COGWA Focussing Upon Integrity And Humility...Wut?

Buckle up, because Jim Franks of COGWA just dropped some profound spiritual insight from his recent jaunt Down Under. While attending the Australian Open, he apparently witnessed the "humility" of champion Carlos Alcaraz. In his February 2026 member letter, our fearless leader gushed that he found it positively refreshing to see such rare, exotic humility on display "in our society, especially among athletes, politicians, and world leaders."

Yes, you read that right. Politicians. Athletes. And world leaders. Those paragons of self-effacement are now the gold standard for humility. Who knew?

Imagine the sheer shock: secular athletes and slimy politicians out-humbling the very shepherds God supposedly hand-picked to lead His remnant people. Apparently, Carlos Alcaraz and some random G7 suit are now setting a better example for COG members than… well… the COG leadership itself. Because let’s be brutally honest: the men running these splinter groups aren’t exactly famous for their legendary displays of lowliness.

When they so graciously apostatized from the mother church, and then—plot twist!—apostatized again from the United Church of God. Pure, selfless humility in action, clearly. No pride, no power grabs, no “my way or the highway” ultimatums whatsoever. Just wall-to-wall meekness and turning the other cheek. They did not, in fact, turn the other cheek.

If we want to seek peak humility in the Churches of God, then we need to look no further than Bob Thiel, Dave Pack, and Gerald Flurry, said no one ever.

So here we are in 2026, being gently reminded by the top brass that we should all aspire to the Christ-like humility so beautifully modeled by… professional tennis players and career politicians. Because when has Armstrongism itself ever bothered with anything so pedestrian as actual humility? Never once. Not in 1934, not in 1986, not during any of the glorious church splits, and certainly not now.

Truly inspiring. We’ve got a new standard to live up to.

While I’m not much of a tennis fan, I did watch the men’s final. The match featured Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Alcaraz, at just 22 years old, won his first Australian Open, defeating Djokovic, who holds more Grand Slam titles than any other male player in tennis history. 

 

These two men are at the top of their sport, and since Alcaraz is only 22 years old, it appears that—barring injury—he may remain there for many years to come. After the championship match concluded, each man addressed the crowd in the stadium. I was impressed by the humility they displayed, as they directed attention toward others rather than themselves. There was nothing in their remarks about how great they are. 

 

I found it refreshing to see such humility in our society, especially among athletes, politicians and world leaders. As Christians, we understand that humility is a foundational trait Christ taught us to imitate, and Scripture reminds us that without humility, we cannot enter His Kingdom. 

 

When we began the International Leadership Program in 2018, one of the first classes we chose to teach focused on integrity and humility. As we now approach the Passover, we are reminded that Christ described true conversion—and those who will be in His Kingdom—as being humble, like a little child. Notice His words in Matthew 18:4: “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” We see from this that humility is not simply an important trait to possess; it is essential for all Christians. The Bible makes this point very clear. James 4:6 tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Likewise, we read in 1 Peter 5:5-6, “Be clothed with humility . . . Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.”