The Transformation of Torahic Slavery: A Peripheral Issue in Armstrongism

 

Bronze Age Celts were Great Enslavers of Germanic, Iberian and Other Celtic People

The Transformation of Torahic Slavery

A Peripheral Issue in Armstrongism

Dedicated to Anne

By Scout

My Quaker ancestors manumitted their slaves as a moral stand in the 1700s.  I know the name of only one slave that my family owned and manumitted.  Her name was Anne.   Her last name was probably my last name. Later in American history, my Great-Great-Great Grandfather owned a farm in Indiana that operated as a waystation on the Underground Railroad. Abolition was a special interest of the Society of Friends.  Herbert W. Armstrong also came from a Quaker background and condemned both slavery and the Civil War but, based on a short search of Armstrongist literature, did not seem to write about the theological import of slavery with respect to the Torah.  Slavery, as it is described in the Torah, is a model of how some laws were not set aside by the New Testament but were transformed.  The management of the Israelite institution of slavery is detailed in the Old Testament but slavery also continues as a transformed Christian concept in the New Testament.  The line of reasoning begins with the Torah.

Torahic Slavery in the Old Testament 

Slavery was common in the Bronze Age world.  For instance, it was not only an institution among the Northwest Semitic peoples, it was common in the British Isles. The Celts were great slavers.  They enslaved Germanic, Iberian, and other Celtic people.  Slavery had deep roots in the social and economic structures of these societies.   Slavery is not just a phenomenon that affects African-Americans.  All of us are descended from slave owners or the enslaved – probably both.  Mark Twain stated, “The skin of every human being contains a slave."  So, due to its wide social scope, it is not surprising that the Torah, as the national constitution of the ancient Israelite state, would have something to say about slavery.  

The surprising issue is that slavery is not condemned in the Old Testament, whether the chattel sort forced on Gentiles by Israelites or the indentured type forced on Israelites by Israelites.  Slavery is instead regulated in the Old Testament.  If you think that the Israelite form of slavery was a kinder, gentler form of slavery, like some apologists have maintained, look at this case:

“When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment, for the slave is the owner’s property (Exodus 21). 

This does not specify whether the slave is Gentile or Hebrew.  Nor is it limited by gender. Nor is it related to the severity of what caused the slave to be beaten.  So, if your elderly female cook burns the supper, you can beat her nearly to death, and if she lives to the next day, nobody can punish you.  Your whole punishment is the loss of her services.  If you maintain that Israelite slave owners would not do such a disgusting thing, understand that this would be because of their own personal morality, not because they were afraid of the Torah, which is permissive in this situation.  The law supports a specific view of human dignity. 

Armstrongists believe that the Torah is written on their hearts.  This would include the laws concerning the regulation of slavery.  These laws do not belong to the category of things that are no longer to be followed, such as the ceremonies and rituals.  Armstrongists frequently deny parts of the Torah that they don’t want to obey by saying that the particular law is either a “ceremony” or a “ritual.”  And this is generally unchallengeable because Armstrongists have never done a systematic study of the Torah and its applicability.  In a sense, the laws, because they exist, advocate the institution of slavery and a certain view of humanity.  If one believes that the Torah is written on the heart, the slavery laws will be included.  But does the New Testament see slavery from the same perspective?

Transformed Slavery in the New Testament

Certain laws in the Torah exist in a transformed, spiritual version in the New Testament Law of Christ.   This includes circumcision, the Sabbath, the sacrifices, and slavery.   Technically speaking, they did not go away.  They were instead subsumed in Christ.   Their physical implementations are set aside as covenantal requirements, but their spiritual content persists in Christ. 

So, we find that slavery exists in the New Testament, but it is spiritual rather than physical.   Paul stated the following principle in 1 Corinthians 7:22:

“For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave (Greek, doulos) is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave (doulos) belonging to Christ.”

Jesus himself is our model as a slave.  In Philippians 2:7, we have the great Kenosis:

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (doulos), and was made in the likeness of men.”

Jesus elected to come to us in a diminished state as a slave.  And all Christians are slaves to Jesus Christ.  Paul, James, Peter, Jude, and John of Patmos all describe themselves as doulos. This category of spiritual slavery does not diminish human dignity as purely Torahic slavery did.  It is offset by the fact that Christians are also God’s children.  So, the concept of slavery is up close and personal for all of us.  Very likely, our ancestral lineages going way back included slaves.  And for those who walk in The Way, they are slaves of Christ. 

Slavery and the Personality of Armstrongism

A common sermon preached from the pulpits of the Confederacy was that African-Americans were descendants of Canaan and their being held in slavery was justified. This argument was referred to as the Biblical “Curse of Ham.” The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) was the only modern church that I know of that held to a very similar view. The same argument was made, but the conclusion was left unstated.  If there had been a stated conclusion in the WCG, I conjecture it would not have been that slavery was justified but, rather, explainable.  I never heard an official of the WCG say that slavery was justified from the pulpit.  

(Note: Genetic analysis indicates that Black Africans are not Canaanites.  They are y chromosome haplogroup E.  The modern-day Canaanites are the Lebanese.  They are y chromosome haplogroup J like many other peoples in the Middle East. The Lebanese are very closely related to the Jews. Herman Hoeh’s historical studies on this topic were clearly in error.  Hoeh did not have the science of genetics to aid him.)

But the pews formed a kind of notional understanding to fill the void. I had a deacon explain to me at the Feast of Tabernacles in Big Sandy back in the Seventies why African- Americans and Whites sat in separate sections.  He stated, “God’s church believes in segregation.”  I remember an article by Herman Hoeh in which he explained that people of different races should not socialize outside of church services.  If you search around in online Armstrongist archives, you won’t find much about the topic of slavery and its aftermath.  We are left with anecdotes for the most part.  These anecdotes form the personality of the WCG. 

Organizations have personalities.  And this is separate from their charters or other formal documents.  What the loyal organizational members write about the organization and what the organization’s personality actually is, may be two different things.  How the organization formally presents itself is found in carefully authored and redacted documents.  What it really is, is typically found in anecdote. The WCG projected, in my experience, a White Supremacist personality.  And this personality attracted a certain kind of membership.  I don’t know if this appeal was inadvertent or strategic. 

Conclusion

Slavery was not condemned in the Old Testament and was carried over into the New Testament in a different form.  This continuity has meaning.  The New Covenant is a covenant of better promises.  One place where this is clearly evident is in the case of the persisting but transformed institution of slavery.  The physical slavery of the Torah has given way to the spiritual slavery, an attitude of commitment and dedication, of the New Testament. Slavery is now a spiritual concept that pertains to everyone who walks in The Way.  Christians are slaves to God and Christ. 

 

 

The New Covenant’s Secret Ending: You Become a God and Help Run the Universe

[Those that follow what] Armstrong taught have joined the PCG. We are continuing to change and must change deeply. New truth is consistently revealed to us. What does it means when we say Christ is in us? It should mean the same thing that Christ meant when speaking of His Father. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works" (John 14:10). Jesus Christ was completely under His Father's authority. 

When we personally claim that Christ is in us, we are saying that we have unconditionally surrendered to Jesus Christ are His government. It means that He rules us totally. Having Christ rule our lives is the only way we can truly grow and make the necessary spiritual changes. We must know that our spiritual growth is not meant just for this time. Our spiritual changes now are leading to the ultimate change---from that of mortal man to becoming God---a son of God! This will be a universe-shaking change.

By Gerald Flurry

Nothing quite captures the spirit of the New Covenant like this quote from Gerald Flurry declaring that those who still follow Herbert W. Armstrong have found the one true home in the Philadelphia Church of God. In it, Flurry explains what it really means when we say “Christ is in us.” Spoiler: it apparently has very little to do with the actual New Covenant and everything to do with total surrender to the church’s government and, eventually, becoming God yourself. Because why settle for being saved when you can aim for cosmic promotion?

According to Flurry, the PCG is where the real action is because “new truth is consistently revealed to us.” How convenient. The Bible, apparently, was just the first edition. The real updates come through the current leader. It’s almost as if God realized He forgot a few crucial details back in the first century and has been drip-feeding them to a small group in Oklahoma ever since. Under the actual New Covenant, the revelation is finished. Jesus is the final Word (Hebrews 1:1-2). The faith was “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). The Holy Spirit illuminates what’s already written — He doesn’t run a monthly newsletter with bonus doctrines. But sure, let’s pretend the canon is open and the latest patch notes come from the leader’s desk. That’s definitely how the New Testament describes the church.

Flurry quotes Jesus: “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?” (John 14:10) and then says this should mean the exact same thing when we claim Christ is in us.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Jesus was speaking about the eternal, ontological unity within the Trinity — the Father and Son sharing the same divine nature and works. Flurry takes that staggering statement and applies it to ordinary believers so he can conclude that having Christ in you means you’ve “unconditionally surrendered to Jesus Christ and His government.”

It’s a theological sleight of hand worthy of a magician who also sells used cars. The Trinity is not a template for church hierarchy. Jesus and the Father are one in essence. You and Christ are united by the Spirit through faith. One of those relationships involves two members of the Godhead. The other involves a forgiven sinner. Pretending they’re the same thing is not deep theology — it’s convenient for anyone who wants absolute authority dressed up as “Christ ruling through His government.”

Flurry continues: having Christ in you means He rules you totally through His government. In the New Covenant, Christ does indeed rule His people. But He does it directly, through the Spirit, and through the Word. Believers have direct access to God (Hebrews 4:16). There is one Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). The New Testament never describes the Christian life as “submit to the organization and its leader, who speaks for Christ.”That model feels suspiciously like the Old Covenant with better branding. The New Covenant was supposed to write the law on hearts and give everyone direct knowledge of God (Jeremiah 31:33-34). Instead, we’re told the real meaning of Christ dwelling in us is total submission to an ecclesiastical chain of command. How very… efficient for maintaining control.

And then comes the mic-drop: all this spiritual change is leading to “the ultimate change — from that of mortal man to becoming God — a son of God! This will be a universe-shaking change.”There it is. The crown jewel of Armstrongist theology.

You don’t just get forgiven. You don’t just get adopted. You don’t just get glorified. No, no — you get to level up into actual deity. Move over, Trinity. There’s a new God Family in town, and apparently the application process involves tithing, keeping the holy days, and recognizing the current leader as God’s man on earth.

The New Testament does say believers will be “like Him” (1 John 3:2) and will reign with Christ. It never says we will become God. We remain creatures. We will be glorified humans, not additional members of the Godhead. The Creator-creature distinction doesn’t get retired at the resurrection. But why let minor details like monotheism get in the way of a really inspiring sales pitch?

Here’s what the New Covenant actually offers, according to the documents that were written before the “new truth” updates arrived:

• Forgiveness of sins through Christ’s finished work.
• The indwelling Holy Spirit who transforms us from the inside.
• Adoption as children of God — real, legal, relational sonship.
• Future glorification and eternal life with God.
• Direct access to the Father through the Son.

No secret decoder ring. No requirement to join the one organization that has the latest patch notes. No promise that you’ll eventually become a god and help run the universe. Just grace, from beginning to end.

Gerald Flurry’s version is certainly more exciting if you enjoy the idea of climbing the cosmic corporate ladder. It just has the unfortunate problem of not being what the New Testament actually teaches.

The New Covenant was never meant to turn forgiven sinners into gods. It was meant to turn rebels into children who finally know their Father. Anything beyond that is just made up cultish nonsense.

Work out your own salvation. We are all on different levels of growth, yet we are one spiritual organism.

Facebook groups are a fascinating place to discover Armstrongism. There are many COG groups on there; many are private, so you have to be screened before they let you in, and others are public. Many are innocuous, but others are at times batshit crazy. Some of those peopel are positive proof that Armstrongism is NOT normal.

The quote below is not one of the extreme posts, like those in the PCG post, but rather highlights how many in the church see themselves as a spiritual organism, a united body knit together as one, despite being in separate splinter groups.

This split had to happen, each having their own administrations, its easier to prevent corruption, as the churches of Asia Minor did, there were 7 churches in the beginning, they were separate, still many members, but one body, same what we have today. each church had its own name, "and to the church of Ephesus" ... we are still many members but one body. Each member is responsible for their own salvation, each having a separate relationship with God the Father asking him to direct each of us,what he allows.. God knows what we are dealing with. . Each on different levels of growth as we learn Gods ways, " there will be no divisions among you" as he tells us.

This statement is a masterpiece of biblical gymnastics — the kind where you twist Scripture into a pretzel, call it "truth,” and use it to paper over why Armstrongite groups keep fracturing like cheap drywall.   

"The split had to happen." This whole argument is the standard post-1986 Armstrongite coping mechanism. It’s a convenient way to avoid admitting that the heavy centralized model they inherited produced exactly the power struggles and fractures they now defend as “biblical.” Even Herbert Armstrong himself wrote against the idea of the Church having competing “branches.” Funny how that part gets memory-holed when it’s useful.

The 7 churches in Asia Minor weren’t the result of some noble “split that had to happen to prevent corruption.” There were seven literal congregations in different cities (Ephesus, Smyrna, etc.) that John wrote to in one single book. Same region, same basic faith, same apostolic oversight from John. They weren’t competing organizations with rival headquarters, different doctrines on British-Israelism, or separate tithe streams. They were local assemblies, not a biblical endorsement for modern schism factories. They are nowhere near today’s Armstrongite alphabet soup: UCG, LCG, RCG, CCOG, PCG, COGWA, etc.

“Each having their own administrations, it’s easier to prevent corruption” — ah yes, the classic “our little pope is less corrupt than their little pope” defense. The New Covenant church had structure (apostles, elders, deacons), but the head was always Christ, not a chain of command that keeps fracturing every time someone disagrees with the current guy in charge. History shows that when groups split to “avoid corruption,” they usually just create brand-new opportunities for it — plus endless arguments over who’s the real remnant this week.

"Each member is responsible for their own salvation," Armstrongism heavily promotes Philippians 2:12 to support its distinctive view that:

• Salvation is not a completed reality at conversion or justification. It is a process of “overcoming,” character development, and obedience (especially to Old Covenant laws like the Sabbath, holy days, tithing, and clean/unclean meats).

• Christians must “qualify” for the Kingdom through works and endurance. Most people are not being called/saved now; the Church is only the “firstfruits.” The vast majority will get their chance in the Millennium or the Great White Throne judgment later.

• They present “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” as proof that you are not already saved and must strive hard (with the implication that failure can disqualify you). This creates a legalistic, performance-based framework where grace is acknowledged in theory but human effort and law-keeping become central to “qualifying.” This directly contradicts the New Covenant emphasis on the finished work of Christ and the believer’s secure position in Him.

Armstrongism uses Philippians 2:12 and the flexibility of “aion” to shift the focus from Christ’s completed work and present grace (New Covenant) to human striving, law-keeping, and a future-oriented, staged salvation plan. This turns the New Testament’s call to live out salvation by the power of the indwelling Spirit into a works-based qualification process and redefines judgment language to fit their unique eschatology and denial of eternal conscious punishment.

The New Covenant reading keeps both the assurance of grace and the serious call to obedient living — without turning salvation into something we must earn or “qualify” for through performance.

Today's COG groups are not "spiritual organisms". They are all independent groups doing whatever they want.

Why Has the UCG Council of Elders Failed to Identify Personal Behaviors that Create Obstacles in the UCG?

A reader here brought back to my attention an article that was published in 2014. The Council of Elders, even in 2026, has never taken the advice that was given to them and still flounders around trying to capture their vision. In spit of new vision statements almost every year, they still cannt set a goal up for them to march towards.

They were given these words of advice that they have refused to follow:

Building credibility as the foundation of leadership “Leadership is a relationship,” Mr. Snyder said. Telling people to “do this” or “do that” is command and control. People find you much more credible if you give them ownership, energize them and we do it together. People march in step because they trust you, believe in you and you have a relationship with them.

The United Church of God has been limping along these past few years with one debacle after another.  From a major church split to failed publicity campaigns, its image is not the best in COGland.

UCG would do well to recall the minutes from its August 13, 1998, Council of Elders' Report, where it talks about how it brought in Mike Snyder to revamp its image.  Snyder has along history in the Church of God.  He worked in the WCG public relations department during the doctrinal and church changes and was instrumental in presenting the new face of the Trinity, bringing WCG to the world at large.  Snyder is now the Vice President of a major advertising company here in the US.

Vic Kubik renewed his relationship with Snyder years ago as he was trying to improve his own image in the UCG. 

 “He has given me several ideas and principles to better present both myself and the church in ways where people can quickly understand and appreciate what we do and who we are,” said Mr. Kubik. “Mike showed me how I could further improve on publicly discussing the church in a way that would generate genuine interest instead of controversy or suspicion.”

Apparently, Kubik failed to heed those words of advice because controversy and suspicion has plagued Kubik and the UCG for years.

Kubik states:

He stated that his presentation would not address theological issues, focus on personalities or “ancient history,” or indulge in “hand-wringing” over the past. Rather, he hoped his research, applied to our position today, could be very helpful for the Council in leading and responding to the needs of the Church. “This is a forward-looking presentation that is supposed to prompt and challenge you to develop the solutions to your communications issues.”

A thinking person would have thought that with all the stuff that went down during UCG's apostasy from the mother church, these men would have learned to communicate better with their members.  They all felt that the WCG was not communicating fully with them during that time.  These guys knew better but still did nothing, but that's another story.

Some of the things Snyder recommended that the United Church of God implement are:

The current state of affairs Mr. Snyder began by asking Council members to consider two quotes that portray a choice of perspectives. “For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, `It might have been'” (Whittier), and “No person can lead other people except by showing them a future. A leader is a merchant of hope” (Napoleon). The first is one nobody wants to ever have to say; the second speaks to the role of church leaders in particular.

The Council, in order to improve communication and establish a strong church identity, needs to “identify organizational and personal behaviors that inadvertently create obstacles instead of opportunities, start a process of changing those identified behaviors, identify your strengths as an organization and start a process of maximizing those strengths.”

Imagine that...the UCG Council needs to improve its image!  Who knew!!!!!!  This has proven to be a rather difficult thing for these boastful, arrogant men to do when it came to recognizing personal behaviors that created obstacles.  Even worse, they were supposed to CHANGE those destructive behaviors!  Imagine that!

Next, Snyder told the UCG Council to STOP being so defensive when crises arise:

He encouraged the Council to not be too defensive in dealing with crises, which will inevitably arise. Defensive modes back people into corners so that any move that is made seems to make the matter worse. He also pointed out that in all aspects of society today, crises now are complicated because of the Internet, especially in the absence of good communication. “When people don’t trust what you are saying, and don’t think they are getting the information they need, what they will do is make it up, and they will put it out in any format they need,” he warned. “What do you have to do?” he asked. “You have to take control. You are the decision-making point of this whole organization you are the leadership.”

Being"defensive' has been one of UCG's biggest failures. Instead of talking things through and actually listening to people's concerns, they react in a knee-jerk fashion, creating huge turmoil where none would probably have existed if they had only listened.

When people don't trust what UCG is saying....they then write all kinds of things about it.....YEP!  We sure do! We all know the track record of the UCG.

Snyder went on to tell UCG the kind of people in their organization:

Most organizations, at any given time but especially during times of change, are made up of the following three categories of people, Mr. Snyder said: 

• The “Quitters”_20 per cent of the people who are “professional complainers” and do nothing but take pot shots (every decision is wrong, no matter what it is). They have a different agenda, may actually work against organization goals, are often highly de-energized and work actively to make other people that way.

• The “Campers”_60 per cent, people who started climbing the mountain of life and at some point they got burnt out or said `I’ve had enough adversity’ and they stop and “camp out.” They are moderately-to-neutrally energized, but are willing to be directed and follow leadership.

• The “Climbers”_20 per cent of the people who have faith in something bigger than themselves and even though they face adversity they keep going; they never stop their entire lives despite setbacks and discouragement.

Snyder encouraged the UCG to have a goal they were working towards and to be visionary in focus: 

He also urged the Council to watch for personal burn out and to be aware of the signs indicating tiredness, because that affects leadership capacity. Countering deceptive myths Next, Mr. Snyder reviewed one author’s listing of various myths that affect views of business, and identified how truly visionary leadership creates success. Visionary companies “are significantly less likely to have early success but, like the tortoise and the hare, win the long race often after a slow start.” They communicate a vision for big goals, consistently champion and live by right core values and do not change them (“When you start messing with the core values, you take away the very thing that made it successful,” he said).

In the old WCG, the "goal" always was...making it into the Kingdom. Now the predominant goal of most Churches of God is amassing as much wealth as possible, building campuses and auditoriums, and trying to outdo the other COGs.  UCG has been just as guilty of this as Pack, Flurry, and Meredith.

Snyder then told them to stop focusing on money and to build credibility in leadership.

Another business myth he noted is that one should focus primarily on beating the competition. In reality, healthy, visionary organizations focus primarily on beating themselves they never think they’ve done good enough and are always seeking to improve their own performance. Additionally, visionary organizations make some of their best moves not by brilliant and complex strategic planning, but by experimentation, trial and error, opportunism and sometimes by accident. “Visionary organizations do not brutalize themselves with `the tyranny of OR,'” he said. Rather, “They embrace `the genius of AND'” the view that allows them to pursue “A” and “B” at the same time. He offered, for a church example, various efforts to preach the gospel both locally and centrally. Successful businesses focus on clusters of objectives, rather than making money. Income is a by-product of achieving other fundamental objectives, such as exemplary service. In the contemporary church context where there are several organizations, he noted that people are still committed to tithing, but will send their tithes to where they believe there is value. If you are focused on the right objectives, people will want to support your efforts, he said. Building credibility as the foundation of leadership “Leadership is a relationship,” Mr. Snyder said. Telling people to “do this” or “do that” is command and control. People find you much more credible if you give them ownership, energize them and we do it together. People march in step because they trust you, believe in you and you have a relationship with them.

Imagine that the lay members are given ownership and energized in the structure of the Church of God! It's hard to imagine any COG giving its members a say in what happens in the church.  Almost every single COG is ruled by a cabal of men who wield power stronger than the Pope could ever hope for. Here it is quite apparent that UCG has failed in this area immensely!

Credibility is a huge issue in the UCG, as it is in all the other COG's.  Snyder goes on to state:

“If you have no credibility, you can only govern on the basis of fear,” he said. “The higher degree of credibility you have, the more you get done, the more you attract people. Your organization becomes a magnet, as opposed to a person.” Reasons for cynicism The book Credibility lists several reasons why people become cynical in business, Mr. Snyder said, and the same principles can apply to the church. One is scandal. Organizations cannot avoid scandals, because of the human element somebody will eventually do something scandalous so you just prepare for them. However, most people want to cover them up and they just become “skeletons in the closet.” From a scandal perspective, you beat cynicism by open acknowledgment, recognition of repentance, he advised.

Bravo to Snyder for making such a statement to the UCG hierarchy.  They have a horrendous track record of covering up scandals.  From rapes, to stalkings, to child abuse and much, much more, it's all been swept under the rug and kept from members.  I wonder how many UCG members know that the UCG paid money to cover up a stalking case in the Pacific Northwest some years ago in an attempt to brand the victim a liar?

Snyder next focused upon "betrayal." Though sadly, I have a feeling that most of the men listening to this feel they are martyrs in this regard.  They were betrayed by their mother church.  They ignore the fact that they betrayed the WCG by plotting behind the scenes for months to form UCG while still on the WCG payroll.  They betrayed friends and church members by causing huge divisions in the church.  Many of these martyrs only jumped ship for the steady income stream.  The list could go on and on.  Who betrayed whom?  Tkach betrayed all of these martyrs?  Did they betray the WCG?

Betrayal is another big producer of cynicism. “Everybody in this room has gone through emotional disconnects in the last decade,” Mr. Snyder pointed out. “You get cynical about it when betrayed by a leader.”

People then sometimes make judgments based on cynical feelings “I’m not going to join this group because everyone’s just as bad as the one I came out of.” Disillusionment brings on skepticism. People believe in something, give it a chance, and then it fails or doesn’t work to their expectation; distrust results. Another is suspicion of power the “who’s-really-in-charge?” cynicism. From cynicism to restored faith Several dynamics can begin to restore faith. Clear accountability is critical, the type where people know you are accountable to them, even if you are their leader. That feeling instills greater faith. Giving clear messages (not hazy sayings), creating organizational enthusiasm, living personal values that are consistent with organizational values, and fostering a sense of shared “ownership” (everyone feeling like they are an important part of things) are other very important factors. Some operate by the maxim, Mr. Snyder said, of, “Do what you say you will do.” This is the minimum standard but even that might not effectively build credibility. The better standard that does build credibility is, “Do what WE say WE will do. “Evaluating the tone of the messages in UCG publications His review of all the church communications brought to light several trends, Mr. Snyder observed. He advised the Council not to be too defensive or justifying in tone, nor to dwell much on past mistakes. Being defensive means you are not solution-oriented, and such tone saps peoples’ strength, he said. “You’re not supposed to be defensive, you are supposed to be [on the] offensive, the spearhead, showing the way to go by example.” Over time, the church’s key phrases (e.g., “spirit of Indianapolis,” “a Godly community”) have become diluted, are now irrelevant to the membership and have even been used as a club over others, he said.

Only if..............  When pigs fly....unfortunately.

Snyder then tells them to stop living in the past.  This has been a huge issue with all the COG's.  They all look back at the "glory days" of WCG with fondness and longing.  Not a single one of them will EVER be able to do that. Bitterness seems to still burn mightily in so many of these men and COG's. 

While we need to develop our own terminology, we should stay away from abstractions that anybody else in the world with any religious affiliation would also be comfortable using. To turn around these tendencies, he advised a three-part solution:

• Decide on the key messages that need to be communicated. This decision is clarified by asking, “What issues are most important to the UCG?” and “How can these issues be better expressed?”

• Be better aware of and consistently address two key issues: a lingering sense of betrayal and burnout

• Develop a new mindset that is truly forward-looking and de-emphasizes recent history (“You’re not selling ancient history,” he said. “Have you had anyone baptized in the last year? What do they care about 1986? Are they more into first love or digging up things to find out how bad it was?”)

UCG and all the COG's can think of nothing BUT 1986 and its previous years.  Is it any wonder why UCG is not growing?  No one CARES about 1986!  Get over it already!!!!

Snyder encourages UCG to acknowledge CONFLICT in the church.  That has been one bitter pill to swallow, and they are still trying to do it!  UCG has always presented itself as the most unified COG to ever exist. While its structure crumbles down around them.

Suggestions for improving communication After analyzing one example of communication to the church (the April 2, 1998 member letter), Mr. Snyder offered several observations for making improvements. First, he confirmed that it is usually constructive to acknowledge conflict. Such acknowledgment promotes open honesty, shows that the leadership is sensitive, listening and willing to act and is congruent with the stated UCG objective of defending the faith. Conflict, he pointed out, is not always bad and within a certain context it can indicate a healthy condition. For example, total lack of conflict indicates mind-control and/or a de-energized, non-thinking group.

Snyder's last comment rings so true about most of the larger COG's today.  They present the image that they are conflict-free and the most unified COG's to exist in 1,900 years.  They can only do this because their members have been "de-energized" and turned into non-thinking robots.

Snyder tells them in order to be visionary, they need to "look forward."

Second, develop a new view of success, he advised. “Look forward, not backward.” Historically, the Radio Church of God that formed out of the Church of God, 7th Day, was “a true splinter that made it” because it became a visionary organization. Next, identify your one key message and make sure it is embraced and cherished at all levels.

Most of the COG's should have actually named themselves, The Boo-Hoo Church of God.  They live in the past, glorifying dead leaders, dated literature, and failed prophecies.  "Look at us, we are the only true remnant holding on to the truth, and no one wants to join us, boo-hoo.  The WCG changed doctrines...boo-hoo.  They sold all the campuses...boo-hoo. Tkach told us to stop abusing members....boo-hoo."

Snyder then closed with this:

Finally, leaders must “over-communicate” in times of crises. To implement these points, it is important to “start at zero,” he said. That means looking in fresh ways at communication and asking, “because we communicated one way in the past, is it still the best way?” Talk to the individual, build the relationships between people. Defining your own “brand” Being proactive in leading and communicating is critically important, Mr. Snyder stressed, because of this rule: If you don’t manage your reputation, someone else will! To draw a parallel, he said that in business terminology the United Church of God is a “brand.” In other words, people identify certain things with UCG, as they do with other church organizations. Your “brand” is important because it identifies you or your group by defining a promise or perception of consistently fulfilled promises. We should ask ourselves, either as an individual or as a group, “What is it that my service does that is different? Why is it good? What am I known for? Whatever you answer, if the answer doesn’t grab you, you’ve got a big problem.”

Snyder is right in that NOTHING UCG has done lately has "grabbed anyone or caught their attention.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on failed advertising public campaigns, which have produced zilch. Incredibly BAD TV shows have not brought in members. Publishing booklets patterned on old WCG literature has also failed.

UCG had a chance 20 years ago to reinvent itself into something "good."  However, it preferred the old ways and clung bitterly to the past.  It kept the same abusive ministers in charge, and it kept the same abusive policies they claimed to have suffered under in WCG. All UCG could do was imitate its past, and it's been a massive failure.

It remains to be seen how visionary or forward-thinking they will become, because so far they have no vision.

The Saddest Thing About Betrayal Is That It Never Comes From Your Enemies

I was asked to rerun this post.

A comment from the "Is it possible to have a true friendship with another in the Church of God?"

I was in LCG for years and had so many friends. I threw baby showers, bridal showers, cocktail parties, bbq's and endless dinner parties for my "friends". We traveled the world together, shared condos for the Feast of Tabernacles, went through pregnancies/births together and spent all of our social lives with one another (it is frowned upon in LCG to have friends that aren't in the church).

For me, it was all gone in a spit second. These people, who I thought genuinely loved and cared about me, turned their backs on me as soon as I was no longer in LCG. I was de-friended by people with reckless abandon (it sounds trite but it was hurtful). I would reach out to people and they would refuse to reply to my messages. I was shunned repeatedly when I'd run into long-time LCG friends in public. Suddenly, all these supposed "Christians" who were my "brothers and sisters" regarded me with more disgust than their superior asses view the "people in the world".

To this day, I can not conceive of how they twist things in their infantile minds to think that what they did to me was in any way "Christ-like". I mean seriously, can you imagine our Savior advocating such disgusting behavior? No way!

If you are reading this and you are in LCG you are no exception. If you leave you will lose all of your friends. You see, the relationships are CONDITIONAL. People in these churches appear to be incapable of grasping the concept of unconditional love (let alone mercy or forgiveness). If you are telling yourself, "nah, that would never happen to ME" you are so deceived. It would happen to you as it happened to me and many, many others.

My favorites were the "friends" that replied, "I want to be a pillar in the Kingdom so I love you, but..." or "you will always be my brother and I love you, but..."

Guess what LCGers, love is a VERB. It requires action not just words.

I have never met a more fake, self-righteous group of idiots in my life. I am desperately ashamed that I wasted over ten years of my life with those people.

I fear for them because they will reap what they have sown and more importantly because they do not know the love of Christ.

LCG is the antithesis of the COG.

Armstrongism Confusion: Pretend Jews Or Christians?

Conversion to Judaism or Christianity?

Unfortunately, the Armstrong Churches of God have confused Christian conversion with conversion to Judaism. In his booklet Just What Do You Mean...Conversion?, Herbert Armstrong wrote: I repeat: 'A Christian (a truly converted person) is one who has received, and in whose mind dwells the Holy Spirit of God.' But how does one receive the Spirit of God? On the day the Church of God was started, the Apostle Peter said, "Repent, and be baptized ... in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Repent of what? Of sin. And what is sin? "Sin is the transgression of the law" (I John 3:4). What law? The law that the carnal mind, hostile to God, is not subject to the Law of God (Rom. 8:7). Again, we read of "the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him" (Acts 5:32). In other words, for Armstrong and his followers, a truly converted Christian MUST obey the commandments of Torah!

This, of course, calls to mind what some of the Jewish Christians of the First Century were saying about conversion to Christianity. In the book of Acts, we read: And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1-5, NKJV)

Now, even from the distance of almost two thousand years, that sure sounds to me like these Jewish Christians were advocating conversion to JUDAISM, NOT CHRISTIANITY! Remember, God commanded circumcision for all of the male descendants of Abraham as a sign that they would OBEY him (Genesis 17:9-14). In Torah, we also read: And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them." (Deuteronomy 5:1) Even so, the Israelites were told that any Gentile who wanted to obey God and observe his Passover MUST be circumcised! (Exodus 12:43-49) In other words, males had to be circumcised before they could participate in obeying the commandments of Torah - ONLY then could they become real Israelites!

Interestingly, even in 2026, Jews still regard this as the proper formula for conversion to Judaism! In the article How to Convert to Judaism, CHABAD.org informs its readers that conversion makes the person fully Jewish - a part of the tribe. They go on to list four components of this conversion: (1) Accepting the yoke of the commandments. When you convert, you must verbalize your commitment to live in accordance with all of the Torah’s commandments as they are explained in Torah law. It is not enough to commit to some or even most of the precepts; a convert must commit to every single one of them. Also, this needs to be done out of a sincere desire to serve G‑d as a Jew, not because of any other motive, such as the desire to marry a Jewish man or woman. (2) Immersion in the mikvah. A mikvah is a pool of natural water, usually rainwater. At your conversion, you will dunk into this spiritually cleansing bath. It is at this moment that you will accept the Torah upon yourself. (3) Circumcision. If you are a male, you will need to be circumcised. If you were circumcised as a baby, a symbolic drawing of blood is all that will be done at this point. (4) When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, a convert would bring a special sacrifice to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. When the Temple is rebuilt—may it be speedily in our days—converts will again bring sacrifices.

Now, in terms of Christian conversion, Scripture informs us that belief or faith in Jesus Christ is the essential first step (John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9, etc.). On that first Pentecost after Christ had ascended to heaven, Peter told the crowd to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). Likewise, after Philip preached to a certain Ethiopian about Jesus, we are informed that the eunuch declared "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:26-37) The account continued: So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Notice please, that there is NOTHING in any of these accounts about first converting to Judaism! Indeed, many years later the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christian converts of Galatia that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

What about you? Are you a Christian or a Jew?

Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrix

“Take Your Meds, Napoleon”: Samuel Kitchen’s Epic Defense of Herbert Armstrong Involves Epstein, the Trans Movement, and a Dead Church That Totally Still Exists

Ladies, gentlemen, and whatever splinter-group remnant is still pretending Herbert Armstrong is alive and running things from beyond the grave, gather round. Samuel Kitchen has blessed us with yet another masterclass in Olympic-grade hypocrisy and weaponized delusion.

Samuel Kitchen wrote: 

(Quoting me) There would be no use or purpose for Banned by HWA if these COG groups didn’t exist.

You sensationalize their errors and abuses and spend your time redirecting blame back to Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God.

It is hard to sensationalize the sheer stupidity at times that comes out of various COG groups these days. Copying and posting their own words lets the entire world see how degenerate Armstrongism has become. Every day, certain COG leaders sink lower and lower into the depths of depravity, each proudly boasting that all they know they learned at Herbert Armstrong’s feet—until God revealed new, hidden knowledge to them that he had been saving for these perilous end times.

Your mental condition is targeted towards a dead man and a Church you think is no more. When other churches trigger you, you roleplay your ‘Napoleon fixation’ again. That sounds like lunacy and something a mental ward would showcase.

You and Bob Thiel take yourselves far too seriously; I never have here. How can I take Armstrongism seriously when it is crazier than hell? All I can do most of the time is shake my head and laugh at some of the complete blather I read from ‘God’s Ministers.’

You can’t put those churches in their proper and right perspective. Not everyone is your devil. Your devil is Herbert Armstrong, and your fixation is a toxic fixation. You burn the effigy you keep in your mind again and again and again.

You are right, not every COG group is doing and saying bad things, though 90% of them are. There are those that work with children in Texas, those that work and do good in Africa and actually do a good work (unlike Bob Thiel’s vanity project). As for putting the churches in their proper and right perspective, what exactly would that be? There are hundreds and hundreds of splinter groups, each doing their own thing, all claiming they are the one and only way to truth and light, and yet not one of them can get along with the next, with some even telling their members which groups to stay away from, such as what you do.

No one was hurt by this Church. The actions that hurt people are actions condemned by this Church.

This is an absolute bald-faced lie, and you know it. Members have suffered greatly from marriage and divorce teachings, until Herb decided he wanted a new hottie to make him happy, and BANG, it all changed. The broken marriages and families torn apart before this were just collateral and swiftly cast aside.

Then some were scared to go to doctors, even for the smallest of things, due to the absurd teachings. If an anointed cloth could not be placed against their foreheads, then they suffered in pain and agony as martyrs for the truth, while Herb and crew went to doctors and were treated for all kinds of things. I was the one who was handed a suitcase that was full of medicine on January 16th, within hours after Herbert had died, and was told to go and burn it in the amphitheatre on campus.

Then there are the suicides of people whose lives had been so damaged by the church and its teachings that they could not bear to face another day. Being taught that we are all complete failures and are never good enough has a strong impact on the mental health of people. Add to that broken marriages, health issues, being gay, and even struggling with addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. All of these things added up to an unbearable weight that led people to do tragic things.

And then there are the children molested and raped by ministers and church members in the church. The church covered those up as fast as they could. Thankfully, some members took them to court and publicly humiliated them and the church.

I have found more abuses coming from the changes in the 1990s, because they started accepting the behaviors and actions that hurt people.

The abusers just lied and said ‘it was you, not me.’

And they came forward like the trans-movement. Then cried abuse and hate when people rejected their filth. Not only did they abuse people, but they created a pedophile environment. They targeted the kids. I have first-hand eyewitness [accounts] to how they targeted kids and how they tried to destroy families! The only thing that held us together in love and peace was the way Herbert W. Armstrong taught, and something my parents would not compromise on. 

 

Now the perverts accuse Mr. Armstrong falsely. But no, they are the pedophiles, and they fed thousands of kids into the Epstein System, because they wanted change to be accepted.

If you expect us to believe the wild and fantastical stories you have told about your family with the government conspiracies, people out to kill your family, and other absurdities, then you are delusional. It is quite obvious that there are mental health issues in your family that have gone untreated for decades. This is a shining example of what happens to people who lose all sense of reality and embrace a cultish system that tells people they are more special than anyone else in the world.

These splinter groups are just those who facilitate the perverts of this world. They are doing things the Worldwide Church of God condemns and disapproves of.

The Worldwide Church of God does not exist and is not condemning anything that it disapproves of. In your delusional state of mind, you have stolen the name Worldwide Church of God, pretending that it is now completely in your hands, that it is the only church with the true government of God (like your absurd flowchart pretends, and which you stole from church publications in the 1970s/80s). You have stolen and plagiarized as much church literature as possible, pretending that Herbert is still alive and a worldwide ministry is behind you. 

You will never be able to accomplish ANYTHING that even remotely resembles the old Worldwide Church of God, AICF, etc. You most certainly will never buy the auditorium and be able to afford to maintain it. Maintaining it will cost millions of dollars a year, and you will NEVER have that, even though you say Jesus has personally informed you that you can now collect tithe money. What a lying farce!

And we are still alive. While you go further into the ‘trans-movement’ and pedophile rings. We survived the merchandising of our bodies.

This is so stupid it doesn’t even deserve a comment.

Keep your eyes on the TV screen.Take your medication, because your fixation is living, baby! And we won’t be destroyed! 

 

Translation: “I can accuse you of running Epstein’s pedophile ring and being part of the trans agenda, but you are not allowed to have any dramatic stories about my own family or me, and if you do, you’re the crazy one.”

This is the level of intellectual and moral consistency we’ve come to expect from the last, gasping defenders of Armstrongism.

Samuel Kitchen didn’t just respond to a post.

He performed a live autopsy on his own credibility and then blamed the corpse for bleeding.

Keep your eyes on the TV screen, Samuel.

The rest of us will be over here, medicated or not, still laughing at the blather.