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
The Armstrongist view on Christmas is really about self-righteousness. It is not about whether there is a pagan taint to some popular observation. Armstrongists, for instance, have never examined Thanksgiving. One could make a superficially plausible argument that Thanksgiving is contaminated by paganism. The Native Americans who met with the pilgrims were throughgoing pagans. By Armstrongist standards, so were the pilgrims. The pilgrims believed in the Trinity. In addition, Thanksgiving is rooted in sin. Armstrongists used to believe, and maybe still do, that Native Americans were Canaanites. And Israel was not supposed to make treaties with Canaanites but was supposed to exterminate them. So, the first Thanksgiving celebration was a sinful rebellion against God. So, we have two rebellious, pagan peoples inaugurating an observance in early America that Armstrongists everywhere now cheerfully celebrate.
Armstrongists do not have a methodology that is applied even-handedly to ferreting out contaminated observances or Thanksgiving, along with Christmas, would not stand. Hence, the decision against Christmas is not the result of a carefully considered measure that is then applied without bias. One gets the impression that while Armstrongists are serious about the paganism of holidays, they are also selective, for some reason, about which holidays they evaluate. This supports the idea that not observing Christmas is ulterior and just a convenient badge of self-righteousness for Armstrongists. And leveraging Christmas does have value for Armstrongists. Taking a contrarian stand on Christmas also produces a sense of bonding and separateness from the great unwashed masses. In addition, HWA used to rail about co-workers spending money on Christmas gifts instead of sending the money to the WCG. This was a simply a means of capitalizing on the generosity of the season. And, of course, there are the pre- and post-Christmas sales.
The fallacy in the Armstrongist reasoning concerning Christmas has a name – it’s a thing. It is called in the discipline of logic the Genetic Fallacy. This is what Wikipedia says about it:
“The genetic fallacy (also known as the fallacy of origins or fallacy of virtue) is a fallacy of irrelevance in which arguments or information are dismissed or validated based solely on their source of origin rather than their content. In other words, a claim is ignored or given credibility based on its source rather than the claim itself.”
While one can debate such issues as how much paganism is too much and what condemning pagan historical connections can be found, we lose sight of the fact that the rejection of Christmas is simply an idiosyncratic assertion of self-righteousness in the odd denomination.
And let me state further. Garrison Keillor once said that in Minnesota even the atheists are Lutheran – it’s the Lutheran God they don’t believe in. Armstrongists have been known to celebrate on December 25th. I recall that we in this region used to go to the WCG District Family Weekend on Christmas Day. It was on a distant college campus. We would eat in restaurants, stay in hotels, have sports tournaments, sometimes a talent show, listen to a special sermonette and sermon, socialize bigly – a kind of custom liturgy all on December 25th. In this celebration of self-righteousness, it was the pervasive influence of mainstream Christianity that we were acknowledging. It wasn’t that we WCG members weren’t attending the Christmas party. Rather, we were the bad kids at the Christmas party.
The fantasy world that the Great Bwama Bob Mzungu Thiel lives in knows no boundaries in absurdities. These are the nutty things he believes he is doing:
There is a remnant of the Philadelphian church left now because:
The short-work of Romans 9:28 needs to be done.
Matthew 24:14 still needs to be fulfilled.
God promised to pour out His Spirit and give dreams and prophecies in the end before Jesus returned (cf. Acts 2:17-18).
An end time Zerubbabel would be part of the Philadelphia remnant to rebuild the second spiritual temple–which would NOT look anywhere near as impressive as the previous temple physically (Haggai 2:3-4,9).
All things needed to be restored (Matthew 17:11), and the mantle held. And important truths, such as why God created anything and why He made humans have been restored in the 21st century.
The full number of Gentiles must come in (Romans 11:25).
The end time Ezekiel watchman warning must go out (cf. Ezekiel chapters 3, 5, and 6)–and no group has ever done more than what has happened in the CCOG.
The Philadelphian remnant is targeted by the Beast power before (Daniel 7:25a, 11:29-35; Revelation 12:13-16) before he goes to persecute the rest of the Christians (Revelation 12:17, 13:5-10, 14:12-13).
Philadelphians are the only one that Jesus promises protection from the coming hour of trial (Revelation 3:10) and that has not happened yet.
David C. Pack Declared Jesus Christ Would Return on December 16, 2024. But then taught maybe on January 15, 2025. Then maybe on December 31, 2024. Then maybe on March 29, 2025.
The inexplicable madness of The Restored Church of God continues. A prime example of the biblical lunacy the members are willing to endure centers around Pastor General David C. Pack declaring that the start of the 1335 in the book of Daniel brings salvation and Jesus Christ on December 16, 2024.
He taught this with “impossible it’s wrong” proofs during “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 545)” on November 16, 2024 and promised even more evidence was coming.
--------------------
One week later, during “The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 546)” on November 23, 2024, Dave expressed doubt about the previous teaching by suggesting it could happen instead on January 15, 2024.
--------------------
One week later, during "The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 547)" on November 30, 2024, Dave threw out all he taught about a January 15 possibility to declare the 1335 still occurred on December 16, but salvation would not come until December 31.
--------------------
One week later, during "The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 548)" on December 7, 2024, Dave threw out all his recycled malarkey about a New Year's Eve possibility to declare the 1335 did still occur on December 16… but had to give a "heartbreaking" caveat that "haunted him." Members of The Restored Church of God MAY need to wait until March 29, 2025.
--------------------
To top off the meandering prophetic rollercoaster, David C. Pack declared he is prophesying NOW.
December 16 will be the 90th recorded prophetic failure for David C. Pack since being tracked in March 2022. When nothing happens tomorrow, he will once again publicly prove himself to be a blaspheming false prophet. He is not God's servant, and God is not working through him. But Dave refuses to see that.
David C. Pack said that “liars and satanic people” are attacking him. The fact is that David C. Pack attacks himself just by opening his mouth. Let his own words stand witness against him.
Who the “liars” are and what they are saying about RCG is unknown to me. If you know, please write exrcgwebsite@gmail.com.
During "The Greatest Untold Story! (Part 548)" On December 7, 2024, David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God gives an update on the recent broadcast he filmed for Worldwide Church of God splinter groups. His goal was to have members in the splinter groups leave and join RCG, but it looks like this failed drastically... no surprise!
He claims he can't be a false prophet because he's not the only one who sets dates. Indeed, Herbert W. Armstrong did set a date, which makes him a false apostle and prophet, too. But it is not recorded in the Bible that any of the 12 Apostles set dates. David C. Pack has been setting dates continuously for a decade or more. He's a false prophet not only because of this but also because of his title claiming. He has claimed 34+ titles in the Bible and many pertaining to Christ.
Armstrongism in Contention with the Cosmology of Genesis
By Scout
“Why haven't scientists compared the record of Genesis with the facts of geology? NEVER has there been an age like this one. An avalanche of scientific information is pouring down upon specialist and layman alike. No one is able to keep up with the torrent of new knowledge. But is man the wiser for all this new knowledge? Are the latest conclusions of geology, of archaeology, or history any nearer the truth? Or are we being crushed by the sheer weight of new ignorance new superstitions, this time garbed in the respectable clothes of Scientific Knowledge?” - Herman L. Hoeh, “Genesis vs. Geology,” Plain Truth Magazine, July 1966.
When I was a kid, if found the first chapter of Genesis to be very confusing. The discussion it contained of “waters” and “firmaments” seemed odd. This is because the Ancient Cosmological Model (ACM) used by the author of the first chapter of Genesis does not comport with what we know of the Cosmos today. It is, rather, an ancient model that had currency in the Middle East at the time of the composition of Genesis. A version of this same model entered the Greco-Roman world. Herman Hoeh’s anti-science statement above is not an apologetic for this scriptural ACM. Rather, in his comprehensive article on Genesis, cited, he provides an alternative explanation for the events of Genesis. Hoeh omits any reference to the ACM. Why the omission? We can only conjecture on this. Since Hoeh overlooks the critical data concerning ACM, his exegesis is then rendered incomplete and inaccurate.
This essay will make the case that Genesis uses the ACM. Hoeh did not admit this fact or address it that I can find in my research. And how does the use of the ACM affect the validity of the Bible?
The Ancient Cosmological Model
In ancient Semitic cosmology, the Cosmos looked a lot different than it does to us. They believed in a Three Story Universe: Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. We have the modern science of astronomy and they, back then, did not. They envisioned the sky as a ceiling of solid material. Apparently, they thought it was transparent because they believed that the ceiling (firmament) held back water and the water is what made the sky blue. They also believed there were windows or floodgates in this ceiling that permitted water to come down out of the sky. They also believed that the ceiling was not that far away, hence, the attempt to reach it by building a tower. And above the vault of heaven, above the waters, was where the Throne of God was located.
So, to these ancient people, the Universe was shaped like a big plate with a bowl inverted over the top of it. The plate was the Middle Story or the earth. The bowl was the Top Story which is the vault of heaven and beneath the plate was the Bottom Story or the underworld which also held water. And there was empirical evidence that supported this view. The ancients could see the circle of the horizon. Rain fell out of the sky. And if you dug into the ground deep enough you found water. This ACM is what was described in the Book of Genesis.
In Source Criticism, the description in Genesis 1 is attributed to the Priesthood. I think they were the educated class in ancient Israel. At its origin this concept may have been provided by Moses and only curated by the Priesthood. No doubt, Moses, educated in Egypt, was familiar with the ACM. So, it is not surprising that their view of Genesis was pretty much what was found broadly in the Middle East.
An interesting statement of this history is found in the following video by The Bible Project:
Hoeh’s Omission
Herman Hoeh posited a different idea entirely about Genesis 1. This was the idea that the creation took place billions of years before Genesis 1 and then a great destruction occurred. And the “Creation Week” was not that at all. In the Hoeh cosmogony, it was more of a “Housekeeping Week.” It was a clearing of the chaotic environment surrounding the earth, already created, to some depth in space. While this theory can be made to fit some parts of Genesis 1, what Hoeh does not do in his theory is account for all the Genesis data. We have the following on the Second Day:
“And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear’: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good. (KJV, Genesis 1:6-9).”
First, this is a creation activity not a housekeeping activity. Next, this description from the KJV corresponds to the ACM. In this model, God creates heaven and this separates two great oceans. One in the Top Story and one in the Middle Story. Then God exposes land in the Middle Story by concentrating the waters in certain locations. At other places in scripture, we find “The Pillars of the Earth” and “The Fountain of the Deep” that also fit with the ACM.
But the publications of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) nowhere address this important data in Genesis 1:6-9 that I have been able to find. The term “firmament” does not appear often in WCG publications and it does not appear in Hoeh’s article cited above at all. Hoeh writes of the clearing of the Earth and its celestial environment but does not write of the direct connection of Genesis to the ACM. He is in contention with scripture but it is subtle rather than explicit. He simply does not exegete Genesis 1:6-9. My guess is that Hoeh knew that the ACM was an ancient theory about the organization of the Cosmos and that it did not agree with modern scientific findings. There is no great ocean of water being contained behind the vault of heaven. The earth is not a disc and the sky a half-dome. And the world does not float on the waters of the Great Deep. But, perhaps, it was easier to let sleeping dogs lie.
The Impact on the Validity of the Bible
One reason Hoeh may have ignored a direct reference to the ACM is that it connects the Bible to a model of the Cosmos that ancient peoples believed in but which science has demonstrated to be incorrect. In Genesis 1:1 there is even a description that corresponds to the Primordial Chaos of ancient Semitic cosmology. The Bible, however, presents the creation event in stark abstraction (q.v., Jewish Study Bible) that does not portray the drama found in Semitic cosmology. But should the use of the ACM lead us to invalidate the Bible?
It is important to recognize that the Bible spoke to people in terms that they recognized. You could not write a treatise on modern quantum mechanics and expect the readers at that time to understand it without some preparation in modern physics. For that matter, we probably could not now understand a treatise on the Cosmos written a couple of thousand years in the future. What was to the Ancients state-of-the-art cosmology has perforce become to us now allegory. This ancient view has staying power throughout this transition from cosmology to allegory because the spiritual principles carry forward and have not changed. I have no doubt that when the Priesthood wrote or redacted this physical description of the Cosmos, they actually believed their view was realistic and accurate. It was based on the astrophysics of their day. Their hard science now serves us as poetry and allegory.
Summation
The fact that the Bible contains the Ancient Cosmological Model does not make the Bible antique or irrelevant. Genesis is not in contention with geology. Only certain interpretations are in contention with geology. The Bible is foremost a work of theology – a work of spiritual principle. These spiritual principles may be carried in a physical framework that is subject to revision as human knowledge grows. Even now we are people who only know the “observable” universe. Much is yet to be revealed. To avoid the constraint of the growth in human knowledge, the Bible would have to become totally abstract. Instead, it is a book of an ancient people and their behaviors in their time and place, yet comprehensible to us based on our lived experience.
The kind of cultic nonsense you will read below is not normal for the average Christian believer. No one's faith depends upon a Great White Bwana as a leader in the dreams and visions of deluded people or wild, fantastical prophecies and utter pseudo-Christian balderdash.
I am sure the follower in the below quote, from the improperly named "continuing" church of "god" blog, is a very sincere man, but placing one's trust in such a spiritually bankrupt man and that elevates him into an almost mythical persona, is NOT normal. It is appalling.
Dear pastor
Greetings pastor. I believe you are doing good though you are having great thrust of fulfilling Matthew 28:19 of which we must do before the return of Christ. …
I had two dreams
1. Before our family joined CCOG my father was then working with voice in the Wilderness Church of God. When I was sleeping I had a dream and in my dream I saw a light and the light was not normal, the one who was standing by the was You pastor Bob according to my dream. Then I had voice shouting, “Arise you who are sleeping, for the Lord is near.” I again I heard another voice shouting, “Come up Evans and let us do the work we are called to do.” I then saw a man dressed in white clothes join hands with my father walking together towards a very big lake then I woke up.
2: In my second dream some weeks after my first dream and in my second dream I saw almost the same dream and now this was in New Zealand. I did not know about the CCOG group in New Zealand before I had the dream.
There is much discussion online at this time of year as to the presumed pagan origins of Christmas. December 25, we are told, was a date stolen from pagan worship, specifically from the festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Sun” (Sol Invictus)? Should Christians have Christmas trees? Aren’t trees pagan objects of worship? How should Christians think about, and respond to, such questions? Do these questions have any relationship to the content of Scripture? Listen to find out.
...as well as inarguable and cannot be questioned! Just try to argue with it. You can't!
This compilation leaves me personally asking
"What the hell is wrong with this man?"
A religious delusion is defined as a delusion, or fixed belief not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence, involving religious themes or subject matter. Religious faith, meanwhile, is defined as a belief in a religious doctrine or higher power in the absence of evidence.
This podcast episode discusses Bob Thiel's article challenging the traditional image of St. Nicholas. Thiel, an Armstrongist minister, argues that the popular Santa Claus figure significantly differs from the historical St. Nicholas, whom he portrays as a flawed and possibly unsaintly individual. His arguments draw on historical accounts and interpretations of scripture, contrasting with both common perceptions and mainstream Christian theology, especially regarding the Trinity and the veneration of saints. The podcast hosts challenge Thiel's research while emphasizing the need for critical analysis of his perspective, given his unique theological viewpoint and potentially biased source selection. Ultimately, the discussion prompts reflection on the evolution of Christian traditions and the importance of nuanced historical interpretation. Ai-COG
This podcast episode examines the conflicting views on baptism within the "Church of God the Eternal", a group stemming from Herbert W. Armstrong's teachings. John W. Brisby, a minister in a splinter group, establishes three rigid criteria for valid baptism, emphasizing lineage to Armstrong and adherence to specific doctrines. However, Brisby's criteria contradict Armstrong's own baptism, leading to a discussion of religious authority and the problematic nature of establishing exclusive truth claims.
The podcast encourages critical thinking about religious legitimacy and the importance of independent spiritual exploration.
This podcast episode analyzes Gerald Flurry's controversial views on Christmas. Gerald is the leader of the Philadelphia Church of God. Flurry, rooted in Armstrongism, argues that Christmas is inherently pagan due to its traditions' origins, claiming they stem from the worship of Babylonian deities. He asserts that celebrating Christmas is unchristian and leads to spiritual harm, citing the secularization of the holiday and potential childhood disillusionment. However, the podcast counters these claims by presenting historical evidence showing that many Christmas traditions, like the Christmas tree, have Christian roots or were adapted from other biblical practices, and that the Bible doesn't explicitly forbid such celebrations. Ultimately, the podcast encourages critical thinking and independent evaluation of Flurry's extreme perspective. Ai-COG
Dave Pack: Preserver of Fringe Theology and the Age of Cosmological Ignorance.
Note: Moloch, Remphan and Chemosh do not actually exist. Saturn and Venus, on the other hand....
"I'm gonna tell you some fascinating things no one has ever understood and I am sure of it!"
David C Pack
“I know more about Christmas than anybody who’s ever lived. Period.”
“I I maybe there’s somebody who knows more about [Christmas] than I do,
BONUS FOOLISHNESS
“I’ve studied prophecy, I am sure, by far, more than anybody who ever lived.”
"I know prophecy better than any man alive."
“Look, maybe there’re people who know New Testament Church history better than I, but I but I I’ll bet there aren’t three in the last two thousand years,
As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
NOTE: Lucifer, "the light bringer" also is given this title in scripture. It is the source of the idea that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers. Kinda like the good Horus (God of light) and the bad Set (God of Darkness) of Egyptian mythology.
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!
NOTE: The story of the fall of Lucifer, the light (Sun) bringer, is simply the phenomenon, not understood back in the day when stars were spirits and Venus, as an inner planet rose and then "fell back to earth." made a great story explaining their world.
This rise and fall of Venus, especially in the morning prior to sunrise, is due to it being an inner planet. This phenomenon was the source of many a rich tale in antiquity.
Anyway...Merry Christmas from the world's greatest mind and expert on Christmas.
David C Pack
(And please don't forget that Jesus, for sure and it cannot be argued, returns next week on December 16th at 9:37 EST.
Unfortunately I have to work so I won't be available :)
The following was a comment today on another thread:
They just announced today in church that they're putting their sermons on their website under lock down. You now have to register and have a password to watch/listen to sermons! How is that making the gospel available to the world!? SMH....they're doing the exact same thing as LCG and PCG. Stop saying you want to preach the gospel to the world and then hide it away behind permissions and passwords. What you're really doing is exerting control. Can't any group do something different for a change without all following down the same controlling, cult-like path???
Why is it that most of the larger Church of God groups hide behind member walls? Do they now realize how embarrassing their sermons are and how little of what they say is of substance? They all claim coming intense persecution, but none of them have the balls to publicly say what they believe. Now they cower behind "paywalls". Ever since Herbert went around the world talking about a "strong hand from someplace" the ministry and splinter leaders have followed in that same pathway. Unable to really explain God, Jesus, grace, etc. they instead spout the same canned sermons you would have heard 40 years ago in the church.
"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place."
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
"And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive."
Are you ready to flee from the captivity of the various splinter groups that fill up COGland? It is time for you to break the chains of enslavement and return home to your one true mother. So says Samuel Kitchen:
Yes, God is going to bring all the membership of the Worldwide Church of God out of Babylon and back together as ONE FAMILY IN HARMONY.
We have been in CAPTIVITY BRETHREN.
Christ calls on us, as He does in Revelation 18:4 to COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE.
How God does this is based on WHEN you turn your entire heart unto Him and search Him and His ways out! That is how you "Deliver thyself out"(Zech 2:8) from dwelling among false churches and false religions! THAT IS HOW YOU ENDURE UNTIL THE END! That is how you remember what your parents taught you and how you can be involved with the finishing of the Elijah work which has been done through Mr. Herbert W Armstrong by Jesus Christ. Christ through His apostle turned the hearts of the fathers to their children and now is turning the hearts of the children to their fathers.
We can be part of the team which Christ will use to educate the entire world upon His return!
The Worldwide Church of God was not just our parents church. It is the Church which we have been called to be apart of! So lets seek out the Lord with all our hearts brethren.
Let us rise to the occasion and be what God has called us to be.
In this video, we expose the shocking truth behind the Philadelphia Church of God and Gerald Flurry's false prophecies and his cult-like following. Don't be deceived by these fake prophets! although they claim it is, what they are saying is NOT from the Bible. They leave Jesus out of the picture and blasphem against God.
This is a snippet from EP1. To watch the full version go to thedispel.com
Is the Southern Border a Test of Our Christianity?
By Scout
“ONE BEGOTTEN OF GOD TAKES NO PART IN THIS WORLD'S POLITICS!” – Herbert W. Armstrong, Worldwide News, 1980
I remember when political realism caught up with the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). For some of us, it landed like a hot potato – to be handled cautiously and gingerly. I do not remember the facts of the case as much as I remember the philosophical and theological arguments. A member of the WCG was going to run for mayor in Big Sandy, Texas. At least, this is what I recall now decades later. To the WCG lay membership back in those days, worldly political involvement was anathema.
I discussed this growing issue with one of my buddies who worked at AC. I recall that he was ambivalent but knew one of the principal arguments in support of this new political realism. He said, “If you lived in a city where most of the population was in the WCG, wouldn’t you want the city government to be run by a WCG member?” While there is a practicality to this view, it does not comport with the quotation from Hebert W. Armstrong above. Herbert W. Armstrong was fully in opposition to WCG members participating in politics. So much so, that in the quote above, he is unequivocally denying the conversion of anyone who does. But what are the ramifications?
The Dilemma of Politics for Christianity
A case in point. Many White Evangelicals around the country are influenced by something called White Christian Nationalism (WCN). Sociologist Samuel L. Perry defined it this way, “Adherents believe in the idea that America was founded by Christians who modeled its laws and institutions after Protestant ideals with a mission to spread the religion and those ideals in the face of threats from non-whites, non-Christians, and immigrants.”
This creates a problem, for instance concerning the issue of immigration. This is roughly what has happened. The USA has a great appetite for illegal drugs. US citizens buy tons of product from Central and South American countries. This destabilizes their governments and economies and funds the power of the cartels. The result is that people flee these countries to come to the USA where there is an economy they can participate in up to a certain level – that level being lower class but much better than what is available in their devastated homeland. They want their kids to eat regularly and go to school – like most economic immigrants. The USA is a full participant in this cycle.
The conundrum for those American citizens who claim to follow Jesus, but are influenced by WCN thinking, is that some of the people sleeping on the ground at the southern border are also Christians. I have seen church services at the border being conducted on TV. And it only makes sense that some Christians would be caught up in this engine of destruction. Christians are everywhere – they salt the earth. There are missionary groups that are trying to help these Christians on the border. But they are the traditional groups and I really do not see any WCN involvement. The WCN people are mostly Trump supporters and want to see the door closed in the faces of, in some cases, other Christians. Hence, the political involvement of the WCN not only trumps Christianity, it vacates its force and role. It is no longer about Jesus’ commandment to love your neighbor but about a political opposition to immigration for secular reasons.
Let me hasten to add that I do not do anything directly to help the border Christians and non-Christians - people in crisis. My resources are absorbed elsewhere. I do see Christian groups, judging from the internet, who are helping. And I know of some Armstrongists who have talked up the idea of charity. I know little about what actually gets done.
Summary Argument
Worldly politics has resulted in Christians with a hard heart opposing other Christians in need. That is the sad dilemma whether HWA saw this specific issue of immigration or not. Watch this space. If there are rebuttals from WCN-influenced Armstrongists the chances are high that the rebuttals will be political and not theological. I am not sure there is a theological rebuttal to taking care of your brothers. An example of a political rebuttal is to say, “We just want these people to come into the country legally.” That doesn’t give anyone a plate of food. That doesn’t acknowledge that American drug consumers role in destroying homelands. I believe HWA was right about politics. I wonder how many of his followers adhere to that idea?
