The quote below is from James Malm's site concerning LCG. He has a lot of LCG members feeding him information.
LCG News: When I mentioned in the last post about the internal power struggle in LCG, I was referring to the push to groom James Meredith to succeed his father in place of a more qualified and balanced leader. The purpose of this was to be able to continue to use the Meredith name [which is the glue that holds LCG together] while a certain clique rules from behind the scenes. Notice the appeal to personal loyalty to Meredith in the letter.
Rod has been unable to control LCG since his stroke, and LCG has been ruled by very different people than LCG brethren realize. Rod makes some audios and does some things, but is just not able to control the inner workings of LCG and is getting weaker and weaker. James controls things as Rod’s personal assistant, and James in turn is manipulated by others.
Several elders are objecting to the situation inside LCG and have been voicing their concerns to their colleagues about the Nicolaitane attitude extant with James and buddies, and are seeking a successor who will be more concerned about the brethren. They include some senior persons and would be the trouble makers Rod’s letter referred to.
The fact that Rod has lost control is clear when we see that his big breakout Gospel message actually contradicted what Doug Winnail has been preaching about the great falling away and 2 Thess 2:3. Winnail says people who don’t accept his new teaching about the falling away are deceived. Are Doug and Rod now at odds?
This is about internal struggles within LCG; Bob Thiel has taken somewhat less than 200 from LCG.
This fast may be setting the LCG brethren up for the expulsion of several elders. If such action is taken; since these few are only the known ones and many others agree with them, others could also resign.
As I wrote some months ago now, up to a third could ultimately end up leaving LCG over the struggle between the Nicolaitanes that now rule, and the more moderates. Depending on how the brethren respond, this could be a major split for LCG.
Didn't anyone learn anything about putting your kids in charge of a church after you are gone with Tkach and Tkach?
ReplyDeleteOh yes...now I remember. James the Apostle put his son Shlommo Levinson in charge of the Jewish Christian church when he died. When Paul knew he was toast, he put his Nephew , Biggus Fatassicus in charge of the gentile version.
If LCG is not careful, the hidden and subconscious bitterness that lurks in Jimmy's childhood experiences with WCG/Dad will assure that withing five years they will all be singing Xmas Carols and eating chocolate bunnies with christian significance of course. Jimmy and Joe are probably alread in touch...
M.T.Hall
the Meredith name [which is the glue that holds LCG together]
ReplyDeleteThey're not glued together, they're screwed together.
I hope they don't split up: It's so much easier to prove them wrong when they have had a leader who's been a false prophet for 60 years.
ReplyDeleteNew blood?
Who knows where that would lead?
Nevertheless, Paul Ray does seem right in that the Cult of Herbert Armstrong is losing traction and may not live more that two or three decades more.
That perspective may be optimistic in two different divergent ways.
Ok, someone clue me in as to what a Nicolaitan attitude entails. I recall the Biblical reference but it wasnt that descriptive.
ReplyDeleteRSK said...
ReplyDeleteOk, someone clue me in as to what a Nicolaitan attitude entails. I recall the Biblical reference but it wasnt that descriptive.
It means seducing people to commit immoral acts.
Nicolaitans may have been a sect. Literally it means "conquering of the people." It is seen in Rev 2:6. They may be the forerunner of the clerical hierarchy superimposed upon the laity, robbing them of their power and freedom. These might be those who "lord over" the members of a church.
ReplyDeleteThe continual bickering within and splitting of the various COGs is a true sign they have lost their way right from the start. Such cults are to be avoided like the plague.
ReplyDelete"The continual bickering within and splitting of the various COGs is a true sign they have lost their way right from the start."
ReplyDeleteAs Dennis has pointed out, there was much bickering and splitting during Paul's tenure. You can't point to any epoch that didn't have some sort of internal strife. The true sign is their erroneous doctrine(s). They reject Christ as the focal point, instead relegating him to the position of the bridge between Law and The Death Penalty. That is, Christ died so you could "keep" the Law, fulfilling the requirements of the Law while still breaking it. Romans, on the other hand, is clear that the Law itself was abrogated.
Paul Ray
"It means seducing people to commit immoral acts."
ReplyDeleteLike eating shrimp, and girl on girl action.
Paul Ray
"Nickos-laoston"
ReplyDelete1.Nikos,"conquest, victory, or dominancy over the defeated".
2.Laoston,"people".
The meaning is that the bishops and clergy of the "church" have gained a triumphal victory or conquest(Nico)over the laity(laitan)until they have been compelled to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FH1nozADw
ReplyDeleteI don't know what to make of this but the ending scared the crap out of me!!!! LOL :)
Near the end of the online presentation (minute 58 or 59), Rod says "We never ask for money in this work."
ReplyDeleteDoes he really think nobody listening to him will receive his letters in which he begs for money? How can he think he will get away with telling a lie like that? Or is it that somebody told him to say that, and he is so debilitated that he has no real understanding of what he is saying?
seems that the personality driven organizations are beginning to fall apart.....
ReplyDeleteWho knows what "the 'doctrine' of the Nicolaitans" means? I don't think merely parsing the literal roots of "Nicolaitan" is necessarily going to land anyone in the ballpark. For starters, it yields a very vague answer. A teaching or doctrine means something specific that followers are taught to believe or do, and "victory over the people" isn't really anything specific you could teach as a "doctrine."
ReplyDeleteI think it's more likely it was just an eponymously named sect and its leader was named the equivalent of our modern "Nicholas." His sect, teachings, and reputation might have been familiar to all at the time but are now lost to antiquity, but they were unrelated to the guy's name. If he had been given a different name, you'd be parsing different roots and thinking it meant something else entirely. After all, the "doctrines of Armstrong" are unrelated to upper body weight training.
If somebody today wrote, "beware the doctrines of St. Nicholas" and in 2,000 years when everyone's forgotten all about christmas, and they'd all be parsing the same "nikos"-"laoston" roots, which isn't at all the same thing as the specific doctrines of christmas. Although I can imagine some people in Armstrongism stretching them into being synonymous, but it's quite a stretch. I suppose you guys could be right, but there's no way to know for sure. I know it doesn't feel as satisfying, but nobody really knows what it means. The most anyone can do is speculate.
Hopefully Thiel is just the tip of the iceberg for LCG. When Meredith does pass on, hopefully LCG will indeed split into several significantly smaller and less consequential pieces. Maybe it won't be too long until the same thing happens to Flurry's org. Within 5-10 years, UCG and COGWA might fragment some more. Dave Pack is rather young, but might be able to succeed in alienating enough people to sink his own ship, oppa Jimmy Meredith style. I don't wish the demise of any individual, just the organizations. Thankfully, most don't seem to be able to go more than about 10-12 years without a major split.
ReplyDeleteNow it seems to be the idolatry of men who had some sort of contact with Herbert that keeps these larger orgs together. Heck, I shook ol' Herbert's hand once, and that's prolly about as much contact as Packatolla ever had, but Dave has done everything he can to spin that into a golden parachute (while I'm trying to put my regrets behind me).
Meredith was the boss of all the other ministurds in WCG during some of it's most pivotal years, starting in something like 1963, and he probably has had a bigger effect on shaping COG-land than anyone else besides Herbert himself. The sooner that entire generation of ministurds that trained at the feet of Meredith passes on, the sooner the COGs will collapse, leaving just a collection of fanatical one-man-shows floating on the water after the ship has gone down. At that point, all that's left will be a collection of blogs, youtube channels, and self-promoting Wikipedia entries. Not enough to matter.
Meredith has been unable to control LCG since Global.
ReplyDeleteI count myself among the Nicolaitans, whoever they might be.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached unto all nations and then shall the end [of Armstrongism] come.
ReplyDeleteHey, it's supposed to be a Christian church. That means the Holy Spirit is supposed to be controlling it, not a human.
ReplyDeleteYet more evidence, as if we needed it, that the whole thing is a sham and a scam.
BB
Still no word on what Jim Meredith "did " at Charlotte that is supposedly so scandalous.
ReplyDeleteAnyone out here got a clue or hint?
Joe Moeller
Cody, WY
Dunno.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about that, too. Looks like someone wants to tease us.
BB
Whats a nicolatain? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteNear the end of the online presentation (minute 58 or 59), Rod says "We never ask for money in this work."
ReplyDeleteHe should have said, "We never ask for money in this work. We DEMAND it, and we keep our members informed they're risking their eternal salvation if they don't pony up."
-Norm
Nicolaitans were pro-lesbian, I kid you not. God was/is OK with girl-on-girl action. Gay men not so much.
ReplyDeleteRead Rev 2:6 in reverse order: "I also hate, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans."
ReplyDeleteThe question is: Was God against the Nicolaitans or against those who were in opposition to the Nicolitans?
The church in Ephesus was known as the loveless church, b/c they were against girl-on-girl action of any kind.
ReplyDeleteNicolaitan = Lesbian
Balaam = gay man sex
It's all so very uncomplicated.
The nic in Nicolatian is the same as the word nick or niche. Meaning: a small groove, notch, cut or slit: a recess in a wall. Something that resembles a lady part "Vajayjay".
ReplyDeleteBalaam means Cockswaddler.
James Malm will make this all the more plain when he authors a booklet on the subject.
Arent the "NICOTINIANS" those that are secret cigarette smokers in the church??
ReplyDeleteJoe Moeller
Cody , WY
Which begs the age old fake Bible Study question: "Is it OK to smoke on the Day of Atonement???"
ReplyDeleteBB