Sheldon Monson's Church of God Assembly is having a bigger impact upon LCG than they publicly admit. Their continual lashing out at Monson only raises red flags for LCG members.
Dear Fellow Ministers,
I want to write to you concerning a matter that has been stirred up by some individuals who have chosen to leave the LCG for a new group started by Sheldon Monson. They have lifted a phrase out of one of our online documents that they say shows that the LCG condones abortions—which we simply do not, and never have.
The phrase is taken from the “Statement of Faith” on our MyLCG website. This document does not replace or supersede the Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. The “Statement of Faith” is a targeted explanatory document intended to support the Church’s position on specific moral issues in the increasingly litigious environment that exists today. Recent court cases involving religious organizations and aggressive secular government regulation point to the need for ensuring that the Church is prepared for such challenges, even as it relies on God’s protection.
The phrase in the “Statement of Faith” simply acknowledges that there are rare and tragic situations where, without intervention—either divine or medical—both mother and child are at serious risk of dying. These rare situations are to be addressed by the individuals involved (mother and father) in conjunction with their pastor if he is involved. These are individual decisions. The phrase that is quoted from the “Statement of Faith,” does not, in any way, suggest or indicate that the LCG endorses or gives support to the modern practice of elective abortions.
The public position of the Church since at least the 1970s under Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong has been that accepting medical treatment in rare circumstances is not to be equated with elective abortions of convenience that the world presses for today. The Church has never taught that a mother must refuse life-saving treatment in these circumstances. Many of you who have counseled heartbroken families in such tragic circumstances are aware of the distinction.
Our detractors seem intent on seizing whatever issues they feel they can use to misrepresent the LCG in an attempt to justify their rebellion and the creation of yet another organization. This is not the first time this kind of divisive action has been attempted.
A more detailed clarification will be posted on the MyLCG website. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact CAD.
We are certainly living in interesting times as Satan continues his efforts to disrupt the Work of God—especially in light of the very positive developments in the Work in recent months. We need to be praying for each other and for our brethren who are at risk of being caught up in these manufactured and misguided controversies. Your faithful service in this way is very much appreciated, both by the brethren and by all of us here.
Warm Regards,
Douglas S. Winnail
19 comments:
Doug is correct. Monson must be an idealist who has never had to face hard questions and decisions in such things.
A mother called me , when pastor, to tell me her 14 year old was pregnant, by her father. The mom understood that to have the child under these conditions would be simply unacceptable and a threat to her daughter's mental, emotional and physical health and probably that of the child long term. What to do? I told her to go to the ER asap and that they would have counselor's there to guide her and to do what they say if they both agree. They did. That's the last it ever came up.
Life is real and while some decisions about the "what to do's" of it are hard, they are necessary.
One pastor type I know of told a pregnant teen that her child would go into the lake of fire, for some stupid reason. Of course that is not so on many levels, but to come up with that "solution" to the problem is ignorant beyond belief and a good example of it being better, perhaps, the pastor was never born or at least ordained.
That poorly worded statement about abortion was a published LCG document available online, and not just to Council of Elders members, since before Sheldon Monson was on LCG's Council of Elders.
Monson apparently didn't consider it a problem for as long as he was on the Council of Elders. If it was a problem, Monson accepted it and didn't do anything to get it fixed. So now we're supposed to use it as a reason to support Monson over Weston? Idiocy!
Monson knows better. He knows LCG HQ is full of incompetent people who got their jobs because they sucked up to, or were friends and family of, important ministers. They didn't mean to support abortion. They just don't communicate very well. Members don't call their leaders out on their incompetence because they would just be accused of a "bad attitude."
Also, I hope Monson can take criticism as well as he gives it. His own COG ASS website uses a Bible translation that HWA never used, a version that occasionally departs from the received text and imposes "gender neutral" wording not called for by the Hebrew or Greek, and which takes some liberties with texts in Isaiah in ways that if accepted would go against some small elements of HWA's prophetic framework.
I am sure Monson doesn't intend to be a HWA-rejecting heretic who favors gender-bending and hates ACOG prophecy. But based on his own website it would be just as logical to level such charges against COG ASS it is for COG ASS to complain about LCG's position on abortion.
The simplest explanation is that Sheldon is more talented at drawing away members than the typical split.
He has the appeal to the young and their parents with the youth camps.
Now he is appealing to the older members with "the faith once delivered".
With the senior leaders of LCG being in their 70s and 80s, they may be in real trouble.
LCG's next step - if they dare - will be to promote a few of the next rung in their 40s and 50s to the top leadership. Could we see some new evangelists in the near future?
If only I had the gifts of prophecy like prophet Bob....
LCG's next step - if they dare - will be to promote a few of the next rung in their 40s and 50s to the top leadership. Could we see some new evangelists in the near future?
Weston can dangle the prospect of ordination in front of his younger Pastor-rank ministers as a way to keep them as loyal yes-men. The problem is that if too many of the younger men are lusting after that ordination, and Weston only ordains one, the neglected ones may run off to another group and take a few more tithe-payers away from an already damaged LCG. But if Weston ordains three or four younger men in short order he will devalue the rank of Evangelist and make even more Pastor-rank ministers jealous, as they will feel that they deserve ordination as much as the ones who were ordained.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is not the first time Commandant Dougie has muddied the waters on key issues. He caused a ton of controversy when he tried to introduce changes to concept of the great falling away. I believe Friedrich Nietzsche said it best — 'They muddy the water, to make it seem deep.'
Nice try Commandant...we're on to ya!
As for LCG raising up a new crop of younger men to replace their aging ministry...it was Scott Winnail's son, Collin, that came back from camp and ratted out Sheldon Monson and Jason Fritz to his daddy and granddad that got them fired.....so yeah, this younger group is being raised up GREAT! Way'ta go kiddo!!
The ACOGs hate competition. We were told at services to not even watch football on TV. But look how they are forced to compete for the remaining sheep.
Ha,ha,ha,ha.
Monson apparently didn't consider it a problem for as long as he was on the Council of Elders. If it was a problem, Monson accepted it and didn't do anything to get it fixed.
Monson recently said that he has never spoken against those in other churches of God. He didn't have to. Meredith did it for him, while Monson stood behind him in full support.
Anon 4:30 is correct.
But they also love to hate. They don't love to love, but love a situation to pour out hate towards another.
They are Pharisees after all, who called Jesus Christ the devil.
Take out the tree trunk from the eyes, hate filled hypocrites. You who hate the truth and love to lie.
I can't see any true pastor encouraging or at least copping out and failing to voice support for the unborn child. Such a pastor or ex-pastor, is a demon in disguise as far as I am concerned.
A young girl in that situation ought to be encouraged to accept the fact that she is NOT to blame for her condition and what the father did was truly wrong. She should be also encouraged to have the baby as the baby is also a victim as she is, and shouldn't be destroyed because of the sin of the father. The baby could be given up for adoption and the girl can go on living her life without thoughts of guilt.
I am amazed of how often guilt is not discussed by those that encourage baby murder. Some have even killed themselves because of it. Therefore, shame on those, especially pastors or those that claim to be pastors, to voice support for the killing of innocent blood.
Monson recently said that he has never spoken against those in other churches of God. He didn't have to. Meredith did it for him, while Monson stood behind him in full support.
Monson may not have spoken against members of other churches of God. He did, however, refuse to let the children of non-LCG-members attend his LCG camps, even though the children were not yet baptized members of any ACOG.
Sheldon advanced as far as he did because he had big organizations (first WCG, then LCG) behind him, taking care of the many details he had no idea were involved in running a church. Now that the buck stops with him, he's having a rude awakening. By the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles he'll be about as relevant in the greater ACOG community as Ben Faulkner, Don Haney, or Warren Zehrung.
Lets watch them throw more mud at each other! Can someone hand me the popcorn?
“ ... By the 2023 Feast of Tabernacles he'll be about as relevant in the greater ACOG community as Ben Faulkner, Don Haney, or Warren Zehrung ...”
WHO?!
Anonymous Nov 8 657am...I know for a fact he allowed kids from other COG groups to camp, and allowed men to give sermonettes who were apart of other Cogs. Get your "facts" straight.
November 7, 2020 2:44p.m. stated..."Weston can dangle the prospect of ordination in front of his younger Pastor-rank ministers as a way to keep them as loyal yes-men. The problem is that if too many of the younger men are lusting after that ordination, and Weston only ordains one, the neglected ones may run off to another group and take a few more tithe-payers away from an already damaged LCG. But if Weston ordains three or four younger men in short order he will devalue the rank of Evangelist and make even more Pastor-rank ministers jealous, as they will feel that they deserve ordination as much as the ones who were ordained."
This is part of the problem of defining "evangelist", "pastor", "deacon", "minister", etc. as ranks of hierarchy rather than functions of service and gifts among the body as they are defined in the Bible. The idea that an evangelist somehow "outranks" a "minister" who outranks a "deacon" is completely unbiblical and scriptures have been twisted and pulled out of context to justify this man made idea that has been used to lord it over the brethren in most of the COGs as well as other Christian denominations, while ignoring Jesus own words that "all are brethren" and these people are to be servants and guides rather than rulers or dictators who exercise authority over the priesthood of all believers. Matthew 20:25 Matthew 23:8 1Peter 2:5-9
This idea of tiered ranks of rulership rather than functions of service among the people of God has led to political posturing, competition, jealousy, excessive vanity and pride among the leadership, the squashing and limiting of function among others within the body and a lack of appreciation or respect for what other brethren might contribute, and the yes-man approach to those in higher "ranks" of leadership to the point that their words and their interpretations of scripture have become more important to some people than scripture itself, while faith is tied directly to how much "faith" one has in their minister or how "obedient" they are to said ministry, while direct faith in God by the individual is minimized. The sacrifice of Christ ripped the veil in two, and men who view themselves as having religious authority have spent two thousand years trying to sew it back together and hang it back up.
Their job was to inform the world about Jesus Christ, and point people to Him, with an understanding that more and more servants(diakonos, from which human translators extrapolated the "ranks" of minister, deacon, and the lowly servant, as Phoebe is called), were to join in spreading His message as they were made fit for service. In other words disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, eventually spreading the gospel around the world. Instead we have individual men who have decided in some cases that it is their job to single handedly do this, and view others who also try to do this with suspicion and contempt and equate loyalty to God with loyalty to themselves, their ministry, or their church group, rather than true faith and belief in God. They fight among themselves and point out what they view as faults and errors in others, while ignoring or excusing their own, and refusing to allow God to bring them into unity with Him and other believers. As a result the entire body suffers, and the sheep scatter.
Concerned Sister
Blogger Sweetblood777 said...
I can't see any true pastor encouraging or at least copping out and failing to voice support for the unborn child. Such a pastor or ex-pastor, is a demon in disguise as far as I am concerned.
A young girl in that situation ought to be encouraged to accept the fact that she is NOT to blame for her condition and what the father did was truly wrong. She should be also encouraged to have the baby as the baby is also a victim as she is, and shouldn't be destroyed because of the sin of the father. The baby could be given up for adoption and the girl can go on living her life without thoughts of guilt.
I am amazed of how often guilt is not discussed by those that encourage baby murder. Some have even killed themselves because of it. Therefore, shame on those, especially pastors or those that claim to be pastors, to voice support for the killing of innocent blood.
November 8, 2020 at 4:57 AM
***
I could not have put it better myself. Very well said Sweetblood777! I absolutely hate how those who extol the "right" of women to murder their unborn children usually resort to examples of incest or rape as excuses for this cruel, heinous and detestable barbarity. No wonder American society has grown so violent when the lives of innocent unborn children are afforded no protection by law and their slaughter revered as a "right" by those who have perversely covenanted with this modern day "death cult."
Concerned Sister said...In other words disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, eventually spreading the gospel around the world. Instead we have individual men who have decided in some cases that it is their job to single handedly do this, and view others who also try to do this with suspicion and contempt and equate loyalty to God with loyalty to themselves, their ministry, or their church group, rather than true faith and belief in God. They fight among themselves and point out what they view as faults and errors in others, while ignoring or excusing their own, and refusing to allow God to bring them into unity with Him and other believers. As a result the entire body suffers, and the sheep scatter.
Sounds like a very good description of Democrats and Republicans--in fact a perfect description of Trump!
Sheldon Monson and Jason Fritts are some of the ONLY ministers in the COG’s who will recognize their family across “organizational” lines. They absolutely allowed non-LCG members to attend camp and other gatherings. Probably another reason they were so easily “relieved” of their employment.
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