Enabler-in-Chief (Part 4)
“Doctor Feelbad”
While Bradford G. Schleifer remains the Enabler-in-Chief and Edward L. Winkfield secures his slot as Stepford Prime, there are other “ministers” inside the Restored Church of God who give legitimacy to the biblical illusions of David C. Pack.
In years past, any mention of Dave from the lectern was edited out before it was released to the church. That was MPS (Media Production Services) policy per Brad. It was the way things were when I joined in December of 2012 up until about 2018-2019. Then, more comments were deemed “fine” to let through. It was a troubling sign of the sea change to occur at Headquarters.
Ministers in the early days of RCG were instructed, “Do not mention Mr. Pack. Give your own message.” Unnecessary comments or giving praise were removed so that no one outside Headquarters saw “ministers flattering Mr. Pack.” This was especially true for the field ministers who spoke at the Feast.
Dave must have NEEDED the public support because those types of comments were left “as is” increasingly as time went on.
Supporting Dave and his prophetic madness now seems to be a badge of honor. A “minister” can seek to ingratiate himself to The Apostle by becoming a human shield for religious fraud and then possibly be “rewarded for loyalty” in some way. (I do not know why a raise in rank or living on the campus comes to mind. Forgive me, as this is probably just the way my tiny serpent brain works.)
There are different levels of Damage Control. In Part 2, Brad twisted numbers and misleadingly presented them. In Part 3, Ed went "whole hog" crafting a public relations stunt disguised as a sermon.
Dr. Frederik Jaco Viljoen might be in the #5 slot of RCG, but it becomes blurry after #4 since some men share similar rank and “pull” inside the organization. More and more “lesser ministers” seem encouraged to prop up Dave these days.
On February 20, 2021, Dr. Viljoen gave his, “Let the Past Go!” sermon at Headquarters. Out of the blue, he wedged in a head-scratcher of a concept that tied into the Prophecy Series.
@ 45:40 …even from failures that you and I can learn from. One thing that helps us, brethren, thinking about why should we let go, just think about an example of the Prophecy Series that we’ve been part of…We went through sharp bends as we learned what God has in store for us in the near future. Stay with the Present Truth.Stay with the picture God has given us right now…If we go back too far back in the past with the many questions, the things that we heard in the past, those things can trip us up. It can prevent us from growing…If we dwell too much in the past, even on the past messages that we heard, those things can become difficult for you and me.
The two-minute unedited quote is worthwhile:
Forget Parts of the Series
When he said this, I sat straight up in my chair as high as I could without standing and slowly scanned the entire room. Did anyone else catch what I just heard? I wondered if I was going to make eye contact with anyone else in disbelief. Nope. Every single person had their head down, writing notes. It was a Twilight Zone moment I will never forget.
Questions immediately came to mind. I wanted to dart my hand straight up and ask things like:
Excuse, Dr. Viljoen, what Parts of the Series should I forget? Are we talking about from six months ago or from last week? What do you know that we don’t know? And what parts of the Parts do you recommend we “let go” because your statement is too broad to follow even if I wanted to? I know the first 30 Parts of the Series were removed from Member Services a long time ago, but what other messages should I also forget ever happened? I thought this Series was a gift from God granting amazing knowledge to His people. If you ask us to forget it, are you not asking us to forget God’s blessed knowledge?
I could go on for a full page. The premise was not only illogical and silly, but it begs anyone really listening to START asking questions. And if anyone heard that and did NOT have follow-up questions…well, I fear for such people.
If I took a Sharpie to my notebook per these instructions, my Bible notes would look like a Jackson Pollock. This was another message in a short space of time where I felt bad. I felt dirty. I knew my time at RCG was done.
What an utter perversion of the concept Paul was preaching about. He was talking about forgetting the sins and failures of the past so we can move on and continue to strive to live God's way. Getting weighed down with the guilt and shame of our sins can discourage us from fighting on toward the Kingdom of God. This "forgetting" is part of the repentance process. You confess your sins to God, who forgives us in the name and to the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our sins are then forgotten by God, who expects us to forget them, too.
Forget questions we may have with the Prophecy Series? Forget what Mr. Pack said? Really?
Shame on you, Dr. Viljoen. Shame on you.
Also, the phrase "present truth" from 2 Peter 1 is another oft-used perversion to excuse Dave's failure. Something has to be true in the first place for it to be present truth. This is another heresy inside The Restored Church of God that deserves an entire article.
Dr. Viljoen’s sermon went from being a seemingly helpful Pre-Passover Christian-living message to corrupted propaganda throwing shade on the obvious failures of David C. Pack.
Did the Enabler-in-Chief give pointers? Did Stepford Prime have recommendations? I am not sure if pompoms were thrust into Dr. Viljoen’s hands before he was sent onto the field or if he picked them up joyfully of his own accord but nonetheless, the damage was done.
Decent man. Sinister comments. This is RCG manipulation. This is enabling fraud. This is one of the many reasons why I left.
Surely men like Dr. Viljoen and Ed Winkfield did not want to end up this way. It would be more comforting to me personally if I knew it was just those damn Pod People who got to them and that both of these men went down kicking and screaming. It would be more comforting to know that the men I liked so much were overpowered against their will by forces beyond their capacity to withstand.
However, even the Bible says, “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
When you read what these enablers said to the church, keep in mind that they are not the only ones. I quote from the material I have. I do not have everything from everyone. Before I left, I saw this growing trend and the infection is surely more rampant today.
If someone has a sermon they think I need to listen to because it falls in line with what is presented here, please contact me at exrcgwebsite@gmail.com. I am very interested in examining recent messages by other “ministers”, especially by Kenneth M. Orel.
When I was in RCG, Ken used to play Switzerland by keeping his head down about the nonsense and rarely mentioned Dave or the Series. However, according to a friend who has since left, that changed over the past year.
So, Brad learned at the feet of Dave. And then Ed learned at the feet of Brad. I do not know what the hell Dr. Viljoen was doing getting mixed up in all of that. And yet, he threw his hat into the ring and declared, “I am also a Dave fanatic, brethren.”
Dr. Viljoen is a very nice man with a terrific family. It is really quite sad.
Don’t worry, Brad…I have not forgotten about you. ;)
Marc Cebrian
Enabler-in-Chief (Part 4) “Doctor Feelbad”
I re-watched both invasion of the body snatchers movies when I realized what was going on with my loved one. All involved with these people understand this scripture "Rev 2:2 KJV I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars" pod people!
ReplyDelete9:04. You mentioned "pod people". Viljoen's eyes remind me of the aliens from the TV series V. See the poster here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307824/
ReplyDelete"Present Truth"?
ReplyDeleteSeriously?
Ron Weinland trademarked that a long time ago.
https://www.ronaldweinland.com/2012/05/26/the-present-truth/
Actually, if you are looking at "Present Truth" then Dave has proven not to be an apostle. So we can just ignore the past sermons in 2004 or 2005 when he elevated himself to that position.
ReplyDeleteDave has done the COG groups a favor with this series. He has proven that in the modern era of the church the positions of apostle and prophet no longer exist. There are only evangelists, pastors, ministers, elders, teachers and deacons.
So anyone proclaiming some divine authority from Christ are deceived and those that help propagate the lie are culpable themselves.
I recall a couple years back this site posted the resignation letter of a Greg Kaidannek from the RCG. His letter rang true but there were many who responded that Greg dismissed many of the members concerns about the drift of RCG in the same manner Dave and his gang dismissed Greg's concerns.
You can't have it both ways. You either stand for the truth of God or you do not.
This happened in WCG as well, after Ted started his own thing, and HWA was on a "pogrom" to "Get the church back on track".
ReplyDeleteVirtually every single opening or closing prayer invoked the name of HWA in some manner , and if you kept a tally during messages of the number of times Herbert's name was said, versus Jesus Christ's name, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 1 ! (True)
Ministerial loyalty , and jostling for position was super important in this hierarchical mess. Besides just status, or pay grade, a minister was also very aware that they would be transferred every 5 years or so, and there were great places to be assigned to , think Hawaii or Florida, versus maybe Buffalo New York or Detroit.
So ass kissing at all levels was legion, and sucking up as well, and sermons were monitored certainly, and there were lots of lower level snitches too that would report whether or not you were offering enough "phylacteries" about HWA and HQ.
What an Orwellian madness it all was! ( or is still!)
Mark Wolfe, I am going to defend Greg Kaidannek on this one. He was my pastor while at Headquarters until he was sent into the field as punishment for disagreeing with Dave. Yes, he was acting on Team Dave for a while, but like other critical thinkers in the organization, he began to see what was really going on. It was when he began to speak up and "ask questions" during those endless ministerial Bible studies that a target was painted on his back. He got a "talking to" a few times until he pissed Dave off too much and was demoted in rank (quietly) and sent away (as if it was an "opportunity") -- Man, to hear the spin sold as truth to then LATER find out what was going on behind the scenes make you shudder to think "this is a church." It was announced to the church what a wonderful thing it was the Kaidannek family was going into the field. To find out later it was "payback" for challenging Dave's wacky theories sobers you pretty quick.
ReplyDelete"You can't have it both ways. You either stand for the truth of God or you do not." - With all due respect, I think this is an unfair statement. This is actually a process and shades of gray rather than a left/right/black/white scenario. I say this also from the perspective...I was there. I WORKED for them for over 8 years and yet I had my own struggles until I could no longer stand it. (It also depends on "which truth" irks you the most to which you need to stand for.)
Greg Kaidannek did what he could "from the inside" and left with his family because he could no longer stand it.
Sometimes it seems like "damned if you do, damned if you don't" on the internet. A minister leaves and rather than giving credit to where credit is due, a man is criticized for being a minister at all or he "should have left sooner" or "should have known better." -- Yes, I see you did not pile on, Mark, you are commenting on others who did.
The Kaidanneks left months before I did. Others left weeks before I did. Some left months after I did. Nobody is better or smarter or more willing "to stand for the truth" than the others. Christianity is a process of learning and growing. Coming to the reality of what you THOUGHT was right in the right place at the right time is a hard damn thing to walk away from.
I would encourage anyone who wants to jump on the bandwagon of kicking someone when they are down (when you leave RCG, man you are down...) to show a little compassion and maybe consider you cannot know their motivations and struggles they endured to build up the strength to leave an organization like RCG.
Ironically (or not), I am criticizing "ministers" like Brad and Ed and Dr. Viljoen because they are STILL THERE. It could be my personal judgment "they should know by now" but I also fall into the same ditch as others who say "You should have left sooner." -- If any of those men left, I would gladly sit and have a beer with them. I think they are all nice guys.
I think it was very good for Greg Kaidannek to list out his reasons for leaving and showing provable changes to the RCG doctrines which Dave distorted over time. He and I agreed on a lot more than I thought when I read that.
It would be a wonderful thing if when Brad or Ed or Dr. Viljoen leave, they would also put out a document stating their issues and tell their story.
Mark, I hope you see this response as a "let's reason together' attempt rather than outright challenging what was said.
:)
To Ronco @ 10:46. Sorry, but Ellen White and the dastardly Seventh Day Adventists beat ole Ron to the punch. She claimed her gift of having the "Spirit of Prophecy" (which is how SDAs refer to her) was given to show people in her day (150+yrs ago), that their doctrines were to be considered the "present truth".
ReplyDeleteEvery cult I can think of all claim to have the present truth. Not a single one of them understand the context and application of that term and twist it to manipulate the members.
Marc, do you still believe there is a true church out there? The church that Christ built (Matthew 16:18). Which one if yes?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMarc, do you still believe there is a true church out there? The church that Christ built (Matthew 16:18). Which one if yes? Friday, July 22, 2022 at 8:15:00 AM PDT
I'm not Marc but I certainly do not think there exists "ONE TRE CHURCH" as a stand-alone organization. Just think about it. There is a mix of wheat and tares in this age. Jesus said that is the way it would be. If you are looking for a church gathering under one roof you just have to find one where there are a LOT more wheat than tares.
But first you must understand "the finished work of Jesus Christ" and the GRACE of God. Learn what is meant by the "New Covenant." Only then will you know what to look for. God knows those that are HIS.
Anon July 22 at 8:15am - If I knew for sure it existed and where it was, I'd be there.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't because I don't.
I know Jesus Christ built a church that "the gates of the grave would not prevail against it" but whether that is a collection of people with the Holy Spirit (bricks fitly framed together) or a single corporate organization...I'm not sure.
I'm not in a state currently to pursue or analyze that one.
To the individual who keeps asking if there is "one true church", there most definitely is. And that "one true church" is definitely "NOT" a man made organization. (LCG, RCG, UCG, et.al.)
ReplyDeleteYou see, the "One True Church" is composed of those individuals who have been called out of the present world system by the Father, not because they are of themselves special, but have been selected for a purpose by the Father. THE TRUE CHURCH IS NOT LEAD BY ANY MAN.
The head of The True Church is Jesus Christ. The True Church is called the body of Christ and is composed by individuals who have been called, repented, and have been baptized. They then have the gift of the Holy Spirit given to them.
THEY DON'T FOLLOW ANY MAN "man" who claims to be someone special.
They are currently in and scattered among the various "church organizations" you currently see out there. Again, "The True Church" is not a physical man made organization. It is a Spiritual Organism. It is the body of Christ.
To conclude: None of these self proclaimed false leaders, (especially the one located in Wadsworth Ohio), are the head of the True Church of God, they are out and out frauds, charlatans and liars. They are just imposters who allowed to deceive those who's minds have been blinded.
There is only one Lord and the , Ekklesia, Church, called out ones are in the very body of Christ. One Lord,one body with many members. The organization is not,"The Church" just like a building is not the One true Church. There can be Ekklesia in the organization .
ReplyDeleteThe bible teaches that the Church of God is scattered in the last years (last 40 years), since Mr. Armstrong died. Think of LCG, UCG, PCG, etc. as tribes. Just like the tribes of Israel. Both had to survive in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. Israel's wilderness was physical and so was their promised land. Our wilderness is spiritual and so is our promised land the Kingdom of God. RCG is a test to see who will except false doctrines lose their eternal lives and who will love God's truth and stand up for it and gain eternal life.
ReplyDeleteI wondered when someone would decide that 40 years in the wilderness were ordained after Armstrong. Someone finally did it, I see.
DeleteA question has been: how "wrong", how many false doctrines, must a corporate church be/have before one should leave it, if a "member" of that church? Jesus attended the synagogue but certainly did not agree with everything taught, such as the timing of the Jewish passover.
ReplyDeleteAnon. 5:03:00 "how many false doctrines, must a corporate church be/have before one should leave it, if a "member" of that church?"
ReplyDeleteAnswer: None
Its like saying, how much arsenic should I keep ingesting before I stop? Once you find a charlatan has been lying to you leave his presence. Don't ask, hmm how much of his excrement should I keep consuming?
If you are a true Christin follow God, not a charlatan that lives in Wadsworth Ohio who needs medication.
Herbert W Armstrong was never the presider over "The True Church of God". No man is/was. Christ is the head of the church and always will be. One could say HWA was an administrator of the humanly incorporated World Wide Church of God, (a legal corporation) that contained true believers that were called by The Father, (the ecclesia), but WWC was never the True Church of God in its truest sense. Never confuse the True Church of God with a man made legal corporation.(See Anom. 3:38:00 PM)
ReplyDeleteTo Anon July 22, 2022 at 3:38:00 PM PDT
ReplyDeleteYou certainly described the Church that Christ was referring to, and that the Church was an spiritual one, of those that really has repented and baptized (not by water but by the Holy Spirit) after Christ, died on the cross. Not church in a building would qualify per se, to be the Church, that Christ described. But of course could include people on different churches and people not assisting to any church, that are following Christ, been forgiven and justified (Romans 3:21-26).
PS: excuse me all, my gramatic, english is not my first language
I once had a Mexican-American boss who had the bad habit of referring to his fellows as being "dumb Mexicans". After hearing his rants for several years, I finally remarked, "You know, that's not what I hear! I've been told that Mexicans are very intelligent!" And, of course, he couldn't let that go, because he responded with, "Really??? Who told you that?" My answer came quickly. I said, "Oh, I heard it from a Mexican!" (which, regardless of his opinion was actually true!).
ReplyDeleteSo, in honor of my ex-boss, every time I hear someone say that the WCG (or splinters) are God's True Church, my first question is, "Who told you that???" If the stater of the "fact" is honest, he or she are going to tell you they heard it from Herbert W. Armstrong, or one of his personally trained lackeys.
Marc, with respect to you... Jaco Viljoen is not a very nice man at all. He is an excellent actor who plays his role very well and is the best example of a hireling I have ever come across. Not a doctor anymore either, but I guess titles stick forever.
ReplyDelete"Ekklesia, Church, called out ones are in the very body of Christ."
ReplyDeleteThis definition of ekklesia is wrong, and has been used by LCG ministers to promote the cult status of LCG. At the public presentations, the LCG ministry makes an on-the-spot determination of whether God is calling the person or not, and therefore whether they are worthy of being invited to services (at the secret location). The thinking is that if they are not being called, they are of no value and should not be allowed in services. At the local level, I heard a pastor stand at the pulpit and laugh at people who had called him and wanted to come to church, but were unable to satisfy the pastor that they were being called. I know of 2 of these who ended up as regular members at UCG, were they were welcomed with open arms. As to ekklesia, the Bible dictionaries say the primary meaning is "assembly". Just because it is made up of the Greek words for "called" and "out of" does not mean that "called-out ones" is the definition. Just like "breakfast" does not mean breaking a fast, it means the first meal of the day in the morning. If someone wants to assemble with you, who are you to stand at the door and block their entry? What if God sent them?
There is only one true church. That true church was not the Worldwide Church of God led by Herbert Armstrong. The idea of splinters is also misleading. To say there are splinter groups that split from the Worldwide Church of God an incorporated church of God organization could be stated, but that has nothing do do with the True Church of God headed by Jesus Christ. The Worldwide Church of God was of and by itself never the True Church of God, it just contained some members of the True Church. The idea of calling church organizations "splinters" is nonsense promoted by a delusional man from Wadsworth Ohio.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteJohn 6:44
"No man can come to Me unless the Father who hath sent Me draw him".
No one can be considered a Christian unless that individual was specifically drawn by the Father. Simple. One may think they are or want to be, but if they are not called be the Father, they are not.
Marc - I agree. That was awful what they did to Greg. Unfortunately, that is an outgrowth of a belief in a one true church corporate organization with a one true apostle. That is a catholic doctrine which HWA appropriated to keep people from leaving the church. He did not believe that when he was a minister with COG7. Just the opposite.
ReplyDeleteThere are many small doctrines that I would let slide before I would leave a church I felt was the true church. But if you are butting heads with a self appointed apostle to change the church from within you are deluding yourself. No way that can work. Hebrews 1:3-6 states Christ is the True Apostle. Anyone taking that title to themselves is a place you must leave in a hurry.
Looking back the GTA model is far more biblical and superior than the HWA model. Ted promoted critical thinking when you listened to a sermon. Herbert promoted follow me blindly. Ted said CGI and ICG were only branches of the true church. It was not the only place where one can be a Christian. Herbert said WCG was the one true church and all of the rest were Satan counterfeits. You would be condemned to the Lake of Fire if you left. Herbert said he was the only person Christ was working with and everybody else had to listen to him and him only. Herbert also said he was a prophet who could foretell the future. Ted said Christ is the true Apostle and prophesying today is only "inspired speaking". The human leader of a corporate church is only an evangelist. Herbert said all of the members tithes must be sent to HQ and the member has no say in how it is spent. Ted allowed tithing to be spent completely at the local level for the individual congregation. Money was not required to go to Tyler, TX.
Seriously, which Church would you rather be a part of. One model represents personal sovereignty and responsibility and promotes volunteer work. The other promotes thoughtless robots being programmed from HQ and its leader. Ted's sins became public so his model was demonized. And that is a shame.
So where is the true church? It is all over the place. Christ can start a branch of the Church anywhere He wants to with anyone. The British Israel Church of God has the best material on there website then any COG out there, in my opinion, and it is run by three people.
So to those that feel down after leaving a church organization that has an authoritarian leader of the HWA model, my question to you is why? You are now free to critically think. You are free to go directly to Christ and ask how you can serve His Church and not have to play politics with a human leader. You don't have to swallow lies and pretend to agree with them.
My minister at RCG, who ironically is Brad's father-in-law, was good to me at a time I needed it and helped me grow. I will forever be grateful for that. But that was all done at the field level. HQ pronouncements and drama get in the way of critical growth of the individual in the congregations. And is not that what this is all about? Christ creating God-like character in the individual?
Someday, I may take a drive from the land of Warren Buffet and the College World Series and visit Wadsworth or Edmond and look from outside of what men built. But I know it will all come down someday. It will all be destroyed. Just like the Ambassador College's in Pasadena and Big Sandy were destroyed.
Anon July 22 @ 9:40pm "Jaco Viljoen is not a very nice man at all. He is an excellent actor who plays his role very well and is the best example of a hireling I have ever come across."
ReplyDeleteI stated in my interviews with Dawn Blue and I will repeat here that I express my experiences with people. I have wonderful memories of Brad and Ed and Dr. Viljoen. I state as such to be balanced in the presentation. My experience with RCG "ministers" is different from others. That is to be expected. So, I do not doubt what you say is true from your perspective. I have heard AWFUL things about Ed and Brad that I do not repeat because that is not my story to tell. I like to think the best of people (personally) when I can based on the reality of how I was treated over the course of years. -- I will vigorously critique their teachings and manipulations, but won't declare any of those men as "bad guys." In my experience, they are not. Some who worked much closer with them for more years would NOT agree with me. That certainly holds up when I look at myself. Some people may look back and think I was a good guy while others thought I was a pompous a-hole. Surely, both points of view are correct. :)
Mark Wolfe, I appreciate your detailed follow-up and perspective.
I haven't heard anything about the horses at the Compound in Wadsworth. How are they doing. Are they being cared for? Asking for a friend ...
ReplyDeleteWhat amazes me is that the men being exposed in this series have the outward appearance of typical business men or executives. Not a one of them appears as a wild-eyed lunatic. Dave really knows how to construct an effective facade to front for him. I have no doubt that if Bob Thiel had been a member of RCG, Dave would have passed him by or dismissed him more rapidly than did Rod Meredith.
ReplyDelete"I haven't heard anything about the horses."
ReplyDeleteI live fairly close to the horse barn. I used to hear them but not recently. I am wondering if they have been de-fellowshipped for criticizing Dave's sermons. I am not fluent in horse but I'm pretty sure I heard "nay, nay" on more than one occasion but that was some time ago.