Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders

Monday, January 4, 2021

Gerald Weston Co-worker Letter



It is co-worker letter time in the various Churches of God. It is usually either an end of the year letter or the start of a new year letter. There is a standard format to all of these letters, regardless of which COG you are in. You first hear about all of the evil things going on in the world around you. Then it is an "I love you brethren" moment as the writer claims to love the brethren in which he then reminds members they will soon be kings and priests or even gods, and then, the pièce de ré·sis·tance, the usual demand for money. The work of God has never been in such dire need as now, so please send it in and show God that you are worthy to be called His.

Gerald Weston did just this in December as he sent the annual Christmas co-worker letter to the faithful.

Weston starts right off the bad mocking his neighbors and into how awful things in the world will soon be:

A neighbor of mine is planning to light up his fire pit and invite the neighbors to come over and burn their 2020 calendars on New Year’s Eve. My wife and I do not celebrate this occasion, as God has a very different calendar with different days of celebration. But, most of you are no doubt happy this Roman calendar year is rapidly coming to an end. The question now is, What are we to expect in the year to come? Will it be a reprieve or another year with similar drama? Bible prophecy indicates that the world will experience a crisis at the end of the age, and there are multiple signs that we are entering just such a time. Going forward we can expect many things will go wrong. There are going to be some major shocks and surprises in our very near future.

Weston skipped the "I love you" moment and went straight for  the jugular when he says the "love of many has waxed cold."  Could it be because so many LCG members are tired of being treated like worthless worms that constantly need to be seeking daddy's approval? 

At the same time, prophecy shows that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world, not to convert the world, but as a witness. Notice this passage in what is called the Olivet Prophecy as found in Matthew 24.

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:11-14).

I always love it when COG leaders talk about "false prophets" rising up in the church and the world. So far in 2021 all of the false prophets in the Church of God have been its own leaders! 

Perilous times are ahead this year for the brethren, keep our eyes open!

Notice too that lawlessness will abound. We see more than enough of that, but dear friends, hold onto your hats as anarchy will no doubt be on our plate for the coming year and a second American civil war is not out of the question. Jesus also shows us in this passage that His servants must endure to the end. The year 2020 required endurance, but we must expect even more difficult times to come. But the focal point of the passage is that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (verse 14).

What about lawlessness in the Churches of God? It has been a cesspool of lawlessness for decades. 

Weston then moves into the soon-coming Kingdom of God which always seems to be just beyond his reach. He mocks Christians and flat out lies about what they believe about that kingdom. Christians around the world look to the Kingdom of God with hope and assurance, so much so that they want to share that hope and assurance with those around them instead of just flapping their mouths with the idea that because their words are being heard that is all they need to do. Sadly, putting faith into action in the Church of God is seldom done. Some few do get it though.

Weston then admits, ever so humbly, that he has a negative streak. 

While watching my recent Tomorrow’s World telecast, “Hope in Tough Times,” I realized that I spent a lot of time on that program discussing the bad things and not enough time on the good things found in the Holy Days that Jesus, His apostles, and first-century Christianity kept. More details were needed. The Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God means Jesus Christ will come back to rule this troubled planet and He will appoint His servants to be the rulers under Him in His millennial reign (Zechariah 14:9; Ezekiel 37:24-25; Luke 19:16-19; Revelation 20:4). These are those who have shown in this life total loyalty to Him. They are those who have developed His character of genuine care for the well-being of others. It means an end to warfare and to rampant crime where the criminal is let off and the victim suffers. It means the end of rape, murder, and robbery. And, thank God, it means the end of political campaigns filled with lies, hypocrisy, and broken promises.

Why is it that Weston and so many other COG leaders love to talk about members developing "love and genuine care for others" as their lofty goal when in day to day life they treat members and those around them in the world like crap?  When has most of the major COG's ever exhibited genuine care for the well being of others? (Note: I am not talking about LifeNets, of things like what Bill Goff does in Africa) The problem in the COG is the word "other." it never includes those in the world around them, thus they have become insular movements filled with do-nothing ministries and members.

Weston then goes into the real reason for his letter...money. He wants it.

Dear Brethren and Co-workers, these letters are sent to encourage you, to update you on the Work of Tomorrow’s World and the Living Church of God, and to thank you for the support you have given. Your part in this Work of the living Jesus Christ, whether through your prayers or your financial generosity, is immensely appreciated. Most of the financial support we receive might be classified as modest or average, but that is not the whole picture. Jesus gives us an important perspective: 
 
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood” (Mark 12:41-44). 
 
It is human to thank those who give large gifts, as it takes many small donations to equal a large one. However, we must learn to see as God sees and not overlook the widow’s mites. That is why I do not send a special “thank you” letter to individuals for exceptionally large donations. They are, of course, greatly appreciated, and if this applies to you, thank you! But God, it appears, is equally pleased, if not more, with the widow’s mite. 

Rod Meredith/Global/Living Church of God has ALWAYS placed high importance upon huge money givers.  They got away with things the regular members never could. They were given seats of privileged and access to the inner circles of the church, unlike the lowly members. 

I hope this honesty will not offend anyone, but it is something I feel very deeply. I want to express appreciation to all of you equally and let God evaluate gifts and the hearts that give them. We must not be respecters of persons. So whether you gave a lot this past year, or gave a small amount out of your poverty, thank you, thank you, thank you! May the God of creation who sees all bless each one of you richly!

Weston concludes with this:

Dear Brethren and Co-workers, please be encouraged by reading all of Isaiah 35, which beautifully describes how God will heal the earth and the lives of those suffering physical challenges such as blindness and deafness. 

Yes, brethren. Read Isaiah instead of expecting us to tell you anything about the grace, peace, and rest that come with following Jesus. God forbid if Weston ever talked about that! 

Thank you again for your loyal support with your prayers, tithes, and offerings this past year. There is good news in the future for the people of God. Let us not faint in this day of adversity (Proverbs 24:10) and let us do what we are able while we have time.

24 comments:

  1. I scanned the coworker letter text and it made me uneasy. After some thought, I understood why. The text focuses on salvation as a transaction. You do A and god gives you B. It does not focus so much on salvation as free gift that produces transformation - that the heart is changed and this results in a new life. As a business letter it isn't bad. As a letter of Christian encouragement it could use some revision.


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  2. The gospel is that people can acquire immortality. Otherwise Christ's instruction to His generation of "repent for the kingdom is at hand" makes no sense. It's a trait of all governments though out history to distort morality in their favor. So Herbs "government is everything" and that the gospel is all about government is to be expected.

    And no, Christ DID NOT commend the widow who gave all to charity. Read the account. He simply stated that she gave more than others. What she did was foolish, she was the one in need of charity. Since the purpose of a moral code is the preservation of life and the achievement of success (the reason Christ gave for healing on the Sabbath), the widows action make no moral sense.

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  3. And what did GW see, what did he witness, to qualify him to preach the gospel as a testimony/witness-Mat 24:14?

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  4. Anon: 4:47 said:
    "The gospel is......."
    "
    Very perceptive. That gospel message got Paul judged as "are you mad" by Festus I do believe.

    But I do believe that Christ did commend the widow and her actions did make moral sense. But not in any agreement with Gerald Weston's portrayal of the event. His portrayal reminds me of my teenage youth when me and my buddies after turning 16 somehow all bought cars for $400.00 or less but could scarcely afford the gasoline. "Rolling" into the service station one day - getting full service - windows washed, tires checked, oil checked, we only got one dollar of gas and paid for it with 100 pennies. The next pump over was one of the Kennedy's who lived 2 miles from us and she got her car completely filled up for $20.00 and handed the attendant a $10.00 tip. Gerald Weston is that attendant, who by the way made $.03 off of us and $10.60 off of Miss Kennedy. So would Gerald still be thankful if I sent him one penny a week for 52 weeks and he had to mail me an end of the year statement using a $.55 cent stamp?

    The widow's action was an action of commendation because it was an act of worship just like Mary's was with the expensive ointment. The disciples in that instance thought it best that that ointment should have been sold and given to the poor (a good moral judgement). Jesus Christ in settling what really is actually good, qualified an act of worship as the preservation of life and ultimate success regardless of how foolish or wasteful it is.

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  5. 8.36 PM
    Mary's expensive ointment was obviously an act of worship, but there is no mention that it presented all that she owned. That the widow's action was an act of worship is unknown. The bible does not say. Neither did Christ specifically commend her for it. Her action smells of Pharisees not supporting their parents with the excuse that the money was given to God, which Christ condemned. The greedy Pharisees might have brainwashed or deceived widows to hand over all their possessions, including their houses, just as Dave Pack has done today.
    Taking the limited information given at face value, the widow's action was foolish.

    Btw, books on investment re-state Christ's point that the widow gave more than the others with statements such as "the utility of the increase in wealth is inversely proportional to the wealth already owned." They claim that this was discerned a few hundred years ago.

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  6. WHAT ABOUT THE TRUTH said...


    Anon: 4:47 said:

    "But I do believe that Christ did commend the widow and her actions did make moral sense."

    Let's see, the temple and items in it were made of pure gold, the cedars of Lebanon, and huge stones brought in from miles away, all paid for from the spoils of war and killings, as well as heavy taxation on the Jews. Solomon taxed those who couldn't afford it to death, and I'm sure Herod did the same. And all Jesus could say about it is "The poor you will have with you always". And, today all "ministers" do is make people feel guilty if they don't pay "tithes" and offerings, sacrifice their mites so that those greedy sons of hell can live in luxury.

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  7. The archetype of the poor but spiritually mature widow is an Armstrongist mythology. This was much used from the pulpit in the old WCG. For instance, I can recall a local deacon waxing effusive over how the widow, against all expectation, was going to be ahead of everyone else in the Kingdom of God. I recall this same imagery being used at the FoT - probably around offering time. The Widow's Mite was powerful in getting people give what they could not reasonably afford.

    This poor widow imagery is completely discordant with what was believed by the ministry of the WCG - the ministry was superior now and for eternity. We can then expect that the Splinterist ministers, being consistent, believe that they will be the rulers and leaders in the Kingdom of God and will rule over lay members. That the Splinterist authoritarian governmental structure will be mapped into the Kingdom of God. (No doubt there will be a war in heaven over what Splinterist leader is the greatest.) That is why HWA was confident he was going to occupy a position directly under Abraham or Noah or whomever.

    (An interesting sidebar on the history of Armstrongist racial attitudes. Waterhouse stated that HWA was likely to work with Noah because Noah separated the races into their various locales. Waterhouse saw HWA naturally as the man who would re-implement segregation in the Kingdom of God since HWA had brought that value to the WCG, hence, HWA would be Noah's right-hand man. I am not against preserving local color but I think that most, other than Trump followers, would be appalled at what Waterhouse meant by the word "segregation.")

    I heard this idea of the Kingdom of God in structure looking pretty much like the church years ago from a Pasadena graduate as something that was formally taught. But I have seldom heard it since. I think the idea plays so poorly in the pews that you would probably have to corner a Splinterist minister and drag a statement about this out of him. If you are a Splinterist, just remember in your dealings with your minister, he believes he is going to rule over you for eternity. You and your concerns might be easily deferred. And the mythical poor widow does not have a chance.

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  8. Does anyone think that Christ wasn't aware that if He commended the widow (which He didn't) for giving all she had to charity, that blood sucking preachers like Dave Pack would shout this from the roof tops? Christ was careful not to endorse such behavior.

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  9. Why do some people in the comment section of this blog persistently try to malign Trump as a racist? Is it solely because of the "fine people" hoax? Historically, it was the Democrats that have always fought segregation. And paradoxically today, we have leftist organizations like BLM now trying to re-segregate. Trump has absolutely no history of racism. Full stop!

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  10. For Non_Ecliptic_Orbit:

    Interesting and informative. I was a member of WCG decades ago, but I had not heard some of those church views. I would be interested in hearing more as various topics come up.

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  11. Speaking of Solomon. The bible speaks highly of him at his death. I Kings 11:41, but he put harsh labor and heavy burdens upon his people who wanted Rehoboam to lighten the load. Rehoboam told them, "My father scourged you with whips but I will scourge you with scorpions". We know what happened then! I think David and Solomon used them in heavy slave labor and enormous taxation to build the Temple.

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  12. "Trump has absolutely no history of racism. Full stop!"

    It would be interesting to know why and how anybody would construct this delusion for themselves. This is like saying George Wallace or Lester Maddox had no history of racism. This may reduce some nagging reservoir of cognitive dissonance somehow. No doubt such surrealism has a therapeutic value to the believer. I just can't imagine what it is.

    And before you write it, I would be classed by most as a conservative. Trump, on the other hand, is not a conservative but an egocentric, populist demagogue.

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  13. Nck wrote:
    "NEO makes thkngs up many times.
    Nck
    January 5, 2021 at 9:28 AM"

    What exactly did he make up? I heard this exact same stuff in the Dayton Ohio church growing up and in Pasadena during the "liberal" years from 1976-1990

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  14. Ah. Thanks No2HWA.
    I always think NEO attended a locale with a bizarre pastor spouting perdonal pet theories somewhere in Kansas, since he comes up with stuff regularly that I never saw, read or heard of in my decades in WCG (and certainly not in print), overlapping the exact period you mention in several different countries.

    I hope you noticed I did NOT call NEO a LIAR. I deliberately steered to a suspicion of concoction.

    I readily admit I never heard Blackwell speak in person or visited the Ohio area.

    Nck

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  15. Nck:

    Sorry you think I made this and other things up. My memory may not be precise after all these years but I do not manufacture events out of whole cloth. Not only would that be without purpose but un-Christian and pretty foolish. I do not have the temerity of Donald Trump. And I would not be inclined to introduce concocted stories to this blog especially. Many of the people who follow this blog are experts in Armstrongism with years of first-hand experience.


    Let me give you more details on what the AC grad told me.

    1. The whole idea of a mapping between heaven and earth is based on how the tabernacle (I don't recall if it was the tent or the building) was to be designed and constructed. The tabernacle was supposed to be based on the corresponding tabernacle in heaven.

    2. Animals that we have on earth may be replicas of spirit composed animals in heaven.

    3. The structure of authority and rank in the church will be carried over into heaven.

    4. The AC grad, one of my buddies, told me who taught this and where but I do not remember. I would guess that the idea is not documented anywhere. There may be something in that book that HWA wrote about the future - Tomorrow's World or something like that.

    NO2HWA: Thanks for the corroboration. -- Neo

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  16. NEO, what's interesting is how you state Trump must be a racist because some other people have a history of being racist. Comparing apples and oranges because it must always be orange-man-bad! How disappointing it must be for you to find no evidence of Trump's racism.
    So sad, many others have failed too, many such cases!

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  17. Weston expounds on what he perceives is the gospel by writing the following end results:
    ******
    "...The Gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God means Jesus Christ will come back to rule this troubled planet and He will appoint His servants to be the rulers under Him in His millennial reign (Zechariah 14:9; Ezekiel 37:24-25; Luke 19:16-19; Revelation 20:4)..."
    ******

    And then Weston explains the end-results of that gospel

    ******
    "...It means an end to warfare and to rampant crime where the criminal is let off and the victim suffers. It means the end of rape, murder, and robbery. And, thank God, it means the end of political campaigns filled with lies, hypocrisy, and broken promises..."
    ******
    Should we very soon expect an end to warfare, an end to rampant crime, an end of rape, an end of murder, an end of robbery, and the end of political campaigns filled with lies, hypocrisy and broken promises?

    Weston, as if driven by another spirit (lying, as in John 8:44?) is sharing his idea of another Jesus, another gospel rather than the one God by His Spirit through His Son has actually given to us.

    If, for example, warfare were to end,as Weston has theorized, then why would we read about the following over a 1,000 years from today: yet way off in the future?

    Revelation 20:7 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
    :8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea."

    Do those verses show that warfare, usually associated with battle, would end anytime soon on this planet?

    Will Weston someday revise his theory and come to believe in "another gospel" other than the one he now professes to think is true?

    Time will tell...

    John

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  18. Another thought came to mind as I considered Weston's conclusion where He wrote the following:
    ******
    "...Dear Brethren and Co-workers, please be encouraged by reading all of Isaiah 35, which beautifully describes how God will heal the earth and the lives of those suffering physical challenges such as blindness and deafness..."
    ******
    Of course, Weston, like Doug Winnail, and many of the xcog leaders want us to think, as we were taught in the former WCG, that those verses apply during their "very soon" Mickey Mouse Millennium, but God will fulfill those words during the time of the Eighth Day: God's last, 7th, annual Festival.

    Oh, Isaiah 35 is very encouraging, but they don't hold up when people, by another spirit, preach another Jesus and another gospel than what God's Son actually preached.

    But, the world is still deceived by the father of lies/murders, and a deceived Weston still does not know, and/but God's will be done, and...

    Time will tell...

    John

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  19. Anonymous (2:43), you wrote "How disappointing it must be for you to find no evidence of Trump's racism. So sad, many others have failed too, many such cases!"

    Did I say I was looking for evidence? I don't need to look for evidence, you do. You need to get off your butt (or maybe you will need to sit down for this) and surf the web just a little and you will find a history of Trump's racism. This assumes you have not really heard his words or seen his behavior over the last four years so you need to see something in writing to believe it. You need to learn how to research the claims people make instead of just gullibly swallowing everything that comes from a pro-Trump source. If you listen only to Fox News that is something that needs to change or you will never be able to be a normal human being. I am not going to find the evidence for you when you desperately need to go through the exercise of finding the evidence yourself. This could be life changing for you. And lastly you need to ask yourself why you really love Donald. It can't be because he plays golf all day instead of doing the work of the President.

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  20. The belief that the church power structure will be carried into the kingdom squares with indications that ministers believe that they are also defining the future kingdom. Hence what ever they teach will be the official doctrines in the world tomorrow, even if it is nonsense. Which explains the ferociousness with which 'dissidents' are dwelt with, and members with better morals are persecuted in order to keep them out of the kingdom.

    It's laughable that ministers who live in a ivory tower and have never had a real job will have top jobs in the kingdom. They are so backward and ignorant, and don't even know it.

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  21. NEO, I don't like Trump all that much or watch Fauxnews. I have just failed to find any evidence of racism in Trump's past or in his behavior. I could be wrong if you would only share the facts and not just other talking heads gullibly repeating RACIST or NAZI at every given chance.

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  22. Dave Letterman accused Trump of being a racist before he became the president. Dave apologized and had him back as a guest.

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  23. NEO

    1st. I think your Widow's mite theorizing is interesting. 2nd On one of the "Pack" threads I seconded you on the "ritualized return of christ" prophesying by Pack and took your theory a step further into comparing it to the Medieaval Mystery Playes to teach the Commoners on the gospel, where the playing of the mystery is the religious act in itself.

    I will also say that your "new aproach" on banned establishes more rapport with my personality type.

    After all when people exchange "Happy New Years", old nck here merely thinks of the completion of a planet circling a dying star.

    "So in heaven so on earth", "as above, so below."
    I sit here on the largest collection of Hermes Trismegistus" original prints.

    Ok.
    WCG believed that all PEOPLES would return to their designated places.
    It would be a PET THEORY to narrow that down to RACES.
    These two specifications are not interchangeable. WCG believed that even the tribes would return to their designated places and speculated that they would be ruled by David.

    Also when the United States Christian folk established Liberia, this was not done or originating from racist ideas but from liberal ideas.

    Also I do second that WCG's Kingdom or John's Mickey Mouse millenium would be established with a rod of iron.

    However, it was not to continue that way.

    NEVER did I hear that ministers would be ENTITLED to HIGH positions.
    Official doctrine was that the LAY members would be the new Priesthood ruling the nations and later the Universe.

    THIS PRIESTHOOD OF THE LAY MEMBERS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE UNITED STATES AS A NATION.

    The thought that people/beings could be equals and ordinary folk could ASCEND TO RULING OTHERS THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF DIGNIFIED RULE OF SELF is the one of the bases of Enlightenment and ALL PERVASIVE IN ALL the foundational legal documents initiating the lasting experiment called the United States.

    It is impossible to understand the nature of WCG, Herbert W Armstrong without understanding the times, family and location from which WCG originated.

    Not many understand that when I speak of the NAMES of the statues on the AC campus or the Philosophy of the Sculpture, Architects and Garden architects that came to PHILOSOPHICAL AGREEMENT with HWA before accepting their respective commissions.

    I am totally dismayed that Ambassador College did not succeed in transferring the lofty Commission to its students or present ministers in the splinters. I am moreso dismayed that even when you were a youngsters people did not even at minimum seem to grasp the Vision that laid a the foundation of the organization.

    From its conception it seems people sought the MINIMUM interpretation. Peoples and people became "races" as was the custom in the backyards from where those rednecks hailed. Praiseworthy behavior by widows became a treasure trove and hunt for money to "get the gospel out" and "leadership to nudge or lead man into life, liberty and success, became a means of controlling other human beings and steering of the human spirit instead of letting it SOAR as the Swans in Big Sandy symbolized or we payed millions to have the greatest spirits mankind produced have that perform on the Auditorium stage.

    nck









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