Mishandling Vipers
The light, humorous style and colorful reporting about David C. Pack and The Restored Church of God may have mistakenly given the impression that the enablers at Headquarters are no more than docile idiots blindly following a proven false prophet because they have been unfairly duped and are innocent, unaware prisoners trapped in a subtly corrupt spiritual organization.
They know what David C. Pack is, and they know exactly what they are doing.
When I was 13, I went on a family vacation to Florida. One of the stops was an alligator farm where trained guides fed these massive, scaly reptiles in front of an audience for entertainment. The hissing alligators would stay still with their mouths wide open. The trainer tapped them on the nose with a stick, coaxing them to perform his tricks.
The seasoned trainer demonstrated his years of experience and familiarity with the alligators. He placed his hand in an open mouth and touched its tongue. The alligator snapped its jaws shut. This was the coup de grace of the performance, causing the audience to explode with applause.
If the trainer makes it look too easy, a naïve individual might feel compelled to hop the fence and give it a try. After all, how hard could it be? After 30 seconds of toying with the alligators, that overzealous individual may incite screams for an ambulance rather than applause.
Something like that happened this week.
Getting into the water to exchange biblical truth with alligators is not a wise move and should only be attempted by experienced, fully prepared professionals.
Gary at Banned by HWA informed me that blogger Richard Burkard contacted Edward L. Winkfield at The Restored Church of God this week to ask him about information provided on exrcg.org and the YouTube Channel.
The bigger underlying story is that they spoke to him at all, regardless of the context or content of his article. According to Richard’s bio, he is a “90%-retired journalist, moderating ‘Weekly Watch’ faith-based teleconference from Haggai114.net.” Not exactly Fox News.
Headquarters must be desperate for the good press if they are willing to talk on the phone with an unknown writer for some obscure religious website. At least The Living God Ministries are Sabbath and New Moon-keepers, just like RCG. Their stances on Christmas and birthdays have not yet been vetted.
Maybe the folks at Headquarters felt a prodigal son kinship with this fellow micro flock outside the Body of Christ despite their use of sacred names. Or perhaps Ryan Denee was coveting that prime advertising space on the official Israel of God list and envisioned RCG being included next to UCG, COGwa, and CGG.
Apparently, you do not have a real ministry until you get on that list.
Richard and I connected via email, and he answered some questions for me to use in this article. He is an “old school” retired career journalist who contacted RCG through their main number and left them a voicemail. About an hour later, Edward Winkfield called him back for a 6-7 minute discussion. Richard mentioned the videos about Pentecost 2025.
Richard Burkard via email
"I cited one or two of Mr. Pack's quotes and specifically asked if Mr. Pack had made predictions about dates prior to Pentecost 2025. …I stuck to the Pack predictions and then offered him the opportunity to add any concluding remarks. He said only that he appreciated people reaching out to RCG directly."
It is unfortunate that Richard neglected to contact me to obtain the up-to-date details that are necessary before attempting such a bold move. An 80%-retired journalist would have known to confirm his current facts from all available sources before conducting an investigatory interview with the vipers’ nest.
I know he meant well, so I asked him what his motivation for contacting RCG was.
Richard Burkard via email
"I'd written an earlier Substack article in March about Mr. Pack's Abib 1 claims. So it seemed like a follow-up was in order - but I realized I had not been fair to RCG to get their side of the story.”
Getting both sides of the story is always recommended and fair. That is why reporting on The Restored Church of God and David C. Pack is accompanied by time-stamped quotes and video evidence. What Dave preaches ex-cathedra to his worshippers IS his side of the story.
Despite how I humorously tug on Dave’s pigtails, kick sand in Brad’s face, or tie Ryan Denee’s shoelaces together, those men are highly skilled manipulators worthy of extreme caution.
Edward Winkfield may be an incompetent manager who accelerated the demise of Media Production Services and the smiling, over-zealous New Moon mouthpiece, but make no mistake: He is a viper. He is a scorpion and a wolf and should be regarded as such.
Richard wandered into the petting zoo thinking he was mingling with passive "Christian" sheep but did not realize until it was too late that they were disguised ravening wolves. If you let your guard down for even a moment, the overwhelming attacks would come so quickly, with bites so deep you would not even feel them until blood was already on the ground.
Without having a fuller context of their shrewd practices and adept word parsing, Richard played right into their hands and gave them what they wanted: A free public denial.
Being “fair” to them worked out like gangbusters. Edward Winkfield was able to lie without lying. He answered to “the letter of the law” and not “the spirit of the law.” Like a lawyer would advise, he answered the questions that were asked and volunteered no more.
Pack Predicting Pentecost? Aide to Ohio Church Leader Denies New Date Set
Richard Burkard – May 27, 2025
If at first a pastor is wrong, does he try, try again?
Maybe not. A spokesman for a small church denomination in northern Ohio denies online claims that its leader is predicting the return of Jesus Christ will occur Sunday, June 1.
“That is not something that the Restored Church of God teaches, or that Mr. Pack is claiming,” Edward Winkfield said in a phone interview Tuesday, May 27.
David Pack, the founder of RCG, has been accused of setting failed dates many times in messages to his headquarters congregation. Former member Marc Cebrian has posted dozens of video clips from Pack's sermons to illustrate that.
“It is interesting that it was coming from someone who was being critical,” Winkfield said. “But I can say unequivocally that is not what we teach.”
Cebrian might respond by saying that's because Pack has revised the Pentecost date again. Cebrian's website showed two predicted return dates Tuesday: June 1 and June 11.
Cebrian's ExRCG.org blog did not explain the later date, except that it was a full moon. But one video clip dated Saturday, May 3 shows Pack defending his Pentecost reasoning.
“God would never say regarding the arrival of His Kingdom, 'It's Pentecost,'” Pack said. “He almost does a number of times, in ways that are impossible to misunderstand.”
But, Pack added, God stops short of providing a specific date in the Bible because “the whole world would know.”
An earlier article cited clips posted by Cebrian in which Pack predicted Christ's return on Sunday, March 30, the start of the Hebraic calendar year. He called that date “immutable church doctrine”.
“The second coming of Christ is a pretty foundational doctrine in any Christian, Bible-teaching church,” Winkfield said when asked about that. “We study prophecy... it's part of what we teach.”
Winkfield added RCG is a group which “remains hopeful... more than anything definitive. Maybe you could go as far as speculating different things, but I wouldn't take it as anything beyond that,” Winkfield explained.
Yet Pack's early May video claims that proving Pentecost as the return date is like “falling over backwards without even being pushed. It's that easy.”
Pack goes on to cite a main Bible verse quoted by opponents of prophetic date-setting. Jesus said of end-time events in Mark 13:32, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
“Well, we know both,” Pack claimed in the early May video.
Winkfield, RCG’s Publications and Media Director, admitted he doesn't know the motives of RCG critics.Cebrian's website says its goal is “exposing the truth” about RCG and Pack.
[Article Continues]
Ed was able to contort his answers to avoid a plain falsehood until the very end. What a rookie move.
Edward L. Winkfield knows precisely what the motives of “RCG critics” are. He supports a spiritually corrupt organization that has a proven false prophet as a figurehead who admits that preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God too loudly fights God's purpose while extracting monetary resources from members and widows under the threat of losing salvation so they can escape corporate debt while simultaneously preaching Jesus Christ is returning within days.
If you contact The Restored Church of God, you will be petting a snake. Do not be surprised at the speed at which you will get bit.
Richard may have wanted to be “fair” to RCG, but Ed was not “fair” with his slippery answers. His verbal sophistry was transparent as he dodged uninformed questions. Former RCG veterans are versed in the familiar subterfuge.
Richard greased up his own fingers. Ed just let himself slip out of his grip.
…denies online claims that its leader is predicting the return of Jesus Christ…
RCG and David C. Pack do not “predict” anything. Prediction is not part of their operation. He prophesies. Word selection is crucial, especially when Dave changes the meaning of words. According to him, a prophet no longer receives words from God's mouth, and prophesying is “just preaching what the Bible says.”
“That is not something that the Restored Church of God teaches,
or that Mr. Pack is claiming," Edward Winkfield said
in a phone interview Tuesday, May 27.
Ed answered the question in the present tense because that is how it was asked, and he was fully aware that starting on April 26 during “The Greatest Untold Story!” Part 572 until Part 575 on May 10, his boss WAS teaching that the Kingdom of God would arrive on June 1, 2025.
The new date they currently teach is Sivan 15 on June 11. Ed knew that. Richard did not. Ed knew Richard did not and was able to get away with that answer without a fruitful follow-up.
…has been accused of setting failed dates…
These are not accusations. They are documented, proven facts beyond refute.
Winkfield said. “But I can say unequivocally that is not what we teach.”
A present tense answer is framed with the word prediction in context. Ed is mastering disingenuous answers.
Cebrian might respond… Cebrian's ExRCG.org blog did not explain the later date…
Cebrian was not contacted and was busy reporting on RCG’s $3.1 million debt liberation.
“…Maybe you could go as far as speculating different things,
but I wouldn't take it as anything beyond that," Winkfield explained.
RCG members will either scream out the window or roar in laughter. Brad must have shook his head at that. With good reason. A massive logic sinkhole just appeared at the Headquarters Campus.
Edward Winkfield was not authorized to label Dave’s entire “Greatest Untold Story!” Series as 577 Parts of speculation.This might have been him winging it and diverting from Brad’s notes. Ed accidentally stumbled into the lying side of the ethics line.
What David C. Pack teaches from the table each week is enforced doctrine in The Restored Church of God. It is not speculation. If members do not “take it as anything beyond that," they will not stay in their seats. Ed Winkfield just described his Pastor General as being a biblical fan fiction cosplayer.
For fun, I challenge any current member to tell their field mollusk they do not take what their Pastor General says beyond more than just speculation. See what happens.
When David C. Pack inevitably bails on his Sivan 15 idea, he will not be preaching the next date as pure speculation. He will preach it under his god’s authority and in its name. If all he is doing is “speculating different things," then there is no rush to call it out or occupy the Sabbath with unenforceable prophetic pontifications.
David C. Pack has repeated that he is moved by God’s Spirit to teach what he does. What Ed foolishly said calls this into question, undermining the validity of anything the Pastor General preaches.
Now, that’s the Ed Winkfield I remember. Nice going, man.
Richard left the interview with his "fair" answers, but he had no concept of the gravity of the transaction because he did not understand the nature of who he was dealing with.
Richard unwittingly handed RCG a win with a flat denial without challenging Ed further. He may have left the call pleased, but not more than Ed.
I used to consider Edward L. Winkfield a friend and respected him, which is probably why my disgust became caustic due to his slobbering Dave-fawning during his sermons. I credit Ed for being the straw that broke the camel’s back, prompting my resignation from RCG in 2021.
Ed surrendered his critical thinking to pursue a career in false apostle advocacy and has not looked back. He defends his human idol passionately and reveals himself to be more interested in the false words of a twisted man than in the word of God.
With Richard’s easy access to Ed as proof, The Restored Church of God is now open to entertaining questions from anyone who calls if they perceive they have a chance to generate positive publicity. Let this article stand as a stark warning.
To the inexperienced outsiders, The Restored Church of God may appear to be a benevolent 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization that just wants to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world and worship in peace and harmony.
But it is a school that trains gaslighting manipulators, taking in millions of dollars each year. The people in charge will not allow an unknown 90%-retired writer from an obscure religious website to threaten that income or their seats of authority. If you ask a clumsy question, you will get a devious answer.
Kindly shepherds do not walk the grounds of the Headquarters Campus in Wadsworth, Ohio. There are no posted warning signs about the territory occupied by alligators, wolves, scorpions, and vipers.
Learn from Richard Burkard’s mistakes. Mishandling vipers is a dangerous business.
Marc Cebrian
See: Mishandling Vipers
11 comments:
I remember a holocaust survivor saying she has a very dim view of humanity as a whole. I am not surprised. To this day, 80 something years after the end of WW2 and her liberation from the camps, she keeps very much to herself and has only a few friends who she is close too. Watching what is unfolding in rcog and others within the Armstrong fold and humanity globally she is wise. We are all mad. And our madness is on display for all to see. God grieved that He had created mankind. As is written in Job, we all drink sin as water. There is none righteous, not one. Jesus called the religious leaders vipers. Nothing has changed since.
Comment by Winkfield was made stating: "...“The second coming of Christ is a pretty foundational doctrine in any Christian, Bible-teaching church,” Winkfield said when asked about that. “We study prophecy... it's part of what we teach.”..."
******
I think I'll "wink" at that comment by Winkfield, because so many do not give much thought to the fact that after Jesus Christ, at the conclusion of His first coming, was murdered, and resurrected 3 days later, He took a trip to visit with His Father in Heaven. Did Jesus Christ remain there in Heaven?
Or, did Jesus Christ have a second coming to earth?
To wink or not to wink: time will tell...
John
.....how long shall be...the transgression of desolation: ...2300 days from evening of Sept 30, 1979 to the morning of Jan 16, 1986, a time of anger......a leader with a vehement countenance and spewing forth statements that appear to be the truth but are not (such as third tithe, 7 feasts, 3 'days and nights' as 72 hours) shall stand up, and his power shall be mighty but not by his own power, and he shall corrupt to an extraordinary degree, and shall prosper, and do his thing, and shall corrupt numerous saints. And through his policy also he shall cause deceit to break out.....and shall magnify himself in his heart by calling himself Christ's apostle, and during a time of peace corrupt many......Daniel 8 paraphrase
.....who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped so that he as god sits in a church of god showing himself as a god.....the mystery of iniquity does already work, and the restrainer will restrain and then be away, and after shall that wicked, having since died but still revered by many as the apostle, be revealed whom the Lord will use up through speech and bring to uselessness at His coming.........2Thess 2 paraphrase
As a survivor of WCG, for years I've behaved much like a holocaust survivor, and identify in many ways with the Jewish people. I keep all relationships superficial and do not trust others easily. While I no longer believe in or fear the end times preached by HWA and the proprietors of the nostalgia splinter groups which imitate him, it is difficult not to fear other catastrophic events on the horizon, such as climate change (just last week the melting of permafrost caused the collapse of a glacier in Switzerland and destruction of a picturesque and historic little village), the upheaval to be caused by AI (it is already eroding many white collar career opportunities, replacing driving jobs in the trucking industry and enhancing criminal activities), the imminent crash of the world's economic system due to sovereign debt and fiat currency, the imposition of authoritarian government and its drive towards nationalism, wars which, if anything, manifest the signs of escalation, the prevalence of forever chemicals (last week's news items announced that they are now present in beer!), the death of the oceans due to plastics, overfishing, and the alteration of the jetstreams and consequently global weather patterns, and ultimately the ocean currents, and the carefully orchestrated suppression and dummying down of typical citizens of the nations in the civilized world.
Those of us who had once believed the tenets of Armstrongism had thought throughout our tenure in the dratted stuff that we would be robbed of any sort of life. Had HWA's prophecies been true, I would have been a member of the 27 club! The world sees the 27 club as a rock n roll thing, following the deaths of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Lonnie's famous cousin Jimi. But for me, 27 is the maximum age I would have ever attained assuming I had made it through the tribulation beginning in 1972. As it turned out, we in that group were not robbed of life. The spectre of that was hung over our heads to manipulate our behavior, education, and financial situations, but quite predictably proved to be false.
It is nearly impossible to believe that the owners of our country and others around the globe do not realize that certain existential threats are already far too advanced to be reversible. This realization would certainly explain the radical policies we see being orchestrated, some of which not only ignore, but exacerbate the causes of the existential threats.
The purveyors of Armstrongism will all die without ever having had the life-long beliefs in their preferred prophetic sequence fulfilled. The rest of us would be absolute fools to believe that this means that "business as usual" will sing the song of our future. A man-made religion informed the anticipated 1975 apocalypse. Science informs the real one. But, at least, HWA did not get to rob us of our lives! And, we won't be dying with the angst caused by having lived a radically altered and frequently sacrificial life for something which never happened!
BB
Simply because this fellow is not actively taking your side, is not a reason to harangue. The article was reasonable. It is your job, not his, to do the active exposing.
"But, at least, HWA did not get to rob us of our lives!"
That's not quite right. I've had church members who were young at that time, tell me that they lost the will to live as 1975 approached. A high school friend at that time told me that he knew a friend who was near catatonic because he believed 1975. Members put off finding a mate, getting married, perhaps passed up a college education and deferred medical treatment because they believed Herb. And not forgetting those who sold their farms and homes to give the money to the church. Only God knows the full extent of the harm done, since people are too embarrassed to tell their family, relatives and friends that they were dupped by a snake oil salesman. That Herb spent the next few years after 1975 travelling frequently outside of the USA was probably because he feared these victims. Like king Saul and Stalin, he was probably paranoid as well.
Yes, 1:18, all true! The activities you enumerated mostly affected those who remained in the church. In many cases we who share here describe our own personal experiences that we and those of a similar mind as ourselves experienced. Having grown up believing Herb, taking him at his word, and therefore "knowing" that my life would be truncated, I considered 1975 to be part of "proving all things" as it approached. Many others did the same. I also became aware during the time leading up to 1975 of blatant doctrinal errors taught by the church, and of course that GTA had secretly conducted his own personal life as if he did not believe the teachings of the church (or even the Bible for that matter!). As I watched the church and ministers disingenuously backpedal and deny and construct a defense, reprogramming the members, I held them accountable.
There were those who bought into the "Oh, but wait! It's still all going to happen. Only the date was wrong. And oh, by the way, we never set a date!" That was ridiculous! 50 years later, they're still swearing that HWA just got the date wrong, and the brethren still ante up financially and remain in the abuse game. In 1975, I began partying pretty hard. Realizing, after a while, that I was now going to have to live a full lifetime, I shook that off and began applying myself and living a more responsible lifestyle. Some of the people I knew let the partying segue into dependencies which got them into a lot of trouble. Some became involved in other cults. Nobody was truly unscathed.
Some people don't understand Banned, or the Painful Truth, or other similar sites which no longer exist. It's our version of AA, only in this case it's Armstrongoholics Anonymous. The first chapter was started back in the 1970s by John Trechak with Ambassador Review, later renamed Ambassador Reports. Collectively these sites and materials have been of great help, an excellent support group for those breaking and recovering from cultic addiction. We still grieve for those who remain in the throes of cultic addiction!
BB
BB@ 9:16:54 AM PDT , thanks for your comments. We indeed had a lot in common with the Jewish communities around us, besides our keeping of the Holy Days. We were oddballs as a church to those around us and as such kept very much to ourselves. Looking ahead you commented on many things which are of concern, climate and debt, tribalism and nationalism, AI, which I personally think poses danger to us as a species on this earth.
I believe you are right, that the purveyors of Armstrongism and their prophetic announcements will die off and not see their cherished ideologies and theology fulfilled.
We can be grateful we are free now, and our hope is in Christ. We are saved by grace and not by belonging to a particular sect and adherence to their theological totalitarianism standards of do’s and don’ts.
It occurred to me, 3:05, that the leaders of Armstrongism who read here could actually use those concerns we agreed upon as backup for continuing to enslave and extort their members. I can just hear it all now! "Brethren for those of you who occasionally sneak a look at the Banned by HWA website, you know that there's this guy over there who tries to debunk what God revealed to Mr. Herbert Armstrong about our national identities and what we know is going to happen within the next three to five years by citing, I guess, his own science based apocalypse theories. And, boy howdy, if he thinks that is going to make people leave God's Church, he just doesn't realize that it's just more evidence of the end, and God's people will need His church and His protection even more!"
It's not my intention that they would use the materials that I get from watching world news to browbeat their people about an apocalypse. I just think that, as we would if we were preparing for a hurricane, there's stuff we ought to be doing. Seems like God does help those who help themselves. People should be worrying about taking care of their families, not going all gaga and sending all their disposable cash to their false prophets.
BB
Anon, Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 8:53:54 AM PDT, wrote:
"......who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped so that he as god sits in a church of god showing himself as a god.....the mystery of iniquity does already work, and the restrainer will restrain and then be away, and after shall that wicked, having since died but still revered by many as the apostle, be revealed whom the Lord will use up through speech and bring to uselessness at His coming.........2Thess 2 paraphrase......"
******
Anon 8:53:54, Paul knew, understood, that "the mystery of iniquity does already work" during his day and age. It still does today.
Paul in 2 Thess 2:3 (AKJV) wrote:
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"
Anon, you did not cite verse 3, which is part of the context to that verse 4, which you quoted.
Paul, including that context of verse 3, understood a lot about that man of sin.
Might it be that it had also been revealed to the Apostle Paul that identity of "that man of sin?"
What say you?
Time will tell...
John
Byker Bob, Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 9:16:54 AM PDT, wrote:
[[As a survivor of WCG, for years I've behaved much like a holocaust survivor, and identify in many ways with the Jewish people. I keep all relationships superficial and do not trust others easily. While I no longer believe in or fear the end times preached by HWA and the proprietors of the nostalgia splinter groups which imitate him, it is difficult not to fear other catastrophic events on the horizon, such as climate change (just last week the melting of permafrost caused the collapse of a glacier in Switzerland and destruction of a picturesque and historic little village), the upheaval to be caused by AI (it is already eroding many white collar career opportunities, replacing driving jobs in the trucking industry and enhancing criminal activities), the imminent crash of the world's economic system due to sovereign debt and fiat currency, the imposition of authoritarian government and its drive towards nationalism, wars which, if anything, manifest the signs of escalation, the prevalence of forever chemicals (last week's news items announced that they are now present in beer!), the death of the oceans due to plastics, overfishing, and the alteration of the jetstreams and consequently global weather patterns, and ultimately the ocean currents, and the carefully orchestrated suppression and dummying down of typical citizens of the nations in the civilized world.
Those of us who had once believed the tenets of Armstrongism had thought throughout our tenure in the dratted stuff that we would be robbed of any sort of life. Had HWA's prophecies been true, I would have been a member of the 27 club! The world sees the 27 club as a rock n roll thing, following the deaths of Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Lonnie's famous cousin Jimi. But for me, 27 is the maximum age I would have ever attained assuming I had made it through the tribulation beginning in 1972. As it turned out, we in that group were not robbed of life. The spectre of that was hung over our heads to manipulate our behavior, education, and financial situations, but quite predictably proved to be false.
It is nearly impossible to believe that the owners of our country and others around the globe do not realize that certain existential threats are already far too advanced to be reversible. This realization would certainly explain the radical policies we see being orchestrated, some of which not only ignore, but exacerbate the causes of the existential threats.
The purveyors of Armstrongism will all die without ever having had the life-long beliefs in their preferred prophetic sequence fulfilled. The rest of us would be absolute fools to believe that this means that "business as usual" will sing the song of our future. A man-made religion informed the anticipated 1975 apocalypse. Science informs the real one. But, at least, HWA did not get to rob us of our lives! And, we won't be dying with the angst caused by having lived a radically altered and frequently sacrificial life for something which never happened!]]
******
BB, nice realistic overview of worldwide conditions!
And, will the 7 Trumps (nothing to do with Donald's family) and the 7 Vials yet become reality?
Time will tell...
John
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