Crackpot Prophet Continues To Be Perturbed That No One Considers His Ordination Valid

 

It has been a hard couple of days at the world-famous Grover Beach headquarters of the church that has become the laughing stock of Armstrongism. Its world-renowned leader, widely sought theologian, world's foremost historian, herb peddler, diviner of Catholic mysticism, and self-appointed prophet to the Churches of God, has been popping his cork over various articles on Banned in the last few days, calling out his illegitimate ordination. How can the world's most perfect old-covenant pseudo-Christian handle all of this? Lash out, as usual.

In a looooooooong tirade today about apostolic ordination by laying on of hands, the Great Bwana tries to define his self-imagined ordination by Gaylyn Bonjour as a legitimate ordination that carries deep apostolic historical roots (which it doesn't).

The Great Bwana spends a lot of time trying to denigrate the ordination process and apostolic succession claims of the Catholic Church. Then he drags in dead Herb to denigrate Andrew Dugger and the so-called Sardis COG7.

Herbert W. Armstrong claimed that A.N. Dugger had been unfaithful to the word of God (and he was) and that A.N. Dugger/CG7 no longer possessed the ‘mantle’ of leadership past 1933 (if not sooner, and if he ever had it. An other Sardis era leader, John S. Stanford, may have held it instead of A.N. Dugger).

So what kind of mantle does the church need to possess for legitimate ordinations to take place? We have been hearing a lot about the subject in COG groups lately, and that is church government. Church government is vitally important to Armstrongism because it keeps members under control and subjected to abuse above them without recourse.

Since Church leaders are appointed and not voted into office, and since, therefore, the members are not watchdogs over the leaders, who is responsible for keeping these leaders on track spiritually and administratively? 

 

1. The answer is that God’s government in His Church is a government of faith. Simply put, this means members believe that behind the physical, outward appearance of the Church, is the unseen hand of Jesus Christ, who directs its affairs.

2. True Christians today trust Christ to direct the Church, bless it, correct it or its officers if need be and steer its general course.

3. From the time of Moses and the rebellion of Korab (a leader in the congregation who was killed by God for insubordination — Numbers 16), through the age of the apostles and the rejection of Judas Iscariot from his apostleship, to the present day, Christ has demonstrated His ability to: 

 

1. run His Church,

2. place capable men in their proper positions,

3. discipline those who need it,

4. and reject from the Church those unfit to wear the Christian mantle. 

 

4. The very existence of the Church and the Church’s continuing vitality proves this beyond dispute! (Doctrines of the Church: Church Governance. Worldwide Church of God, 1986/1987) 

 

From the time of Moses and the rebellion of Korah (a leader in the congregation who was killed by God for insubordination — Numbers 16) , through the age of the apostles and the rejection of Judas Iscariot from his apostleship, to the present day, Christ has demonstrated His ability to run His Church, place capable men in their proper positions, discipline those who need it and reject from His Church those unfit to wear the Christian mantle. The very existence of the Church and the Church’s continuing vitality prove this beyond dispute! (Prove All Things: Governance in the Church. Good News, May 1986)

As you can see, proper church government in the Church of God is all about control. Note in the very first quoted paragraph this: "...the members are not watchdogs over the leaders". This is why the leadership in the Churches of God never concerned themselves with what the lower-class church members thought of them. In fact, in the articles of incorporation for almost every COG group out there, the  official members of the church are listed as the ministry, not the lay members. 

These kinds of shenanigans worked well for corrupt church leaders until the internet age hit and the crap started getting exposed. Now their dirty deeds are well known and, in many cases, have effectively stunted the growth of certain COG groups, particularly with the so-called "continuing" Church of God.

The Great Bwana then ends his article with this desperate plea to legitimize himself as apostolically ordained:

In my own case, hands were laid upon me by an elder in the Living Church of God.

This is a blatant lie, and Bob knows it! In no way whatsoever did Gaylyn Bonjour lay hands on Bob to ordain him. It was a blessing to say the right things when he went in to see Rod Meredith. Gaylyn's blessing was NOT an ordination, and Gaylyn said so several times before he died. Even the Living Church of God has refuted this claim as a lie. 

God used the laying on of hands in the Old Testament.

Little children in the COG movement have hands laid on them at the blessing of the children, and none of them claim it as an ordination. Church members have had hands laid on them when they ask for healing, and none of them claim to be ordained.  In some church areas, graduating high school students have had hands laid on them for a blessing that they use their education wisely, and yet, none of them claim ordination. This claim by Bob is a subtle attempt to justify his lack of ordination. 

In the New Testament, God used the laying on of hands to grant His Holy Spirit to the baptized as well as to those that are to be in His ministry. Plus, it is a tool God uses, when people avail themselves of it, for healing. 

 

Church of God leaders have recognized the doctrine of the laying on of hands throughout history. 

 

We also have been faithful to the original teachings of the apostles. 

 

Hence the Church of God, not the Church of Rome, possesses true apostolic succession. 

 

The true Church of God has had laying on of hands succession from the time of the apostles in Acts chapter 2 to present.

Bob Thiel has had none of this. Every single Church of God he was a part of refused to ordain him. 

The laying on of hands is an elementary doctrine of the true church (Hebrews 6:1-2). 

Laying on of hands in any church, "true" church or "worldly" church, does NOT imply ordination. Never has and never will. There is a specific time and place for that in every church out there. The Great Bwana Bob has NEVER had that happen. 

It is an official belief of the Continuing Church of God.