Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
God's most highly favored prophet in the history of Christiandom and the greatest and most quoted scientist in human history has another article up today decrying the cost of pharmaceuticals and the industry that makes them.
The Great Bwana to Africa and peddler of homeopathic/naturopathic "vitamins" and "nutritional" products has this graphic posted along with his headline for the article:
While not everything he posted is bad, he has to stick his self-righteous chest out and proclaim he is more enlightened than any of them are:
"Well, not all of us have been duped by this as I have long promoted non-medical ways to aid with mood issues. But yes, there are a lot of lies associated with medications. False hopes pushed a lot like false religion."
"Pharmaceutical drugs, artificial medicines, are not the answer for many health issues. FWIW, it has been several decades since I personally took any medications (I do take nutritional supplements, which I do not consider to be in the same category)."
"Yes, many in the pharmaceutical industry are drug pushers. And yes, money influences a lot of “medical” decisions.
As far as opioids go, the reality is that many people have physical and spiritual pain and they reach out to drugs for relief. This tends to be addictive."
The Pill Pushing Great Bwana ends with this:
Notice something the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
As God inspired Jeremiah to write:
11 In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured. (Jeremiah 46:11)
Bwana Bob, almost arrested for being a Bob, has no problem decrying the cost of medicines while making a living peddling homeopathic/naturopathic concoctions and pills.
These are just a sample of the prices the Great Bwana, the Elisha that no one recognizes, is charging his "patients" customers. See the complete list here: Doctors Research - All Products
All of these pills keep the Great Bwana in his office where his god sends him prophetic visions so he can lead the Church of God into eternal bliss with a stopover in Petra when it is the right time to flee.
Wow. Dawn Blue is really showing her influence in the local community.
The Restored Church of God is swinging into full “damage control” mode. They have begun a public relations campaign by announcing their first-ever Open House.
Any single ladies out there? I need my plus one.
We cordially invite members of the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce and vendors who have assisted us over the years to our first open house.
To extend our thanks and appreciation we will offer guests a first-hand look at our business operations as well as the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of our campus grounds—all of which exemplify our purpose and mission.
This is on the tails of four disposable “ministers” attending the 37th Annual Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce golf event this past Monday. Those brave men were the experimental canaries in the coal mine. Since no blood was shed on the green, it encouraged the enablers on the third floor to open the doors and invite the heathens in.
If your afternoon is open on September 8, it would be worth attending just so you can tell your friends you made it past the front gate. A selfie from the other side would surely go viral.
Be sure to bring your Bible with you because this event is on Elul 12. Feel free to ask a “minister” if they think anything significant is still going to happen that Sunday night. Do not ask any of the non-ordained employees. All they will be able to do is smile and look at their shoes.
If you really want to amuse yourself, when you are on the tour of the studio at the Media Center, ask the guide when the latest episode of The World to Come was recorded. The dance the man will perform around that question will be priceless.
The highlight for everyone will be when they get to meet Pastor General David C. Pack.
Greet him with a “Nice to meet you, sir. Are you currently Mr. Elijah or Mr. Not-Elijah?”
Here are other burning questions you can jot down:
Why are you unable to make your own lunch each day?
Why do others carry your briefcase for you?
How do horses “do the work” for God and who paid for them?
Has any member ever given too much Common?
Please explain your interpretation of Deuteronomy 18:21-22.
When RCG collects funds for AYC but does not have the camp, where do those funds go?
Is it a faithless act to sell a house when you teach that Jesus Christ is returning soon?
This is the point at which the Coffee Kid and Pepper Boy whisk away Dave with urgent business elsewhere. The Enabler-in-Chief would be happy to answer your questions if you would please email him at nunyabiznes@rcg.org.
The Open House is one side of the coin.
This posting in Member Services last night is the other.
Prophecy Update
Dear brethren,
Enjoy the Sabbath. “A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.” All is well!
David C. Pack
This is an onion that is begging to be peeled.
Most obviously, this is not a “Prophecy Update” in any way, shape, or form. This posting says absolutely nothing at all. It answers a total of zero questions you may have.
“Enjoy the Sabbath.”
That was super-important to get out on a Friday night or the brethren may have forgotten to do this. This is RCG-code for “Jesus Christ is not coming this weekend, so relax and don’t even think about it.”
“A wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.”
This quote from Ecclesiastes 8:5 is an attempt at a clever, layered response saying there is a reason Dave has been silent. Wait, is he calling himself “wise” again?
“All is well!”
The dead-stop of messages after two failed dates has surely rocked the church. Brethren from all over the world have been writing in and calling. Something had to be said to the members.
This reminds me of Brad Schleifer’s, “Mr. and Mrs. Pack are fine,” comment when they had COVID. Anyone paying attention should frame those open-to-interpretation phrases in the context of the behaviors they witness.
It is not so much what they say, but what they do not say.
When RCG puts out a statement that “all is well,” know that all is not well. The coming days will reveal this to be true.
“David C. Pack”
These postings are usually written in the third person, “Mr. Pack wants to express…” And many of the postings regarding Bible study updates are signed by “Church Administration.” This screams desperation to me by them invoking his name.
The direct signature is a signal that Dave did not resign from RCG and he has not yet been voted out by the Board of Directors. Either one would be a wonderful option.
This is just a ploy to get Dave’s name on SOMETHING in Member Services to calm the brethren down. That is all it is.
The posting says absolutely nothing of substance.
Is a “Special Comments” message on the docket for Announcements today?
Another fun morning! This is a first for people to be called "dry" here. Someone did not have his Snickers today.
How low and two faced are YOU???? How the COG has been influltrated by such dry Godless athiest's. How dare you live such a TWO FACED LIFE openly on the internet. Hypocrites. You who fear no one not even God, you who only fear losing power. I pray to God for him to deliver his people from YOU and your dry associates and ALWAYS shall.
Apparently, Living Church of God members are wasting their time again on frivolous things in these EVIL days! Not only are they sidetracked by the cares of the world, but with personal and interpersonal problems! Temptations abound!!!!!!
The world is rapidly imploding around the LCG and members need to remain focused on getting the gospel to the world. They have been pretty much an epic failure here in Los Angeles because no one knows anything about them.
LCG members had better get their act together and build some character or they will not be able to reign on high with Jesus Christ!
Redeeming the Time: The Apostle Paul strongly urged brethren in Ephesus to live purposefully and make the most of every opportunity to grow and become more like Jesus Christ “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–18). Ephesus was a bustling port city that was full of temptations and distractions that were affecting individuals trying to live a Christian life. Jesus also warned against being sidetracked from our spiritual goals by getting caught up in the “cares” of this world—political issues, personal concerns, and interpersonal problems (Matthew 13:22). These admonitions are still important today! As our secular and materialistic world hurtles towards the climax of this age, we need to stay focused on our mission of preaching the Gospel and developing the knowledge, wisdom, and godly character needed to reign with Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom of God. Let’s make the most of our time to prepare for this exciting future. Have a profitable Sabbath, Douglas S. Winnail
"Olly olly oxen free" is a catchphrase or truce term used in children's games such as hide and seek, capture the flag, and kick the can to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game;
or, that the position of the sides in a game has changed (as in which side is on the field or which side is at bat or "up" in baseball or kickball);
or, alternatively, that the game is entirely over.
The origin of the phrase is unknown. The Dictionary of American Regional English says the phrase may be derived from all ye, all ye outs in free, all the outs in free, or possibly” calling all the outs in free”; in other words, all who are out may come in without penalty. Others speculate the phrase may be a corruption of a hypothetical and ungrammatical German phrase alle, alle, auch sind frei (all, all, also are free).
Many tried to cover up Rick Shabi's recent emphasis on new moon observance. COGNews has this little tidbit up about how important new moons are to them:
A member of the UCG has forwarded a table of full moons for the Festival of Tabernacles up to 2040. “This will reveal the truth about the actual alignment of the Full Moon with the 15th of Tishrei. See the inconsistencies in this alignment, exposing the long-held MYTH …. “The first day of the Feast (15th of Tishrei) falls on the Full Moon.”
This table is produced from data provided by Time and Date, which show that there will be a full moon on 15th of Tishrei in only 7 of the next 19 years.
The Church of God is forever entrenched in old covenant laws, rules, and observances, which were mere shadows of things to come. They continue to look backward and never forward to what has already come.
Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ”. Colossians 2:16–17
According to Herbert Armstrong, lay members are not qualified to determine new moons or dates on which "festivals"" occur. Only the apostle is that highly educated. Since there are no apostles in the church today, this creates a quandary for them all.
We calculate the beginning of months, even as did Jesus and the first apostles -- not as a holy day or convocation -- yet the spring and fall festivals are reckoned from the first days of their months, and it IS important that we calculate properly. NEVERTHELESS , even so, since these are CHURCH festivals, they must be calculated by the CHURCH , through Christ’s chosen apostle, as Christ leads. We follow Jesus Christ’s own example. He did not change or alter the calculating of these months, but observed them as Judah had calculated them ever since Moses. The Journal: News of the Churches of God. Issue 200, November 2017
Kenneth M. Orel was raised on the “tough side” of Chicago, Illinois. He was my first Restored Church of God minister in 2012 when I still lived in Northern California.
Years later, he became the Headquarters Pastor here in Wadsworth, Ohio. So, when I tried to resign from RCG for the first time in March of 2021, Bradford G. Schleifer offered to let me stay if I counseled with him. I agreed because I did want to stay and Mr. Orel was my friend. Yes, I know that ministers are not allowed to be friends with lay members, but I always felt a close connection with him. We were "huggy" and I respected him greatly.
The day I resigned the second time on March 23rd of 2021, he called me. I told him that I could no longer support what David C. Pack was doing. The Restored Church of God was no longer the church I moved here for.
That was the last time I heard from him. He was my minister in California and then here in Ohio. He was my “friend.” And he never once contacted me again. No follow-up emails. No phone calls. Nothing.
After about six months, I wondered why he did not check in to see how I was doing. If he was a shepherd, was he not at all concerned about “the sheep that wandered off”? Did he not think that if he threw me a lifeline or walked the walk rather than talking the talk of a “minister,” that he could have helped me come back?
We will never know because he never tried.
I was planning on talking to him about this when I attended the funeral of a friend, Kory North. Kory was a wonderful guy with an interesting life, very likable. His laugh was a signature presence at Headquarters. Kory had major health issues and died some months after I left.
Mr. Orel was not at that funeral. I heard that he and others had contracted COVID. So I never got to ask him, "Mr. Orel, why didn't you check in on me? I thought you were my friend."
Flash forward to the spring of 2022. A good friend of mine left RCG with his entire family. I'll paraphrase him, "I used to love Mr. Orel's messages. But something changed. By the time I left, I could not stand the sound of his voice.”
This was shocking for me to hear considering how close Mr. Orel and I were over the years.
Then, I listened to his recent sermon, "Psalm 119: Transform Your Prayers." This message was given during the RCG Summer Picnic Weekend. You remember, the one where some went home with a parting gift of COVID.
This sounded like a useful Christian-living sermon about getting enough prayer in your daily life to stay close to God. In the beginning, he sounded like the Mr. Orel I knew for about nine years. He was making jokes and keeping things light with his down-to-earth delivery that I always enjoyed. He was the Mr. Orel who "played Switzerland" by not mentioning the prophetic nonsense in his messages. The Mr. Orel who told me in our last counseling session that he “doesn’t worry about” the Prophecy Series or the dates that come and go. “Who cares?” he asked. Then I said, “I care, Mr. Orel. That’s why we’re talking.”
Yes, the sermon began that way. Then it started turning sour around 44 minutes in.
You will need to watch* this to fully appreciate the “loving” tone of his delivery.
*Brad apologizes for the quality of the audio. Things have been going south technically inside RCG since the Willards left in April.
@ 44:43 You get away from brethren or at least most of the brethren and you gossip among ‘em.Or you don’t agree with certain things that are going on in the church. Certain judgments that were made. Or certain doctrines. “I just don’t know about that.” Or prophecy. Oh, I don’t really agree with it.
It is hard to see my former friend, Mr. Ken. Orel, become an enabler inside RCG.
Gossip—Brethren inside RCG have always been leery of speaking their minds openly with each other, but mainly about David C.raptacular Pack’s Never Ending Prophesy Series. It has grown to be so convoluted, that there are brethren who want to talk about it just so they can understand it. But they are afraid to. This is fear-based control.
According to Ken, if you express your concerns to others, you are gossiping. Nobody expresses outright "disagreement" with what the church does. Those who "gossip" ask logical questions about how something can fail and yet be of God.
Judgments—I wonder what exactly he is referring to here. Perhaps one judgment from Headquarters could be that a lay member is told he cannot marry a woman “significantly” younger than him. BUT a minister is allowed to marry a woman “significantly” younger than him.
Maybe how third tithe and “surplus” AYC funds are spent. Offerings are collected and not spent on preaching the gospel but used on the campus.
Those types of judgments?
Doctrines—Like Jesus Christ is not That Prophet? Or the Father comes to earth first? “Prove all things” is for the ministers now, but only applies to brethren before they join RCG, not after? That Common is even real?
Prophecy—Like that Mr. Pack is Elijah, is not Elijah, will be Elijah, has already been Elijah, is not Elijah the Prophet? Or maybe May 15, May 30, Pentecost, June 15, June 28, August 4, and August 7 is the date when God’s Kingdom arrives? Pentecost is a count “to the wrong Holy Day” and God instructs the church to count 50-days to Trumpets?
Yeah, what could there possibly be inside RCG to give anyone with God’s Spirit cause for concern? But all that talk is just gossip.
I personally know three people who all got reprimanded for the same issue: Bringing up the concept of a false prophet and David C. Pack in the same paragraph. Word association gets you thrown out. Why? Because it is completely baseless and there are no scriptural grounds for concern? No. Because the “ministers” in RCG know what Dave is and they need to keep it stamped down. Utter anything about Deuteronomy 18:21-22 and you are gone.
Brethren are turning in other brethren and not following the Matthew 18:15-18 instruction. The “ministers” do not follow the Deuteronomy 17:6 instruction.
People I know never got the chance to defend themselves against an accusation. When the “instrument of enforcement” called them, they let that person explain their side, but it was only a courtesy. Headquarters had already rendered judgment before they talked to them.
If only there was a place in the Bible about answering a matter before you hear it. Or the concept of listening to both sides because if you only hear the first, that will sound right.
When an oppressive regime rises, what do they do first to destroy the freedoms of the civilians? They stop communication. They punish those harshly who speak words that are perceived to be a threat to the establishment.
The people still inside The Restored Church of God are fearful and confused. Some doubt their own intelligence and how close they really are to God. They do not understand what Dave is preaching and yet sincerely want to. How can “all the ministers agree” perpetually?
Attention folks: You cannot understand it because it is biblical fraud. It is not from the mind of God. When you see Bible verses exposing what David C. Pack is and what he is preaching, you are not imagining it. God put those words there for a reason.
@ 45:04 And instead of just dealing with that in their head or maybe reaching out for help, they're gonna start talking amongst each other and spreading division.
Members do “deal with that” in their heads and on their knees long long long before they ever dare talk to anyone. When there is an avalanche of evidence that screams that something is wrong, some have reached out to their local ministers. And guess what? Those men do not have the answers because they do not understand what the hell is going on either.
The field ministers cannot make heads nor tails of this prophecy business. It changes day by day, week by week. It is not possible for anyone, even those who want to understand, to grasp it. By the time you try to review one message from yesterday to get a better handle on it, a new updated message is then posted with “immediacy” that changes what you just heard.
Asking your ministers about the concerns you have is like knocking on a door that has no knob. The person on the other side wants to help you, but cannot. Their answers to your questions have a lot of words, but no solutions that achieve peace of mind.
@ 45:16 Is if that’s anyone, you’re a liar. You don’t come here and act this way. Why don'tcha act the way you normally act?...If you wanna gossip, if you wanna talk against the ministry, God’s servant, of doctrine, traditions.Why don’t you just say it in front of everybody? Liar!You go home and gotta do that stuff.
When you express concern about obvious error inside the church, you are now also a liar if you do not stand on your chair and shout it to the whole congregation. No wonder people do not come forward. No wonder people are reluctant to approach their minister. They are a gossip and a liar before they walk in the door.
Ken does not understand that his words and his tone create “gossip” because brethren have no other option but to quietly and carefully approach other members to gain perspective.
Those still attending who have concerns about The Restored Church of God and David C. Pack are not alone. You are not alone! Your numbers are far greater than you can know.
The Bible shows you that your worry is justified. Your eyes and ears are not lying to you, despite what Ken and other enablers may thunder from the lectern.
“Talk against God’s servant” is code for David C.raptacular Pack. Ken has learned how to tow the company line.
Wow, if only Joseph W. Tkach had used Ken’s sermon notes, perhaps The Worldwide Church of God would still be with us today.
People are afraid to talk to each other inside RCG more so than at any other time since 1999. The Endless Series is dragging on. Dates fail. Doctrines change. Elijah and not Elijah. The biblical fraud is growing more bizarre with this “not quite 50-day count to Trumpets” being the most obvious.
It is a dark time inside RCG. The darkest ever. I wonder if the "ministers" are in a panic trying to keep the questions from the brethren all over the world quiet.
@ 46:45 Again, it starts small and the devil knows what he’s doin’ ‘cause he’ll get us into a snare and the next thing you know, “Well, I don’t agree with this that they’re doing. I don’t agree with that. And I don’t like the way he looks.” And bla bla bla.
Be wary of the devil and his devices. He starts small. That is all true. What is not true is how it applies to your discernment when things are going south in the church. What are you supposed to do when “the devil captures the corporate sheepfold”?
If I were the devil, I would use God’s word and all the principles that apply to me and turn it around to defend the “angels of light” preaching falsehood. Make people afraid to talk. Make people afraid of losing their eternal life, so they better give more Common. But more importantly, I would teach them that what their prayerful discernment is telling them is of me and to ignore it.
Let us recap: You are a gossip. You are a liar. Your motivations are of the devil. Fun stuff to think about during the Summer Picnic.
Wow. All of that was for the “short” topic Ken touched on.
He continued his Psalm 119 read and quoted verse 78.
@ 1:01:55 “Let the proud be ashamed." That word can also mean disappointed. Think about it. We're asking God, "Let the proud, let the sinners, let the wicked be ashamed or disappointed."
@ 1:02:35 One time, a woman asked me, “Should I pray for my son who's left the church?” And my immediate answer was, "Yeah." But see, what she was trying to get to, which I found out, “Does that mean I can pray for their success and that God can protect them?”
Dude. What did you think she was asking about? If you did not ask at the time, then that is on you.
There is more to the story here. He gave the mother he references his “yeah” answer. It was not until after she heard this message with the rest of the church, that she found out he had changed his tune.
This was the sermon when Kenneth M. Orel became the Chicago Heavy. Watch.
@ 1:03:00 Well, they've rejected God. No, you wanna ask them that they be ashamed or disappointed in their choices and hopefully come back to repentance…this is shortsighted parents…
He goes on to explain the plan of God and that we will then be born in spirit and no longer have the familial roles we now have. Our physical families are temporary.
@ 1:03:57 …because we're in this AYC cycle, right? Over this last cycle from last year to this year, we've lost some kids. Because guess what? They've reached some arbitrary, ridiculous number in their life. Meaning, well, they're 18 now. So that means they get to make their decision, whether they're gonna be in God's way or not. Really?
Yeah, Ken. That is kind of the way it works. A child becomes an adult and then makes decisions that are their own. If RCG was such a wonderful place that was heading in the right direction and the prophecy teachings made sense to everyone, perhaps the teenagers would want to continue.
His condescending tone cannot be stressed in print. You must watch the video to fully grasp how incapable the Chicago Heavy is of “winning the hearts and minds” of the youth in the church.
I can almost guarantee you that no teenager was “won over” by his mocking tone and overt gestures. And he wonders why the kids are leaving. If some adults were on the fence, this might have knocked them over. But not in the direction he wanted.
If the “ministers” were teaching helpful messages that a teen could value instead of receiving propaganda pushing an agenda to validate a fraudulent leader, perhaps they would stay.
@ 1:05:52 We've got kids over the last cycle who've just decided they don't wanna do this anymore. “Okay. There's the door”. “What?” “As far as this house, we're serving God. You can go do what you want. As stupid as that is.”
There is nothing your target audience wants to hear more from you than that an option they are seriously considering is “stupid.” It is too bad he beat around the bush on this point and did not make it crystal clear. I recommend you give this speech again.
@ 1:06:30 There was a parent somewhere in the world. His 18-year-old wanted to no longer live God's way. “Okay, well, I'll go get your suitcase.” “Oh, that's harsh.” No…that's someone who has vision…
I am glad he is not my dad.
@ 1:07:06 "Well, I'm gonna lose my kids if I do something like that." What? Do you wanna lose 'em now in the short term or you wanna lose 'em for all eternity?
Your credit card company is calling to let you know of a Fraud Alert.
Unbaptized teenagers are not held to the same standard as baptized adults in God’s eyes. (Ken knows this.) There is no threat of losing eternal life because an 18-year-old does not want to attend RCG anymore. Church policy is that someone of that age cannot be baptized even if they wanted to AND cannot be married even if they wanted to. The "ministers" know that an 18-year-old is not mature enough to make those kinds of life choices.
The way he framed that comment in the context is not only manipulative but deceptive from a biblical standpoint. Until someone has a valid baptism (without coercion) and receives the Holy Spirit, they have made no solemn promise to God and His way of life.
Threatening a parent and frightening a teenager with eternal death seems like an extreme way to convince someone to stay in God’s way of life. The Chicago Heavy has found his stride.
@ 1:07:21 What kind of fool would allow someone to stay in their home?
He really knows how to butter up his audience.
@ 1:07:30 What kind of fool would allow them, “Okay, I give you the green light to disobey God, and I'm gonna continue to feed you and shelter you and do all that.” God's word says the complete opposite.They can go do what they want, but not under this roof.
This is a new policy inside The Restored Church of God. Ken recently read the “spare the rod” passage and ran with it. He thinks that kicking a child out of the house is better than a parent being able to monitor their behaviors from within so they can guide and intervene when necessary.
@ 1:07:52 And that's one of my burdens, what I'm trying to help and save these kids.That shouldn't be my job. I take it on. I let them know I care about 'em. But if you are not going to obey the rules of the house, you've decided you wanna leave.
How many more kids are going to leave after AYC is over because Ken “cares” about them so much?
@1:08:19 Take a stand. Don't be shortsighted. So you lose them. What does that mean? Lost them. What, so they don't talk to you? You gotta make a stand. You gotta stand for something.
Says the man with no children.
@ 1:09:27 And we’ve got parents out there and I’m telling you, parents, there’re kids out there waiting for that magical numberwhere they get to be all grown up and stop attending the church. And if you’re not telling them, “There’s the door because I’m going to serve God. You can do what you want. But not under this roof.”
The Chicago Heavy has a merciful solution to the problem: give your kids the boot immediately. There is no point in letting the teenager make arrangements for a new place to live. If you say you do not want to attend any more while at the dinner table, prepare to skip dessert and start packing your duffle bag. Sleep under the overpass tonight. Or chose to live God’s loving, compassionate way.
So much for creating an environment of open communication. The fear the parents have in the congregation can now be practiced at home with their children.
What the hell is wrong with you, Ken?
@ 1:10:39 Your prayer should be…“Let anyone, the proud, the wicked, the sinners, let them be ashamed or disappointed. Let them fall.”
The Chicago Heavy tells his adoring audience that their children should now be considered "proud and wicked sinners" if they do not want to continue to attend. All the teens that were not focused on their coloring books at that moment might remember his words.
@ 1:11:58 …the parents don’t have enough in them to believe this verse…
@ 1:12:15 “Well, I’ll lose my kids.” Man, I’ve heard that so many times, “I’ll lose my kids.” What’s that mean?
@ 1:12:31 Parents…have the guts and the faith…
@ 1:13:22 We’ve lost some kids already going to camp for the very reason that their parents weren’t strong enough to just say, “No.”
Says the man who has never brought a life into the world.
One of the families referred to in this message left RCG within a few weeks after hearing it.
Being called out as shortsighted, foolish, not having guts, not taking a stand, not strong enough, and lacking faith was no fun for them. So, is it a surprise they left?
The Chicago Heavy played hardball and they quit RCG.
Did you catch that, Kenneth M. Orel? A family left the church because of your sermon. Your fingerprints are on their departure. Ponder that. The Chicago Heavy approach does not work.
Did it ever cross your mind that if a parent pushes an 18-year-old too far in one direction, it will ensure they go the opposite?
“Who cares?” might be your response. The parents do.
You probably never considered that once the suitcase is packed, out of sheer rebellion and anger, that teen could rush to his friend's house and smoke pot for the first time. Or immediately ask out that cute barista who always gives him a smile. Or causes them to toss their Bible into the lake because "their parents gave all our money to that cult.” Or hate religion in general because “some minister made me homeless.”
What happens after you step down from the lectern is not your concern, right? You stood up for God's truth. You told those parents how it is. End of story.
Now that we have seen how Ken applied Psalm 119:78 to teenagers leaving the church, read the entire verse.
Psalm 119:78
Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.
Can you apply the “proud” in this verse to teenagers who want to go their own way? Have any of them “dealt perversely without a cause” toward their parents? Or was David referring to evil adults who were plaguing him with serious threats?
Some teens may leave and decide to come back. I watched this happen at Headquarters. Perhaps the Chicago Heavy never considered that a parent’s “good works” might turn the hearts of their children back “into the truth.”
“The grass is always greener on the other side” is what all teens think. Reality is often different. Leaving a door open invites a return. Slamming it behind them and clicking the deadbolt does not.
I thought God wanted willing participants in His work. Threatening an 18-year-old with homelessness may not be the kind of motivation that leads to a valid baptism.
The Chicago Heavy approach does not seem to be a recipe for success.
But I was never a minister, so what do I know?
He has never been known for his “gentle touch.” I remember a specific weekend in the winter of 2020 when I received word from my sister that my mother was raced to the emergency room with COVID complications. She was having a hard time breathing. I found this out 20 minutes before Services.
Kenneth M. Orel gave a sermon about “woe is me” to the trials we experience. He gave a “man up” approach to how to address pain and difficulty in your life. It was of zero comfort to me. Because I was at the back Media Table while Ken was speaking, I was also checking for updates to find out if my mother had just died while I was at Services.
I found his tone and points to be harsh, inconsiderate, and just plain tone-deaf when it comes to empathizing with the plight of others.
When you are hurting, the last thing that is helpful to hear is, “Boo hoo. Walk it off.”
Ken, perhaps you need to sit down David C. Pack and tell him what is what. The Pastor General of The Restored Church of God announced to the church that he would be officiating the wedding of his adult son who left RCG many years ago. Is Dave going to bless their marriage with “shame and disappointment” like you just told all the other parents to do?
Yeah, I thought not.
Being the Chicago Heavy by “tellin’ folks how it is” had a direct impact on one family’s decision to leave RCG. If you would like to be a guest contributor on my website, please write me at exRCGwebsite@gmail.com.
We have the Enabler-in-Chief, Stepford Prime, Doctor Feelbad, and now, the Chicago Heavy. Maybe they are all too busy “counting 50-days to Trumpets” to be focusing on what really matters in God’s word. Maybe they just forgot or even worse, they choose to ignore it.
Anyone with any basic knowledge of the Old Testament knows about the prophets. They were men of deep conviction and faith and had absolutely no hesitation in proclaiming a forceful and precise message for a specific group of people.
Here we are in 2022 and we have yet another SELF-APPOINTED Elisha in the Church of God trying to justify his mantle while making wimpy-ass predictions because he has no faith in his god to back him up.
All we hear from this modern-day self-appointed prophet is one whiny excuse after another that he is the end time Elisha and that he is tired of everyone failing to acknowledge that, particularly those with a Church of God background. Other than with Jonah, nowhere in the Old Testament do you read about prophets going around constantly whining about their position in life. They trusted fully in their God to do what they said he would do. Not with Bwana Bob, the Chief Overseer of 3,000 Africans and the biggest crybaby church leader the COG has seen in its entire history.
In this wimpy prophet's eyes, the entire Church of God is made up of ignorant people who do NOT understand scriptures as well as he does and therefore are too stupid to understand he is Elisha and that his church is the ONLY true church to belong to in these perilous end-times.
...in the COGs most hold to one or more improper prophetic opinions that differ from that of the Continuing Church of God. A list of these can be found in the article The Laodicean Church Era. Because of this, unless they change, those who will not pay attention to the ContinuingChurch of God will not know when the Great Tribulation will begin until it is too late to flee (cf. Matthew 24:15-20; Revelation 12:14-17). The Apostle John recorded that there would be two groups at the end and that one would flee and be protected from the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:14-16), while the other would not be (Revelation 12:17).
Elisha Bwana Bob then points out that Elijah, over time, lost this ability to perform miracles and lead the people, so Elisha stepped up to the plate, receiving a double blessing. (We should have known THAT was coming!)
There are several glaring differences between the 1st Elijah/Elisha and this latter-day upstart wanna-be. Bwana Bob has not followed in any "Elijah's" footsteps. Herbert Armstrong would have kicked Bob's ass to the curb so fast his head would be spinning. Bwana Bob cannot claim HWA as his forerunner. Nor can Bwana Bob claim Rod Meredith as Elijah, a man whom HWA suspended from the church for his rotten attitude and who was later kicked out of the Worldwide Church of God after he libeled Leona McNair at the Tuscon ministerial conference. Meredith waited around in WCG so they could use their money and lawyers to fight his court case for him, then after losing the case and forcing the church to pay out a huge sum of money to Leona McNair, Meredith let his self-righteousness take over, and left to lead Global Church of God. where he was also forced out again by Raymond McNair for insubordination. Meredith then went on to take Global's money and members to form another splinter cult where he reigned supreme till he died, never once being an Elijah or Elisha. Bwana Bob has no lineage to link back to and certainly no apostolic succession to connect to.
Then, the Great Bwana has to mention his double blessing again:
The recipient of the double-portion promise, Elisha, was a type of Elijah. Elisha picked up the mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:13) which God wanted him to have (1 Kings 19:16-19), did a similar miraculous dry river crossing (2 Kings 2:13-14), also did other miracles (2 Kings 4:30-35; 2 Kings 10:5-14; 2 Kings 6:16-18), as he replaced Elijah as God’s top ecclesiastical authority on earth (cf. 1 Kings 19:16).
A minister of the Living Church of God prayed and anointed Bob Thiel for a ‘double portion’ of God’s Spirit back in late 2011 and told him that was reminiscent of what happened to Elisha. He also confirmed that God answered that prayer when we met in November 2019.
Gaylyn Bonjour had absolutely no intention of Bob ever flouncing off to start a new splinter personality cult. None whatsoever! No matter how hard Bwana Bob wants to lie that that was Bonjour's intention, it simply is not so. Living Church of God ministers will publicly state this fact and have many times.
Our self-appointed Eisha doubles down to say that the scriptures foretell his emergence in the end times. There isn't enough room deodorizer in the entire world that can cover up the stench of this steaming pile of bullshit!
But Jesus told of another Elijah to come after He left:
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. (Matthew 17:11)
The Church of God position has been that someone would come in the spirit and power of Elijah to “restore all things” and possibly be one of the two witnesses. While the late Herbert W. Armstrong (died in January 1986) sometimes indicated that he fulfilled that role, he told people that I have personally spoken with that there could be another other than he. Those with a WCG background might find the following quote from Herbert W. Armstrong of some assistance here as he wrote:
Those called into the Church were called not merely for salvation and eternal life, but to learn the way of God’s government and develop the divine character during this mortal life in the Church age…
Also Malachi 4:5-6 pictures the Elijah to come at the very end of the Church age (Mystery of the Ages. 1985, pp. 201, 349).
And when was the “Church age” supposed to end according to Herbert Armstrong’s old church? Notice:
God has set before us an open door and no MAN can shut it. God can shut it, and He will when the work is finished and the Philadelphia Church goes to a place of safety. …The Laodicean Church is not going to be worthy to escape to a place of safety. When it is too late, they will find that the Church of Philadelphia has gone to safety (What Is the “LAODICEAN CHURCH”? Good News August 1959 Vol. VIII, Number 8).
When Herbert Armstong's entire biblical interpretations were without basis or credibility, how can Bwana Bob claim succession to him?
And when was the “Church age” supposed to end according to Herbert Armstrong’s old church? Notice:
God has set before us an open door and no MAN can shut it. God can shut it, and He will when the work is finished and the Philadelphia Church goes to a place of safety. …The Laodicean Church is not going to be worthy to escape to a place of safety. When it is too late, they will find that the Church of Philadelphia has gone to safety (What Is the “LAODICEAN CHURCH”? Good News August 1959 Vol. VIII, Number 8).
So beware brethren, you have been deceived by Satan himself for refusing to acknowledge Bwana Bob is the great man that he is, our Elisha, the only Church of God leader preordained before the foundations of the world were laid to lead the last remnant church. If you remain in another COG after reading this then you are too stupid to see who Bwana Bob is and deserve to suffer trials in the tribulation as he and his little remnant are in Petra where he has a captive audience to listen to his mind-numbingly boring sermons.
Those of the true and genuine Philadelphian remnant will pay much attention to the voice of the true final Elijah. Those who do not will not fare as well as they could (cf. Revelation 12:14-17).
We in the Continuing Church of God have also a more sure word of prophecy; “whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV).”
