Fear: The Biggest Tool of Manipulation of the Church

 

From a reader:

I am grateful to my WCG parents for starting their family in 1975, despite the apocalyptic expectations of the time. 

 

But despite Mr Armstrong's prophecies of doom not eventuating on schedule, the church culture has continued to embrace an enthusiasm for the mantra that doom is imminent, that the world continues to get worse and worse, and we're just circling the edge of the drain at this point. I was of the era that grew up listening to "It Won't Be Long Now" (apparently sung by a nervous young lady with a drugged-up lion lounging behind her) on the Young Ambassadors. When I was 10, I was assured by someone in the congregation, "You won't have a chance to get baptised; you won't get married; you won't have kids; because Jesus Christ will return before then." Looking back, I resent this false message. 

 

The old-timers in UCG apparently still believe the notion. But the younger folks (which is to say, those under 60) don't seem to embrace the doom messaging so much. I suppose there's a possibility that they might turn out to be right, but only by accident. History of the last few decades has shown that we're not prophets; the more we say it, the more we lose credibility. But it's apparently so ingrained and still repeated often enough in the church echo-chamber that people aren't cognisant of how stale the message is. We've learned only in so much as we don't set dates — now we just say suitably vaguely, "soon". 

 

The doom message is not just stale, but it has failed to bear fruits of righteousness. If anything, expectation of imminent doom encourages us to defer any long-term investment in growing in grace and knowledge and wisdom. It encourages us to just sit tight and spiritually stagnate while we expect the prophesied doom is just around the corner... any day now... no really, it's coming, very soon! Historically it influenced members to make unwise financial and even marital decisions with a short-term outlook, since they didn't expect to have to face long-term consequences for such decisions. 

 

The doom message discourages us from being the salt and the light of the world. We ought to be contributing to the physical and spiritual good of our communities. But I see the church becoming more insular, more "us versus them", preaching that we're the good people and everyone out there are the rebellious ones. "Come out of her, my people" is a message I hear more often than "be the salt and the light". 

 

Perhaps the old-timers are worried that giving up on this message amounts to giving up on a sense of urgency, make us Laodicean, etc. But we need a sense of urgency that is relevant whether Jesus Christ has a second coming in 6 months or 1,000 years. Life is like a vapour, and for each of us personally, our personal calendar entry for standing before Jesus Christ might be effectively tonight, for all we know. Romans 13:11-14 can give each of us a sense of urgency. The true gospel message is one that should give every human a sense of personal urgency, regardless of national or political circumstances, or the timing of a second coming. 

 

I wish we would just give up on the doom messaging which time has shown to be embarrassingly inaccurate. It undermines our historic claims of legitimacy, and more importantly, fails to properly represent or glorify God. It's also simply not the gospel.Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 5:46:00 AM PST