It seems like all the Churches of God are struggling to make their messages relevant to the people in the world they are trying to impress. While some directly blame this struggle on Satan, the most powerful god of the church, others make hints of persecution from a variety of sources without directly blaming Satan. None of them ever seem to stop and take a look at the message they are attempting to deliver.
Given the state of the world right now with so many conflicts and tragedies unfolding, people are not looking to walk into a lecture or presentation to sit there for an hour listening to doom and gloom scenarios. Instead of talking about the peace and rest found in following Christ, which Christians have understood for 2,000 years, they harp on following the law and preparing for a massive war, destruction, disease, and death. Who wants to hear that crap day in and day out when you are surrounded by it?
People who live in third-world nations, strife-torn areas, and living with REAL religious persecution, find rest in the One they believe in and of which rarely is ever spoken of in UCG publications, or in the broader COG community. Most of what is served up as "truth" is nothing more than crap theology or various topics that have no real interest to people in 2022. Most COG's still are trying to operate on Herbert's advertising strategies pre-1986. And of course, since this is the COG we are discussing with membership small in number, the immediate excuse that is used is, "The harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few".
Perhaps it is time they stop and really looked at their message to see WHY the laborers are few. It can't be blamed upon Satan as the reason. Perhaps they might want to look at that Jesus dude, you know, that guy who is always in the shadows knocking on the door that no one seems to want to open.
Netherlands Update:
“In November last year we asked for prayers for God to bless our new website so that many Dutch-speaking people who are searching for the truth would be able to find it on the Internet. We are still in the process of collecting data in order to determine the results of that effort. Meanwhile, we are exploring ways to attract even more people to our website by posting short teaser texts on our Facebook account—inviting them to visit our website for information on various subjects.
“Although we have many more ideas about reaching people with the gospel message, our team of dedicated volunteers is small. Therefore, we have an additional prayer request for our fellow brethren around the world. Please pray that God would call more laborers for His work in the Netherlands and Flanders.”
Canadian Update
“Canada has a population of 38.6 million people living in the second largest country in the world with a land mass of nearly 10 million square kilometers (about 3.85 million square miles). The Church has congregations in 9 of the 10 most-populated cities in the country. There are 10 pastors and 16 elders serving 24 congregations in eight provinces. If a person were to drive across Canada to visit all the congregations, he or she would travel about 9,900 kilometers (over 6,100 miles) from coast to coast and would have to make two ferry crossings. An increasing number of pastors use Internet technologies to reach members who are unable to attend Sabbath services in person.
“One of our greatest challenges continues to be manpower—laborers for the harvest. Canada has been impacted recently by the deaths of a pastor and an elder. In addition, there are many policies in place to provide compliance with federal and provincial laws that apply to UCG-Canada as a federally registered charity. UCG-Canada must be especially careful of anything that might be considered ‘hate speech’ against any identifiable group. There are also very strict privacy laws, which limit what personal information we can collect and share. Considering the above-mentioned challenges, your prayers would be very much appreciated that the Word of God may continue effectively reaching the nation. In Part 2 of this report we will cover current media efforts to spread the message of God’s coming Kingdom.”
Canadian Update 2
“Our media team continues working on ways to optimize our websites in order to promote and enhance visitor experience. The team has been writing introductory articles on topics covered by longer articles in The Good News and Beyond Today magazines. The shorter intros are meant to pique curiosity and then direct interested website visitors to previously posted material. Besides this, Beyond Today television programs air each week on cable television. However, Canada has limited print methods available for economical advertising. Those that are available, that we have been able to try, have not produced cost-effective results.
“Regardless of these limitations and having very strict government restrictions during COVID-19, congregations across the country have had some new people begin attending Sabbath services which has been very encouraging to the members. Once again, we would be grateful for your prayers for your fellow brethren throughout Canada and that the gospel will continue reaching many people across the nation.”
God is giving us more time
ReplyDelete"Canada has limited print options available for economical advertising"
ReplyDeleteI don't understand this, because it would mean that somehow Canada has missed out on the digital print revolution which has taken place over the past couple of decades. Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Canon, Xerox, and HP all offer high production volume digital color printers which use copier, high resolution, toner-based technology to produce beautiful documents such as post cards, flyers, brochures, booklets, and magazines. Moreover, a mailing list can be synced with the run so that data which varies from piece to piece, such as the address of the recipient is printed upon the documents, along with the return address of the sender. Personalized messages, keyed to each recipient, can be printed near the address block to enhance response rate. These digital printers can print on a wide variety of beautifully customized papers, or on plain papers that can be UV-Coated offline, laminated, or foil stamped. Because these printers print from digital files, setup is minimized, and you can do short runs or long runs, repeated as often as desired, with uniform print quality each time.
Here in the USA, most franchise copy shops have this technology available, and prices vary widely, so there is an opportunity for comparison-shopping if you decide to use their services. Commercial print shops have mostly switched from offset printing to digital, and offer such printing and mailing services to their customers. However, major corporations, schools and colleges, associations, branches of government, and church groups also mostly all have their own copier rooms in which they produce their own in house printed documents. So, UCG Canada (or USA) could lease this equipment, and begin cranking out their own advertising materials to support growth in their organizations.
I can't make any guarantees about response rates to an ACOG's campaign using this process, because I have no control over message involved. While Jesus' message had a universal quality appropriate and appealing to people from all times, The ACOG message was specific to people living in the 1950s, '60s, and first half of the 1970s. It would most likely also appeal to people involved in the late great Goth youth trend, or the students or descendents of Franz Kafka, and possibly in the case of RCG or PCG the types of people who would be attracted to guru types such as Bernie Madoff, but all others, not so much. Therefore, rather than continuing to copy what HWA knew of early twentieth century advertising and opinion manipulation techniques, the ACOGs would need to find some contemporary "Einsteins" to develop new, culturally relevant campaigns of their own. And, by the way, I sincerely hope that none of them do this, because it is probably the only path to revitalization and revival. I hope instead that they just continue to wait for Jesus to return and suddenly validate them. That's getting old even for most church members.
As a former UCG member, I have to admit I found the sermons and the literature absolutely boring in their content. It was not until I left the church that I actually learned what I should about Jesus Christ and the works he accomplished on our behalf. I have joy now that I never had in UCG.
ReplyDeleteWe always said that if we are faithful, God will provide the increase.
ReplyDeleteSo far we have been unfaithful (in personal conduct and relationships), so He has provided the decrease (in numbers).
This is what I told the church 25 years ago and they put me out for it.
Until they come to this fact that requires for us to be restored to His favour (which relates to the Day of Atonement coming this week), they will have to keep learning this the hard way.
UCG puts up a front that they are listening to members' concerns when in reality they are not. They are far more concerned with corporate admin progress than they are with effecting reconciliations (a Day of Atonement theme). What does it cost you to come together and repent? A blow to your pride? Some time that you don't have? A loss of corporate assets in which you place your trust?
He who loves his life will lose it. (John 12:25)
Poor UCG, that doesn't know what's good for it. They want to "build up the company" up for God but they don't know how to do it, being either too sensitive or too unresponsive to criticism of its operations, knowing nothing about the "distinctions of activities" (1 Cor 12:6) in the church of God.
They need more labourers? You want more increase? Well, then stop throttling your own members! You don't believe what I'm saying? See Mt 24:49, spoken of in the context of not being conscious of where Christ is, taking regular offence, fellowshipping too much with those who are full and not needy, blowing off a hot temper or "having a good time", even though the end is coming. And so you want new babes to come to this??
Why would God call people into the UCG when it's common knowledge that they are at best, spiritually flat. Such members typically victimize their betters.
ReplyDeleteVictimise their betters ?? What does that even mean in the real world ???
DeleteIf there are Dutch speaking people searching for the truth, UCG is the last place I would look for it. None of the COGS have it.
ReplyDeleteOnce HWA deceived members into believing the gospel was the message OF christ, NOT ABOUT the person of Christ, there was no truth that could possibly eminate from his idea of church. You CANNOT separate Jesus from the Gospel and expect truth, joy, peace and prosperity to follow. If the true Gospel of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 was preached AND the completed sacrifice of Christ on the cross were anywhere in HWA's "church", it would be active and growing today. But since he had absolutely no idea what he was teaching, you have deception and legalists split up into 600 mini-me's that cannot accomplish anything of value to society. Just think back to what HWA taught about helping the poor and needy with soup kitchens, for example. He did not have a charitable bone in his body. How is that the message OF Christ?
Without Jesus as the center of everything and the correct understanding of His death, burial and resurrection, you have Armstrongism. The two are mutually exclusive.
Pamela Anderson is partly Dutch Canadian. She has invested her "assets" into animal rights.
ReplyDeleteDuring WCG heydays it could be arguged that Zebulon was represented within WCG toward the required tribal 12000 members through the Canadian and Australian Work. One third of funds for the Dutch Work were provided through the Canadian Work. Only excess spending like the WTM telecast for 2 years was funded through the American Work.
HWA was a CIA agent turning the hearts and minds of the European world toward American culture, religion and viewpoints through the saturation of millions of magazines and radio during the Cold War.
This blog post is no better, skimming the surface and playing the blame game. No open discussion is sought by either the ones running the show or the arch-critics on here.
ReplyDeleteSo the circle keeps spinning and stalemate ensures. What God thinks of the situation no one really cares, he's supporting you all allegedly.
You're looking for the As Bereans Did blog, although I believe its now defunct.
DeleteNo I'm not. One down much more to go.
Delete"This blog post is no better, skimming the surface and playing the blame game. No open discussion is sought by either the ones running the show or the arch-critics on here."
ReplyDeleteOh boo hoo! Go read Bob Thiel's blog and comment there. I am sure he cares what you think.
UCG says "The team has been writing [to Canadians] introductory articles"
ReplyDeleteI'll bet nothing on racist Anglo-Israelism; that would get them in hot water.
I'm going to report the UCG to Ottawa, inform them of this racist teaching.
Maybe Bobo Thiel can create a Dutch cartoon from his West Coast Studios to help out the UCG folks!
ReplyDeleteThe UCG has always been trying to build a church based on allowing unrepentant, unconverted people to come in and be as godless and wicked as they want to be. These sinners are never rebuked or corrected. Instead, everyone else is expected to put up with slander and abuse from these godless perverts in order to supposedly “show love” to them. In actual practice, the UCG is really no better than any other satanic religious fraud.
ReplyDelete“UCG: Dutch and Canadians Seem To Not Be Very Interested In UCG's Message”
ReplyDeleteWhat message? The boring old message that people should join the boring old UCG just so the useless leaders of the UCG can think that they are such great leaders and that they are able to grow the church rather than just divide it and splinter it?
" No open discussion is sought by either the ones running the show or the arch-critics on here."
ReplyDeleteThat's really funny. There have been some pretty rich and deep discussions on here over the years. Like the person mentioned above, go comment on Bob Thiel's blog and see how far your discussion goes.
I agree with 2:08 and 10:34.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, this blog has been an extraordinary help to those who were left disappointed, wanting, or victimized by a faulty product group collectively known as "Armstrongism". These seekers of the truth were in need of a resource that was not available to them when they were contemplating becoming part of the WCG or splinters. And, that resource involves systematic fact-checking of the theology, coupled with first person testimonies of the damages which have been done by it in their lives and those of their families. It is very effective, and has done much to prevent additional people from being victimized.
It was never, ever touted as providing a or the correct alternative to that failed product. Most of the people who have criticized this blog for not pointing the way to a new theology or religious philosophy are of the mind that Armstrongism is basically correct, but has somehow become diminished or contaminated over the years. They are in search of someone who will delve into the scriptures, and correct and revitalize it, Since it is fundamentally flawed in so many ways, that is simply not possible. The diaspora into which the WCG has devolved would never believe or accept the corrections in a unifying way to begin with. The possibility of that is a fairy tale of the worst sorts.
Although Gary has shared that he actually teaches a class in his current non-Armstrongite church, he has wisely allowed the people who read and post here to continue to search for the ultimate answers on their own. Find out what is wrong, and seek out your own answers. In your heart, that is the only way in which any answers can have real meanings anyway. Both the Armstrongs and the Tkaches have proven that coercion does not lead to conversion.
It's only being going since 2011. They wouldn't have dared before 2011.
DeleteMost people in the U.S. have no interest in any of the COG messages. This includes many who once attended. All teach a mixture of truth and error. The ratio is different in the various organizations, and depends on the minister. Unfortunately, most of the corruption is at the top, and it filters down.
ReplyDeleteA Parody of "Humpty Dumpty"...
ReplyDeleteHWA sat on a great wall...
The WCG had a great fall...
All of horseshit and all of the AC men...
Couldn't put WCG back together again!