Gerald Flurry's Edstone House UK Financial Boondoggle

Potential Herbert W Armstrong College, United Kingdom

I had a discussion with a former church member who lives in the UK about Gerald Flurry's latest financial boondoggle.  He was delighted to hear that the internet campaign to bump Flurry off CBS Reality UK was successful.  He then went on to mention that there are ex-members in England who are also warning the government about how dangerous Flurry's cult is.

Another person told me some of the obstacles that Flurry's cult will be facing when attempting to start his "college."

With the recent explosion of Muslim related schools popping up in the UK and the problems they are causing, the UK government will be paying close attention to what Flurry's cult "college" will be teaching.  He will have to offer the national curriculum and promote diversity.  That right there is going to present a HUGE issue for Flurry and his cult.

Armstrongism has always had a great disdain for higher learning offered by the "world's" colleges.  Gone are the days when the WCG had its first college in Bricket Wood, England.  In those days, while still monitored by the government, the college could teach pretty much what they wanted.  Those days are gone and Flurry will have to bow down to the current UK educational standards.

Add to that issue the problem of promoting diversity and Flurry will be in even hotter water.  He will be required to open his enrollment to ALL religious creeds and sexual orientations.  Imagine a gay pride group at Herbert W Armstrong College UK!  What a hoot that will be!!!!!  The UK government will be looking at the mix of students that are allowed to study there.  How many Caucasian, Black, Asian, etc. will be taken into consideration and he is required by law to meet those standards.  They will  require him to have an anti-bullying policy in effect.  That alone is going to create huge issues.  Flurry bullies ex-members and threatens them, he is anti-gay, a rabid Catholicphobe, anti-Muslim, and promotes racial identity of the white race as superior to all other races through his promotion of British Israelism.

In regards to the area that Edstone House is located in, its an expensive area!  Taking care of 22 acres in addition to the manor upkeep and restoration is going to be a HUGE finical drain on Flurry's cult.  Electricity and heating oil expensive will be astronomical.

The UK is not like the U.S. where religious institutions have huge tax breaks and many times pay no taxes at all.  In the UK the only church that gets a tax beak is the Church of England.  All other churches and cults have to pay some form of tax.  As my friend in the UK says, "And we English are highly taxed."  The only way Flurry's cult can get out of paying huge taxes is if he offers a non-religious education to private students following the national curriculum. If he does that then the UK government will help fund his adventure.

As my friend in the UK said at the end of the conversation, "Best close it down then."

Living Church of God Headquarters Continues To Boil In Turmoil

Buy your Obey Rod t-shirts and Mouse pads here.

There have been countless stories and rumors floating around foe the last year or two about deep divisions in the Living Church of God hierarchy.  Rod Meredith had to speak out at this years Feast of Tabernacles telling the members and employees that "...they MUST obey us!"  Many are waiting for Rod Meredith to die with hopes of taking the LCG into a more graceful direction that is more merciful.  Die hard extreme legalists what to take it even further into legalism.  Its going to be one big mess once Meredith dies.  If his son is put in charge you can be guaranteed that there will be a huge exodus of members out.

LCG is deeply divided between the hard line leadership types demanding absolute obedience, and the permissive folk with none being faithful to the whole Word of God. As Rod Meredith said at this Feast first High day video “We were placed in control by God and you must obey us” which is Roman Catholic Nicolaitane heresy!  It is fear religion and loyalty to Rod that is keeping LCG together for the moment. James Malm

COGWA Stabs UCG in the Back Again!

Life is never dull in the land of COGdumb.  For being God's most highly favored people to ever exist in 1,900 years, they certainly are the nastiest ones out there.

COGWA has reportedly stepped on UCG's toes by pre-booking the  building that UCG used this year for the Feast of Tabernacles.

COGWA is setting up its Feast sites as close to UCG sites as they can in an effort to gain from the increasing divisions in UCG.
 
It appears that COGWA now plans to have a Feast site in Bend, OR for 2015 as they apparently have already booked rooms at Eagle Crest Resort, one of the main housing locations used by United. This after hosting a site in Steamboat Springs, a long standing United site this year.

Gerald Flurry Cult Buying Edstone Hall in England in Order to Start Another "college"

Gerald Flurry made good on his promise to buy property in England in order to start another cult college in the "new Europe."  Flurry wants a college in the UK because he feels that he and the PCG will ultimately come into possession of the Stone of Scone and/or the Lia-Fail of Ireland before they flee to Petra.  He will then take it to Petra in order to keep it safe so that Jesus can return and be crowned King of Kings upon it.  That's a pretty wimpy impotent god that needs  a human to keep some stone safe in the middle of the Jordanian desert!

He feels his college students may start a "dig" in Ireland where they will discover the Lia-Fail.  Plus, Flurry has also bragged that this campus would give them more credibility by being European to the people of Europe.

Now Flurry's dream has come true, though now PCG has to struggle to pay this property off which is going to be rough on PCG members considering they are still paying off the 20+ million dollar Armstrong Auditorium.  Now they are going to be saddled with a $4.5 million dollar debt in England!  Considering Flurry's slowly dwindling flock, this is going to be one risky adventure.

Poor Dave Pack must be really pissed that he has been pushed on to the back burner once again by another more "powerful" COG than his.

 Edstone Hall

Pastor General Gerald Flurry announced in July 2013 that Hanstead House and seven acres of adjacent land were being purchased (for $6.8 million according to one source), which would have enabled PCG to recreate Herbert Armstrong’s Ambassador College. PCG could not afford this purchase, forcing Flurry to admit that “God is not opening a door to purchase the Bricket Wood campus near St. Albans, England.”

A church publication subsequently stated that, “PCG officials .... were pleasantly surprised to find a large number of beautiful estates available that are considerably less expensive than the Bricket Wood campus.”

The opening message for the 2014 Festival of Tabernacles was surprisingly given by Stephen Flurry (his father had done so in all the previous 24 years of PCG’s history), before a backdrop of Edstone Hall, located in Shakespeare country in the English Midlands, for which, it is understood, a bid of £2.8 million ($4.5 million) has been accepted. Although mortgage rates are currently at an all time low, it remains to be seen if the PCG is able to complete the purchase this time.

Edstone Hall

Internet Campaign To Force Flurry Off The Air In England Worked!

Some time back the Philadelphia Church of God boasted on how it was being granted access to CBS Reality in the United Kingdom in order to broadcast their Key of David program to the UK and Europe.  Of course God was the one responsible for this.

There has been a concerted effort recently by several Facebook groups and web sites in letting  CBS Broadcasting corporation in the United Kingdom know that they should not broadcast Gerald Flurry's cult program over its airwaves. Apparently it has worked.  Many  wrote to the company to let them know how the Philadelphia Church of God has broken up families, destroyed marriages and caused suicides. 

Two different pro-COG sites are reporting the story:

British CBS CBS Reality cancelled The Key of David shortly before it’s first broadcast, at 08.00  am on Sunday, 7th September. The program continued to  be listed for a while but has been dropped from the schedule. CBS has not published the reason for the cancellation, nor has there been any comment from PCG. James Malm

PCG announced that, “In mid-July, we received approval to begin airing in Britain. The Key of David will debut on CBS Reality a few weeks before the Feast of Trumpets .... With mounting tension in Britain and Europe, it looks like God’s timing is perfect for launching The Key of David to the general population. Pair with that the possibility of expanding Herbert W. Armstrong College into Britain, and we could muster a labor force ready to take calls, process requests and do other support work for the program.”

“God’s timing” proved not to be perfect, as CBS cancelled The Key of David shortly before its first broadcast was due, at 8.00am on Sunday, 7th September. The program continued being listed for a while (probably due to an appeal by the PCG), but has now been dropped from the schedule. CBS received complaints about the church, but has not published its reason for the cancellation, nor has there been any comment from PCG. Church of God News

Ten Warning Signs Regarding People Involved In/with A Potentially Unsafe Group/leader.

Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.

• Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.

• Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused--as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.

• Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as "persecution".

• Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.

• Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.

• Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.

• A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.

• Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.

• Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.

• Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

Source:  Cult Education Network

Which Kind of Church of God Leader Are You Following?

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
   
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
   
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
   
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
   
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
   
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
   
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
   
8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
   
9. The group/leader is always right.
   
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.         more in link at bottom.......

Ten Signs of a Safe Group/Leader

1) A safe group/leader will answer your questions without becoming judgmental and punitive.

2) A safe group/leader will disclose information such as finances and often offer an independently audited financial statement regarding budget and expenses. Safe groups and leaders will tell you more than you want to know.

3) A safe group/leader is often democratic, sharing decision making and encouraging accountability and oversight.

4) A safe group/leader may have disgruntled former followers, but will not vilify, excommunicate and forbid others from associating with them.

5) A safe group/leader will not have a paper trail of overwhelmingly negative records, books, articles and statements about them.

6) A safe group/leader will encourage family communication, community interaction and existing friendships and not feel threatened.
 7) A safe group/leader will recognize reasonable boundaries and limitations when dealing with others.

8) A safe group/leader will encourage critical thinking, individual autonomy and feelings of self-esteem.
 9) A safe group/leader will admit failings and mistakes and accept constructive criticism and advice.
 
10) A safe group/leader will not be the only source of knowledge and learning excluding everyone else, but value dialogue and the free exchange of ideas.

Source:   Cult Education Institute