Despising the Cross

It's that magical time of year again—Armstrongist Passover season is upon us, and right on cue, Bwana Bob Thiel is gearing up for his annual meltdown over the dreaded cross.

No one could possibly forget his utterly appalling (and let's be honest, vile) reaction back when grace-filled Christians in the local community quietly erected crosses to honor each Living Church of God member slaughtered by Terry Ratzmann in those tragic Milwaukee murders. While others grieved, Bwana Bob couldn't resist spewing his disgust at the very symbol of the faith he claims to follow.

And here we are in 2026, and surprise, surprise—he's still just as spiteful and repulsed by the cross as ever. If you're a genuine Christian, even considering this guy as a legitimate teacher or leader, that should be flashing red lights and blaring sirens. 

One can only imagine the sheer delight it must bring him when he sees Islamic extremists tearing down Christian crosses and demolishing churches—he probably equates it to some glorious sign of the times. After all, Armstrongists like Bwana Bob treat the Book of Revelation like their personal validation playbook; they desperately need every disaster, plague, and apocalyptic horror mentioned in it to actually happen so they can finally scream, "See? We were right all along!" How convenient for their endless nuttiness.

Many people have pointed to various aspects of modern technology as being related to the ‘mark of the beast’ of Revelation. And while the final Beast power will utilize technology, could something as familiar as some type of a cross be a mark of the beast?

Like many other Armstrongists, Bwana Bob's eyes glaze over at the mere thought that Emperor Constantine slapped that pagan-tinged symbol on his military shields—the infamous labarum with its chi-rho "cross" thingy—turning what should be a simple execution stake into some militaristic talisman for his troops.

Because nothing screams "true Christianity" like a Roman emperor repurposing a heavenly vision to win battles and push his version of the faith forward, right? Clearly, that's the hill Bwana Bob chooses to die on—repeatedly—while conveniently ignoring how the real cross has meant comfort and remembrance to actual believers for centuries. But hey, who needs historical nuance when you've got prophecy-fueled disdain to fuel the annual rant?

In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great was in Trier, Germany where he had an unexpected vision of a cross that appeared in the sky…Constantine’s soldiers, the majority of whom were pagans, placed the sacred image of the cross on their shields (Mangan C.M. In This Sign You Conquer, 10/15/03 Copyright © 2004 Catholic Online). 

 

Oh, of course—those stupid, ignorant, pagan heathens dared to use the cross, so naturally it must be forever prohibited. Bad pagans! Shame on them for tainting the symbol with their filthy history.

Real True Christians (read: Armstrongists) would never, ever allow a cross anywhere near them—gasp!—because, as everyone knows, the Antichrist is definitely going to be making you get one on your forehead or hand. Better safe than sorry, right? Can't risk associating with anything that might accidentally look like that thing Jesus actually died on. Priorities, people. Priorities.

If the cross is a symbol of the future Antichrist/Beast power as Priest P. Huchedé indicates it will be (and it is in a book with an official imprimatur), perhaps those who come from faiths descended from Emperor Constantine should be concerned about their religion now–before it becomes even further removed from the original faith. The Bible indicates that the true Christians will NOT have the symbol/mark needed to buy or sell when the two beasts of Revelation 13 are in power, but only those that will follow those beasts will (Revelation 13:16-17)–and while crosses may not necessarily be required everywhere, other Greco-Roman Catholic writings suggest that in certain places, they will be. 

 

Bwana Bob goes on and on about all kinds of things just to pump up that massive vain ego of his, yet he very conveniently chooses to ignore the following from the Bible:

You know, verses like Proverbs 16:18—"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall"—or maybe James 4:6, where it says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Funny how those get skipped when you're busy declaring yourself the one true prophet while everyone else is apparently blind.

But sure, keep ranting about pagan crosses and end-time disasters—nothing says "humble servant of God" like turning every post into a mirror for self-admiration. Priorities, right?

Instead of despising the cross, like Bwana Bob does, perhaps he needs to look at how his sacred Scriptures present the opposite view: 

...the cross is central to salvation, to be boasted in (Galatians 6:14), preached boldly, and regarded as the ultimate demonstration of God's love and power.

The message of the cross is described as foolishness (or seeming absurd/nonsense) to unbelievers like Bwana Bob, but it is the power of God to those being saved.

1 Corinthians 1:18 — For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:23 — ...but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles...

This shows that unbelievers (Jews expecting a triumphant Messiah without suffering, or Greeks seeking philosophical sophistication) naturally reject or scorn the idea of a crucified Savior. Paul calls this a "stumbling block" (skandalon, scandal/offense) and "foolishness," but he affirms it as divine wisdom.
Jesus Himself "endured the cross, despising the shame" — not despising the cross as evil, but treating the shame/humiliation associated with it (public execution as a criminal, nakedness, mockery) as something to disregard because of the greater joy of redemption and exaltation ahead.

Hebrews 12:2 — ...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is the closest the Bible comes to using "despising" in connection with the cross, but it's Jesus despising the shame of it (not the cross itself), and He endured it willingly for our sake.

Believers are warned against becoming enemies of the cross by living in ways that undermine its meaning (e.g., pursuing fleshly desires instead of self-denial and holiness).

Philippians 3:18 — "For many... walk as enemies of the cross of Christ." (Paul weeps over this, describing such people as focused on earthly things, with destruction as their end.) 

 

The New Testament consistently honors the cross as the means of atonement (e.g., Colossians 2:14, 1 Peter 2:24), reconciliation (Ephesians 2:16), and victory over sin/death. 

Paul says:

Galatians 6:14 — "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

The Bible says the cross appears foolish or offensive to those rejecting the gospel (unbelievers), and Jesus despised its shame while enduring it. But true Christians are called to embrace, proclaim, and boast in the cross—not despise it—as the core of salvation. Any teaching that despises the cross itself (as a symbol or the event) goes against the New Testament's emphasis.