It has always been fascinating to watch the Church of God movement over the decades as they fell in and out of getting wrapped up in conspiracy theories and "doom and gloom" scenarios. Sadly, without either of these in play, the church had no influence or a sustainable money stream to work with. The more they can whip the members up into a frenzy the better. Everything's wrong in the world around them and woe is me.
The Worldwide Church of God at one point realized that this scenario did not work so well and they started the Tomorrow's World Magazine. It was supposed to highlight the good in both the daily lives of church members and provide a foretaste of the kingdom they imagined would soon be coming. As most of us know, that magazine soon went by the wayside till the Living Church of God took the name and applied it to their pseudo-spiritual mess.
When Garner Ted Armstrong was at his height he used to brag that he had the bible in one hand and the news in the other when he spoke, not so with his son Mark Armstrong. Mark never wanted to be a church leader but was forced into it by his mother as they both knew they would have no income coming in if he didn't do it.
The Good News of Jesus, which Christians have embraced for centuries apparently has no meaning to him, propaganda and doom and gloom do though.
So this brings us to today and the message he believes his followers need to hear, ripped straight from the pages of NewsMax.
Greetings from Tyler,
Analysts are starting to wonder aloud whether Putin is winning the war in Ukraine. We see that some territory has been reclaimed, and a Russian ship blown up near Odessa. But the refugees are streaming out, and the radio tells us we’ll get 100,000 of them here in the U. S. It’s hard to know what or who to believe with the news coming constantly. It’s hard to see Vladimir calling the whole thing off and declaring victory. But everybody is nervous. By everybody, we’re talking about all the current and former politicians who were using the country as a corrupt piggy bank.
Justin Trudeau got told off to his face in the Canadian parliament. It looked like he might have been crying. Hard to tell with his mask covering most of his face, but he didn’t look happy. He got told off again, called a dictator and asked, politely, to “spare us your presence” at the meetings in Brussels where world leaders have convened to talk about the war in Ukraine. Too bad Gavin Newsome wasn’t there.
All the airline execs have signed a letter saying the mask mandate on airplanes is a burden upon employees who were never trained as enforcement agents. Airlines have hospital-grade filtered air on their airplanes, and many of the contentious episodes resulting in passengers being removed from flights and charged with crimes is because stewardesses, uglier than ever, are now barking orders instead of serving drinks. It’s not about a disease, it’s all about control.
Gas prices are near record levels. There’s little debate as to why, although we’ve been programmed to blame everything on Putin’s invasion. The government response has been, not to release the oil companies to drill proven reserves, but to try and buy oil from the likes of Venezuela and producers in the Middle East. Not to mention drawing down our national reserves. But they’ve got another idea. Why not issue government sponsored credit cards that people can use to buy gas? Inflation? Anybody? We certainly wouldn’t want to irritate the squad!
We hope you’ve seen the woman at the swim meet. About the large guy in a girl’s swimsuit she said, “I’m a woman, and that’s not a woman.” Some idiot from a couple rows below says, “What are you, a biologist?” She says, “No, and I’m not a vet, but I know a dog when I see one.” Maybe you’ve already seen the exchange, but it’s still funny. They asked the Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji if she could define what a woman is, and she said she couldn’t, she’s not a biologist. We don’t need to see how she’ll vote on every issue before the High Court, everything will be totally predictable.
Wouldn’t it be something if the world is plunged into war, and U. S. leadership is utterly compromised from the outset. You wonder when the information we Americans are finding out will ever be recognized by the mainstream. They’re supposed to be telling us what is going on, but it looks like they’re the last to know. Even when nearly everybody (who’s paying attention) knows the answer, the mainstream has never heard the question.
Nobody could write a novel containing all that is afoot in high places. Who’d believe it? If somebody wrote a true rendition about what’s transpiring in our daily news, it would seem too fictional. But it’s our reality in 2022. Maybe some of this nightmare can be turned around, we surely hope so. On the other hand, it could get worse. With the U. S. fighting for the Western “values,” and the corruption that has taken place in high places it’s difficult to say who the good guys are. All this is certainly not the fault of Ukrainian civilians. It’s not our fault either. We don’t believe that a man can put on women’s clothes, and presto! Everyone is at pains to call it a girl, or suffer the wrath of social media, the corporations and the mainstream. That’s one of the “values” that’s being fought over. One thing we know for sure, you can’t imbibe too much tribulation without an emotional reaction. We just don’t know who all we should be mad at. None of this is going without notice. May God’s Will be done in His time. Propaganda means nothing to Him.
Mark
Imagine what the Churches of God could be if they decided to preach a message of hope and joy, even in the face of troubling times? That's what Christians have done for centuries and what sustains Christians in countries where they are being martyred. They don't dwell on the present evils but realize that peace is already in them and an even greater joy awaits them.
Imagine what a COG would be like if they actually believed in the kingdom they so long for and lived it in their present-day lives and preached it.
Imagine no more doom and gloom sermons.
Imagine happy, joyful, and peaceful members, who trust in something greater than they can imagine and have confidence in that, even in the face of troubles that may be coming.
Imagine what the Church of God would be like if they actually followed that Jesus they claim to and actually had confidence in his message.
18 comments:
Mark Armstrong is just as sick as Bill Watson of Church of God International. Both of them are so wrapped up in conspiracy theories and useless bullshit that they both make their churches look bad.
This headline theology was started by Herbert Armstrong. Hence, it is not surprising that both his physical and spiritual descendants would continue in the same vein. The startling thing is that, after ninety years of this stuff, anyone continues to buy what these guys are shoveling! Still, I wouldn't hold my breath for a change in messaging (death from oxygen deprivation is sure to follow).
Fact: Both political parties are totally FUBAR, and there is corruption in each. This is what happens when primary motivation is to preserve power, as opposed to serve the people. It is not as if one party is of God and the other is of Satan. They both reek!
Newsmax has gone too far, bending over backwards to counter the bias in the mainstream news media. They are now producing much more totally fake news than the mainstream ever put out. The story that the election was stolen has been disproven hundreds of different times and in hundreds of different ways in many cases by the people whom Donald Trump supported or appointed.
Mark should know that truth does not reside in one side or the other. It lies in between. I don't know why professing Christians blind themselves to that fact, and allow themselves to be polarized, and then encourage others to do so in the guise of truth. Each side lionizes the cartoonish characters on the other side, whether it be AOC or Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Mark Armstrong and Bill Watson are not neutral ambassadors for the Kingdom of God. They are radical Republicans who believe that any sympathies with liberal solutions put us on the highway to hell.
When was Mark Armstrong ever a Christian?
I've never met Mark and know nothing about him except that he was the son of GTA. I do wonder if he is frustrated and a bit bitter if he was "forced" into this position out of the expectations of others. It sometimes happens that the oldest son is "expected" to follow in the footsteps of the old man, even if his talents and passions lie elsewhere. This can be especially troublesome as he ages and feels as if he has been boxed in and grieves over who he might have been and what he might have accomplished in another field. Or, he might be a lazy guy with little motivation, just taking up space and he's OK with that. Does anyone out there know him? Of course, as in many churches, there's a lot of play acting in public and sometimes we know really very little about others, even if we've interacted with them for quite some time.
Its like hes just reading from a list of FB-manufactured outrages.
I think it's just his most bankable skill, 1:42, and pretty much all he knows to do. Subsequent generations of powerful, prominent families have enjoyed mixed rates of success. The Hearsts are most likely the primary example of this. The Barrymores, the Fondas. There aren't too many Joel Osteens in the field of religion, who took what their fathers did to the next level. Most, if they are lucky, are more like Franklin Graham, or Martin Luther King's sons. Even in the field of music, there are more Frank Sinatra Jr.'s than Hank Williams Jr.'s.
Sadly, I believe that GTA was actually outperforming HWA, but he was unable to control his appetites, and people took it seriously when HWA pulled the plug. It's all so ironic, because there has been first person testimony of Ted and Mark carrying a drunken HWA to his bed numerous evenings. Mark might have had greater opportunities had he chosen to go with his grandfather rather than his dad. But, he made his choices and is what he is today.
There have been numerous famous people of strict religious backgrounds who found themselves in deep, weird personal struggles. Jerry Lee Lewis is certainly one of them, as were Little Richard Penniman, Michael Jackson, and even Elvis. GTA and Mark certainly fit into that same category.
I've never liked conspiracy theories, and certainly don't appreciate a second rate minister spewing such stupid nonsense.
Imagine no more doom and gloom sermons.
Once God's Kingdom comes to Earth, there probably still will be some.
Telling human survivors they need to repent before they "die" - or warning of what could happen to rebellious-minded people when Satan is loosed from bondage at the end of the Millennium.
That day you imagine is, I fear, a long, long way away.
Conspiracy theories are entertaining food for a bull-session. The problem is, in the old WCG, they were presented as plausible explanations, which were gradually elevated to truth, and we were taught to believe them. Hence, "How did you come to learn about the truth?"
Back in 1978, when GTA got his ouster, large Los Angeles TV station KTLA channel 5, offered Ted a $250k a year (nearly 1 Million in todays money) to be a news anchor for them.
Obviously Ted declined, but it does show the market appeal of a News Max, commentary type of format. Im sure that has never been lost on the Mark Armstrong alter ego, and for all of us, your parents (good or bad) have tremendous influence on our life zeitgeist.
Tonto
A news anchor does not have the same power as does a religious leader. A religious leader can get a great sense of power by "counseling members," ie, lording it over others. GTA turned down the offer because he chose power over money.
I got out of ICG after GTA died. There were a lot of Jan 6th people in ICG, even back then. This sort of thing is right up their alley. I remember talk about “who was going to be loyal to Mark.”
Paul Ray
I see Mark is like Bob Thiel. Both need to be seen with their big thick Bibles, something neither of them knows much about.
The little ICG rebel group was all about supporting GTA's playboy lifestyle. Besides rebelling and screwing around, all GTA knew how to do was babble about news trivia: blah, blah, blah....
A Supreme court nominee can't define what a woman is and you want to call Mark and Bill conspiracy theorist? Go figure!
Contrary to some posters, I've decided that the narrow gate is a healthy respect for prophesy and the consequences of not doing things Gods' way.
Yes, this losers' blog criticizes ACOG world as being weird, while wallowing in the world of Woke Liberals where a man gets an award as a woman of the year, where "men" give birth to children, etc.
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