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Saturday, August 9, 2025
Dave Pack: Therapy is Evil
Queen of Denial
Well I said he had a lot of potential (“Still growing and changing — just like God.”)He was only misunderstood (“No, he didn’t actually mean, ‘Don’t believe me, believe your Bible” doesn’t apply to members (1979).”)You know he didn't really mean to treat me so bad (“But that’s what God wants in His government.”)He wanted to be good (“God wouldn’t use him if those rumors were true.”)And I swore one day I would tame him (“Let’s pray God fixes it.”)Even though he loved to run hog wild (“But I am an Apostle.”)Just call me Cleopatra everybody, 'cause I'm the Queen of DenialI knew he didn't have any money (“The Work is at a crucial point.”)Yeah that's why he couldn't buy me a ring (“It makes perfect sense to build a fall gathering place in Wisconsin out of sheet metal and concrete, but include no heating system.”)Oh and just because he bought himself a brand new pickup truck (“Wow! A new private jet! God’s Apostle has to look good.”)Really didn't prove anything (“If Stan Rader says the books are OK, then we don’t need to listen to the State of California. He was ordained an evangelist — while he was still wet from his baptism.”)And he never had to say he loved me (“We aren’t just called for salvation, but rather to pay for his Work.”)I could see it every time he smiled (“He looks so happy gallivanting around the world — with his disfellowshipped daughter.”)Just call me Cleopatra everybody, 'cause I'm the Queen of DenialOh Queen of Denial, buyin' all his alibisQueen of Denial, floatin' down a river of liesWell I'm not gonna jump to conclusions (“Believe him, not your own lying eyes.”)Or throw away this perfect romance (“ONE TRUE CHURCH!”)Even though I caught him dancin' last nightWith a girl in a leopard skin pants (“Ignore what comes out in the divorce trial.”)Yeah, he's probably stuck in traffic (“‘Our Lord delays his coming.’”)And he'll be here in a litte while (“A few short years.”)Just call me Cleopatra everybody, 'cause I'm the Queen of DenialOh Queen of Denial, buyin' all his alibisQueen of Denial, just floatin' down a river of lies
Friday, August 8, 2025
Our Bouncing and Flouncing Crackpot Prophet is Faint with Ecstasy at the Thought of the US Being Obliterated by Nuclear Weapons
Today marks the 80th anniversary of the dropping of a nuclear/atomic bomb on Hiroshima by the United States. This killed about 140,000 people. On August 9, 1945, Nagasaki was hit by a second nuclear/atomic bomb that killed about 70,000.There truly was massive devastation in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima.While the goal of many of the Japanese has been to wipe out weapons of mass destruction, Japan stated a few years ago that it has modified its interpretation of its Constitution and may someday make nuclear weapons of its own.Each year, peace vigils and anti-nuclear discussions happen.Despite efforts like peace vigils, Bible prophecy warns that more wars and destruction are coming (Daniel 11:39-44; Revelation 13:4) and that there will be false declarations (1 Thessalonians 5:3) and hopes for peace (Romans 3:10-18).Furthermore regarding future destruction, notice the following:
33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste (Leviticus 26:33).
And while God did allow the Assyrians to scatter the children of Israel back in Old Testament times, they did not then destroy their cities. Thus, the “cities becoming waste” prophecy is still waiting to be fulfilled. This is expected to impact the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh (the Anglo-nations). Nuclear and other high-tech weapons (as well as emp, electromagnetic pulse, bombs) are modern ways to make land desolate and cities waste.
So what did the great one do? Produce two hilarious videos of impending doom. If you thought Ron Weinland and Alton Billingsley were whack-a-doodles, our Great Bwana has placed himself at the forefront of lunacy.
Nuclear bombers for the Beast?
It is reported that the Germans are looking for a new bomber to be able to be used to deliver US B61-12 atomic bombs. Does Germany already have access to American nuclear weapons it can now use? What about Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands? Has there been increased interest in more independent European nuclear capacity since the election of US President Donald Trump? What has Berthold Kohler, Herbert W. Armstrong, Nigel Farage, Jean-Claude Juncker, and Maximilian Terhalle said about Europe’s militaristic ambitions? What about Bible prophecy? Could the Great Tribulation begin with a thermonuclear strike? What has Time, NTI, and Global Research reported about European nuclear weapons available to European nations? Is a nuclear attack consistent with prophecies? Might the coming Beast use nuclear weapons against the USA? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.
Daniel 11:39: Conquering of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, part II
This is the second part of a two-part sermon covering Daniel 11:39. It is also the 9th part of an intended 10-part series expected to cover the entire Book of Daniel. This sermon reads a couple of different translations of Daniel 11:39 and goes into several of the ramifications that verse. Such ramifications include mass destruction, probably from nuclear or other technologies, that will hit the United States and one or more of its British-descended allies. The ‘Five Eyes’ allied nations of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are discussed as well as biblical prophecies pointing to what sounds like coming nuclear devastation. Dr. Thiel points out that although various Living Church of God evangelists agreed with him related to Daniel 11:39, only the Continuing Church of God has publicly taught so many of the ramifications of Daniel 11:39. European technologies are discussed as well as increases in military spending by the Europeans. Dr. Thiel also points to Greco-Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Buddhist prophecies that seem to look forward to the biblical King of the North, the end-time European Babylonian Beast power, who seems to be referred to as the ‘Great Monarch,’ ‘Bhagwan Kalki,’ and possibly ‘Buddha Maitreya’ in non-biblical prophecies. Chinese prophecies from the Tang Dynasty are also cited showing Satan’s plan to deceive people with signs and lying wonders related to this leader as is warned against in the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians. Even a prediction from Nostradamus is cited as it appears consistent with certain biblical warnings when a false peace will be proclaimed. A new religious order as well as the likelihood of crosses being used by the Beast and his supports is mentioned. Biblical prophecies related to the Beast becoming a worshiped military power are cited as are scriptures related to the coming reorganization of Europe. Dr. Thiel refers to scriptures related to Ephraim, Manasseh, and Assyria and identifies who their modern descendants are. The timing of an expected nuclear-type attack of the USA, UK, and Canada by the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong is quoted. Dr. Thiel concurs that the timing of such an attack will be at the start of the Great Tribulation, which ties in with Daniel 11:39. US President Donald Trump, Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the United Nations, the European Union, and the Freemasons are mentioned as well as the plans for a new globalist world order. Dr. Thiel quotes passages of scripture that show that only the Philadelphian are the only Christians promised protection (in the wilderness) by Jesus from “the hour of trial that will come upon the whole earth” (Revelation 3:7-10). He mentions that most Christians in the end times will not be protected, despite keeping the commandments and having the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:7). Dr. Thiel states that it does matter which Church of God you are in/support.
Is One Of The Potential Two Witless Witnesses Heading Off To Jeruslaem Next Month To Unfurl The Banner Of Truth?
Christ speaks of two men, one in the city of Jerusalem, like an olive branch on the rooftop, for the Feast of Tabernacles.The other is in the field, separated, but repents in time to ESCAPE, for Christ tells him NOT TO RETURN to grab his clothing.It shows the people gathering together in Jerusalem, in the fall festival season!Now we come to Ezra 9-10. It is talking about the body of Christ. Some have joined themselves to “strange women” or other churches! They call themselves the Church of God, yet are joined to other churches! They are fence riding!Those who make the separation in obedience to God, away from these groups, will escape the tribulation by coming to Jerusalem! Because obedience matters to them! They love God and Love His Truth! God is priority!!!!Are you obedient? Do you love God brethren? Or does assembling with “another church” outweigh your obedience to God?Will that red soup taste good later on when it’s gone?In Ezra 10, we read about the council of the Lord, and the council of the elders.Aaron Dean is the last member of the Adisory Council of Elders, established through obedience and by the name and authority of Jesus Christ , through the apostle of Jesus Christ!He is the duly appointed!I’m going to Jerusalem, this fall season, with other members of the Worldwide Church of God, to stand up and support God in obedience, to lift up the banner of truth, and to support and lift up the Philadelphia candlestick! To fetch the olive branches!I had hoped there would be more brethren coming, but by the mouth of two or more witnesses the matter is established.Mr Dean would be in the field, then, but like a branch plucked from the fire!I don’t see anyone else saying these things brethren! No one else is fighting and going through the pain thraws of birthing a restoration of the Worldwide Church of God! They all want to build up their separate group! But we must be obedient to God. And BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS IN HIS WORD!Do you believe?
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Apostolic Adoration
I use this photo on the Banned Facebook page.
Just look at the adoration so many in the crowd have at the mere sight of the holy apostle himself as he points out the future site of God's House that will milk them out 9.8 million dollars, and that would end up being sold for pennies on the dollar to a charismatic speaking-in-tongues Brownsville Revival cult that can cause gold dust to rain down from above and turn teeth into gold as they bark like dogs, shreak in holy laughter, and speak in tongues as they writhe on the floor slain in the spirit.
Except for one man, who threw up in his mouth.
A Brief Look at Source Criticism and the Pentateuch: With a Review of the Armstrongist Counterpoint
“Ezra Reads the Law”
from the Third Century Dura-Europos synagogue (Fair Use)
A Brief Look at Source Criticism and the Pentateuch
With a Review of the Armstrongist Counterpoint
By Scout
“This book is not merely written for children. Adults by multiple thousands followed the installments avidly when they first appeared in "The Plain Truth". Adults will gain an understanding of the WHOLE BIBLE — of its continuous story thread — from this book.” – Herbert W. Armstrong, Introduction to Volume 1 of The Bible Story
When I was in college, one of the guys in the dorm got an anonymous poison pen letter from his hometown. There was no signature but he deduced who had sent it. It was an old girlfriend with whom he had had a falling out. The content could have come from a number of people but the language usage was a giveaway. The letter contained locutions that only his old girlfriend was known to use. And the current circumstance of their relationship made the letter a fit. So, she had in effect signed the letter but didn’t know it.
Analyzing ancient documents resembles the process my dorm buddy went through. The Torah, for instance, is full of clues that can be mined for a fuller picture of its history. Source Criticism capitalizes on this and unpacks the Torah in a disciplined way. Everyone who reads the Bible seriously should know something about Source Criticism and its findings.
Source Criticism in a Nutshell
Source criticism is an analytical methodology that advances the idea that the Hebrew scriptures are a discernable composite of texts from several different sources. The texts were under the curation of several different groups but in later history were edited to form the canon of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). It is thought by some that the editor was Ezra assisted by his scribes. This multi-source idea was made popular by a German Biblical scholar named Julius Wellhausen near the end of the Nineteenth Century. It now exists in several updated versions. I will refer here to the version developed by Jewish theologian Richard E. Friedman.
Friedman’s sources include the Yahwists (J), Elohist (E), Priestly (P) and Deuteronomist (D). He also identifies contributions to the composite scriptures by the Redactor (R). It is important to recognize that Source Criticism is not the simplistic idea that different terms for God are used to hypothesize different contributors of texts to the scriptures. It is far more complicated than that and is supported in a number of different ways, internal and external to the Tanakh, that verify each other. I will not try to replicate the numerous arguments that support the methodology. These are well documented and accessible. I have included some works by Friedman in the References below. And I assure you that Source Criticism is something you cannot easily dismiss.
As an example of why these sources are each cohesive, I will give a short profile of the Yahwist source. The Yahwist text in the Tanakh is the earliest prose writing (poetic writing has a longer history) made by mankind. God is referred to as Yahweh. The Yahwist writing dates to 950 BCE and is associated with the Davidic and Solomonic Monarchies. The Hebrew language used in the Yahwist passages pre-dates the language of the other sources. Yahwists bring certain accounts to the Bible that the other sources do not. On the other hand, the Yahwist texts recount many events which will seem like redundancy to the reader because they are repeated by the later Elohist texts. These repetitions are called “doublets.” Only the Yahwists use Yahweh in these doublets to refer to God rather than the Elohim of the Elohists. Yawhists seem pre-occupied with dramatic story-telling, portraying God as anthropomorphic, dialogs between men and God, and the history and status of the Tribe of Judah. And further, there are other well-documented attributes of Yahwist writing that I will not attempt to characterize here.
I am not asserting that Source Criticism perfectly explains everything we see in the Torah. You can find passages that seem to defy classification. Sometimes the term “Yahweh Elohim” is used. These infrequent one-offs do not overturn the broad premise. I do believe Source Criticism presents us with an accumulation of credible evidence that is persuasive.
The Armstrongist View on the Authorship of the Torah
The Armstrongist view is that the five books of the Pentateuch were written by Moses. This is a traditional view, also widely held among evangelicals. Ronald L. Dart wrote an article, published by the Worldwide Church of God, titled “Who Wrote the Law?” that asserts that the Pentateuch was written by Moses. The article was written in 1971 and is somewhat dated. It does not engage, for instance, the findings of Richard E. Friedman that support multiple sources.
Dart instead argues against conclusions on this topic drawn by scholars back in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Dart is concerned with countering the idea that the Torah was an evolutionary development and also pointing out that some scholars have incorrectly concluded that the Torah dates from the reign of Josiah simply because a copy of the Torah was discovered then. Otherwise, Dart seems to argue plausibility. Moses was literate and educated. Why would we assume he could not write the Torah? Finally, Dart states, “And so in conclusion, everything in the Pentateuch is as it should be for Moses to be the author.” In fact, the arguments of Source Criticism show that everything is not as it should be for Moses to be the single author.
Jesus as the Ultimate Source
If the Torah is a composite of texts from different sources, each with a separate curational history, how can it be trusted to be accurate? The cleanest model, for those who idealize inerrancy, is Moses, acting as merely a bio-mechanical hand, writing the whole Torah at the inspiration of God. This is the best route to certainty (as opposed to faith).
Dart writes, “Once we admit the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, it becomes impossible to deny the divine origin of the Law.” Dart does not explain why single authorship is more likely to be inspired than multiple authorship. A plausible observation is that single authorship would be appealing to those who support a hierarchical, autocratic form of church governance. Single authorship beats the drum for the idea that God would always work through one chosen man who is the anointed leader. A collegial approach would then be precluded. This political view overlooks the fact that the Tanakh as a whole is the collegial product of different authors in different time periods.
For most Christians, the need to have an unassailable version of the Torah is a non-issue because of Jesus. When Jesus came to us, he did not start a project of purging the composite and humanly curated Tanakh. He did not concern himself with who really killed Goliath or why light appeared before there were any celestial bodies. As Miller Jones stated, “Christ did not dispute the understanding of the religious leaders of his day that Moses had authored the Torah, and that its terms were binding on humanity.” I don’t think Jesus gave the Torah a waiver because he believed it to be perfect. Read Jeremiah 8:8 in some other translation besides the KJV. The KJV fumbles it.
Jesus did observe the behavioral standards of the Torah perfectly. And he knew what constituted perfect law keeping because he inspired Version 1.0 of the Law and there was also an extant Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus also noted that, “The Law and the Prophets were until John came”. Thereafter, the era of the Gospel began. And in this era, Jesus revealed himself as the Word of God. His living example became our new behavioral standard. Hence, the Old Testament, encrusted with human fingerprints, remained a valuable document. But it had only a subordinate and contributory status when compared to the example of Christ. So, in a sense, Jesus did rectify and purge the Torah. But it was not a writing project with droves of scribes. Jesus did it by the testimony of his personal spiritual walk under the New Covenant.
Armstrongism and the Pitfall of a Non-wholistic View of Scripture
If you are not a cherry-picker of scriptures, the composite nature of the Old Testament will turn you into one if you are not careful. Because the Torah is a compilation of texts from different sources, this pitfall for interpretation is present. If one cites a passage that came, for instance from the Yahwists, that passage is going to reflect naturally the single view point associated with the Yahwists and not scripture as a whole necessarily. Even though the passage may be legitimate scripture, it may need to be tempered by other scriptures from other sources. A case study of this problem is found in Basil Wolverton’s “The Bible Story.”
While I found Wolverton’s writing to be absorbing years ago, it was heavily skewed in the direction of what theologians call Deuteronomist History. The Deuteronomists are only one of the sources for the Torah. I have listed below the content of Wolverton’s volumes and beneath that the books of the Deuteronomist History. The correspondence is clear.
Wolverton’s Bible Story:
Volume 1: Genesis, Concerning Moses
Volume 2: Concerning Moses
Volume 3: Judges, Joshua
Volume 4: Samuel
Volume 5: Samuel, Kings, Chronicles
Volume 6: Kings, Chronicles
Deuteronomist History:
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Samuel
Kings
Why does this make a difference? First, this is not a contrived collection of books from the Hebrew scriptures. It follows the natural chronological order of Biblical events. But it nevertheless represents the viewpoint of a single source. The Deuteronomist History portrays God in a certain way. It supports transactional relationships, law and hierarchy. In particular, the Christian doctrine of grace has no place in this model (John 1:17, “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”). To the point, the Deuteronomist History portrays a transactional God. The transactional model follows the logic of “If X, then Y.” The two principal transactions are: “If you obey the law, then you will be blessed” and “If you disobey the law, then you will be punished.” The Bible Story prominently portrayed this narrow theological view with its absence of grace. I doubt that the portrayal was calculated but was rather done with good intentions. The good intentions were just overtaken by the multi-source nature of the scripture. But Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) seemed to draft off of the Deuteronomist viewpoint, in my opinion as a former WCG lay-member, in his leadership style and in the formation of the denominational governance within the WCG.
Friedman and other scholars believe that the Deuteronomists were Levites. The Deuteronomist History seems to represent the interests of the Levitical Priesthood. Moses entrusted the book that he wrote to the Levites and told them to keep it with the Ark. It is my personal belief that the book that Moses wrote was merged into the Pentateuch along with other source material by Jewish editors. Moses’ book is embedded in the Pentateuch but does not constitute the whole of the five books. This view accommodates the verifiable presence of discrete sources in the Pentateuch and also the “book” mentioned in Deuteronomy 31:24-26.
The problem is that the Deuteronomist History gives an incomplete picture of God and his relationships with people. It must be completed and tempered by other books of the Tanakh and the New Testament. For instance, in the Book of Job you will find a contention over whether or not God is merely transactional. Job’s “friends” expressed the Deuteronomist viewpoint. Their repeated and lengthy assertion was that Job must be suffering because he had been disobedient. This view is purely Deuteronomist. Job’s persistent counterpoint was that he had not been disobedient. In the end, God said of Job’s Deuteronomist friends, “After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.’” At this point, the Deuteronomist view as the sole model of God collapses.
The publication by the WCG of Wolverton’s Bible Story was much more than a retelling of some events from the Bible as juvenile literature in service to church families. It resulted in the implantation in the minds of readers of a particular viewpoint that also formed a leitmotif in Armstrongism. Whether planned or unintentional, it came about from basing a view of God on passages that came from a single ancient source. It is like the lesson of the blind men who feel different parts of the elephant and come away with widely varying descriptions. The Bible must be considered as a whole with the Gospel at the center. This is the over-arching hermeneutic. In the book “Four Views of Hell”, Robin Parry stated, “Is there a guide to help us interpret in theologically sensitive ways? Yes. The church has always recognized that the gospel narrative of the triune God manifest in Christ’s incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and return must be at the core of the interpretation of scripture.”
HWA was always an advocate of collecting all the scriptures together on a given topic in order to understand the topic. It is ironic that the WCG fell victim to the pitfall of being non-wholistic through focusing on texts from a single underlying source in The Bible Story.
Summary Argument
Source Criticism leads to the understanding that the Pentateuch is a composite of texts from many different ancient sources. Jewish scribes redacted these sources to form the canonical books. For those who believe for some reason that single authorship equates to inspiration, this collegial approach is an issue. It was not an issue for Jesus. Jesus did not launch a literary revision of the Tanakh to remove its unevenness during his earthly ministry. Instead, he cured the problem in that he himself was the Word of God among us in living action (Hebrews 1:1-2). He did not edit; he exemplified in both word and deed. And what he exemplified was what Paul called the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). The Law of Christ stands on the shoulders of the Torah but is a new rendition – with a better covenant and better promises (Hebrews 8:6).
References
If you resonate with this topic, a good place to get a better introduction is to listen to the Peter Enns interview with Richard E. Friedman cited below. For a useful overview, Wikipedia contains a number of articles related to Source Criticism that I have not cited here.
Dart, Ronald L. “Who Wrote the Law?” in Tomorrow’s World magazine, January, 1971.
Friedman, Richard E. “The Bible with Sources Revealed,” HarperOne, 2005.
Friedman, Richard E. “Who Wrote the Bible,” Simon and Schuster, 2019.
Friedman, Richard E. “Who Wrote the Pentateuch?” an interview on The Bible for Normal People podcast, Peter Enns Interviewer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQpJI1gr3ww
Jones, Miller. “The Authorship of the Torah and Its Implications for the Work of Jesus Christ,” from the “God Cannot be Contained!” website.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Dave Pack and Restored Church of God: Nothing but financial, mental and emotional vampires that suck the life out of people
It is fascinating watching the complete meltdown of one of the more aberrant splinter cults of Armstrongism.
Life So Much Better After Leaving Restored Church of God:
July 20, 2025
I left the doomsday cult RCG over 4 years ago. My life is so much better than it ever was in that poisonous organization. Same as an article in your website, nothing was “FREE.” I figured after about 10 years of tithing (nowhere in NT church doctrine) and offerings, the “FREE” cost me also about $60,000. The ministers had the worst attitudes, not all, but enough of them. Such “lords of the Gentiles.” The selfish Christianity the cults practice is repulsive. No help to the people outside of their cult, some individuals do as I was aware of, but collectively, no. And they think they will rule the world? Tremendous arrogance! Nothing but financial, mental and emotional vampires that suck the life out of people to become a drone and a clone of the cult to continue its toxic existence. I am free and independent and life is incomparably better now! –Former RCG member
Monday, August 4, 2025
Crackpot Prophet Does Not Like The Fact That "Christians-so-called" Mention Jesus In Their Hymns
In COGland, there's a stark contrast in how often Satan and Jesus are mentioned. Satan is portrayed as the all-powerful deity of the church, constantly referenced, while Jesus is rarely mentioned, typically only as "Jesus Christ." Using just "Jesus" is deemed too "Protestant" for these self-proclaimed true Christians. Moreover, Jesus is depicted as perpetually angry, eager to return and annihilate two-thirds of humanity. However, his return is continually postponed by speculative leaders who keep messing up the date, like Dave Pack, Gerald Flurry, Ron Weinland, Bob Thiel, and Alton Billingsley. I can see why he is getting angry!
Even more offensive to these so-called Christians is singing about Jesus in hymns. Not the modern "Jesus is my boyfriend" worship songs, but classic 17th- and 18th-century hymns that convey the gospel message more effectively in a few verses than all COG leaders have since Armstrongism emerged in the 1930s.
No COG leader is more affronted by these hymns than the self-proclaimed Great Bwana Bob Mzungu Thiel. He insists the only acceptable hymns are Dwight Armstrong’s metrical psalters, adaptations of Psalms often found in 17th- and 18th-century Bibles. Apparently, true Christians only sing these, finding lyrics about smashing heads or crushing enemies more fitting than a wretch overwhelmed by being saved by grace.
While Roman Catholics and Protestants tended to sing songs that had religious messages, the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) mainly sung hymns which were extracted from the Psalms in the Bible. Most of those of us in groups with ties to the old WCG still do.
And we even have been criticized for that by who who used to sing them. The January 31, 2003, issue of old The Journal: News of the Churches of God, on page 22, contained a paid advertisement titled What Can We Learn From a Church Group’s Selection of Hymns? The ad glosses over certain key points that I would like to address.
After being critical of the Church of God practice to attempt to distance itself from the Protestant practice of having a significant portion of songs addressed to Jesus, the ad states:
Of the 114 special songs by Dwight Armstrong appearing in the 1974 Hymnal, how many do you think contain the name Christ or Jesus? Do you think most of them, say, about 100? Surely at least half, say 57? Would you be surprised to learn that of all 114 songs, not one contains the name of our Savior.
There are two points glossed over here. The first is that in the entire Bible there are no songs/hymns/psalms that mention the name Jesus–thus I wonder if this ad intended that as a criticism of the Bible (it is clearly intended as a criticism of the Church of God practice of singing Bible-based songs). The second is that three of the songs Dwight Armstrong wrote, that are in the 1974 edition of The Bible Hymnal (otherwise referred to as the hymnal), do contain the term ‘Christ’ (see page numbers 54,120,121). Furthermore, terms such as “Lord” and specific teachings of Christ are included in many of the hymns. Additionally, the hymnal contained songs written by others that do mention the name Jesus.
The ad asks:
How can a church be doing the work of God (according to John 6:29) if its very own 114 specially written hymns, hymns which are supposedly ‘more scriptural’ than the ones used by others, do not even contain the name Jesus Christ?
He then writes this: pay particular attention to the first sentence:
The author may wish to ask God why none of the psalmists, who wrote 150 psalms, were inspired to use the term ‘Jesus Christ’. Until that happens, I would suggest that the fact that ‘Jesus Christ’ is from Greek and the psalms were written in Hebrew would be one factor. Another fact is that the songs in the old WCG hymnal (which we in the Continuing Church of God sang from each week until getting a slightly updated/expanded replacement in late 2013) are more directly biblical than any hymnal from any non-Church of God group that I have ever seen.
As usual, no one—absolutely NO ONE—on Earth is as perfect as the improperly named "Continuing" Church of God and its highly favored leader. There's not enough nonsense on the planet to match that level of absurdity he wrote above.
The Psalms were written over approximately 1,000 years, with the earliest possibly penned by Moses around 1400 BC and the latest composed after the Babylonian exile, around 450 BC. This period far predates Christ’s time. Jesus isn’t mentioned because He wasn’t on earth then. Apparently, Bwana Bob’s supposed education at Fuller and a diploma from a Trinitarian diploma mill in India failed to clarify this.
The ad asks the question:
What should be the focus and center of a Bible-led, Christian church?
The obvious answer is that the Bible, the word of God, should. So, let’s look at all the scriptures in the New Testament (NKJ) that use the term ‘sing’:
“And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name’ ” (Romans 15:9).
This is a quote from Paul based on II Samuel 22:50; note that Paul is stating that Gentiles are to sing to God–Jesus’ name is not mentioned.
“What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (I Corinthians 14:15).
Again no mention of Jesus. The latter half of this scripture is a quote from Psalm 47:7.
“Saying: ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You’ ” (Hebrews 2:12).
This is a quote from Paul of Psalm 22:22; it also does not mention Jesus’ name.
“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).
Psalms are what approximately 90% of the songs the 1974 WWCG hymnal are based on.
“They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested’ ” (Revelation 15:3-4).
Note that the term ‘Jesus Christ’ is not mentioned in this particular song and the ‘song of Moses’ is believed to be from Exodus 15. Also, note that one song from D. Armstrong (on page 116 in the 1974 hymnal) is based on Exodus 15.The Apostle Paul noted:
Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm (1 Corinthians 14:26).
Now who did Paul and Silas sing to? Acts 16:25 states,
“Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.”
Colossians 3:16 does mention the term ‘Christ’ and singing in the same verse (and is the only place in the Bible where that occurs) as it states,
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Note that this verse does not indicate that it is necessary to sing the term ‘Christ’.Acts 13:33 is the only verse in the Bible that mentions the term ‘Jesus’ and ‘Psalm’–but they are two separate statements, neither of which suggest using the term ‘Jesus’ in any psalm.There are also several other New Testament scriptures that mention songs, psalms, and/or hymns (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 20:42;24:44; Acts 13:35; Ephesians 5:19; Revelation 5:9;14:3;15:3), but none of them mention the term ‘Jesus’ or ‘Christ’ or ‘Jesus Christ’ in any of them.After complaining that none of the hymns in the 1974 edition contain the term ‘Jesus Christ’, the ad speculates:
Do we dare speculate? Could Herbert Armstrong’s WWCG have been doomed from the beginning?
The ad implies WWCG was doomed from the beginning because of its hymnal not using the term ‘Jesus Christ’ in any of the songs. The answer to that speculation is, no this did not doom WWCG. For if that speculation were true, then the Bible would also have been doomed from the beginning since it does not use the term ‘Jesus Christ’ in any song.The ad concludes with:
Give the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved more focus in worship services by singing most, not necessarily all, of the hymns about our Rock and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
Then, in his typical sanctimonious self-serving glory, the Great Bwana writes:
The unnamed author of this ad is entitled to an opinion. But it is an opinion, and not a particularly biblically defensible one (perhaps it should be added that the term ‘Rock’ is applied to God or the Lord in the hymnal on pages 24,49,50,53,72,&117; and that “Lord” or “God” is used in almost every song).
Everything Bwana Bob writes and preaches is merely opinion, and not particularly defensible ones. His so-called biblical education is grounded in Armstrongism, which doesn't make him an authority on anything biblical.
Sunday, August 3, 2025
New Video: Early Cult Literature - Timeless Propaganda by Herbert W. Armstrong





UCG and Summer Camp Jesus
Sent by a reader here:
UCG posted this about their recent summer camp. Notice anything missing in what they taught their kids about Jesus?
One of our camp goals was to enrich the children’s lives by giving them opportunities to build relationships with other children who share common beliefs, deepen their relationship with God as well as experience a variety of challenging activities. Each morning the entire camp was in Christian living and music classes or adult staff Bible study. Classes emphasized our camp theme “Building Your Foundation of Jesus.” Campers learned about Jesus Christ being the “Word” (John 1:1) who was in the Beginning, was with God, and created all things (Genesis 1:1).The goal of our staff was to teach the children who Jesus Christ was—that He was the voice from the burning bush, and that He led the children through the Red Sea and wilderness for 40 years. He was there in the beginning—and then came, lived a perfect life, set us an example of how to live, and died for our sins. He will return and His Kingdom will come. He is the one they are to build their life on—the one who God the Father appointed to build His Church—and His love for them is everlasting.