Proper Church Government Is Necessary!
UPDATED BELOW
It has been well publicized over the decades just how vengeful Rod Meredith can be when it comes to people he thinks are being disloyal to him or the church. In almost every sermon, article and letter he has to reenforce the "proper place" of government in the church. The whole idea is to get across to the lowly members that he and he alone is the man in charge and that they are at the bottom of the equation.
When issues in the church start boiling over Meredith immediately sets up a team of loyalists who start the internal inquisitions, where they question and challenge all people they deem to be disloyal. When theses people are found, the inquisition team them makes a public spectacle out of them. They start spreading rumors and lies in order to discredit them. Sermons are given publicly smearing reputations and family names. Disfellowshipments soon follow ripping families and friendships apart. All done to keep Meredith happy and in control.
Notice the reason Meredith holds these inquisitions: "We’re trying to keep God’s church clean."
In the quote below he claims that people are put out because they "lie and lie." The biggest liars I have seen over the decades have been the men in charge of these inquisitions. These men have no integrity. That is glaringly obvious on how they will do any thing and say any thing in order to please their master. Rod McNair is a great example of this.
Church of God News had this up about a sermon Meredith preached on church government in 2014. This "must play" sermon on authority and love" has been wiped clean from the servers. Its potentially devastating to the LCG now that they are facing a lawsuit because that "love" part has been sorely missing over the decades.
In October 2014 we reported about Roderick Meredith’s audio sermon, God’s Government Is Vital, in which he said, “I’ve asked Mr McNair and Mr League, they’ve been working as a team to get all the information on many of these things, and I’m working with them and other leaders ... We’re trying to keep God’s church clean.”
“We found that some of these people we’ve had to put out ... they often lie and lie, and they’ll twist and turn, and turn things around ...”
This was a ‘must play’ sermon for the Day of Atonement, together with a sermonette by Rod McNair, Ministerial Authority is Based on Love, in which he set out three measures for disciplining members who cause division within the church by refusing to submit fully to the authority of ministers: Suspension, Disfellowshipping and Marking. This is all done in love, he says, as “love will cover a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Unfortunately, you can no longer listen to either of these messages, as:‘The item is not available due to issues with the item’s content.’(Bob League, who was named in the legal action, alongside Meredith and McNair, died in January 2015.)
UPDATE:
They pulled the videos because that was the sermon that Meredith slandered the Scarborough's. Which is funny since LCG is obviously claiming that they DID NOT slander the Scarborough's since they have hired those fancy lawyers to defend them.
Why would you remove a video if it wasn't slanderous? You wouldn't. Obviously.
And yet, instead of making peace (free) the men at LCG keep paying lawyers because they are so prideful and arrogant that they can't admit they were wrong even though it is blaringly obvious to the rest of us that they were.
Government isn't the only Oppressive area in Rod Meredith's Church
ReplyDeleteSomeday either the Scarborough's or their lawyers will dig a little and find the harsh and accusatory comments made in "healing" sermons that practically BLAME the sick and afflicted in Rod's Church for a having the gall to have an illness!
If you're not healed its an indictment on you, and an embarasment to the Ministry.
Not the way God looks at it, but then again,
This is Rod's Church, not God's Church . . . . .
The last time, that I spoke to an lcg minister, I asked who was in charge here?
ReplyDeleteHis reply was, I am. Not GOD, so I withdrew myself from lcg.
Enough said. God was not in charge.
In Matthew, Mark and John, Christ said that the church is not to lord it over the members or have the power of secular government. Rods 'those God has placed over you,' is not biblical but rather the traditions of men. He is simply copying the Catholics and Protestants. Expressed differently, he and his power hungry ministers, are robbing members of the talents that Christ gives to each person.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder they hide the 'gospel of trade.'
Cheers TradingGuy
1.28 PM in revelation, Christ is knocking on a door. The context isn't one of knocking on peoples hearts, asking for a relationship, but rather knocking on the door of 'His' physical church. He has been put out of His church. Who else but the Gestapo ministers are in charge. Didn't Paul also experience this?
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of accuracy, it seems obvious that we need to adjust one of the acronyms that is regularly used here. I'm going to begin using LCR when discussing the issues revolving around Rod's church, because that is what it really is, the Living Church of Rod.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Flurry gets to skate on the impact of this exercise of truth in advertising. PCG ends up being Philadelphia Church of Gerald, same letters. It's tempting to call RCG RCDP, Restored Church of Dave Pack, but we probably shouldn't do that because in the shorthand used throughout Armstrongism, reference to being DP'd was the ultimate in negative connotations.
BB
Hiding videos solves nothing.
ReplyDeleteAlways the emphasis on the words "leaders" and "top men" since HWA days.
ReplyDeleteAll are equal in Christ Jesus I thought.
They pulled the videos because that was the sermon that Meredith slandered the Scarborough's. Which is funny since LCG is obviously claiming that they DID NOT slander the Scarborough's since they have hired those fancy lawyers to defend them.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you remove a video if it wasn't slanderous? You wouldn't. Obviously.
And yet, instead of making peace (free) the men at LCG keep paying lawyers because they are so prideful and arrogant that they can't admit they were wrong even though it is blaringly obvious to the rest of us that they were.
I was Catholic before I joined LCG so I can say this with certainty...
ReplyDeleteLCG completely follows they Catholic model of government. Further, the priests/ LCG ministers believe that they are intercessors between the brethren and God/Christ/Kingdom of God. Without them, none of us will make it.
Same goes for repentance. The Catholics go to confession and a priest absolves them of their sins. In LCG the ministers judge the heart and decide if you are genuinely repentant or if you need to be kicked out of "God's church".
LCG preaches that the Catholic church is the "beast power" and LCG is increasingly Catholic therefore maybe LCG is the true beast power. At least the Catholics can say Jesus without feeling ashamed. The Catholics get the love and grace of Jesus Christ 5000% more than those in LCG do.
My years in LCG have opened my eyes to the importance of a personal relationship with God. Organizations are useless. The Church of God is not incorporated and it is most certainly NOT owned by Rod Meredith (LCG is). The Church of God is a body of people. Some belong to formal organizations. Some don't.
Rod Meredith preaches to those in LCG that his church is the ONLY church and if you leave you are risking your very salvation. And the sheeple believe him. It's sad.
Herbie was open with his famous 'government is everything' saying. That is, he believed and implemented tyranny in the church, a military command and control system. Every organisation on the face of the planet is hierarchical in structure, be it government or private industry. A car company is hierarchical for instance, but, but, it doesn't lord it over its workers. Christ said that the chief seat (ie, hierarchy) belongs to the chief giver. No one gets something for nothing. It is a trade.
ReplyDeleteAnother plug for the gospel of trade.
Cheers TradingGuy
3.55PM a psychopathic trait is 'I have all worth and you have no worth.' This is implicit in all the 'leaders,' 'top men' bull.
ReplyDeleteComment was made saying: "...In October 2014 we reported about Roderick Meredith’s audio sermon, God’s Government Is Vital, in which he said, “I’ve asked Mr McNair and Mr League, they’ve been working as a team to get all the information on many of these things, and I’m working with them and other leaders ... We’re trying to keep God’s church clean.”..."
ReplyDeleteRod left his ministerial credentials behind in Pasadena, but still went out to establish man-made organizations like Global, and the Living group. So, what does Rod know about keeping God's Church clean? Was Global dirty? How about Living? What if God's Church is in reality elsewhere and not where Rod supposes?
Rod should never have established anything.
Following is a partial transcript of a sermon on God's Government, Part 4, given in 1999 and it pertains to Rod Meredith and his future:
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“...It’s not suddenly when we get everything together like they’ll find in that “living” church out there. Once he gets everyone together, oh, then the rule, then the rod will come down as it were and it’ll come down hard upon all of the heads of the ministry and the people. Then, he’ll take the people, now with no control over him at all, and he’ll just pound them right into the ground, because that’s his way. A leopard doesn’t change his spots!
Read that letter out there on the Internet that Mr. Armstrong wrote about him. It’s true and it was verified that Mr. Armstrong did write it. I’ve got a copy right there on Mr. Armstrong’s typewriter how it was printed real big and his personal notes and everything else. Yes, that’s the real one. It was verified. In fact, it was verified by Aaron Dean, who said: “Yes that’s the letter. I was there when he wrote it and I was helping him.” Read that! If you want to know what’s in your future in the “living” church, go read that letter, because he can’t change and that’ll happen; mark my words on that. I love him as a person, but he is not God’s leader...”
“...Now, this does not reflect on Mr. Armstrong at all, but we did have way back, and I won’t name names, but he’s the head of his own little organization now. We did have a man who RULED OVER the ministry with a ROD of iron. He really did and this, unfortunately, was his attitude too: “Come along with me boys! If you’re not agreeing with me, you’re out of this deal.”...”
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The Internet letter referred to was dated March 14, 1980 from HWA to Rod Meredith, and among other things the letter stated:
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"...Jesus Christ through me elevated you to the chief seat (which you had come to me suggesting) over the ministry of God's Church in what we then called CAD, you were a harsh task-master over the ministers. You, yourself, find it difficult and perhaps impossible to TAKE what you dished out. Dozens of ministers would testify to that. You rubbed the fur the wrong way! That has been your life-style!...
...But as time went on I began to realize very deeply that God has not prepared ANYONE to take my place. You, Rod, could never take it. I know that is 100% contrary to your own estimate of yourself. You have a WILL to lead, but not the qualifications..."
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The letter is still available on the Internet. Did Rod's record ever change?
It appears that a leopard does not change its spots after all.......well, unless it gets up and moves about from spot to spot. Many people were warned about what would happen in Rod's future....and time is telling again...
John
"If you're not healed its an indictment on you, and an embarrassment to the Ministry."
ReplyDeleteInteresting! RCM called his wife Margie's skin cancer, "ONLY A SKIN CONDITION" and laughed about it.
She later died because of that cancer. To my knowledge, she never received any real medical treatment for it.
(IOW, another "Loma scenario")
And yet, both HWA and RCM got "real" medical help when it was needed, while both their wives died because because they didn't get such help. Their teachings strongly frowned upon such help, although the "honchos" HWA and RCM clearly held to a double standard.
(One for wives and minions, and another for themselves.)
I like Dennis, but will say here because he's expressed that maybe RCM isn't "all that bad" because Dennis personally witnessed RCM's crying remorse jag over Margie's death-
What I will say is this: No matter the sincerity or volume of RCM's tears over his wife's death, it DOES NOT take away from the fact that he LAUGHED about his wife's cancer and DID NOT bring her to a hospital for treatment.
I hope this is able to be brought up in the Scarborough vs. LCG trial.
Speaking of the "trial"... any word on the outcome or was the July 11 date postponed again?
ReplyDeleteMeredith laughed about his wife's loss, but cried about his own.
ReplyDeleteThat's a narcissist!
All of us are flawed, and we've all been guilty of less than sane, or less than humane behavior. To me, what is telling, is whether people are committing the same or worse acts in the present, as they did several decades ago. And this is especially true of how we tend to evaluate the people whose beliefs are that through Armstrongism, they are building the character which they need to in order to qualify for the place of safety and the first rez so that they can rule over nations with an iron rod. When we see "leaders" who seemingly lack the ability to learn from their mistakes and to make less bad ones as they age, it calls into question the effectiveness of their belief system in achieving what they preach that it achieves.
ReplyDeleteIn the LCR as well as all the other branches of Armstrongism, the majority of the people who are concerned about developing Kingdom character are the long suffering, oft abused lay members. The ministers have consistently displayed a sense of arrogance, entitlement, and absolute authority. Those are not traits of the Holy Spirit, those are evidence of deep personality disorders! If someone had screened the ministers to make certain they had these personality disorders, they could not have done a more effective job!
BB
Anon said: I like Dennis, but will say here because he's expressed that maybe RCM isn't "all that bad" because Dennis personally witnessed RCM's crying remorse jag over Margie's death-
ReplyDeleteI like you too even though I don't know who I am liking. I sat with him during this cry when Margie died and he was single again. He had not yet met his second wife. Her passing was years later from what I saw. I was not aware of the drama and "laughing" incident with her condition and of course would have found that negligent and appalling . And while I could give a more abusive and appalling account of how Dave Pack drove his wife during her cancer and ultimate death, which came to me from Dave's immediate family, I will spare us.
Healing and trusting God, it seems, tends to be something we have to do and not something the High Priests of Foolish have to do when ill health incurable with vitimins, potions and prayer comes to them.