, and are willing to accept the horrible responsibility for their actions!
It just grieves me when I contemplate all of the depressed lives which are a natural by-product to this type of theology, especially when one compares it to the non-doublespeak real abundant life described by Jesus and the real apostles!
BB
Byker Bob, highly intelligent and regarded comments, which are much appreciated.
I'm thinking that what you are really saying is that Old Testament Christianity (which can't actually exist) is the order of the day with the Armstrongists. As you say, it does a lot of collateral damage to people who might still be vulnerable to the insanity of some of these people.
In case you may think that such matters are irrelevant and everyone has moved on, let me assure you that the pain and suffering has escalated, if anything. The latest significant problem to manifest itself is with the segment of Borderline people who are being played to by the Armstrongists to feed their anger and rage. The fury of some of these people is very destructive and all it takes is yet another article or telecast to stir people up to say, "See -- this world is evil!" and become all angry about it. While this is just one of many problems that families of those addicted to Armstrongism must face, it is one which can wring a person inside out as they are trying to think of some rational response to some very irrational behavior.
It is not a healthy situation for those who must live in it daily. Armstrongism has given many people its "gift" which keeps on giving for a lifetime, and just when you think the scabs are healing, some self-styled prophet / end time apostle rips them off so you have go through the healing process all over again.
Perhaps it would be helpful to explain to folks here who weren't around back in the 1960s who may not know the full meaning behind some of these blog entries:
Back then, the ministers had absolute control over your life. People could not (in our area) buy a car unless approved by a minister, and no teens were to have their own vehicle. Ministers actually came and checked to see if you had white sugar, white flour and white bread in your cupboards. You could not start a new job / career without the minister's approval. There was no marriage without ministerial approval. In fact, many times, it wasn't the local minister who had to pass on member's decisions. Some things went all the way up to Herbert Armstrong himself.
Visiting teams would come and "counsel". You could see them afterward, sitting in their Plymouth Furys (behold the fulfilment of Scripture, "for I shall visit you in my Fury"), discussing your "counselling", making up reports, which were then sent to Pasadena.
This was useful to weed out the undesirables applying to Ambassador College and also to apply pressure if certain sorts of things came up. They had records.
Ever vigilant, the ministry reacted strongly to any perceived rebellion. Someone asked a question in Bible Study whether the ministers paid third tithe. Carlton Smith went postal, yelling about the "wretched attitude" of the 'rebellious' member who DARED ask such a question -- he went on about this for 45 minutes!!
I had one of the biggest laughs when GTA wrote an article in "The Good News" about how we shouldn't see the visiting program as the Gestapo. The irony of that kept me amused for some time. I don't know about anyone else, since we weren't allowed to speak of such things amongst ourselves....
Douglas, I know there were ministers like that and I know those things happened as they also still do around here in Fundy Baptist one guru churches too, but that was not all the ministry. That was not my experience even though I heard of such things.
I also know I lucked out and pastored mostly rural areas and did not have to put up with ego contests in the North South East and West congregations and ministers in many large cities.
My prayer always was, "May God bless and keep the administration and most ministers...far away from me."
Dennis said...My prayer always was, "May God bless and keep the administration and most ministers...far away from me."
MY COMMENT: I guess God wasn't listening.
Dennis, I think you really have something: There really was a difference between ministers who were rural. Note that Herbert Armstrong lived in the city as a child. His "ethics" were different from those who lived in rural areas during that time. It is easy to suspect that the character and mores of farm boys is far different from the city slickers.
This isn't to say that there weren't clunkers. Gerald Flurry was sent to the bad lands of Eastern Washington with a Sabbath congregation of around 40. But then, what was his childhood like?
And then there's Tkach. Raised and lived in Chicago and he acted like it, replete with mayorality.
At least it's an interesting hypothesis which will never have a study done to sustantiate or refute it. Nevertheless, as someone from a small farming community, I'd say staying away from them thar city slickers would be a good thing.
"I hope they know what they are doing, and are willing to accept the horrible responsibility for their actions!"
The old "shape up or God's gonna get you" fear approach again. Should I go have a tremble fit now? Go back to being a little kid afraid of the dark when my parents were gone and not in the next room?
Sorry, the boogeyman in the sky holds no fear over my head anymore.
Allen, that remark you quoted was directed towards those who develop oppressive doctrinal approaches, not towards those who react to them.
As I've stated before, my agnostic or atheist stage was absolutely necessary for the purpose of purging all of the false teachings of Armstrongism. I would not begrudge anyone else of their purification. Mine ultimately led me to my current stage, although it was a pretty rocky road at times.
BB
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