More craziness from Phialdpahia Church of God's Andrew Locher. Exit and Support Network has this up:
May 2, 2021
Andrew Locher gave a sermon on April 24 about “Reviving the Elijah Work.” It was just another boring sermon about how the book of Malachi (which has “code” in chapter 3) is written to the Laodicean ministry, and HWA and GF are in it, and GF who is Elisha has “revelation” and must prophesy again.
Only a few highlights and news from the sermon: (comments by L. S.)
“We had more people attending services in 1999 than we do today. … We need bigger congregations. Are we praying hard enough?” (Translation: Are we sending enough money in?)
Well, duh! Abuse your people for so long a time that they finally leave. Split up families, destroy marriages, prohibit contact with loved ones, and constantly berate members for not doing enough to support the work and they will leave (at least the smart ones).
“After the world collapses they will say “there was a prophet among them.” (Lie: There are no prophets today, in spite of GF claiming to be “that Prophet.”)
And just who would that be? Dave Pack thinks he is a prophet. Bob Thiel is adamant that he is one. Ron Weinland says he is one. The COG has so many prophets right now that if HWA were alive he would kick their sorry asses out of the church so fast their heads would be spinning. The problem that remains is that not one single one of them has any truth to tell us or the world.
“When God says He will send his messenger in Malachi 3, that is a coded message.”
“The three messengers in Malachi are: John the Baptist, Christ and HWA.” (Lie: There is no 3rd messenger in Malachi 3.)
Herbert Armstrong was never some messenger to the church after 1,800 years. To say that invalidates the men and women over the centuries who led the church through good and bad times. The jump from Jesus to HWA and naturally to Flurry is 100% wrong.
“The work of Elisha that God said He gave the little book to, his job is to prophesy again, and give this warning to the Laodiceans.” (Lies: Elisha and Laodiceans are not even mentioned in Malachi. This is all part of GF’s so-called “revelations.”)
“We better recognize where God is working.” (God works in many places, not just in PCG.)
Every single COG out there makes this same preposterous claim. They and they alone are God's work. Pure unadulterated crap! The COG has no need for any prophet, apostle, Elisha, or Elijah in this day and age. If they actually followed that inconvenient dude that they ignore 99% of the time and actually paid attention to his words then they would know they have no need for prophets, even when people like Bob Thiel lies and say we do.
“The Key of David is no longer on two national stations. … God made that happen. But God has added close to 30 new television stations in the past few weeks.”
“The ministry is increasingly becoming graduates.” (of Armstrong College) (That way they are more submissive to “God’s government”; i. e., PCG HQs and there is less chance of them leaving.)
While I think it may be true that these graduates who make up most of PCG's ministry now will be more submissive to HQ, there is also a strong chance that these same graduates will be the rule-breakers when Flurry dies. They may form the catalyst for changes in the PCG.
“Our primary and our distinguishing blessing is God’s new revelation. That’s what distinguishes us.” (That’s what distinguishes a group as a cult.)
New revelation about a dirty stone from Oregon? Does Jesus even care about it? NO!
Finances: 2021 is stunning. As of today, our income is 30% increase over last year (which was the best ever). Holy day offerings this spring are at their highest levels they’ve ever been–8-10% increase over last year (last year being the biggest). GF announced we received a million dollar donation and that’s on top of all this record breaking other donations. Best year ever in first tithe, best year ever in holy day offerings, best year ever in third tithe–by a long shot.” (Could that be how all those new TV stations are being paid for?)
PCG's 30% income jump is also thanks to the church not having to pay for hall rental for PCG church services.
“We’ve had a terrific year in Canada. Income in Canada right now is 330% increase over last year. We received $1.1 million dollars so far this year in Estate income in Canada. So Mr. Heyer’s (Carlos Heyer) prayer for multiple millions–God is doing it. It’s happening in the United States; it’s happening in Canada; holy day offerings are up all over the globe as far as I can see. Mr. Heyer brings back a huge amount of money. The sacrifice of the brethren there. He brings back thousands and thousands of dollars from Central and South America.” (The poor members in those countries are giving money they don’t really have. And Locher encourages them to keep on giving!)
“The Gulfstream G450 Jet is now paid off. We own it. God’s church is debt free. We don’t own anything to anybody–except to God. We own everything–Edstone, Edmond, all the equipment, the aircraft, the vehicles. We own God’s revelation, the most valuable gift of all.” (Where did this million dollars really come from? Read April 5 letter above, “PCG’s $1 Million Offering Sounds Suspicious.”)
“The 3 Elijahs are: John the Baptist, the original Elijah and Herbert W. Armstrong.” (Lie: HWA isn’t in the book of Malachi. There are no three Elijahs.)
“Increase if we can as the offerings are so important for God’s Work.” (The words “if we can” will be ignored by the members and they will give all they can. The money is so important for GF’s ego.)
“The Laodicean approach is that it is all in vain. They are tired. But God commands us to have some joy, some excitement, to stir that Spirit.”
“Imagine what it would be like if you were totally submissive and totally dedicated to God.” (Yes, imagine the heavy burdens and the empty pocketbooks.)
In PCG submission to God is irrelevant, submission to the church hierarchy and its leadership trump submission to God,
–[name withheld] (comments by L. S.)
16 comments:
I think it's time to give PCG a little credit. Those of us who thought a church of "Flurry" wouldn't amount to anything have been proven wrong. After 30+ years, it's still going - and apparently growing. Not at 1980s-WCG levels, but it is.
But what's with all these threes that supposedly are in Malachi? Is PCG setting members up for a triune God teaching?
A million-dollar bequest is NOT growing. Their actual numbers are dropping. Let's wait and see what they say next year.
Members in the ACOGs are dropping like flies from old age, so of course their first tithes will sky rocket due to estate donations.
Again they hide that every member has direct access to Gods throne. No prophet or middle-man minister is required. When are members ever advised to takes their problems directly to God rather than their minister?
When I informed one minister that God was offering me a wife outside the church, he refused to have anything to do with the two of us. Btw, it's more difficult for members to leave the church if both the husband and wife are church members. So the church's policy is self serving. Obeying God rather than man isn't in their thinking.
This god that tries to reveal in codes, needs a Gulfstream Jet, is the author of who knows what more confusion and inspires magical thinking in his servants needs a psych exam. I think he can get in right after Dave Pack's god get his.
Poor Bob Thiel. Now that PCG has the rights to ALL revelations, what is there left for Bob to tell us? Not that he has said anything significant for the last 10 years. It must be so humiliating to be so low down the COG totem pole.
I feel for Bob Thiel.
He must be totally p*ssed in reading about the ‘success’ of pcog.
For we know he reads this blog. He just loves reading about himself, the good the bad and the ugly. Well let’s delete the ‘good’ at least.
Worldwide during its heyday used to brag about all its donations and jets and Ambassador Auditorium, but that all eventually went away one by one & now HWA's legacy is seen as tragic, destructive one and he is seen as one of the most selfish men who ever lived by those that really knew him.
Revelation 3:17--
You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Shows you how lucrative religion is to this day: Even if you're teaching junk like British-Israelism + tired, worn-out discredited Adventist heresies, you can still rake in enough to buy a private jet!
Doesn't the awful Kenneth Copeland also have a jet?
“The three messengers in Malachi are: John the Baptist, Christ and HWA.” - from this post
"Then suddenly I thought of Herbert and was rather worried." - Loma Armstrong's Dream
I may have been present when the idea that HWA was a special messenger was first promulgated. I remember that HWA on one of his visits to Big Sandy back in the Seventies and gave either a sermon or Bible Study. I think it as the latter. It seems like I recall him sitting on the stage at a table in the Field House.
(I am trying to add some corroborative detail for Nck. Much of what HWA and others said from the pulpit is undocumented. If sound recordings do exist, no doubt access to them is limited by policy and technological challenge. Unfortunate because this body of preaching is rich with "smoking guns." But the absence of these records does support deniability. Right, Nck?)
To continue: HWA brought a new insight to us that day. He said that a young minister in Pasadena approached him and convinced him that he, HWA, was the angel of the church in Philadelphia (How is it that Armstrongists came to believe that a place name like Philadelphia was indicative of a spiritual state? If that is a meme to be relied on, there is certainly no broad evidence that it is empirically true of the dark world of autocratic Splinterdom").
He further explained that the word "angelos" could be translated "messenger", rather than an angelic being, and that was at least one of his roles - to be a messenger to the Philadelphian church. (Sorry for all the parentheticals but when HWA passed away, was there ever an orderly process for passing this responsibility on to someone else? I know many have appropriated the role but how do they credential themselves? After all, the role was so important that it was mentioned in Revelation. Elisha was anointed by Elijah and yet we saw nothing like that kind of formalism in the WCG.)
HWA was very much taken with this insight. He thought it was both great and profound. So much so that after he finished this discussion HWA stated that the young minister "probably needs to be ordained an Evangelist" then a pause for drama. Well, I guess being an Evangelist rank minister at that time probably wasn't what it used to be. If that's all it took.
I really never heard anything about this again after that time in the WCG. It is interesting to see the concept emerge in this post.
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Gerald Flurry and his family will do very well by stealing all the tithe and offering money and by inheriting other people's estates.
The little accomplices and supporters of that false prophet will not do so well.
When you define your growth with money it’s always the selfish narcissist ones who brag the most. No matter how much WCG took in, Herb was never satisfied. The members should always give more. Gerald is no different.
Doesn't the awful Kenneth Copeland also have a jet?
Hold on to your chair (ha ha!) for this one...
Hi NEO.
It's not so much about corroborrative evidence. It's about the authority of the evidence presented and the one who presents it within a body of context and other authoratative sources.
In the case of WCG there is hierarchy to0, lots of "speculation" in single services by single pastors (or other "rank" speculation, then there is the "to be played in all churches", then a "booklet", even the STP is a source of the 1977 state of things, WWN doctrine proclamation and the Pastor General report and member letters.
A single disgruntled member is not a source.
I know about the "3 angel message" circulating since the early '30's but that's another topic.
Anyway. All this "bible name" calling is a quest for legitimacy. It is the "mythical identification" of ancient heroes. Christ did legitimice himself as THE fulfillment of the law, HWA said he was of the stock of David, General Patton said I AM Hannibal, not I'd like to be remembered as someone like Hannibal. It's the romantic (19th century) way of putting things.
nck
NEO, i’ve been enjoying reading your comments although we agree on nothing in politics. I hope your research leads to a book to further the body of knowledge and history. I once heard Herbert W Armstrong state from the pulpit when he took the stage to address the church, “ Greetings Philadelphia Church of God”. It’s no stretch that HWA considered himself the angel or messenger of the Philadelphia era.
“The Gulfstream G450 Jet is now paid off. We own it. God’s church is debt free. We don’t own anything to anybody–except to God. We own everything–Edstone, Edmond, all the equipment, the aircraft, the vehicles. We own God’s revelation, the most valuable gift of all.”
A fat wallet equals grand boasting!
“The 3 Elijahs are: John the Baptist, the original Elijah and Herbert W. Armstrong.”
So which "Elijah" work is PCG reviving? The original Elijah who lived in the wilderness drinking water out of a brook and eating food from a Raven who simply called for fire from heaven to initiate repentance from worshiping Baal or John the Baptist who lived in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey and drinking from the river Jordan who used words and water only to initiate a great repentance or Herbert Armstrong who resided in a mansion eating the finest foods a cafeteria full of workers or restaurant could provide and initiated a great save your ass following from the message of doom?
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