Does the Church of God Need ANOTHER Booklet on Dating?

As has been normal for the Church of God, it has always felt the need to control every aspect of its members lives, from what they eat, what kind of clothes they wear, and what kind of sex they have and how often.  From birth to grave the church has made a business of meddling in members lives.

Last week, the Church of God's most perfect end-time leader (sorry Dave Pack, it's not you) announced he is writing a new booklet on dating.  Dreamy Bob Thiel is its author.  The weird part about this booklet is that with 2,996 of his members living in Africa, WHY would THEY care about American dating habits?

Almost arrested, but not arrested Bob Thiel says this:

Let me start off by explaining about the forthcoming dating booklet.

Originally, we planned to put out a book about the canon of the Bible this year. However, I realized that with my schedule and the research required for this subject (I had started on it last year), this would not happen in 2018. After praying about subjects to cover, I concluded that we could–and should–get out a booklet on dating. And I have been working on that. This is a subject quite different than others that our booklets, sermons, and magazines have covered.

Many aspects of Christian living should be part of what we need to teach (cf. Matthew 28:19-20), and while they have been, many aspects of dating were basically missing.

Furthermore, as we have scattered unmarried people in many places, and I did not want them to feel left out or without additional guidance from us. I have long prayed for our singles, widows, and divorcees (and yes, I pray for married people too). Soon, we expect to have a dating booklet that may help some of them. And hopefully, this will help others not with the Continuing Church of God as well.

So God revealed to him to write a booklet on dating, just like he revealed to Elijah Thiel he needed to start a new church?  We all know that one was a lie, so why should we believe God told him to write a booklet on dating?  Even worse, you will notice that he is also writing another booklet about the canon of the Bible.  Does ANYONE care?  Tens of thousands of books have been written on the canon since the Jews started compiling their own books in specific order between 200 BC - 200 AD.  The only thing Amos Thiel is attempting to do is rewrite church history to make it more in line with Church of God myths, particularly his myths. But, that is for another story.

The self-appointed prophet Thiel is going to present this new booklet in an awe-inspiring new way on the Internet.  He is going to have ANIMATED videos!  I can see Dave Pack whimpering behind his security gate right now at this most momentous announcement!

Announcing a New Door: Animations 

In order to help get information out to a wider audience, we have decided to produce some short animations that we plan to initially put up on YouTube.

This may be somewhat unique to us as I personally have never been part of a church that used a lot of animations (I only remember a two-minute animation in the 1970s used once as part of a World Tomorrow telecast related to Gehenna fire). The first CCOG animation is intended to be related to dating and our forthcoming booklet on the subject. 

Currently, I have written two or three scripts for the animations, and am working on one or two others. Some will mainly promote booklets we already have, but we also will need additional ones. 

Now, because of this animation door, this seems to be the time to produce some other booklets on subjects I had in mind to write (God’s existence, Christian living, God’s calling as Ambassadors for Kingdom of God, baptism, prophecy, etc.). So, I plan to work on at least a couple of those before going back to the book about the canon of the Bible.

The Internet will have a field day when he starts posting these.  then watch, he will start screaming PERSECUTION when they are mocked.

Apostate Thiel is taking this animation route because Apostle Paul told him to!  It's all there in the Bible.  Apparently, Apostle Paul was a visionary man who knew the Internet was coming down the pipeline in the future.

We are striving to implement ways to better reach the audience in the 21st century. That is consistent with the following teachings from Jesus and the Apostle Paul:

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NKJV throughout, unless otherwise noted)

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

Apostate Thiel believes that the youth of the world will be highly attracted to his videos:

To try to reach all, we must also consider their demographics. Younger people are looking for more short bursts of information, and people are more used to being entertained.

There is a place for ‘milk’ as well as ‘strong meat’:

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Apostate Thiel is aiming these dating videos to the 13-30-year-old crowd.  As if some 20-30 year old is going to pay attention to any of his crap!   Apparently, this will be a huge witnessing tool in Africa.

So, while we will continue to have sermons, long articles, etc. (stronger meat), we are looking to provide some basic information (milk, starter food) in forms that more would be comfortable to start with. Plus, everyone who has been around for a long times does not always need strong meat. God made a variety of physical foods, and in CCOG we are trying to provide a variety of spiritual foods (magazines, websites, sermonette videos, sermon videos, personal contacts, visits around the world, baptizing trips, youth camps, church and holy day services, radio appearances, and now also videos). Radio appearances, of which I have done over 100 since CCOG formed, should be considered mainly along the “milk of the word” line.

Consistent with biblical admonitions, we need to “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, CEV) as well as “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6).

Since very young children tend to have their hearts turned towards their parents and vice versa, I have long believed we need to, in addition to teaching parents (which is something we have always striven to do), better reach young people in their teens and above. Animations look to be one way to do that (and yes, church youth camps, which we have each year are also another specific step we have taken).

But let it be understood that while the use of animations is mainly focused on people from age 13 to 30, animations should also be effective for people of almost all ages. 

Apostate Thiel believes that these animated videos have the potential to start the persecution of his improperly named "continuing" Church of God.  YouTube may pull them for being too controversial. PERSECUTION I SAY! PERSECUTION!

The use of animations looks to be a door that we can use to reach others that we may not otherwise reach as well as those not as likely to want to read long articles and/or to watch long sermons. Hopefully, after watching animations, many will want to learn more.

The use of online television services like YouTube, and modern computer software to make animations, is a NEW DOOR IN TELEVISION.

My hope and prayer is that the short animations, combined with relevant free book offers, will help others develop more interest in true Christianity. This is another way to get the witness out to the world.

We plan to announce each of the animations shortly after they come available.

We also are expecting to make some of them available in other languages.

Now, as far as YouTube goes, yes we are aware that they censor and may one day block our content–it suspended a CCOG sermon by Steve Dupuie once and has blocked non-CCOG people (see YouTube censorship of ‘conservative’ content). However, since more and more people can watch YouTube on televisions in their homes, it is still the least expensive way to reach a broad television audience. Unless something better comes along, we plan to utilize the ‘door’ of YouTube until it closes. Which, one day, it will.

Until then, putting animations online, in addition to our sermons and sermonettes, on YouTube is an exciting development that I ask all of you to pray about. We hope to have the first one finished and available within weeks.

There is nothing new under the sun because it has already been done!