Gerald Weston is once again perturbed by the lowly members who send in papers concerning scripture translations and doctrine. One must never forget that lay members are too stupid and not theologically trained like the LCG ministry...as if any of them have a sound theological training! When one's theology comes from booklets, sermons, member letters, a few classes at the now-defunct Living University and/or the defunct Ambassador College/University, or claiming to have been trained at the feet of Herbert Armstrong, how can they claim to be able to come to "sound biblical understanding?"
November 08, 2018 By Gerald Weston Greetings from Charlotte,
We finished a very inspiring series of meetings this week with the Council of Elders. The genuine dedication, unity, and friendship among the members is greatly appreciated. Over the years, I have come to value the advice given to us in Scripture regarding receiving a multitude of counsel (Proverbs 15:22). There truly is safety in doing so, as Proverbs 11:14 reveals. We so often hear of members coming up with different doctrines, fancying themselves as Bible scholars. By the time they come to the ministry, they are so convinced of their own rightness that nothing will persuade them otherwise. The issues raised are almost always peripheral, or doctrines contrary to our longstanding understanding. The Church’s Council of Elders often discusses subjects that may appear simple on the surface, but are frequently more complex than first thought. It is through thoughtful and prayerful discussion with the Bible as the foundation that 15 or more men, who have been in the ministry for decades, are able to come to a sound biblical understanding.
Telecast responses are up the last two weeks, and we are adding a few new stations. One is WNAB Nashville, which should begin airing on Sunday, January 6, at 8:00 a.m. Your prayers are requested for Mr. Martin Fannin, who is in hospital with pneumonia, and Mr. Ed Breaux’ wife Connie, who is hospitalized with blood clots in her lungs.—Gerald Weston
64 comments:
OMG! That cartoon is priceless!
When I was in LCG, after services a group of us go out to have a meal together. We spent more time laughing at the sermon and what was spoken than eating. I have never seen a "sound theologically trained pastor" in LCG yet. If they were they would never have spawned Satan's right-hand man, Bob Thiel!
I have a simple subject for them to discuss. The Bible says to love your neighbor - one of the big two commandments.
Who is your neighbor? How do you show your love for him. How do you show your love for people of a different religion like the good Samaritan. How do you love your enemy.
Huge books have been written about this by other people.
Do you find them helpful? Have you read any of them?
"When I was in LCG ... We spent more time laughing at the sermon ..."
So, what were you doing there? If you didn't believe it you were just a hypocrite.
Regarding Gerald's prayer requests, I have basically given up responding to prayer requests. I came to the conclusion that these requests were to a noticeable degree 'weaponized' by the ministers. If you disagreed with your minister, refused to be lorded over, or were of a better character, forget about you prayer requests being read out from the pulpit.
The ministers hijack everything, including prayer requests. Remember Rods commanded church fast for his healing?
The ministry of all the splints and splinters are woefully under educated in theology, history and Biblical history, origins and difficulties. Gerald equates years of Bible reading with a proper understanding of the text, intent and context. Not so. Not even close. I was ashamed of my AC "ministerial education" once I got free of it to see it's shortcomings and shallowness. It's why I call the ministry and the members "mere Bible readers" They don't enough to even ask the right questions about the Bible itself or the story contained in it.
Give me 30 minutes of a ministerial visit and see how it goes for them.
Anon 7:40 PM - the reason we stay or stayed - was because we were convinced the doctrines were correct, even if some or most of the sermons were uninspiring, and sometimes quite awful.
The other groups seem even worse in comparison.
Dennis pointed out that just Bible reading is not enough to be truly educated, but it does bring out that we were only keeping part of the Bible and missing some important points, plus adding several of our own - like the Pharisees did.
Since no questioning is allowed, the eventual choice was to leave, and look outside the COGs.
Leaving can be tough to do if it is all you have known.
“We so often hear of members coming up with different doctrines, fancying themselves as Bible scholars. By the time they come to the ministry, they are so convinced of their own rightness that nothing will persuade them otherwise. The issues raised are almost always peripheral, or doctrines contrary to our longstanding understanding.”--Gerald Weston
Peripheral, like the LCG's marriage supper in heaven idea?
Contrary to our longstanding understanding, like the LCG's hybrid gospel idea?
Minimizing what HWA had done, like the LCG's great falling away being in the world idea, rather than in the WCG in 1995?
Or does Gerald Weston just want to complain about the little LCG nuts who want to have “private Bible studies” from the unbiblical Book of Enoch without any LCG ministers present?
I don't agree with the mere "bible reading" complaint. The bible was written so that the vast majority could easily be understood by most people. It's written at a level that even young teenagers can understand.
Bible students do not need intellectual seeing eye dogs like Dennis Diehl to tell them what the Bible "really" means.
Some teachings/clarifications about the culture, context, audience being addressed would help, but is not neccesary for the understanding of core Christian doctrines.
God did not mess up when He inspired the Bible.
RCM's GCG/LCG can be quite bad with RCM and others trying to put their own non-HWA stamp on the church with their own nutty ideas such as: Hybrid gospel to bring the apostle Paul's double curse on themselves, marriage supper in heaven to waste people's time, and great falling away being in the world to make people forget all about the Great Apostasy of 1995 in the WCG under the Tkaches. RCM wanted to minimize the great work that HWA and his WCG had done so that RCM could “shake the nations” with his own GCG/LCG church, which consisted of less than one-tenth of HWA's followers who had gone with RCM.
However, leaving RCM's GCG/LCG can be very risky if you make the mistake of following some of the perverts who left the GCG/LCG earlier. For example:
Norman S. Edwards left the GCG with a stolen mailing list to try to start and promote his own Serpents' News newsletter. NSE mainly taught people to reject the hierarchical government ideas that HWA had taught and to disagree with everyone else “without being disagreeable” until they were all divided down to lone individuals each with their own personal demon to lead them astray.
David C. Pack got booted from the GCG while plotting to sideline RCM. DCP then started his own RCG cult and complained that RCM did not believe that HWA was the Elijah, and accused RCM of secretly desiring to be the Elijah. Now, DCP claims to be the Elijah. DCP has also become the most covetous type of “common” thief imaginable. Furthermore, DCP has become a “first dominion” false prophet who vomited all over his followers 145+ times recently, and is still projectile vomiting like he is demon-possessed, which he obviously is.
Robert J. Thiel left the LCG because RCM did not really believe that RJT was a prophet. RJT went looking to demon-inspired pagan prophecies for prophetic trivia to try to guess the future. Almost as bad, RJT looked to fake news on TV to try to guess the future. More experienced Africans from Nigeria quickly stepped up to take advantage of RJT's inexperience in the scamming business.
Some little kooks in the LCG wanted to have so-called “private Bible studies” from the unbiblical Book of Enoch, without any LCG ministers around to correct them. Now the little kooks have found themselves outside of the LCG and are crying about not being allowed to waste other LCG members' time.
Well, it wasn't even "Bible reading". As it turns out, it was blinding proof text reading, and accepting the proof texts without question. I never heard a single minister recommend reading the entire Bible starting in Genesis and finishing with Revelation, to gain a sense of context, like my Methodist grandmother did. i found out much later in life that there is much to be learned from the footnotes of a good study Bible. They didn't even mention study Bibles in Armstrongism, and for very obvious reasons. Proper understanding is your protection against Armstrongism.
BB
9.30 PM
Acknowledging the falling away since HWAs death means that the splinters are the fallen away daughters. This undermines minister power and status within the Mickey Mouse splinters.
LCG has a council of elders ? Like UCG council of elders ?
Being in the ministry didn't give the ministers years of training . . . they received one year of training repeated fourteen times. One year learning; fourteen years reinforcement of that one year of training.
I agree with TLA. The church wouldn't preach on Gal 6:10 where it says that we should do good to ALL men (not just fellow members), especially those of the household of faith. As for the comment, "love your neighbor", the Jews understood the word love to be a verb, not a noun; an action, not a feeling. The idea is, even if your neighbor is a jerk, do the loving thing when dealing with him. Did we see this attitude in the leaders of the WCG when they deal with those they disagree with?
At least a couple of these LCG Council members were sent by LCG to earn advanced degrees at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Should that make us more confident of their theological aptitude, or less confident?
I never heard a single minister recommend reading the entire Bible
Some years ago I read a post about a class Stephen Flurry taught at HWAC or whatever their AC copy was called. One of his students apparently said he'd read the whole Bible, with Steve reacting like 'Really?? You read the WHOLE Bible??'
...as the foundation that 15 or more men, who have been in the ministry for decades, are able to come to a sound biblical understanding... In other words, we a bunch of old men with few young men to replace us. When we die that will be it.
This is off topic, but has anyone here heard of a Sabbath keeping group calling itself "Church of God's Messengers"? Also, has anyone heard of a minister by my the name of Obie Folsom Benton?
@ 5:17 AM, at least a couple of the men on Gerald's council have been ordained for just 10 years or so, more like one decade rather than the many "decades" implied by his message. At least one earned a degree from Jerry Falwell's college, while another has a degree from a Jesuit college. Several others have no college education other than an AC degree in Theology. The ministers on Gerald's council are actually less educated than many of his LCG members.
@ 11:08 PM, here's a group photo of the current LCG COE:
LCG Council of Elders
One member of Weston's council, Stuart Wachowicz, in Canada is a registered agent of the Communist Chinese government. Why is a supposed minister of God also a leading member of China's "Confucius" Institute, benefitting from Chinese grant money and spreading Chinese culture to Canadian public school students? And why is Weston pushing this man into prominence in LCG? Weston may look like the nationalist Vladimir Putin, but he acts more like the globalist George Soros.
BB - after the WCG crackup, I repeatedly read the Bible all the way through with KJ, NKJ, Moffatt, and various study Bibles. Finally it sank in that the COGs are missing huge amounts of the Bible in their doctrines. Plus some of the sermons were excruciatingly boring - so bad they physically hurt.
I have started reading the Messianic Jews materials and Bible translations.
RCM's idea of getting back to Apostolic Christianity was a good one - and who better than the Jews.
Jesus was born a Jew and the Apostles and early churches were all Jews.
The Jews understand the old testament and the teachers know the contexts far better than we do.
LCG's statement of "Sound biblical understanding" is as trustworthy as a two year old hanging around launch control at Kennedy Space Center.
Does it take a full knowledge biblical theology to accept Jesus Christ and the God revealed in Bible to use it as guide to live by?
This question must be considered when considering the members of the many organizations that been created by those formed who take leadership roles in forming them.
Due to age and physical abilities my personal relationship with any organization is through my relationship with Jesus and the Father God which means prayers and human friendships. I believe those who have problems in an originations need to recognize that God and Jesus Christ working through the Holy Spirit are the only persons who can correct the problems. What we see today is what happens when human beings get involved.
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." —John 18:36 ,
Maybe we need to look at that kingdom and adjust our personal life accordingly
Anon 5:25 AM, Why don't you look them up on the web, facebook, or YouTube?
Innovation, growth and breakthroughs RARELY come from people with "decades of experience" in virtually any endeavor of human activity. This usually means "group think", elements of the "Peter Principle" ( rising to your level of incompetency) , politics, and sycophancy.
Look around, the major breakthroughs in technology and business, often came from system dropouts like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Zuckerberg etc.
Same with the New Testament apostles. These were men of little renown, common occupations, little experience (3.5 years), no education, and yet turned the world upside down, in a movement that still exists today 2000 years later!
The COGs have a profound lack of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit in peoples lives.
Dennis, it is true that knowledge of the Bible in the various historical contexts of its various parts can give fascinating and useful perspective. It was not the way I came to reject Armstrong's interpretations, however. All I did was read closely and critically, the way I had read other difficult works of literature. References to clarify obscure details were fine (see Byker Bob's study Bible recommendation) but no booklets, no correspondence course to guide me to the "correct" interpretation by limiting the passages to study. I did not even need to read the whole thing, as BB says his grandmother did. I did not join a discussion group. Those approaches are fine; different readers find their own way to make sense of texts. Different readers inevitably come to different conclusions from mine. Why else should there be so many denominations with so many splits and splinters?
The overall result of my study turned the claim "The Bible interprets itself" on its head. The Bible subverts itself.
9.02 AM
You're right of course, but not surprising considering that the ACOGs have never taught and encouraged independence and self responsibility. In these churches, the members are eternal children.
Again,how many of them would bring up something like doing away with third tithe if they actually had that idea in their heads? Has anyone ever heard of a counsel member bringing up an issue on that level?
They have a full council of men to recite every gurgle HWA made at any point... to each other.
Anon 5:25, Stay away from them. Messengers don't sound like those that want to follow Christ. Apparently as messengers they have a message that you aren't getting elsewhere. Why didn't the apostles talk about being messengers? It seems they taught Jesus and the gospel; not "a message".
Anyone that claims special truth is false.
Look up Dunning Kruger effect. People of low ability have no way of realising their low level of ability and assume they have high ability. They have no understanding that others might have more knowledge or ability. They also aren't going to disturb their complacency by finding out about themselves. This was rife in wwcg among ministers and those who thought they were superior. Lack of compassion and empathy also seemed to give them licence to dominate and mistreat everyone.
I'd be willing to bet my welfare check that they have more "understanding" of the heretical teachings of HWA rather than the bible.
1:00 PM, I'll add to your comment that we are told, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. But in these times when 'celebrity' is the drug of choice, the truly famous will tell you 15 minutes is rarely long enough.
First the Cowboy Channel. Now a TV station in Nashville.
Looks like LCG's found its niche audience - and it's not likely to listen to Michael Baisden on radio.
Retired Prof noted: "The overall result of my study turned the claim "The Bible interprets itself" on its head. The Bible subverts itself."
Yes it does and when I say many are "Mere Bible Readers" I mean that they take it at face value as true, know all the stories, the characters and the general theme but lack any understanding of Bible origins, real authorship, pseudopigrapha, i.e. forgeries, Midrashic writing and using the Old Testament to rewrite stories into the New Testament which gives the appearance of prophecy fulfilled. It is, however, not history prophecied, but prophecy historised. For example, "Matthew" writes his birth narrative of Jesus completely taken from Old Testament scriptures. That's why it says "according to the scriptures." Of course, he nor anyone else knew anything about Jesus birth circumstances so they created a good one. Luke did too but it is obvious he did not read Matthew's account because they are two different irreconcileable stories. They were written to fight the charge that Jesus was a bastard and born of fornication, which he probably was.
At any rate, the infamous "here a little there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept" misinterpretation has gotten them the mere Bible reading types a long way with prooftexting and cobbling scriptures together to come up with meanings they never meant and conclusions that were not intended to be concluded.
Long story and the education of the Church of God minister never came close
9:30 PM, All the ministers are guilty of buttering their toast on the wrong side.
Dennis said: Long story and the education of the Church of God minister never came close.
If all churches came close to the way you have explained the bible Christianity would not exist. That is the reason the strength of Christianity is base on Faith, Hope, and Charity (God's Love). True or False it is the strongest influence in taking a human being to a desired perfection in a relationship with the created order of the universe. Without Faith the GOD who is LOVE doesn't exist. I prefer to trust the bible as being inspired by a mind greater than human life and if it is viewed in that manner our desire should include building a life that reflects the love of the one the bible claims to be the source of life. AB
7:23
Wcg had a long history of providing for asian - western contact. Regarding China. the sponsorship of a chair at Oxford University, shanghai contacts with the Reagans, cultural exchange, ambassador auditorium in beijing functioning to this day, (btw noticed the design of the current us embassy?), talks urging reform in the deng era and the originator of the aicf as being one of the top 10 most influential people china has ever known, by the words of the chinese themselves and witnessed by me through broadcast all over asia.
Regarding Dennis's scientific aproach of the bible, I wonder if anything remains to be "believed" by a billiom christians. Although I realize that a sign of truly intelligent people is to be able to hold and reconcile contradictory ideas. Even if the catholic church rejected that idea in the middle ages.
Nck
The church was infiltrated by liberals. The mainstream churches have also been infiltrated.
Dennis
If you believe that the bible is nonsense rather than the inspired word of God, why do you read books discrediting the bible? Why bother at all? Why not go fishing or spend time with a nice woman instead?
Many thanks for linking photo of LCG council of elders. I had no idea they had one.
As Ron Dart used to say; A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
How true.
10.46 PM
Please supply an example of 'a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous thing.'
Anon 9:02 said that members are eternal children. I've seen the same thing in another church, a very conservative, Bob Jones University graduate led Baptist church. The pastor was not as overbearing and outright rude as WCG's but the people were treated like children with the pastor being the authoritative parent. Like the WCG, members were never really able to think much for themselves and beyond the Bible, the Baptist culture was taught. The Baptist culture was the only correct application of the Biblical principles.
Anonymous said...
Dennis
If you believe that the bible is nonsense rather than the inspired word of God, why do you read books discrediting the bible? Why bother at all? Why not go fishing or spend time with a nice woman instead?"
Because I have a terrible need personally to know where and why I was mistaken about my lifetime experience with religion, both growing up and in WCG ministry, and correct it.
Living in Portland gives me plenty of wonderful places to go and things to do. I have never been more content and happy in my life. I have a wonderful therapeutic massage practice along the Willamette and outstanding views of four or five volcanos going to and from work no matter the traffic. I love my clients as I loved the individuals in my former responsibilities and they seem to appreciate me. So, not to worry. I can do both.
Dennis - did WCG provide you with any additional training beyond what we received at AC?
Any additional training I have received as a non minister has been thru self-study of books I have obtained thru the library or purchase.
Not theological . just "Refresher" programs which in hindsite seemed only meant to keep tabs on ministry and very shallow. I did my own study in genuine theological issues and Biblical history, authorship and problems. I also studied evolution and found it is self evident and creationism to be unsupportable
Dennis Said: Because I have a terrible need personally to know where and why I was mistaken about my lifetime experience with religion, both growing up and in WCG ministry, and correct it.
Maybe it was due to a wrong purpose. One of the things the bible teaches is that there is a higher power than human life. If this higher power is not recognized and considered a human being is left with nothing but a life that is filled with activities that may or may not be satisfying while moving toward a death that may or may not be a pleasant end. The older we get these mistakes become a reality that cannot be undone if they have not contributed to a greater purpose for life that religious faith is designed to provide. It should be obvious that the human mind cannot provide anything spiritually related without a faith in God that the bible declares. AB
Dennis - I guess we can agree to disagree on evolution.
Current knowledge shows life to be far more complex than we ever could have imagined and far too dependent on things - internal and external - working together to come together by blind chance.
I believe in Intelligent Design. I also believe the Intelligent Designer is God.
The only other realistic choice (for me) is that we are in some giant simulation. There are some TED talks about this possibility too.
The current understanding of DNA results points to a much earlier beginning of Man than 6,000 years ago. Science is wonderful - when the scientists are open-minded - and knowledge is increasing rapidly. Religious beliefs about creation are all over the place.
Ultimately we will either find out after death or not find out.
Here is to finding out!!!
Why should i ? If you dont get it, i dont care.
I wonder how long Wyatt Ceiselka will stay in the Council of Elders now that he's been fired from headquarters and downgraded to area pastor.
Wow, a picture of LCG's secret Council of Elders. Announcements were never made about who is coming on to the council or who is leaving. In response to criticism about this, RCM said, "We try to publish a picture every couple of years." It doesn't matter much since, in a one-man rule organization, they all have no power. UCG is different. Its the Council of Elders actually runs the church.
Jean, you've got it wrong. For several years, Ciesielka has been having medical problems made worse by stress. At the same time, Gary Ehman of the Personal Correspondence Department has been having his own medical problems, and many have been dissatisfied with Ehman's strange approach to Church doctrine. Ciesielka is about 30 years younger than Ehman, and has taught Theology for Living University. So, by moving Ciesielka to PCD, Mr. Weston is assuring the future of a competent PCD effort, and is also preserving Ciesielka's health for future service.
7.06 PM
"The (UCG) council of elders actually runs the church." It's never that simple. There's always an informal power structure in place, even if on paper, they are all equal. Not that it makes much difference. The church culture is that of everyone being spiritually asleep. Their articles and sermons are as flat as a pancake. The Pancake Church of God.
"Ciesielka has been having medical problems made worse by stress" - yeah, must be really stressful juggling all those lies and keeping certain people away from others so that his manipulation is not discovered.
I have first hand experience of the man's duplicitous nature. In the end I actually started to pity him - what sort of character must he have to be so desperate to claw his way to the top, destroy anyone in his path, all the while lying so much that it seems as if he just can't tell the truth anymore?
Still, if he feels sidelined (and he will even if he hasn't been fired but just taken away from his "baby" - the internet and TV departments) he can always use that LCG-financed Liberty degree to get himself a job as a minister in any other church. Although, having that desperate nature, he will have to climb over everyone there too - final destination a MEGA church to match his MEGA ego!
Anon 10:56AM, if you say you have firsthand experience of Ciesielka as a duplicitous liar, then you are either a coward for failing to bring your evidence to Rod Meredith and Gerald Weston, or you are yourself a liar for not having evidence. If Ciesielka was a liar as you say, he would be fired, not given the job of fixing the Personal Correspondence Department. Would Mr. Weston put a manipulative and duplicitous liar in charge of the church's communication with prospective members? No way! He's a good man and a sound minister, who has a gift for detecting the unconverted and dealing with them. Some people are jealous of Ciesielka because they saw how well he has dealt with the top men in LCG, who have been so susceptible to flattery by problem people, ranging from homosexuals to adulterers to the simply lazy or incompetent. Ciesielka came into that environment, established a good relationship with Dr. Meredith, and helped him see through the flattery and incompetence of employees who had been fooling Meredith for years. Another reason for some HQ employees' hatred of Ciesielka is that he is willing to work very hard, and his hard work and long hours embarrass some lazy people who prefer to goof off on the job and then go home as soon as they can. Is Cieisielka perfect? Of course not. Even Mr. Weston acknowledges Ciesielka's "Type A" personality, which isn't always favorable to "snowflake" employees who want to be coddled. Ciesielka will serve as a field pastor and work at improving PCD for a while, but leaving HQ doesn't mean his service is finished, any more than it meant when former HQ employees Gary Ehman, Mario Hernandez, Rod McNair, and Scott Winnail were sent into the field before returning to HQ years later.
@ 1:59 PM,
Ciesielka is an empire-builder. He talked Rod Meredith into expanding the TV Department far beyond what was necessary, so he didn't have to make unpopular decision about firing incompetent employees. For those who say TV is a declining medium, and that it's not Ciesielka's fault that the LCG TV effort has gone so far downhill, please remember that PCG is using TV very successfully, and even improving on previous results:
2018 Key of David Season Yields More Responses
Ciesielka got ahead at LCG HQ by sucking up to David and Jim Meredith, and to their father. He didn't get ahead by producing good results in LCG Internet or TV, both of which are embarrassing when compared to what other ACOGs are doing in those media.
Once upon a time there was a man called Wyatt, and he was the bestest man in the whole world. In fact, he was soooo wonderful that everyone was jealous of him and how wonderful he was.
The other ministers were jealous of him because they just couldn't live up to such a righteous and amazing man and that is why they would avoid him and talk behind his back. He was the only one that never flattered Dr Meredith - which is of course why he climbed so high in the organization (so high that he was usually mentioned second or third in sermons by Dr. Meredith when he started to mention minister's names from memory. Usually further up the list than mere evangelists that held a far superior position). It was just pure skill and amazingness that allowed him to get so far.
And all those nasty, lazy employees were so jealous of him too. The amazing Wyatt would walk around looking busy, holding pointless meetings and speaking in impressive "business" speak and the other employees would tremble at how awesome a boss he was. It was their fault that they had personal lives, you see, and would want to go home to their families and dare to implement the words that they heard from the pulpit every week about being good parents and good husbands and wives and nurturing their families.
And just when Wyatt thought that he couldn't have any more jealous and spiteful enemies as all those nasty people at Headquarters, he discovered even more. Yes, all those nasty viewers at home stopped watching his telecasts, and the responses dropped sharply from the time that he took over. What a dastardly plot against one so amazing and righteous!
That's what you want us to believe, isn't it 1.59 PM? What a wonderful fairy story to tell the grandkids! I look forward to the amazing Mr. C's great return to HQs - but I won't be buying any banners or blowing up any balloons just yet.
@ 8:24 AM, your root of bitterness seems to have taken hold and is now blossoming into something awful.
If what you say is true, wouldn't Mr. Weston be following Christ's guidance of Matthew 18:12, and going after Ciesielka's victims to try to reconcile them and bring them back? He isn't doing that. He, just like Dr. Meredith, was happy to use Mr. Ciesielka to "do his dirty work" at HQ and deal with people like you. Mr. Ciesielka, in fact, was happy to help, to take on himself some health problems so Dr. Meredith wouldn't have to strain himself after his stroke and then after his cancer diagnosis. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Ciesielka isn't some kind of superman. He is, however, a man who had the kind of real-world business experience that most ministers do not have, yet he is also a minister who knows the doctrines of the Church with a precision that few ministers and even fewer lay members can match. That will make him an excellent pastor in the field, as well as an excellent help to LCG's Personal Correspondence efforts, for as many years as the Presiding Evangelist desires to use him in those ways.
@9:55 AM, you say, "wouldn't Mr. Weston be following Christ's guidance of Matthew 18:12, and going after Ciesielka's victims to try to reconcile them and bring them back?"
When has LCG EVER gone after ANYONE to try to reconcile and bring them back? You can't possibly be seriously asking a question like that. If you are serious, you've got an awful lot to learn about how these people operate.
@9:55AM says, "Anonymous said...
@ 8:24 AM, your root of bitterness seems to have taken hold and is now blossoming into something awful."
...and your brown nose is showing!
I heard about office politics years ago at LCG HQ - I should have paid more attention to the problem back then.
Of course back then they were still proud of their responses instead of hiding them.
Surely Gerald Weston knows Matthew 18:6. When he, either directly or via Rod Meredith or Wyatt Ciesielka, puts a millstone around a brother's neck and causes him to stumble, God will not judge him kindly.
Wyatt Ciesielka, by himself or sometimes acting on behalf of David or Jim Meredith, has pushed several people out of their HQ jobs, and by doing so with lies and injustice he has caused some of them to reject LCG, some to reject the Church of God, and some to reject Christianity entirely. If Gerald Weston does not try to reconcile with Ciesielka's victims, he is condoning Ciesielka's actions, and God will judge. Anon 10:55 AM is correct to point out that LCG hasn't done such reconciling in any observable way, but it is Weston's choice whether to continue this sad precedent or whether to change for the better.
Post a Comment