Having to listen to Gerald Weston complain
about how HARD it is to preach the gospel.
Living Church of God ended up being yet another unknown Church of God offshoot with no discernible impact upon the world. Its main thrust only seems to be attracting other Church of God members.
Then, Meredith died and the worn-out shoes were passed on to a man that was disliked by many in LCG, Gerald Weston.
Weston likes to imagine that the church has continued on with some magnificent gospel message that the world so desperately needs to hear, but the church is still an insignificant blip in the COG landscape. World leaders have no idea who he is nor is there a worldwide impact that the church is involved in. What is the reason LCG is a do-nothing church?
Well, Weston admitted the other day it is "challenging" for him and the LCG to spread the gospel message. If Herbert Armstrong were alive today, he would bitch slap Gerald Weston so hard that he would be exiled like Rod Meredith was! Why are the leaders of the LCG such impotent emasculated messengers of God's word?
Saratoga Family Weekend
Seventy-eight brethren came from all points of the compass to be together for the 22nd Annual Saratoga Family Weekend. Originally started with a visit from the Presiding Evangelist Dr. Roderick Meredith 22 years ago on one of his trips to the Western U.S., we were treated with another visit from the current Presiding Evangelist, Mr. Gerald Weston.
Friday evening started the weekend off with Mrs. Whitfield’s world-famous Antelope Chili and a Bible Study by Mr. Weston on the weaknesses of the theory of evolution and effective tools for systematic Bible Study. With cool nights and fresh air, our weekend in Saratoga continued with a delicious Sabbath brunch, afternoon services on “Who We Are” by Mr. Arnie Lalum, a sermon on “Three Aspects of Attitude” by Mr. Weston, and a rousing “Final Exam” with Mr. Shawn McMillin Saturday evening. After Sabbath services the fellowship continued with an old west steak dinner.I think they should have spiced that "world famous" chili with some kickass hot peppers and set a fire under Weston's ass to get him motivated!
Sunday morning breakfast was followed by Mr. Weston’s workshop on effective preaching of the Gospel message to the world, along with principles of leadership and the writings of Paul with his letter to the Ephesians. Mr. Weston showed us how challenging it is to spread the Gospel to the world with so many different countries, age groups, and ideas.
Expressions of thanks and gratefulness go out to everyone who helped make another very successful Saratoga Family Weekend possible. We checked out of our hotel rooms, said our good-byes, cleaned up the hall for the next activities, and made plans for next year. We hope to see everyone back again as the Work continues.—Ben Whitfield, Area Pastor for Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.I can just picture them all now when Weston finished talking about his failure to get the gospel out. That is all COG folk have ever done when the church gurus finish talking.
18 comments:
Dayum! I just bought some butt-salve from Amazon and had it shipped to Charlotte.
I was there that weekend when Weston made those comments. I was appalled to hear him say it. I am seriously trying to discern whether to stay or leave the church. All the church is a social club that does very little in proclaiming a message. I can hear better spiritual messages down the street at the local church than I can in the LCG any more..
LCG has a problem with spreading its "gospel" because even they don't actually believe it. They are also still stuck in the 1950-1980's paradigm of what they imagine Herbert Armstrong did. They still look to outdated modes of transmission that no longer has an appeal to younger people. Churches around the world have adapted to the world today with embracing social media and addressing the concerns of the world today. LCG and the other COG's do nothing to show the world they really care. So when people see some boring message on cable TV or a Roku box, they flip right past it. Just how many programs do they need to watch with someone screaming against gay people or the homeless or some other "issue" that LCG thinks is important? They need to get off their privileged asses and dirty their delicate hands and do something to show the world they really do care.
Once the prophecies which actually were the sum-total of the Armstrong gospel failed so many many times, basically there was no gospel left to preach. That gospel was pretty much burned, and nothing came along to replace it. So, of course the only alternative left for the Armstrong churches was to become social clubs. Well, make that social clubs with prison guards!
BB
It's soooooo hard. What's a Presiding Evangelist to do???
Rod Meredith apostatized?? You are being too kind in assuming that he was converted at some point in time.
Claiming that's it's difficult to get the gospel out now days, is a strange comment in light of advances in modern technology. Smartphone have come down in price to the point that millions of poor peoples in nations such as India can afford them. Browsers such as Opera use compression/decompression, resulting in up to 90% compression of data, greatly reducing the price of phone plans. The ancient apostles would drool at such modern opportunities.
As already pointed out, these splinters are stuck in a time warp, refusing to adapt to modern times. All these ministers know is how to take advantage of a captive audience. That's the limit of their people skills. Trying to court or appeal to strangers is foreign to them. That HWA railed against competition is understandable.
The Internet makes it easy for prospective LCG members to discover that HWA exiled Rod Meredith to Hawaii and wrote him a letter telling him that he was a divisive personality who rubbed the fur the wrong way and lacked the capacity to lead God's Church.
The Internet makes it easy for prospective LCG members to discover that Rod Meredith founded LCG only after refusing to obey the very same church government he established in the Global Church of God.
The Internet makes it easy for prospective LCG members to discover the history of failed prophecies made by Weston, Meredith, and HWA.
People who rely on the Internet are among the most likely to see through the scam that is LCG. The more that LCG relies on the Internet to spread its message, the more it will fail.
Ive said it before and I will say it again: it is because they are following a model of spreading the gospel that is after men, not God. The real model requires a life of persecution. Look at your examples men, and you will see that none, NONE were living your life of luxury.
When HWA had his radio program, there were rarely more than a dozen competing radio stations from which people could choose. Now there are hundreds of cable/satellite TV stations, and thousands of Internet "stations."
If I want to listen to gay-bashing and homophobia, LCG will give me that, but there are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
If I want to listen to conservative economic philosophy, LCG will give me that, but there are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
If I want to listen to conservative social philosophy, LCG will give me that, but there are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
If I want to listen to sound fiscal advice, LCG will do a sub-par job, and here are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
If I want to listen to sound family/relationship advice, LCG will do a sub-par job, and here are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
If I want to listen to Jesus Christ's message, LCG will do a sub-par job, and here are dozens, maybe hundreds, that will do a better job.
LCG's message is really only an attractive viewing option for people who like to think of themselves as Israelites, DNA notwithstanding, and who like to think that their Israelite identity is important to Jesus Christ. That's a very small section of today's TV/Internet viewers.
Funny how the New Testament Church grew far and wide, and didn't have to use television, money, or magazines to do it.
The ultimate retro marketing... BELLY TO BELLY! and yep, it still works in almost all fields of endeavor, business and marketing, including religion!
Always loved Mr. Bean!
78 people showed up 22 years later. You have to be delusional to think any work is being done or any impact is happening.
The two favorite scriptures of the COGs:
(1) Luke 12:32 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
They use this to the exclusion of other scriptures to justify their lack of success in growing their churches.
(2) Acts 15: 36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
They use this to justify their many, many splits. They ignore the fact that there still remained one church - they did not form a church of Paul and a church of Barnabas.
For churches that claim they believe the Bible, they do a lousy job obeying it.
Tonto, I remember hearing in WCG that despite the millions of dollars spent on media, about half of the membership growth came from the family and friends of current members. That may have worked in the 1960s, but think about today. Not only do the splinters try to keep their members isolated from "worldly" friendships; the members themselves are often damaged and uncertain people who are far from positive advertisements for involvement in their church. Your average member of an Evangelical church is ecstatically happy about what Jesus is doing in his life. The average ACOG member is depressed and unhappy, but assumes it is his fault rather than the fault of his religion. This is why the ACOGs are dying even as happy-clappy-brain-dead Protestantism is on the march. The Evangelicals may be superficial idiots, but they are superficial idiots in a relationship with Jesus. ACOG members are in relationships with men like Flurry, Pack, and Weston, so it's no wonder they are not so happy.
Anonymous on July 1, 2019 at 7:50 AM said...“The Evangelicals may be superficial idiots, but they are superficial idiots in a relationship with Jesus. ACOG members are in relationships with men like Flurry, Pack, and Weston, so it's no wonder they are not so happy.”
Flurry and Pack have only ABUSIVE relationships. They are the ABUSERS. You are the ABUSEE.
Not only that, but there is no credit, no glory, no reward, for falling for Satan's false prophets like Flurry and Pack. You might even get asked why you rejected what HWA had taught in order to go along with these false prophets and their satanic imposter cults.
The truth be told, Weston is such a tight ass with money he squeaks when he walks. He’s saving all the money for his retirement.
@ 4:39 PM, you are right. In 2018. LCG took in the most money it had ever received. What did Weston do? He CUT BACK spending on preaching the gospel, he ADDED to money spent on ministers, and he BANKED more in savings than LCG had ever had before. He made his priorities clear. His top priority is to preserve the corporation, his next priority is to enrich ministers, and only after those priorities are completed will he spend some money on preaching the gospel. Rod Meredith would be appalled.
Anonymous on July 1, 2019 at 5:10 PM said...“In 2018. LCG took in the most money it had ever received. What did Weston do? He CUT BACK spending on preaching the gospel, he ADDED to money spent on ministers, and he BANKED more in savings than LCG had ever had before. He made his priorities clear. His top priority is to preserve the corporation, his next priority is to enrich ministers, and only after those priorities are completed will he spend some money on preaching the gospel. Rod Meredith would be appalled.”
Roderick C. Meredith was appalling.
Roderick C. Meredith called all of his heretical departures from what Herbert W. Armstrong had taught “doctrinal upgrades.” RCM tried to compete with HWA by coming up with his own two-fold gospel teaching, which was actually a perversion of what HWA had taught.
Rod Meredith knew that he didn't have long to live. So of course his priorities would be different from Westons. Weston is looking at the longer term.
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