I received a letter today from a reader giving me some information about Lou Maschio, the guy that runs the Christ's Knock web site and the originator of the Vigilant Church of God. One would get the impression by reading the Christ is Knocking web site that the Vigilant Church of God is a powerful ministry run by thousands of members doing a mighty work.
It looks like the VCG is not as big and important as they let on. Is it just another living room church that seeks to con members out of money? Is it another out of work COG man who is eking out a living by living off of gullible church members money? Armstrongism has a long history of men doing this.
There is not a lot of information about Lou Maschio online and weeding through his incredibly BORING films and articles is mind numbingly dull.
Like so much in Armstrongism, first appearances are deceiving. Read on:
Thought you might be interested in a small fish in a small pond already mentioned in one of your blogs early last year.
Lou Maschio formed his Vigilant Church of God to Seize the Hour and Knock for Christ as Christ's spokesperson. He is another one that believes Jesus Christ directly communicates and inspires only him.
He joined the RCG in 2002 where he was ordained a church elder in short order. While in RCG, he was the proverbial pompous, brown nose type (you know, sitting in the front row, raising his hand every opportunity, laughing at poor jokes, kissing butt repeatedly, etc).
When Lou came into RCG, he was unordained with a very brief history in the greater Church of God. Although he somehow claims differently at times (when advantaged to do so) to have roots in the WCG, he was never a member; and in fact did not become a member of any organization until 1998, when he went into the PCG. It was there he was baptised. It took about two years for their autocratic leadership to begin to direct Lou, at which time he left to go off on his own.
He began to distribute some of his own sophomoric material to the general public in the Chicago area, although he was loosely associated with Don Roth and his group for a couple of years until joining RCG.
Now that would not be a problem, were it not for his current agenda.
He has acquired a small following claiming to be knocking, and asking scattered COG members to "rise". Anyone that was with PCG in the early 1990's would hopefully see that this "knock" ideology was preached by Flurry long before Lou reused it with a twist. He has also somehow managed to translate some of his propaganda into spanish,as well, with uneducated, Latin America the obvious target. It is clearly a stategy to decieve some of the most simple.
The Seize the Hour videocast is an irritating, amateurish flurry of over-dramatised speaking theatrics, complete with exaggerated head bobbing, including an introduction that reminds older men of old Italian WWII recruitment films.
A late development concerns his name. Previously Lou Maschio, but now "Frank" Maschio. The website has changed all bylines to "L Frank Maschio". This should afford him more opportunity to rewrite his own past, as Lou Maschio will not be as searchable.
I don't think there's any other modern instance in the churches of God of someone claiming to be THE minister for Christ that has had such timidity, and been as pigeonhearted so as to use a fake name in order to keep his personal life inconspicuous.
You can see from his history that he seems to be one that has never taken direction, but certainly wants to give it.
