Answering (Or Trying To) TLA's Questions and Opening the Table for Public Comments

TLA posed some questions concerning my last post I want to answer. With this disclaimer: 

I can only answer these questions in my personal perspective. Others will have different opinions. Don't take my answers as dogma. They are only the way I look at things. I'm not speaking on any pastoral authority, or claiming my answers are inspired. They are just how I see things right now. I'd like to publish this generally for open comments from our readers. Here are the questions posed by TLA. 

1) What about the other non-Christian religions? The followers can all follow the ways of peace and love if they choose, or follow them to hate - much like Christians have done. Does God only care about Christians?

There are many non-Christian religions - Hindu, Buddhism, Paganism, among scores of others. Many have believed in their dogmas and core doctrines as firmly as we believed in another Non-Christian religion - Armstrongism. (Yes, I know I just raised a ton of shackles with that statement, and I have my tomato shield up, but I have come to the conclusion that since Armstrongism ignores essential elements of Christianity, it is decidedly non-Christian. Even though it claims it is.  Scripture says God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Therefore, I believe that God cares about everyone. He is willing that none should perish but have everlasting life. I also believe that God can work in ways outside of the box that mankind has encased God in. We know nothing compared to the vast knowledge outside of our universe and our realms. The best answer is very simple in my opinion, and ties in with my last post: God works with each and every individual personally, and God will lead them to all truth in the best way for that person. You can't constrain the way God does things in a general blueprint, because, honestly, many people are beyond the blueprint. 

2) The origins of man in the Bible do not agree with DNA science - does this make Genesis into a telling of myths? If yes, does it matter?

Genesis, in my opinion, is allegory. In other words, written to primitive man in primitive dialogue. There are many fundamentalists who refuse to understand that God did not say how people came into being with college level text-books, but with a "See Jane run, run, Jane, run" method of speaking. This book was written far, far and away before anyone knew anything we know now. Since we have attained much increase in knowledge, many refuse to acknowledge our educated learning and throw it away to read a "Little Golden Book" and shut their minds to anything else. Genesis is simple allegory for what were, at the time, simple minds. 

3) The NT is built on the OT. With the exception of NT prophecy, the NT builds on the positive ways of life and love written about in the OT.

The NT is built on Jesus Christ, not the OT. The OT pointed to Jesus Christ. The NT is about Jesus Christ. You cannot build an entire testament on a testament that has been cancelled. You can't add on to a contract if the first contract has been cancelled. That does not cancel the eternal Royal Law of Love that has always existed - but was not generally revealed - to the OT peoples steeped in wickedness and abominable evil. 

4) NT writes that Christ's return will be unexpected - no one knows the day or hour. How then can we have a very precise three and a half year tribulation (Daniel) and a terrifying day of the Lord in Revelation with major warfare going on? Everyone with a Bible will know what is happening and there are probably over 100 million Bibles in existence.

Everyone with a Bible thought they knew what was happening with the Bubonic Plague, the Krakatoa Volcanic Explosion, the two World Wars, and every other historic extreme catastrophe that has happened since Jesus Christ came to reconcile man to the Father 2,000 years ago. Everyone who has ever thought they had the Return of Christ figured out has ended up on a massively long False Prophet list detailed in WIkipedia. When the next World War happens - the same thing will happen again. Remember Jesus said that when he returns, one will be in the field, one will be here, or there, and the other will be taken - and to stand watch, because He will come at a time when you know not. This does not seem to me to be an occurrence that can possibly happen in a World War - who would be in a field with nukes raining down everywhere? Who would be carrying on normal activities during the worst Armageddon in world history? 

""Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left."

"Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left."

""So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming."

"Your Lord" is very personal. 

"Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into."

"You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected." (NLV)

For the one who was taken, Jesus had come. 

For the one who was not taken, Jesus had NOT come. 

Ponder on this. 

5) If you are an atheist, have you some convincing examples on how life started and how the building blocks of life came about by random chance, when scientists don't yet have any way of creating them on purpose?

N/A

6) There are miracles in this world - how do you explain these without Watchers who are invisible to us, and have power to intervene?

You cannot. They can be attributed as mental illness, delusions, coincidences, and so on and so forth - but none of these are true to those (see, plural) who have experienced such interventions. I, personally, would not be here today if not due to dramatic and wholly supernatural intervention. These events had consolidated and solidified my faith because there was absolutely no other conceivable explanation. As I have always said - the evidence is PERSONAL, and cannot be proven unless you, yourself, have experienced it. This is why I believe miracles can, and do happen, regardless of what church or what situation you are in. There are higher realms that we know not, that our physical world has no evidence for, but our spiritual mind through Christ can comprehend. Those who hear these stories and have not experienced them may well regard them as foolish, illogical, and unreasoned. Those who experienced these things, however, know they are not delusions, not illogical, and not unreasoned. They are as real and as true as the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the gravity that holds us down. It is personal. Personal. and again, Personal. 

Looking forward to the comments. Again. This is not inspired or dogmatic, and I'm not speaking in any way as if I have a full handle on these questions. These are simply my personal thoughts as I see them right now - subject to change. I'm not about to pull a Thiel or a Malm or a Weston on these answers, nor would I want to. I'm not standing at a podium here as I do when debunking Armstrong, I'm just sitting on the couch talking. Take my answers as such.

Gerald Weston talks down to LCG members again

Living Church of God members just cannot seem to ever do anything right. Now they are too stupid to use the internet.  They seem to be falling for internet scams that take money out of LCG's pocket.

I want to remind everyone to be extremely careful using social media and the Internet. Scams are proliferating. Long-time users recognize many of them, but they may not appear so obvious to less savvy and newer users. Even if something reportedly comes from someone you know, be careful. Hackers get into people’s e-mail lists and send out fraudulent requests for money (“I was robbed and can’t get back home—please send money”) and invitations to invest. Then there is the one where you have been chosen to help a rich widow transfer millions of dollars from another country. These are the easy ones to spot, but some schemes are becoming more sophisticated and members need to be wary. When in doubt, ask someone who knows more than you.—Gerald Weston

LCG: You have trials so you can learn important lessons

Why is it that the so many of the ministry in the Church of God have to keep members beaten down?  COG members never are quite good enough for their god to be pleased with them. They always seem to be doing something wrong, so much so that they are blamed for the failure for Christ's return because they are not ready. COG members have come to expect that the more they are supposed to believe in the angry god of the church, the more they will be tested.

The Importance of Patience

The Apostle Paul urged Christians to develop the mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5). The Scriptures describe the patience of Jesus (Revelation 1:9), and tell us that God is patient (Romans 15:5), that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and that true saints of God develop and exhibit this important quality (Revelation 13:10). We are encouraged to be patient and persevere during trials (Romans 12:12; James 1:4) and to trust in God (Psalm 37:7) as we seek to build character and learn important lessons (Psalm 25:5). We are also admonished to be patient and gentle in our dealings with others, so we can truly reflect the mind and character of Jesus Christ and our Father. Paul wrote, “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11). He also wrote, “Now we exhort you… be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:14–15). The Apostle Peter even stated, “when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God” (1 Peter 2:20). True Christians should not be impatient, impulsive, vindictive, or seek to get even. If we have the mind of Jesus Christ, we will strive to develop this godly quality of patience.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

There is a reason that this verse is in the Bible, a verse rarely expounded upon by most of the COG's.

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

This is why so many have left the Living Church of God and other COG's.  People are burned out. They are tired and worn out.  Grace constantly gets trampled upon and made into a burden to be worked at constantly.

The Gift...

The following is the personal opinion of the author. 

One of the most misunderstood aspects of the doctrines of Armstrongism has to do with the personal relationship that Jesus Christ clearly brought into being for Christians with the Father through His life, death, and Resurrection, which brought reconciliation of man to the Father. 

With Armstrongism, the corporate hierarchy were layers of separation between a person and God. The all-important concept of the Church being "the Government of God on Earth" literally poured cement into the spiritual conduit between a believer and God Himself. All of this, of course, modeled after a form of Government prior to the reconciling work of Jesus Christ - when Christ had not yet come, the Law had not been fulfilled, and access to God was barred because of the law of sin and death, which chained and enslaved. A Personal Relationship with God? Only if you went through the human layers of Government of the Church - and only if you were thoroughly obedient, thoroughly submissive, and thoroughly in agreement with the human administration that God had to go through to "get to you". The Armstrong Ministry intentionally thrust themselves directly between the personal access that one has between a Christian and God - direct, personal, spiritual communication with God from the spiritual dimension - to go through flawed, human, untrained, idiotic, unqualified "ministers" filled with the lust of power and the thrill of unchecked power and authority. 

This was all because of the way that Herbert Armstrong understood the Bible. Using the "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little" way of Biblical interpretation - a cherry-picked jigsaw of non-contextual sublimation of text with a random, non-scholarly approach bent toward personal bias and prefabricated opinion - Herbert was able to blend in the Old Testament with parts of the New Testament, pulling out key points and emphasizing other points to create an entirely different religion completely at odds with any sort of Christian thinking. What was created was an impersonal, authoritative, ridiculously physical interpretation of scripture, whose foundation was not built on what - or, rather, Who - the Old Testament pointed to - but on the foundation of the Old Testament itself. Instead of the foundation being Jesus Christ and the Gospel, the foundation was a base of crumbled, broken, obsolete, aged and cracked rubble, decayed and rendered obsolete. The foundation was based on an attempt to revive what pointed to Christ instead of Christ Himself who enabled reconciliation with the Father through the Gift of the Holy Spirit. And, in all of this, the Personal Relationship with God Christ enabled through His death and Resurrection was fully quenched for thousands who instead put their trust and their hope in the fouled up, rotten, putrid thinking of human ministers. 

I don't need to tell you where that got thousands of people who were caught up in Armstrong's deceptions. The evidence is freely available everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. 

What is available, now, and today, is a Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ - regardless of what Church you go to. Jesus Christ is far more powerful than any Armstrong Church of God. I do not care if it is Flurry's church, Pack's Church, Weston's Church, or any other splinter group you can name. I do not care what Thiel says, and I do not care what Malm says. I don't care what lies are spewed in the name of Christ - lies about when Christ will return, or how. I don't care what their voices or dreams in their heads cry to them to proclaim that end up - every time - being deceptive, outright lies. I don't care what titles they dream up in their heads. Whether or not they call themselves "Presiding Evangelists" or "Pastor Generals" or any other haughty esteemed title they can think of. These men cannot separate one from the Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ that was bought, paid for, and gifted to us through Jesus Christ. Their churches cannot separate one from the Personal Relationship with Christ. And most of all, their churches cannot separate one from the Love of God between a Human Being who believes in God and the Father. 

This is why the Churches of God are powerless, dismal, shrinking and failing. Jesus Christ is reigning on His throne for those who believe and who trust in Him. Through the Spirit of God, a new believer can, by His Power, repent and turn to God in faith and hope through the Light of Life in the newness of Grace and love. Through the Spirit of God, lies are exposed, the light shines, and people who were blind can see. The deaf can here, and the dead can be given new life. No Armstrong Church or Minister can come between a believer and God when a Believer puts their faith and trust in God. This is where freedom takes hold and shackles fall. 

I rejoice when I hear the stories of answered prayer - even in the Armstrong Churches of God. Throughout my decades in the Church I was well aware of stories within the Churches of God of how God answered prayer in simple, yet powerful ways within members of the Church. After everything fell apart within the Church, for a while, I was puzzled as to how it was that God seemingly worked miracles within the Church to "promote the Church". Then it hit me that these miracles were not "promoting the Church". God was working directly with a person, one on one, showing them He's still there - with them - God With US - Personally - regardless of the abuse, dictatorship, and harm that the Armstrong Churches of God imposed on the victims. God works with each person individually, and personally. He did then, He does now, He will tomorrow. He always has since the Resurrection of our Lord to those who believe and trust in Him. 

Our God is a Personal God. He is a God that cares about every one of us uniquely, and individually. He is a God of love, light, and peace - with us, guiding us, leading us, and directing us. God Himself has said that He who began a Good work in us will be faithful to complete it. And that promise is for all that put their trust and hope in Him - regardless if they are Protestant, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Pentecostal, Baptist, Seventh-Day, Mormon, Armstrongite, Amish, Mennonite, or whatever physical group you can name. God transcends the physical and deals with a person personally, and spiritually, through the Power of the Personal Holy Spirit - God With Us, God in Us, and God Through Us. 

This is what Jesus Christ has done for us. This is what Jesus Christ has made possible. This is the Gift that the Father has sent to us. And no human group made by man has any power or authority to sever or disconnect that link to the Throne of God that we, through Christ, may boldly approach. 

This is the Personal Relationship with God all have access to. It's not Religion. It's a Relationship. And that, in a very broad brush, is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because it is true - that He who began a Good work in us, in ALL of us - will be faithful to complete it in Him.

Submitted by SHT

Update on Christian Educational Ministries legal action against RLDEA and the Estate of Allie Dart

To Banned…  

The following is an email I sent to a couple of friends of mine who inquired as to the status of Christian Educational Ministries’ current legal actions against RLDEA and the estate of the late Allie Dart.  This couple found my update so interesting that they suggested I share this information on Banned.  So please feel free to re-post it if you think your readership would find it interesting.  You might find it too detailed and boring.

Also, Gary Gibbons, Cathy Gibbons, and I are going to spend the next month or so going thru Allie Dart’s old correspondence.  For historical purposes, we would like to share with Banned a few emails and other correspondence between Allie and others to provide a more complete picture as to how this unfortunate situation has gotten to where it is today.  The history behind all of this is fascinating. 

--Wes White

Dear Mr. and Mrs.  ______,

            Thanks for asking about the current state of Christian Educational Ministries’ current legal actions against RLDEA and the estate of the late Allie Dart. 

            Again, I’m not directly involved in executing Allie’s will.  I have no direct interest in Allie’s estate.  However, the executor (Cathy Gibbons) keeps me updated on matters that may ultimately affect RLDEA of which I am president.

            It is a somewhat complicated situation, so please bear with me as I try to explain what I think is one of the major impediments to a settlement.  I will try not to get so granular that I end up boring you with too many details.   And forgive me if I tell you things that I’ve told you before.   You and I have been talking about this for over a year now?  Didn’t Allie die August 2017?

            Anyway, after Ron died, Allie was told by her attorney that she did not have to probate his will.  Instead, an Affidavit of Heirship was presented to the court stating that Allie was the sole heir to all their community property.  Allie was led to believe that, as Ron’s wife, she inherited everything of Ron’s and that she just needed to make sure her will was updated.  This legal advice later proved to be incorrect.  

            So Allie re-wrote her will – making sure she provided for Ron’s relatives and her own relatives.  She also basically disinherited CEM and left a large portion of her estate to the Ronald L. Dart Evangelistic Association which she set up before she died and instructed it to carry on and promote Ron’s materials after her death. 

            As you know, the Darts were well off and their assets did NOT come from the tithes and offerings of the church brethren.  Ron’s salary at CEM was anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 per year.  The Dart money came from Allie’s real estate business and their rental properties.  For many years, she was one of the top real estate sales agents in the Tyler area. 

            One of the many generous features of Allie’s will was that she gifted houses to the following four people:  

n  Philip Hufton (son of Ian Hufton and the late Thalia Hufton)

n  Dianne and Gary McDonnell (long-time church members)

n  Jamie Bozarth (Ron’s niece)

n  Cathy Gibbons (who was left a house as compensation for being the executor of a complicated will that may  take years to execute).

            Very shortly after Allie died, Cathy turned over the deeds of their respective houses to Philip Hufton and Dianne McDonnell.  Philip and Dianne now own these houses free and clear.   Well, sort of. 

            And let’s be clear on this point:  If those houses would not have been willed to Philip and Dianne, they would have gone to RLDEA.  As president of RLDEA, I have absolutely no problem that RLDEA did not get these houses.  First, because it’s what Allie wanted and it was her money to disburse as she pleased.  And second, because the other monies RLDEA has received from Allie’s estate is more than sufficient to pay for our ministry.  It is for this reason that we do not and will not accept contributions from the public. 

            After Allie died, the CEM board got their lawyers to set things in motion for Ron’s will to get executed because, even though CEM is not entitled to anything from Allie’s will, CEM is indeed entitled to an inheritance from Ron’s will.  And let’s be honest:  This is only right!    

But Allie had no idea this was the case.  Allie had been told by her estate attorney that it was unnecessary to probate Ron's will.  Allie operated in good faith based on what her lawyer advised her.  She genuinely believed that Ron’s will should never have been executed.  (Needless to say, that lawyer is no longer being used to assist in the execution of Allie’s estate.) 

            You also asked me who is on the CEM board.  It is my understanding that the following men currently comprise the CEM board of directors.  The list below may not be current:           

n  Larry Watkins of Texas (He is a leading minister in Church of God International)

n  John Beasley of Arkansas 

n  Rod Martin (C. Roderick Martin) of Arkansas

n  Richard Crow of Texas

n  Jon Garnant of California   (He is a leading minister in United Church of God.  I have heard he will probably eventually be on UCM’s board of directors.)   

n  John Currier of Alabama

n  Willie Oxendine of Florida (president of CEM)

            

And here is the part that makes me feel really bad:  CEM now says that Philip and Dianne must sell the houses which they now own and give 50% of the sale to CEM!   When Cathy informed me of CEM’s demand for half of Philip’s and Dianne’s houses, she and I sat there stunned and horrified.  

So here is what Cathy did.  She had the new lawyer for Allie’s estate propose the following to CEM:  That the four properties gifted to Allie's dearest friends be forgiven by CEM.  That request was promptly refused.  Cathy then made a second negotiation to CEM stating that she (Cathy) would surrender any and all claims to the house she was gifted if CEM would drop its demand that Philip, Dianne, and Jamie give CEM 50% of their houses.  Cathy was willing to completely give up her gift so that Philip, Dianne, and Jamie would not get screwed out of half of their inheritance gift.  (Please see Cathy’s letter below.)

And get this.  CEM has rejected this offer!  And I find this appalling.  Based on my limited understanding of this legal situation, if Philip and Dianne refuse to sell their houses and surrender to CEM 50% of the sale, then CEM will have to take them to court.  And has every intention of doing so.  And we all know what Ron taught against taking a brother to court in his series on the Epistles of Paul. 

There are a lot of people who are affiliated with CEM (and friends of CEM) who regularly slander Cathy.  I have heard the following with my own ears:

n  “I hope Cathy is happy now that she has everything of Allie’s.”  Cathy now has everything?!?  This is false because Cathy has received only a few personal items given to her by Allie.  To date, Cathy has not even received an executor's fee for all her on-going, tireless work.  These people are upset that a big portion of Allie’s will went to RLDEA and their thinking is now so twisted that they believe Cathy somehow “owns” the money that RLDEA has gotten from Allie’s estate!  This is untrue.  I am the president of RLDEA and I am committed to spending that money to promote Ron’s materials.  Further, as a non-profit organization, RLDEA must spend its money for legitimate purposes or I will end up in jail.  That’s not going to happen. 

n  “Cathy is a snake in the grass.”  

n  One person told me the following several months ago:  “So-and-so happened to be driving by Allie’s house a couple of times and it looks like people are living in it.  So we are wondering if Cathy has moved into Allie’s house.”  

My first reaction to that was to think, “Allie’s house is on a dead end street!  How can someone ‘happen to drive by Allie’s house’?”  You talk about petty.  

And let’s be clear:  Cathy never moved into Allie’s house.  Cathy already has her own beautiful house, filled with her stuff and her cats, and she has no need to live in Allie’s house.  The truth of the matter is that Cathy (as executor) has spent many, many hours in Allie’s house cleaning up the place, doing repairs, and getting the house and its contents ready for sale.  So, if you “happened to drive by Allie’s house,” you might have seen Cathy’s car parked there on numerous occasions.  You might also have been struck (“if you happened to drive by Allie's house”) by how pristine the Dart's home looks.  This would be because both Cathy and Gary have been respectful stewards of Ron and Allie's home and their estate.  Certainly, the CEM contingents have had no part in this labor – it is fully on the backs of Cathy and Gary.  Finally, I have been to Allie’s house many times since her death.  And I can assure you that no one has lived in that house since Allie died.  

So here we have Cathy who is willing to give up her personal inherited gift so that Philip, Dianne, and Jamie can receive a whole house (as Allie desired) instead of a half a house (as CEM desires).  On the other hand, we have the CEM board which is demanding half of Philip’s house and half of Dianne’s house, as well as half of Jamie's (Ron’s niece) house and half of Cathy's house.  

Anyway, this half-a-house problem is just one part of this huge drama.  I have said from the beginning that, if CEM were to just sit down with Cathy and with Ron’s niece, Jamie (who is now the administrator of Ron’s will), they could probably resolve all this stuff.  But again, this would require skills in conflict resolution – something that is unknown in so many parts of the fragmenting Armstrong Empire.  Too many times, it seems as though the more years a person has spent in Armstrongism – the less ability he has to make nice with others and the less able he is to know how to work things out with others in Christian love.  I believe this is the very reason why CEM keeps all the lawyers so busy.  The meters for all these attorneys keep running and running.  The lawyers will end up being the biggest winners in this whole thing.   And it’s all so unnecessary.  In addition, I don't think that this is what the supporters of Ron Dart and CEM would condone as a good use of their donation and tithe money. 

The bottom line is that I have no doubt whatsoever that Ron and Allie would be aghast at what the CEM board is doing in regards to their will and final wishes.  

Thanks for your inquiry.

            Your brother, 

            Wes

___________________________________________________________________

From:  Cathy Gibbons

To:  The CEM Board of Directors

Re:  Release of Four Properties

Date:  November 20, 2018

Dear CEM Board of Directors:  Willie Oxendine, John Beasley, C. Roderick Martin, Jon Garnant, John Currier, Larry Watkins and Richard Crow

For the record and on behalf of the Allie and Ron Dart estates:

1)  October 18, 2018 - additional note attached to the FSA from attorney Craig Daugherty sent to CEM through their attorney Steve Spitzer: 

3.3 - It is still our position that the interest of the Ron Dart Estate in the four properties devised by Allie should be gifted to the devisees. Here is a statement by my client in that regard:

Jamie Bozarth, Rodney Kubena and Cathy Gibbons, in consultation with the rest of the Dart/Driver family members, all believe in doing the right thing by deeding the four properties that Allie willed to them at 100%.  We do not wish to create a monetary hardship, particularly on the McDonnell's and Philip Hufton, by making them pay half the value of their house to Ron's estate.  They would probably have to sell the houses to pay this fee.  These folks are members of the Church of God and CEM is the only contingent beneficiary calling for this money.  When these deeds were signed over to the beneficiaries, Jim Gillen, Allie's estate attorney believed that all of Ron's property at his death belonged to Allie to do with as she wished.  Ron and Allie would never have intended -- nor approved -- the gifting of only half a property.  It is what it is now, so we must move forward and do the right, Christian thing

2)  On November 14, 2018 attorney for CEM revised the FSA to state that all the properties, including the four that Allie willed are to be sold and 1/2 the value to be paid to Ron's estate.

Again, on behalf of Ron's estate, Administrator Jamie Bozarth (together with the Dart/Driver family) would like to ask, plead to CEM, as a contingent beneficiary, to allow Ron's estate to gift its 1/2 of these four properties to the recipients.  We all believe that Ron and Allie would not have intended to gift 1/2 of a house to their family and friends. 

However, if CEM feels that they must have this money, I would like to make a personal offer.  We, Gary and Cathy Gibbons will gladly give up our 1/2 of the sale of the El Cerrito property to CEM that Allie willed to us if CEM will allow Jamie Bozarth, the McDonnell's and Philip Hufton  to keep their properties without having to sell and pay 1/2 the value to Ron's estate.

I (Cathy Gibbons) and the surviving Dart/Driver families are requesting that CEM allow these three parties to fully have what has been willed to them.  What the law says and what is morally right are often two different things.  I believe that the selling of these properties will create a hardship specifically on the McDonnell's and Philip Hufton who are members of the Church of God faith. 

In the end, CEM is positioned to receive a considerable amount of money from Ron's estate even without the three gifted properties. 

Please consider this request as an act of Christian love as we all move forward in the finalization of the Dart Family Settlement Agreement.

Sincerely,

Cathy C. Gibbons

Followup from Cathy - December 4, 2018:

Dear Mr. Spitzer,

I received the CEM/FSA correspondence note from you today forwarded to me from my attorney Craig Daugherty.  CEM is still demanding that all (4) properties (gifted by Allie) pay 1/2 their sold value to Ron's estate.  

My offer letter has not been addressed.  Did they receive the letter I sent to them through you on Nov. 28th?  I would appreciate the favor of a response from the CEM board please. 

Sincerely,

Cathy Gibbons

Response from CEM attorney Steve Spitzer – December 5, 2018:

“The CEM board declined the offer.  I apologize if that was not clear from our prior communications.”

 Best regards,

 Steve Spitzer

 Steve M. Spitzer

Ramey & Flock, PC               

100 East Ferguson, Suite 404

Tyler, Texas 75702

Expect serious earthquakes in 2019!

The official Church of God prophet says:

Jesus taught:
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.(Matthew 24:7). 

Expect serious earthquakes in 2019. 

Though we will NOT have the earthquake of Revelation 16:18 as that happens during the Day of the Lord, that earthquake will be bigger than what the usual ‘experts’ have believed was possible. It will change the planet and humble parts of humanity. 

But understand, that an earthquake that triggersa massive volcano, such as the USA has in places like Yellowstone and New Zealand has in places like Rotorua, can dramatically change the world. There isalso Iceland and the Cascades in the USA.

Well, no shit Sherlock!  IF it happens it happens.  That is the beauty of the earth expanding and contracting just as it has done for billions of years.  The reason we hear so much more in the news is not that more and more earthquakes are happening, but that the instantaneous broadcasting of news on the internet makes information immediately obtainable.

Earthquakes are sure to happen in 2019. just as there will be tornadoes, fires, droughts, famines, and other tragedies. And just because these things may happen does NOT make Bob Thiel a prophet.

Bears ate Elisha mocking children...Could it happen to you?

And there were scoffers in the last days. Oh, please!  Eternally butthurt Bawana Bob Thiel just CANNOT get over the fact that 99.9% of the Church of God members reject his silly nonsense.  While he may find the occasional conspiracy-laden radio host who has failed to do an internet search on the "authority," he still finds himself mocked and ridiculed.

The only people he has garnered is church-hopping African members who go from one Church of God, Adventist, or Sabbatarian group to the next depending on who gives is them the most money. This is an established fact that Christian missionaries have understood for decades, but not certain COG group leaders.

It may be of interest to note that part of the mainstream press in the UK covered some of my writings in 2018. They did so with ridicule and failed to mention that what we teach in the Continuing Church of God is coming to pass. 

There are many scoffers during these last days. 

The plain truth is that Bob Thiel IS a false prophet.  A self-appointed liar who has created the biggest mythology about his "Overseership" than any other COG leader out there today. And that is saying a lot considering he has stiff competition with Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland and Dave Pack.

Many (mainly on the internet) have repeatedly and falsely called me a false prophet and said other bad things about me as well as the Continuing Church of God. 

The improperly named "continuing" Church of God is NOT a godly church.  When it ignores the one it falsely claims to follow and replaces it with rules and laws not required of new covenant Christians, it is NOT a godly church.  When its entire focus is upon a boastful, pride-filled, self-appointed prophet, instead of that most inconvenient dude that the COG loves to ignore, it is NOT a godly church.

While that turns some away from looking at us, we understand that Jesus said this was to be expected:

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evilagainst you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice andbe exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophetswho were before you (Matthew 5:10-12)

We are not to turn away from true understanding of biblical prophecies, but rejoice in going through open doors to proclaim the truth while holding fast to the truth (cf. Revelation 3:7-13). 

What "open door" has Theil ever went through other than at his "world headquarters" in Arroyo Grande?  Oh wait, I forgot, its those cartoons!  That is the "open door" that Herbert never had.  Who needs Steuben crystal and visits with world leaders when you can have some crooked bookcases and some really bad cartoon features. Being a prophet is such a hard job!

Would all of you scoffers PLEASE stop saying bad things about Bob!  Pretty please?

COGWA and the Rest of the COG's Face A Bleak Future in 2019 and Beyond

It has been a little over 20 years since tens of thousands of Worldwide Church of God members joined up with various groups of men who promised to hold fast to Herbert Armstrong's teachings and promises of treating members better than they had been in WCG. That ideal quickly faded into the Armstrongite sunset as one abusive leader after another started showing his true colors with more legalistic abuse than Worldwide ever imagined.

Warm tales of unity soon dissolved into one split after another as self-appointed vain church leaders imagined themselves better than the next and set off with thousands of members to form more groups.

In spite of these self-absorbed men imagining themselves and their new groups as God's one true church, each and every one of them are now stagnant or in a downward spiral.  They are unable to draw in new members as old-time members either leave the church in disgust or die off.  Their messages have no appeal to the world at large and is a direct turn off to its younger members.

As we enter 2019, each and every COG is having to face the cold-hearted reality that they are spiritual failures. Even the self-appointed upstarts like Bob Thiel and James Malm are men with no purpose and are doomed to failure as people start to wake up to the deceitful legalistic bullshit they practice.

Is Armstrongism finally in its last stages of existence?

At the annual Ministerial Board of Directors meeting in December, President Jim Franks listed 6 key concerns that the leadership needs to address. 

1. How do we get the message out to the world in the most effective manner?“We still have a very healthy number of unique visitors every month to Life Hope and Truth – but how can we increase that number?”

2. What can we do about growth in the church?“We have seen some growth since we began in 2010, but not a lot. Our actual attendance worldwide is up, but only by a few percentage points, single digits actually.”

3. Increase in requests for international subsidies.“In our budget for 2019 we will be spending approximately $2 million in supporting congregations and ministers outside the USA. Because of our excellent financial position, we are hopeful to upgrade feast sites, build new meeting halls – you know there are still some areas where the members meet outside under the trees – and to train new leaders in all areas outside the USA. Because we will end this year with a surplus, we plan to send additional funds from this year to several areas in Africa, so we won’t have to impact next year’s budget.”

4. How will we replace ministers who will retire in the next 7 years?“In the next 7 to 10 years half of our current pastors will most likely retire. Not only is there a financial responsibility to provide for them when they retire, but how do we replace them? This will require judicious use of our resource,s and an increase to continue providing pastors for every congregation, which we are committed to doing.”

“Our current financial plan is to pay off the mortgage of the (new HQ) building within 6 years … this is about when we will see the largest number of men retiring.”

5. How will we expand leadership development in the USA and outside the USA?“We are working hard at developing a database of men and women who desire to serve in the church from our various programs. From this group we hope to take on new and younger leaders to take on more responsibility.”

6. We know that we have doctrinal challenges to contend with.“Paul, Peter and John all warned about false teachers and false prophets. It will come from among us. We must ask ourselves if we have done the best job we can in teaching our basic beliefs, especially among our young adults. Are we doing our best to help them understand some of the most basic teachings of God’s word? We all must be on guard against heresy. It will come and it has come. We must not tolerate it. We will be kind to everyone, but we will not accept erroneous doctrinal teachings.”   Church of God News

Stories Now Being Collected for Documentary on Armstrongism

Do you have a horror story of what it was like growing up in the Church of God movement? Do you have stories of spiritual, mental, physical abuse or sexual abuse? What was it like for you as a child to grow up in the church?

All stories are confidential and will not be seen by anyone here or on the Facebook page.

see original posting here

Good Morning Everyone !! We are officially started on the process of the Armstrong Documentary !!! I am attaching a link for everyone to go to and fill out, which will go directly to Ky and Mercedes (film producers). Honesty and integrity is a must in these forms! Ky and Mercedes will send out the waivers to individuals. Please remember a documentary of this caliber is not gonna be a couple month project. So please be patient and have the assurance that these ladies know what they are doing.

https://splitstar.typeform.com/to/MPJenh