The Shepherd's Heavy Mantle - To Help You Keep Your Mouth Shut!

The Shepherd’s “Heavy Mantle”: How COGWA’s Dave Myers Used “Loving Correction” to Justify Disfellowshipping the Hendersons — Then Got Promoted

In early 2023, longtime COGWA minister David J. Myers posted a Facebook statement framed as a compassionate glimpse into the burdens of pastoral leadership. What it really was: a direct defense of his decision to disfellowship Aaron and Mary Henderson for “causing division.” The Hendersons had encouraged independent Bible study, personal spiritual growth, and home gatherings focused on Christ rather than strict ministerial oversight — activities the Armstrongist system views as existential threats.

When the Hendersons shared their side publicly, Myers responded with the now-familiar rhetoric of “loving correction,” warning that ex-members’ accounts are “slanted” and “inaccurate,” while the church’s loving silence protects the disciplined person’s “dirty laundry.” He cited Proverbs to justify non-engagement. The post, far from abstract pastoral wisdom, was damage control for a specific case — and it backfired.

DAVID J. MYERS

4 h  · 
Any time a pastor has to ask a person not to fellowship with the flock due to such things as doctrinal disagreement, causing division, derogatory accusations, or the like, it is a sad and heartrending time for that pastor (and many others). He hopes and prays with all his heart that the person will come to see themselves accurately and be able to change their way. His action is done out of love to spur the person to deeply examine themselves and help them to change. The mantle of shepherding in these instances is quite heavy and frankly, unpleasant. If the person does not accept this loving correction, sadly, social media provides a platform for the supposed 'offended' to tell their story widely - from their perspective - which is usually found to be quite 'slanted' and often just plain inaccurate. Good-hearted people can read these 'posts-of-the-offended' and be misled as to what actually went on. Some might think, "If their post doesn't reflect what really has happened, the pastor would defend his action by posting the truth, wouldn't he?" But consider this: I, for one, am thankful that the 'church' does not post its 'side' of the story revealing all the details as to why this painful action has had to be taken. Love and respect for the person being 'disciplined' means that the 'church' would not reveal their personal problems or lay out all the ugly details that led to this necessary action. We all know that the scripture teaches "Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins" (Proverbs 10:12) and "He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends" (Proverbs 17:9). So you will not read the pastor's 'rebuttal' because he loves the person and does not wish to 'air their dirty laundry.' So, a pastor does not post on social media, but rather, prays that the 'offended' comes to his senses and is able to repent. I hope this small window into the shepherd's mantle of responsibility is helpful.

The Henderson “Crime”: Independent Thought

The Hendersons were not charged with immorality or outright heresy. Their offense was fostering exactly what high-control Armstrongist groups fear most: members thinking for themselves, studying Scripture independently, and prioritizing relationship with Christ over organizational tradition. In Myers’ framing, this became “doctrinal disagreement” and “causing division.” Disfellowshipping followed, complete with the expected social shunning.

Myers’ Facebook post doubled down: the pastor’s action is heavy-hearted love meant to spur self-examination. Social media, he lamented, lets the “supposed ‘offended’” tell their slanted story while the church nobly refuses to air ugly details.

Public Backlash and Matthew 18 Pushback

The post drew sharp criticism in comments and on this blog and other sites. Readers repeatedly pointed to Matthew 18:15-17, which outlines a clear, congregational process for handling offenses:

• Private confrontation.
• With witnesses.
• Then to the ekklesia (the assembled congregation), not a unilateral ministerial decision.

Commenters argued that COGWA and similar groups bypass this biblical model, centralizing power in ministers and headquarters. One noted: “The authority to remove does not lie with you but with the congregation.” Others highlighted how failing to follow Christ’s instructions leaves members wondering whether the disfellowshipped person was truly in the wrong or simply wronged by leadership. Several long-time members admitted they had never seen Matthew 18 properly followed in COG groups.

Myers shut down the conversation after intense backlash. The organization offered no public rebuttal — exactly as his post had pre-justified.

David J. Myers

May 4, 2023

As if often the case with social media, it can easily devolve into squabbles between people who use the platform to proclaim their particular opinions, complaints, and troubles. Since this has become the case with my most recent post, I have decided to delete it and try to follow the admonition found in 1 Timothy 1:3-7. Warm regards

The “Atta Boy” Promotion

In August 2023, COGWA announced that Doug Horchak had moved to an international role, opening the position of Ministerial Services Operations Manager. Dave Myers was selected as the “perfect replacement,” with Texas administration fully backing the choice. Critics immediately called it the “good old boys network” in action — a reward for effectively silencing dissent and defending the system on social media.

We later highlighted the irony in COGWA’s own bylaws, which require extensive prior service for administrative roles (often 15+ years). Even Jesus and the apostles would not qualify under such corporate criteria. The promotion sent a loud message to ministers and members alike: enforce control aggressively, and the organization will protect and advance you.

The Control Mechanisms at Work

This episode perfectly illustrates Armstrongism’s self-preservation tactics:

• Weaponized “Love”: Disfellowshipping and shunning are recast as painful but necessary acts of shepherding. The burden is placed on the member to “examine themselves accurately.”
• Narrative Control: Ex-members are preemptively discredited. The church claims moral superiority for its silence while training insiders to dismiss outside accounts.
• Bypassing Scripture: Top-down ministerial authority overrides the congregational accountability Jesus described, protecting leaders from scrutiny.
• Reward System: Promotions for enforcers reinforce loyalty over reform or member well-being.
• Self-Policing Fear: Members witness the consequences of independent thought and learn to stay silent.

The Human and Spiritual Cost

The Hendersons lost their spiritual community and faced family pressure from shunning. Questioning members watching the saga internalized the warning: think independently at your peril. Legitimate concerns about doctrine, leadership, or policy get labeled “division” and quashed. The system remains sealed against reform.

David Myers’ 2023 post was never generic pastoral reflection. It was targeted justification for a specific exercise of control — followed by institutional affirmation through promotion. What he called the “heavy mantle of shepherding” is, in practice, the machinery of a high-demand group protecting its hierarchy.

When “love” demands silencing critics, rewarding enforcers, and bypassing Christ’s own instructions for handling disputes, it ceases to be love. It becomes institutional self-preservation. The Henderson/Myers case, documented in real time on social media and critical blogs, shows that machinery is still operating smoothly — even as more members notice the gears.

Read more here:

COGWA's Dave Myers Talks About How Heavy His Shepherds Mantle Is When He Has To Disfellowship Members And Then Watch Them Get On Social Media And Tell THEIR Side Of The Story.

A Response to Dave Myers - Take it to the presbyteros or take it to the ekklesia?

God hates Division - The couple Dave Myers is upset about

How God Moved Us Out Of The Church (COGWA)

COGWA Shenanigans: After Dave Myers Recent Facebook/Henderson Disfellowshipment Debacle He Is Promoted To Ministerial Services Operations Manager

LCG's Endless Stream of Doom and Gloom Articles Repelling Readers

The Living Church of God (LCG) proudly proclaims that its "earth-shattering work marches forward with power." In official communications, leaders highlight growing YouTube channels and a continued global outreach. Yet behind the optimistic rhetoric lies a quieter reality: a significant drop in magazine readership and a deliberate effort to trim their subscriber list.

LCG’s flagship publication, Tomorrow’s World, once distributed up to 600,000 copies monthly. In reality, the active, interested readership was far smaller. When the church began sending renewal letters asking recipients whether they still wanted to receive the free magazine, over 220,000 people chose not to renew. The subscription list has now officially fallen from 600,000 to 374,000.

In a recent co-worker letter, LCG addressed the decline directly:

“Some have noticed that our Tomorrow’s World magazine subscription list has dropped from 600,000 copies down to 374,000. This was deliberate on our part due to rising costs in postage and other factors. One way that we manage the number of subscribers is by sending renewal letters to those who may no longer be interested. We value a large readership more than a large subscribership.”

While rising postage costs are real, many former subscribers and longtime observers point to a deeper issue: fatigue with the endless stream of doom-and-gloom messaging that has defined Armstrongism for decades.

LCG’s publications and sermons consistently portray a world spiraling into moral and physical collapse. Nearly everything and everyone outside the church is depicted as corrupt, sinful, or part of a satanic system. Mainstream Christianity is false, governments are doomed, society is evil, and only the tiny “Philadelphia remnant” (LCG itself) holds the truth. The tone is relentlessly negative: “You are bad — we are good.”

Many people grow tired of this constant diet of fear, condemnation, and impending catastrophe. After years of hearing that the end is near, that Europe will rise as a beast power, that America and Britain face imminent national punishment, and that only strict obedience to LCG’s teachings can save them, a large number quietly walk away or simply stop opening the mail.

This pattern is not new. It is a recurring legacy of Herbert W. Armstrong’s theological system. Multiple splinter groups that emerged after the Worldwide Church of God breakup have faced similar attrition. When the message is dominated by crisis, judgment, and exclusivity, it may initially attract a certain personality type, but over time, it exhausts and repels many others.

Meanwhile, LCG emphasizes its digital growth:

“Our YouTube presence continues to grow, adding about 30,000 new subscribers each month in the English language. Our current total is 730,000 in English, 450,000 in Spanish, and 58,600 in French.”

Online metrics can appear impressive, but they often include casual viewers, algorithm-driven recommendations, and people who subscribe out of curiosity and then never engage again. A shrinking, carefully culled magazine list of genuinely interested readers tells a more sobering story.

The church concludes its letter with familiar appeals:

“Dear brethren and co-workers, thank you for your part in this Work of God. The world is realigning geopolitically and gearing up for war, just as foretold… God is building a great team with all of us!”

For those who remain committed, this narrative provides purpose and urgency. For many others, however, the endless cycle of dire warnings that rarely materialize has become wearisome. The deliberate downsizing of the Tomorrow’s World subscription list may be presented as prudent stewardship, but it also serves as an unintentional admission: large numbers of people have grown tired of the doom and gloom and have simply tuned out.

This episode stands as yet another example of the long-term human cost of Armstrongism’s apocalyptic focus — a movement that continues to lose subscribers while insisting its work is advancing with divine power.

Dave Pack: The Prophet Who Never Fails…to Fail

What a masterclass in cult leadership we’re witnessing with Dave Pack of the Restored Church of God. For years now, the man has been running the same tired con with the precision of a Swiss watch—except instead of gears, it’s powered by pure, unadulterated narcissism wrapped in a cheap humility costume.

Pack’s latest sermons follow the predictable script: he acts shocked—positively floored—by these fresh “revelations” about his own towering prophetic destiny. In his April 18, 2026 sermon (Part 632 of The Greatest Untold Story!), he declared himself “1000% certain” that the Kingdom of God and Christ’s return would arrive precisely at sunset on the Second Passover, Friday, May 1, 2026 (Iyar 15 on the Hebrew calendar). He tied it all together with an “avalanche of proof”: Daniel was finally understood (again), RCG was founded on the Second Passover (again), and—get this—his own last name “Pack” was no coincidence but a divine sign linked to Passover itself. He even called it the last date he would ever teach. “If it’s wrong, then it’s wrong,” he shrugged with theatrical finality. His thoroughly marinated followers ate it up like it’s gourmet. The already-indoctrinated nodded sagely and thought, “I knew Mr. Pack was Elijah. We just have to let the poor guy discover it on his own.” How generous of them.

Any future escalation—whether he claims to be one of the Two Witnesses or the next best thing—will be swallowed just as smoothly. All he has to do is drop a vague “That’s interesting…” or “This is big,” and their well-trained brains fill in the blanks faster than you can say “cognitive dissonance.”

May 1, 2026 came and went like every other “unassailable” date before it. No trumpet blast. No Kingdom descending on Wadsworth, Ohio. No Christ appearing to validate Pack’s endless self-promotion. Just another ordinary Friday that exposed the 140-plus failed prophecies he’s racked up since 2013. This wasn’t some minor miscalculation; it was the capstone of a years-long parade of flops: March 29, 2025 (Jesus’ birthday, naturally), August 4, 2025, October 6, 2025, December 5, 2025, December 19, 2025, and earlier whispers of February 1, 2026. Each time Pack went “all in,” called it “impossible to be wrong,” and assured everyone this was finally the one. When the dates sailed by without so much as a whisper from heaven, he simply laughed it off, pivoted to the next “revelation,” and reframed the failure as “progress” or “God working things out in real time.”

Here’s how the deception works with surgical precision. Pack doesn’t just predict dates—he weaves a personalized gospel around himself. He compares his “journey of discovery” to biblical giants while insisting he’s only reluctantly accepting his role as the modern Elijah, greater even than Herbert W. Armstrong (whom he once idolized as Moses to his own Elijah). He floods members with marathon sermon series that reinterpret Scripture to fit his ego, then demands total loyalty. Doubt? That’s Satan attacking. Questions? That’s disloyalty. Leaving? That’s shaking the tree—his term for the “natural selection” that culls the weak and leaves only the most devoted enablers. The transcripts are public, the failures documented, yet he spins every external criticism as proof he’s right: “They hate me because I’m God’s man.” It’s gaslighting on an industrial scale.

And yet his shrinking membership continues to forgive him. Why? A toxic cocktail of masterful grooming, sunk-cost fallacy, and apocalyptic FOMO (fear of missing out). Many have sacrificed careers, families, and savings to follow him. Admitting Pack is a false prophet would mean admitting they’ve wasted years—or decades—of their lives. Instead, they reframe every flop as “Mr. Pack carefully working through his destiny with an abundance of caution.” The more dates fail, the more “elite” the remaining few feel: pioneers in the “true” church, dining at Christ’s table while the world burns. Pack nurtures envy of Armstrong’s early glory days, turning RCG into a delusional fan club of the “chosen few.” Critical thinking is reframed as satanic; persecution from outsiders (including ex-members exposing the lies) is proof of demonic activity and prophecy. They’ve been conditioned so thoroughly that even 140+ documented failures become evidence of his humility, not his fraud.

Finally, a prophet who’s opening up his innermost feelings! How humble. Never mind that it’s the spiritual equivalent of a selfie stick—everything always circles back to how special he is. To the faithful, this isn’t pathological self-obsession; it’s endearing vulnerability. They love him for it. They reciprocate. And Pack just keeps tightening the screws.

The paradox is delicious. Outsiders look at Pack and see a textbook arrogant false prophet. Insiders look at the same man and see the very model of modesty. When he compares himself to Herbert W. Armstrong, members don’t roll their eyes—they beam with pride at their leader’s restraint.

This isn’t isolated to Dave Pack. It’s the rotten core of the entire Armstrongist Church of God splinter world—a toxic ecosystem of self-appointed prophets and apostles chasing the ghost of Herbert W. Armstrong. Bob Thiel of the Continuing Church of God claims dream-inspired prophetic status and has his own trail of unfulfilled dates. Gerald Flurry of the Philadelphia Church of God crowns himself “That Prophet” while peddling failed timelines and relic worship. Ron Weinland of the Church of God – Preparing for the Kingdom of God once set dates for 2008 and 2012, declared himself one of the Two Witnesses, and even led his remnant from prison, with his followers welcoming him back when he was released as a martyr for the truth. They all stand on the shoulders of earlier giants of failure: Armstrong’s infamous 1975 prophecy flop, Gerald Waterhouse’s tireless promotion of Armstrong as the end-time apostle, and Rod Meredith’s own unheeded warnings and date-setting in the Living Church of God. The pattern is identical—charismatic control, endless “new truth,” failed dates reframed as growth, and a shrinking faithful core convinced they alone are the elect.

The Bible is crystal clear on such men. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 warns: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” Jesus Himself cautioned in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” Pack, Thiel, Flurry, Weinland, and their predecessors have produced nothing but rotten fruit: broken families, financial ruin for members, and a trail of dashed hopes. Their “fruits” are not souls saved or lives transformed—they’re loyalty tests, fear-mongering, and ego-stroking empires built on sand.

Escaping this devious thinking is simpler than the cult leaders want you to believe. First, read the Bible for yourself—without the leader’s 600-part sermon filter or a Church of God booklet by your side. Test every claim against plain Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Pray for wisdom without prejudice (James 1:5). Recognize the pattern: repeated failed prophecies are not “refinements” or “deeper understanding”—they are the biblical definition of a false prophet. Talk to ex-members who’ve left and thrived; their stories dismantle the “no one leaves and stays faithful” myth. And walk away. Real faith doesn’t require surrendering your mind, money, or family to a man who keeps moving the goalposts while calling it humility.

In the end, Dave Pack isn’t building a church. He’s curating a doomsday cult of the most devoted enablers imaginable—and he’s just one high-profile symptom of a larger epidemic rotting the Armstrongist world. The remaining members see themselves as brave soldiers of the Kingdom, ready for whatever glorious (or catastrophic) command comes next. They’ve already proven they’ll believe anything—including the 140th (and counting) date for Christ’s triumphant arrival in Wadsworth. When the final crash comes—and it will—they’ll either follow him into something darker or shatter completely when their “biblical parallels” turn out to be nothing more than the delusional ramblings of very clever, very arrogant men.

The saddest part? They’ll still call it humility. But the rest of us can call it what it is: a warning. And a call to break free.

The New Pentecost Weekend COG/Sabbath Keeper Festivals

Festival of Weeks – Pentecost Weekend 2026

Pentecost Sunday is observed by both mainstream Christianity and many of the scattered Churches of God, unless you are still one of the hard-core Monday Pentecost COG groups. In Christianity, it commemorates the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 2)—wind, fire, tongues, and power that launched the New Testament Church fifty days after the resurrection.

In the Churches of God, Pentecost remains one of the commanded Holy Days, counted fifty days from the wave-sheaf offering. It is meant to picture the very Spirit that unites God’s people.

Yet this year, the “one true church”  will have several groups meeting for a two-day weekend (Sabbath and Pentecost) and will look like this:

• Growing in Torah at Safe Haven Farms in central California.
• United Church of God in the wooded hills of Nashville, Indiana, for worship, hymn singing, and fellowship.
• Church of God Ministries International in Syracuse, Indiana.
• Intercontinental Church of God is holding two-day weekends across Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia.
• Seventh Day Church of God in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Some of these groups are meeting in the same general regions—sometimes within an easy drive—yet not one extended an invitation to the others. No joint services. No shared hall. No communal breaking bread together in a meal. No humble attempt to let the Holy Spirit actually dwell among unified brethren. They will celebrate the feast of the Spirit while keeping that Spirit boxed up in their separate little camps.

And the real tragedy? This is only the beginning.

Come the Feast of Tabernacles—the week-long celebration they all claim pictures the coming Kingdom of God, a time of unity and peace—the same farce will repeat on a grander scale. Different COG groups will book separate feast sites, often in the same states or even the same general areas, then pat themselves on the back for their “purity” while refusing to fellowship with anyone outside their shrinking circle. Same story for the Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, Passover, and every other one of their self-commanded Holy Days. Year after year, they will scatter like proud, stubborn sheep, each little flock convinced it alone is “Philadelphian” while everyone else is Laodicean.

How delightfully special they all must feel. How Holy Spirit led.

This is the enduring, bitter legacy of Armstrongism: a system that preached unity within, but engineered endless division. Keep the members isolated, convince them their tiny group is the only safe place on earth, and they will gladly pay three separate tithes to support the illusion. Nothing says “We are the true church” quite like refusing to break bread with your own spiritual cousins while the world watches the spectacle.

Pentecost is supposed to be about power and one Body. Instead, these groups have turned every Holy Day into a monument to their own disunity—proving, with exquisite irony, that the Spirit they claim to follow has never truly had a home among them.

Truly, a masterpiece of self-righteous fragmentation. Well done, gentlemen. The Kingdom must be so impressed.

Step Out of the Wilderness of Striving

How Armstrongism Misses the Mark: 

Clinging to the Law Instead of Resting in Christ 

(Hebrews 3–4 and Galatians)

The book of Hebrews was written to first-century Jewish believers who were tempted to slip back into the old covenant system of law-keeping for security and acceptance with God. Chapters 3 and 4 deliver a powerful warning and invitation: Jesus is superior to Moses, and the true “rest” is found by faith in Him alone—not by ongoing ritual observance of the law. The apostle Paul makes the same case even more forcefully in Galatians, confronting any “different gospel” that adds law-keeping as a requirement for salvation or Christian living. Herbert W. Armstrong’s teachings (Armstrongism), which insisted that Christians must keep the seventh-day Sabbath, holy days, clean/unclean meats, and other elements of the Mosaic law to “qualify” for the Kingdom, directly contradict this biblical message. By clinging to the law, Armstrongism turns the gospel of grace into another form of the very bondage the New Testament warns against.

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses—the Son Over the House (Hebrews 3:1-6)

Fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest,” the writer urges. Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house. But “Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house—and we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory (Hebrews 3:6, NIV).

Moses represented the old covenant and the law given at Sinai. Jesus is the divine Son who built the house. Armstrongism elevated the law (especially the Sabbath command) as an unchanging requirement for true Christians, treating it almost as co-equal with Christ. Hebrews flips this: the servant (law/Moses) has been surpassed by the Son. Clinging to the old system after the Son has come dishonors Jesus and risks the very unbelief the chapter condemns.

The Warning from Israel’s Wilderness Failure (Hebrews 3:7-19)

Quoting Psalm 95, Hebrews recalls how the Israelites saw God’s miracles for forty years yet hardened their hearts in unbelief. They never entered God’s “rest” (the Promised Land) “because of their unbelief” (3:19). The application is urgent: 

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God… We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end (3:12, 14).

Armstrongism often flipped this warning to mean that breaking the weekly Sabbath was the ultimate rebellion, like Israel’s disobedience. But the text is clear: the sin was unbelief—refusing to trust God’s promise and instead relying on their own efforts or rituals. Insisting on law-keeping as a qualification for rest is the same heart-hardening unbelief.

The Superior Sabbath-Rest Available Now by Faith (Hebrews 4:1-13)

The promise of rest remains open. Joshua’s generation entered the land but never experienced the ultimate rest, so “God again set a certain day, calling it ‘Today’” (4:7). Then comes the key verse: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their own works, just as God did from his” (4:9-10).

This is not primarily a command to keep Saturday. It is the spiritual rest believers enter today by faith—ceasing from self-effort, law-keeping, and striving to earn God’s favor, just as God rested from creation. The weekly Sabbath was a shadow pointing to Christ (Colossians 2:16-17); the reality is the Son Himself.

Armstrong and his followers taught the exact opposite. They interpreted “a Sabbath-rest” (Greek sabbatismos) as proof that Christians must continue “a keeping of the Sabbath” literally each week as a type of the future Kingdom rest. Without it, they claimed, you could not qualify for salvation or enter God’s rest. This misses the entire point of Hebrews: the rest is entered now by believing the gospel, not by ritual observance. The chapter ends with an exhortation to “make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience” (4:11)—disobedience defined as unbelief, not calendar-keeping.

Galatians: No Other Gospel—We Are Not Under the Law (Galatians 1–5)

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is even sharper. False teachers were pressuring Gentile believers to add circumcision and law-keeping to their faith. Paul calls this “a different gospel” and pronounces a curse on anyone preaching it (Galatians 1:6-9). He writes:

• We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ… because by the works of the law no one will be justified (2:16).
• I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose (2:21).
• The law was added “because of transgressions” and served as a guardian “until Christ came” (3:19, 24). “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (3:25).
• You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (5:4).
• If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (5:18).

Armstrongism attempted to escape this by claiming Paul was only condemning ceremonial laws while the “spiritual law” (Ten Commandments, Sabbath, holy days) remained binding. But Paul makes no such distinction. He says the entire old-covenant law system—including the commands given at Sinai—acted as a temporary tutor that pointed to Christ. Once faith in Christ has come, believers are no longer under it as a covenant. Justification, sanctification, and the Christian life are all by faith, empowered by the Spirit—not by mixing in law-keeping as a requirement.

Galatians 4’s allegory of Hagar and Sarah drives it home: the law is the slave woman producing bondage; the promise is the free woman producing heirs. Armstrongism’s insistence on law-keeping as essential for Christians puts people back under Hagar—slavery—when Christ offers sonship and freedom.

The Heart of the Issue: Law vs. Grace, Shadow vs. Reality

Armstrongism’s core error was treating the old covenant law as still binding in its details while claiming to believe in grace. Hebrews 3–4 shows the law (through Moses) could never give true rest—only Jesus the Son can. Galatians proves that adding any part of the law as a requirement for justification or ongoing acceptance with God is “another gospel” that nullifies grace and makes Christ’s death meaningless.

The weekly Sabbath and other commands were good shadows, but the substance is Christ (Colossians 2:17). True rest is not earned by perfect calendar observance; it is received today by simple, ongoing faith in Jesus’ finished work.

The Invitation Still Stands Today

Hebrews 3–4 and Galatians do not merely critique a first-century problem or a 20th-century movement—they issue a timeless, Spirit-empowered call to every generation tempted to trade the simplicity of the gospel for the security of rules. The law was never meant to be the final word; it was a faithful servant that exposed our inability, drove us to our knees, and pointed ahead to the One who could do what the law could never accomplish (Romans 8:3-4). Armstrongism, with its heartfelt zeal for obedience and its deep respect for Scripture, tragically stopped short of the finish line. By insisting that Christians must still “keep” large portions of the old covenant to remain in God’s favor or “qualify” for the Kingdom, it recreated the very yoke Paul condemned and the very unbelief that kept Israel out of the Promised Land.

Yet the author of Hebrews refuses to leave us in despair. He repeatedly shouts the word “Today!”—the day of opportunity, the day of grace, the day when the promise of rest is still wide open. This rest is not a future reward earned by flawless Sabbath observance or dietary law-keeping. It is a present reality entered the moment a weary soul stops striving and simply believes that Jesus, the faithful Son over God’s house, has already done everything required. It is the soul-level sabbath where we cease from our own works the way God ceased from His at creation—fully satisfied, fully accepted, fully at peace.

For anyone who has carried the heavy tablets of Armstrongism—or any form of legalism—the message is liberating and urgent: You do not have to qualify. You only have to believe. The chains of “Sabbath & Works” shatter not by greater effort but by looking to the radiant Christ who stands with open arms. Galatians 5:1 rings like a victory shout: 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

True obedience does not disappear in this rest—it is transformed. No longer motivated by fear of disqualification, it flows from love for the Savior who fulfilled the law on our behalf. The Spirit who lives in every believer now writes God’s character on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26-27), producing fruit that the law could only demand but never create.

If you are reading this and sensing the Holy Spirit stirring your heart, hear the final invitation of Hebrews: 

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). 

Step out of the wilderness of striving. Leave the shadows behind. Fix your eyes on Jesus—the better Moses, the better High Priest, the better Rest—and enter the superior, permanent Sabbath-rest that Armstrongism, by clinging so tightly to the law, sadly missed.

The old covenant has served its purpose. The new has come. Rest is here—today—in Christ alone. May you receive it, walk in it, and proclaim the glorious freedom of the gospel to everyone still bound by the very system the New Covenant came to release us from.

Silent Pilgrim

Worlds Most Accurate Prophet Claims He Has Been Proven Right Once Again

The Church of God’s Greatest Prophet Since Enoch (and by “greatest,” we mean the most deluded keyboard warrior the movement has ever spawned).

Ladies and gentlemen, behold Bob Thiel, more affectionately known as Crackpot Bob — the singular, heaven-sent, 100%-accurate prophet who was apparently pre-programmed into the universe at creation just so he could grace us with his endless stream of “maybe,” “possibly,” and “could be” hot takes. Forget Moses, Enoch, Elijah, or even Armstrong himself. This guy’s so supernaturally gifted he can spot a trade deal that’s been crawling through negotiations for a quarter-century and declare it a personal revelation from on high. Truly, the apex of divine insight.

Because, of course, the internet was custom-engineered by the Trinity exclusively for Bob. Printing press for Herb? Check. Television for the Worldwide Church? Obviously. But computers, Google, Harbringer's Daily, and NewsMax? Those were lovingly crafted so our resident Crackpot Prophet could cherry-pick headlines, slap a thin COG eschatological glaze on them, and crown himself God’s Most Miraculous Voice in these perilous end times. What a breathtaking cosmic coincidence!

And today — on God’s Holy Sabbath, no less — while normal people might dare to rest, pray, or (gasp) spend time with their families, Crackpot Saint Bob was once again hunched over his glowing altar of a computer like a man possessed, frantically banging out another sacred “proof” of his prophetic majesty. Family? Relaxation? Mere distractions. Real prophets don’t take days off when there’s fresh prophecy-adjacent news to misappropriate!

In his latest act of self-congratulatory brilliance, Bob triumphantly revealed that the European Union is… pursuing international trade deals. Stop everything. Alert the angels. Sound the shofars. The EU — a massive economic bloc whose entire purpose involves trade — is trading. And somehow this is brand-new, earth-shattering fulfillment rather than the most predictable thing on the planet since sunrise.

He breathlessly quotes:

After more than 25 years of negotiations, the trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur countries — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — took provisional effect on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed ahead with provisional application despite a legal challenge before the Court of Justice of the European Union, effectively sidestepping a parliamentary vote on the deal’s full ratification.

“Provisional application will show the agreement’s tangible benefits,” von der Leyen wrote on X.

“And how legitimate sensitives have been addressed.” …

The The agreement eliminates tariffs on a majority of trade between the two sides, therefore creating a free-trade zone of more than 700 million people between the EU and Mercosur countries.

On Thursday, the EU Chief described the deal as “good news for EU businesses of all sizes, good news for our consumers and good news for our farmers, who will gain valuable new export opportunities, with full protection for sensitive sectors.” The EU-Mercosur free-trade deal took provisional effect on Friday despite a legal challenge before the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

 

He then triumphantly points to the provisional EU-Mercosur trade deal (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) that took effect after more than 25 years of negotiations. A deal that had been in the works long before Donald Trump’s 2024 election. But according to Bob’s special prophetic insight, this happened because Trump talked about tariffs. Next, he’ll predict that water is wet and demand you acknowledge his 100% accuracy. Properly understood biblical prophecies are coming to pass, he intones — which in Thiel-speak means “I read something on the internet and now I own it.”

This trade deal was predicted here. 

 

On November 6, 2024, I posted the following predictions on this COGwriter Church of God News page:

Donald Trump’s pointing to tariffs as the answer for US trade imbalances and manufacturing decline will incense the Europeans. Some type of trade war is coming. Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America. (Thiel B. Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what? y Donald trump y eventos para observar. COGwriter, November 6, 2024)

Properly understood biblical prophecies are coming to pass.

What I predicted was the the re-election of Donald Trump would motivate the Europeans to agree to the trade deal with Mercosur. That has happened.

I also predicted that the Europeans would seek other trade deals–that also has happened and is happening.

Like every other self-appointed “prophet” in the modern Churches of God (of which there are zero real ones, because the New Covenant rather decisively ended that office), Crackpot Bob is simply a news aggregator in a suit who desperately wants to be something he is not. The Churches of God have never had a genuine prophet in their 90+ year existence — only a parade of self-proclaimed ones peddling half-truths, exaggerated “fulfillments,” and just enough fear to keep the more gullible members convinced they’re part of a special remnant.

But hey, at least Bob’s consistent. In a world full of actual events, he’ll always be there to declare “I told you so” about things that were already happening. Truly, the most accurate prophet money can buy.

The end times must be near — after all, how much more of this comedy can the universe possibly tolerate?

Armstrongism: still amazing after all these years.

Fred Coulter: Meet the Man, the Myth, the Bump-Reader Extraordinaire

 

Oh, gather 'round for the epic tale of Fred R. Coulter and his scrappy little Christian Biblical Church of God (CBCG)—the Armstrongist splinter that's basically "Herbert W. Armstrong’s Greatest Hits: Director’s Cut Edition, Now With Phrenology, Calendar Upgrades, and Fred Fixing the Bible That the King James Translators Were Too Stupid to Understand.!"

Meet the Man, the Myth, the Bump-Reader Extraordinaire

Fred R. Coulter, proud Ambassador College grad (theology BA, 1964), got ordained in 1965 and dutifully pastored WCG flocks across the U.S. Then, in a stunning 1979 pre-Tkach power move, he dramatically resigned with a “Call to Repentance” sermon, sounding the alarm on all those “sinful practices.” What a prophet! (Or just the guy who jumped ship early.) 

By 1983, armed with a magnificent core group of seven whole believers plus himself, he founded CBCG in Hollister, California. Decades later, he’s still the president, chief sermonizer, book-peddler (Restoring the Original Bible, etc.), and all-around restorer of “original Christianity.” They reach “thousands” online and through tiny scattered fellowships. Truly inspiring... if “thousands” in a sea of aging, fragmenting Armstrongist groups counts as a booming success. 

Armstrongism 2.0: Now With Extra Pseudoscience and Bible Redos!

Classic package: Sabbath, Holy Days (Fred’s special “corrected” Hebrew calendar edition, because God’s original timing needed a tune-up), binitarian God-family theology, gentle tithing nudges, and that cozy “we’re the tiny elite flock while everyone else is apostate” glow. They wisely ditched the brutal top-down hierarchy (lessons learned from WCG’s spectacular crash) for local elders and “voluntary” vibes. So humble. So not-a-cult. 

But wait—there’s more! Fred’s signature flair includes a documented soft spot for phrenology—that gloriously outdated 19th-century party trick of feeling skull bumps to diagnose character defects and spiritual oopsies. Because what better way to restore first-century Christianity than by channeling Victorian quack doctors? Nothing says “apostolic purity” like giving congregants a cranial exam instead of, you know, just praying or opening the actual Bible. 

And then there’s the pièce de résistance: Fred had to redo the entire Bible because those poor, bumbling King James translators were apparently too dim to get it right. Those 1611 scholars with their “thee”s and “thou”s just couldn’t handle the job, so Brother Coulter stepped in like the theological superhero we didn’t know we needed. Behold—The Holy Bible In Its Original Order: A Faithful Version! He reordered all the books to his preferred “original” sequence, translated everything fresh from the Hebrew and Greek (with a little help), and clarified all those “problematic passages” the KJV idiots messed up. 

It retains the KJV’s grandeur... while quietly fixing its many errors, of course. Because nothing screams humility like one guy declaring, “Move over, centuries of scholarship—Fred’s got this.” Perfect for the group that already knows better than mainstream Christianity on pretty much everything. 

The Dangers of Signing Up for This Rapidly Shrinking Splinter Cult

If your spiritual needs include legalism, prophecy doom-scrolling, potential family rifts, and the warm fuzzy of being told you’re special while tithing into a tiny operation, CBCG could be your next adventure. Just don’t count on a thriving social scene—these Armstrong offshoots are mostly quietly graying out as members age and the internet keeps splintering the remnants. 

Standard warnings apply: isolation tendencies, “us vs. the deceived world” superiority, a works-heavy “different gospel” that critics (and many ex-members) say distorts grace, plus the usual spiritual abuse red flags. Layer on the phrenology sessions and the “I had to rewrite the Bible because everyone before me was incompetent” energy, and you’ve got a doctrine combo that’s equal parts earnest and delightfully eccentric. 

Ex-member sites highlight the control dynamics, the pressure to conform, and that perpetual feeling of never quite measuring up to Fred’s restored truth. With the group steadily shrinking like the rest of the COG diaspora, you might end up in a very intimate (read: microscopic) echo chamber as the founder advances in years. 

Pro tip: Before committing to the skull-measuring appointments and the “Fred’s Bible Only” reading plan, try some independent study. Ask yourself if true “original Christianity” really needs phrenology charts and one man’s upgraded KJV correction. The apostles somehow survived without either. Welcome to the wonderful world of COG splinters—where the doctrines are restored, the calendars are perfected, the heads are palpated, and the Bible finally gets the Fred Coulter treatment it so desperately needed. What could possibly go wrong?

Silent Pilgrim