Showing posts with label Herbert Armstrong College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herbert Armstrong College. Show all posts

Friday, October 29, 2021

PCG Gloats About New $170,000 Steinway Piano

 

Steinway Model D piano

Everything we hear out of the Philadelphia Church of God is about the imminent return of their creature called "christ" and the end of this age. Yet, PCG spends money like they have a bottomless wallet...well, they actually do...gullible church members who will send in money for this kind of extravagance.

They are gloating about how much prestige that being an "all Steinway school" brings them, supposedly so impressive that the State Department will look at them differently now.

PCG went on a piano quest when the Worldwide Church of God was dissolving and the Ambassador Auditorium was shut down. Flurry then bought one of the Auditorium's Steinway grand pianos. They bought the piano around the same time they bought the two Baccarat Crystal candelabras that used to be in the Auditorium lobby. This was a significant coup for the PCG as anything thing could collect that Herbert Armstrong had touched added to the collection of idolatrous artifacts.

Since that time the PCG has been on a quest to replace all of its campus pianos with Steinway's.

OKLAHOMA—Piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons has recognized Herbert W. Armstrong College as one of its 221 “All-Steinway Schools.” The certification, which Armstrong received news of in May and official notification of on July 20, is given to schools whose pianos are made or designed exclusively by the German-American piano company. The college qualified earlier in May after purchasing a Steinway Model B for the Armstrong Auditorium rehearsal room. 
 
With only 72 students, the college is one of the smallest schools to “demonstrate a full commitment to excellence by providing their students with the best instruments possible for the study of music,” as the All-Steinway program is described on Steinway.com.

The college began the process by purchasing a Steinway Model D from the company’s factory in Hamburg, Germany, in 2009. The sponsor of the college, the Philadelphia Church of God, had previously purchased a 1983 Steinway Model D from Ambassador College in 2004. Since then, the campus’s dozen or so practice or performance areas have transitioned from lower-quality instruments to Steinway-designed pianos, typically an upright from its Boston brand. 
 
When the college finished constructing the Dwight Armstrong Performing Arts Conservatory in 2016 and purchased two grand pianos and an upright for its classrooms, the school’s quantity of Steinway-designed pianos rose high enough to qualify it for the recognition. Armstrong Recognized as ‘All-Steinway’ Institution

Here is the current cost range for Steinway pianos, including the Model D which PCG purchased.

In PCG's continuing quest to gain legitimacy and pander to the U.S. Government, even though they claim it will soon deport them all to Jordan, they look at this piano as their ticket with the U.S. Immigration Service as a means to get in foreign students to their cult collge.

“Having toured the Steinway facility in Hamburg, we understand what it means to have this peerless name associated with our institution,” music director Ryan Malone said. “We feel honored to receive such a distinction. Though we’re not a large school, or even a music school, this recognition highlights how we are committed to the highest quality education when it comes to the performing arts.”

The Church’s chief financial officer, Andrew Locher, gave an example of other effects of the recognition: “Being an all-Steinway School adds a respectable credential to Armstrong College in the eyes of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While we meet the necessary standards to have international students granted a visa for study, each recognition like this helps the reputation of our college.”

The college plans to host a presentation ceremony with Steinway representatives in the months ahead.

While everyday members of the PCG struggle to survive, the elite at the cult compound spend lasciviously and cavort around the country for Irish Dance competitions and to England in their own private jet. 

It pays to be a cult leader of Armstrongism! 



 

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Stephen Flurry: Satan Was So Upset Over PCG Wholesomeness That He Causes Shootings In Austin TX



 

We all know that the boys in Edmond Oklahoma are not engaging all cylinders when it come to making reputable sound statements. Whether it be news events or church propaganda, the words they say are some fo the craziest we have heard.

The PCG has been gloating big time over the last few days over its Irish Dancers putting on productions in various cities. This production is apparently the most wholesome production the country has ever seen and SATAN is pissed! He is so angry that the deliberately causes a shooter to shoot people to take away from the pure wholesomeness that Armstrong dancers display. Seriously dude?

Oh, and lest I forget, the Celtic Throne dance production is a WARNING to the world! It is a story of the British Israelism myth PCG pushes. This production also features a throne that has Herberts prayer rock inside it (at least the show in Edmond did).

Exit and Support Network has this up:


Mass Shooting in Austin, TX Due to Satan Hating PCG’s Uplifting Message?
June 22, 2021 
 
I had to listen to a lame sermon that SF gave on June 13 (“Science Falsely So-Called”). His droning, monotonous voice–that can almost put you to sleep–sounded like (in my opinion) he was half-drunk, except when his voice gets high, loud and screechy, which can hurt your ears, or when he’s “acting funny” to get the members to laugh. 
 
It should come as no surprise that SF said that he wondered if the mass shooting (at least some of it) that took place in Austin, TX early June 13 was “Satan’s reaction to a message that is so uplifting.” This message has been “changing lives” and “Satan isn’t happy about that.” Can mass shootings be blamed on Satan being angry with PCG’s uplifting message? He said he checked it out on Google maps and the shooting “happened about 12 blocks from where the performers were performing Wednesday nite in the Celtic Throne performance.” 
 
The Celtic Throne performance, he said, was “a message that’s about the United States and Britain in prophecy set to music” and if they (the audience) don’t have God’s Spirit “they will miss it.” It is also a “warning.” 
 
He also told what Satan hates–he hates God’s Royal production, he hates the Royal Family God Vision, the Royal Family Culture, and other “royal” things that I couldn’t keep up with. So much bragging and it was so boring. –[name withheld]

Sunday, June 24, 2018

PCG: "We must spiritually nurture [HWA's Prayer Rock] that is in our presence in every way we possibly can!"



If you think the convoluted story about the Stone of Herb cannot get any weirder, read on:
This prophecy is dated: It is specifically about going to the place of safety with the new throne of David. We had to break away from the lukewarm Worldwide Church of God. God is focusing our minds on the place of safety, and also on conducting ourselves like King David did.
This prophecy shows not just a leader going to that place, but all of God’s faithful people going there together. Daniel 12:8-11 paint a similar picture. We are all in this together; we leave together and are taken to a place of safety together. It says, “And from the time that the daily [the Work of God] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Subtracting the 1,260 days we are in the place of safety from this 1,290 days indicates we have 30 days to get to a place of safety, and all of us go together.
"We are all in this together; we leave together..."  Of all of the splinter groups of Armstrongism, the Philadelphia Church of God and the Restored Church of God are the two groups that have the potential to lead their followers into some kind of death scenario. Their members blindly follow ANYTHING their leaders say as god delivered fact. 
And notice verse 10: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” God wants us to be purified. I think that has a lot to do with us having the new throne of David. God wants a purified throne and a pure people when He arrives! Verses 12-13 talk about the wonderful ending of all this: It is leading right into the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He receives the throne of David!
Amos 7 tells us when we go to the place of safety. There you see a priest, Amaziah, telling the king, Jeroboam, about God’s prophet. There is a confrontation, and the priest does the dirty work. He tells God’s prophet, “O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there” (verse 12). This is spiritual Antiochus—Satan incarnate!
All indications are that this is how the nobility of Israel will go: We will be outcasts, sent to a cave! But we have the very throne of David! We don’t look to things or to people—we look to God! It doesn’t matter where we go as long as God is directing us!
Flurry, admits to his faithful that no where in the Bible is it mentioned that Jeremiah took a stone to Ireland.  Nowhere.  What the Philadelphia Church of God does claim is that Herbert Armstrong PROVED that Jeremiah took the stone to Ireland along with the Ark of the Covenant and David's harp.  Herbert did no such that.
In its account of the history of Jeremiah rescuing Zedekiah’s daughter to transplant the throne, the Bible never mentions him taking a stone. We know he did because it is a symbol of David’s throne. Jeremiah had to have the coronation stone—after all, he was taking the throne of David to Ireland! Mr. Armstrong proved from Irish history that when Jeremiah came to Ireland with Tea-Tephi, he had an ark, David’s harp and a stone called lia-fail.But these last three items were not mentioned in the book of Jeremiah when it discusses the king’s daughters. The same is true in Micah: It mentions a king but doesn’t say anything about the stone. As with Jeremiah, that is covered elsewhere. But we need the symbol of David’s throne, and we need somebody to rule from it!
The PCG idolatry grows more each day.  Just how can a person "spiritually nurture" an inanimate object in "every way possible?" The church has always mocked Catholics for revering statues, and Flurry is doing the exact same thing he mocks.
We must spiritually nurture the throne of God that is in our presence in every way we possibly can! God has given it to us to care for it and to be responsible for it.


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Update About Father Searching For Children Trapped In Gerald Flurry's Philadelphia Church of God



It’s been 6 years since I’ve heard from my children. I’m always searching the web for information or pictures of them. They are not allowed to contact me because of the evil no contact ruling imposed on them under penalty of death by the evil cult leader Gerald Flurry. 

Just the other day a recently freed member of the PCG got in touch with me with information on my son Nathan and daughter Elise Moffett. Thanks to this person escaping the evil cult I was given some insight into what my children are going through. I am so thankful for the information and so thankful that this person took the time to send it to me. Because of it, I’m hopeful that my children will be among those that will soon be free from this evil mind-controlling cult.

Let me say that I was not told this information was confidential. So I feel free to publish it in hopes that it will encourage and help others that are going through this loss. I hope to hear more from this courageous person.

Here is some of what I was told (emphasis mine):
“Elise was working for Mr. Turgeon, as his personal assistant. Before that, she was working in the AC kitchen. I think she was happy to get out of the kitchen…. Personally, I think it would be excruciatingly boring to work for a guy like Mr. Turgeon, but at least its not Mr. Davis.... Nathan worked landscaping for the college for a while, but then moved out to start his own business.
There is one story I think you'll find interesting (and ridiculous). There used to be a rule about how much an AC student could drink when they were off campus. There was a 2-drink limit if you were over the drinking age, but if you were under it and you were at a married couple's house, you could have 1 drink. So I believe some freshmen went out and had two drinks at someones house, and it got back to Mr. Burns and Mr. Turgeon through the usual spies... (ugh... don't even get me started). So they came back and "reiterated" that the rules were you could only have 1 drink, and if you were under the drinking age, you could only drink if you were at a married couple's house. Now, since the rule had always been 2 drinks, some of the older students spoke up in their meetings and asked why it was being changed. Why punish responsible students by lowering the drink limit just because of freshmen? Mr. Burns and Mr. Turgeon replied that it had always been a 1 drink policy--which was clearly wrong, and every student could tell you that. Elise, being Mr. Turgeon's assistant, told him that it had originally been 2, but Mr. Burns told her "no, it has always been 1." Then, when Elise was telling this story to me she said "it was like 1984 up in there." "We're not changing the rules, it's always been a 1-drink limit!" 

So, yes, the story and the rule is all a little bit trivial, but I could tell it was a time where Elise was just frustrated about the ridiculous micromanaging and dishonesty among the higher ups. I, for what its worth, actually think that they are so used to doing this kind of thing that they begin to believe their own lies. Elise and Nathan are both very smart, and I am waiting for a lot of smart people to leave in the next 2 years when Trump leaves office. I am not sure if you know, but GRF says President Trump is the Jeroboam of Amos 7 who will kick the church out of the US and into "Judah." So if any of my family members are still in the church after Trump leaves office, I'm going to be ******************  “ (redacted to protect identity. but lets’ just say “upset”.

Again, THANK YOU to the caring person that sent me this information and congratulations that you had the courage to leave the cult. I pray that this person does not have to go through the loss of family because of their brave decision to leave. Let’s all pray for those newly freed and those still enslaved. We all know what they are going through.

Dan Moffett

Sunday, June 17, 2018

PCG Kieren Underwood - "I hereby renounce every article I have ever written for The Philadelphia Trumpet...one thing it does not do well is tell the truth."


I just received this concerning Kieren Underwood, a writer for The Philadelphia Trumpet magazine of the Philadelphia Church of God.


This was posted by Kieren Underwood on theTrumpet.com website. He was subsequently fired and marked by the church for standing up to their injustices. 

Hello all,

I have been writing for theTrumpet.com for nearly three years, and have been a student at Herbert W. Armstrong College for nearly four. Many of you have spoken with me at services, invited me to your homes, and been my friends.

But let me tell you a little bit about what I’ve learned.

If you don’t believe any of the following, check DTSearch to see for yourself. Or better yet, go to the library in the Hall of Administration and check the physical Plain Truth archives.

No man knows “the day or the hour” of Christ’s return, right? Well, Mr. Armstrong thought he did.

• In 1934, Mr. Armstrong said the “Day of the Lord” would begin in 1936. (see attachment for his diagram)
• "...the year 1936 will see the end of the Times of the Gentiles.... we may expect the present worldwide depression, time of trouble and fear of war to continue until the year 1936!... quickly after that time, we may expect to see the heavenly signs of the sun and moon becoming dark, the stars falling.... which shall be followed by the ‘Day of the Lord.’" (The Plain Truth, June-July 1934, Herbert Armstrong, p. 5)
• In 1940, he said it was 3-4 years away:
• "...Armageddon, we believe, must be at least three or four years away..." ("Democracy Doomed!" The Plain Truth, April-May 1940, Herbert W. Armstrong)
• In 1953, according to Dr. Hoeh’s chronologies, HWA said it would probably come no later than 1982.
• "Now HERE IS SOMETHING STARTLING! Herman Hoeh, in his eye-opening article you will read in the June number of The PLAIN TRUTH on the Times of the Gentiles shows that the Times of the Gentiles—if chronologies are correct—will come to their final end in the year 1982." ...
• "IF THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES END IN 1982, in October, as Mr. Hoeh has it figured, THE INVASION OF AMERICA AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION MUST BEGIN NOT LATER THAT MARCH-APRIL, 1972!" (Herbert W. Armstrong, Co-Worker letter, May 22, 1953)
• In 1969, it was only 25 years off.
• "If that unseen Hand does not exist, humanity will not survive on earth another 25 years, or less! …” (The Ambassador College Correspondence Course, Lesson 5, 1969, p. 15)

Mr. Armstrong made—literally—hundreds of these false predictions. (See: https://hwarmstrong.com/prophet-1.htm or http://www.exitsupportnetwork.com/mike_ep/exam/dates.htm) Between 1934 and 1946, he prophesied that: the plagues of Joel would occur in 1935, Mussolini and Hitler were the 7th resurrection of HRE, WWII was the last war—leading to Armageddon, Mussolini (and later, Hitler) would unite the 10 kings of Europe, Hitler would “inflict terrible Tribulation upon God’s saints,” etc.

Mr. Flurry (“raising the ruins”) continues in this manner:

• Remember it was to be “one generation” after the death of HWA that Christ returned? Well, it’s been 32 years.
• It was the “last hour” in 2001. And then it was the “last half of the last hour” in 2008. Let me do some quick math… (The back of the textbook says: 2015)
• In a sermon in 2008, during PYC, Mr. Flurry said he believed the Tribulation would be here in “five years or less.” Go ahead, check your notes.
• Remember the “Hebrews” revelation? Three or four years, right? Start counting down.
• I hear that in the last ministerial conference, Mr. Flurry said it could be as soon as one year! Boy, better pack your bags!

Ask yourself, how many times have I heard, “it’s only a few short years”?

Remember President Obama was the Antiochus? (By the way, I’ll give $1000 to the person who can tell me where the Bible mentions THREE end-time Antiochus-like figures—you know, the church, political, and European ones.) Well, I guess the world didn’t end with Obama, so it’s time for Jeroboam!
Yes, Jeroboam is surely President Trump. Never mind that there were TWO Jeroboams who ruled Israel. Jeroboam I turned Israel away from God (around 920 BC). Jeroboam II was the one who Amos prophesied against (around 780 BC). They are separated by nearly 140 years. Can someone tell me which Jeroboam is Mr. Trump? Also, set your countdown, because when Mr. Trump doesn’t send you to Jerusalem, this church is finished.

But what about Brexit? Remember that 1956 quote on the front cover of the Trumpet: “Britain will not be part of it”? Guess where it came from. A book published in 1956 called “1975 in Prophecy.” Let me give you another quote from that book. Mr. Armstrong was writing of the famines which would hit America: “Indications of prophecy are that this drought ... will strike sooner than 1975— probably between 1965 and 1972!” Go ahead and check the book yourself—it’s on DTSearch. And the internet (http://www.herbert-armstrong.org/Books%20&%20Booklets/1975%20in%20Prophecy%20(1956).pdf).

Modern-day Assyria is Germany, right? How do you know? Really, how do you know? Did you research it? Only a handful of people in this church could even give a semblance of an answer. (Maybe send Mr. Palmer or Mr. Vejil an email.) Perhaps they might mutter something about “they’re both warlike.” Mr. Armstrong spent a whole TWO sentences proving it in “The United States and Britain in Prophecy.” Go ahead, ask the people in your congregation how they know. Better yet, ask it as a Spokesman Club topics question. Or even better still, go ask one of those confused people in the Assyrian Church of the East. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_Church_of_the_East) They’re so deceived (Rev 12:9) they don’t even know what race they are! (Attached is a critique of theTrumpet.com’s “The Remarkable Identity of the German People.”)

But Mr. Armstrong “restored all things,” right? Have a look at the Christadelphians—founded in 1848. Doctrines include: Bible is inspired word of God; rejection of Trinity; Father and Son are separate; Kingdom of God is to be set up on earth; reject immortality of the soul; death is merely sleeping for saints; full-immersion baptism; Christ will reign on earth 1000 years; must keep commandments; hell is just the grave; mainstream Christianity has been paganized. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christadelphians#Beliefs)

Mr. Armstrong restored all these things—except that they were already established … 40 years before he was born.

But he gave us the “master key” for prophecy, right? The United States and Britain are Manasseh and Ephraim, right? Did you know that theory was created in 1794, and was most popular in the 1870s? It’s called British-Israelism. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Israelism) And just like the Assyria-Germany theory, you probably don’t know much of the details. Did you check the Irish annals yourself? Did you check to see whether Tea-Tephi was a real person, or just made up? (“Tea Tephi” is NEVER mentioned in Irish history. She is a combination of two real people: one called “Tea” and the other “Tephi.”) And did you know that “Tephi” is called a “daughter of Pharoah” in one of the only times she is mentioned in the Irish annals? Did you know that Ollam Fodla (apparently Jeremiah) is mentioned in the Irish legends as a native “Milesian king”? And that he lived around 1000 BC (not 500 BC)? Did you check? Or did you take Mr. Armstrong’s word as gospel? See David Baron for a critique of British-Israelism—written in 1915! (https://archive.org/details/historyoftenlost00barouoft)

Are you afraid to check? Wouldn’t want to check with the “scholars.” Oh yes, vain “scholarship” is a code word, meaning “disagrees with Mr. Armstrong.”

Have you read Mr. Flurry’s “True History of God’s True Church”? Why not compare it with Andrew Dugger’s and Clarence O. Dodd’s “A History of the True Church” (1936). They are virtually the same. 
What about Malachi’s Message? Hundreds of you have told me you knew it was “the word of God.”   Have you heard of the book “The Letter to Laodicea,” which was published--in stages--from 1986 to 1988? Jules Dervaes, who wrote it, began mailing them to WCG members in 1988—and even sent a copy to Mr. Flurry. (http://thehiddenyears.org/1990/09/26/letter-to-mr-flurry-from-jules-dervaes/)
Try reading the book of Malachi. Maybe—just maybe—could it be that when it talks about “the covenant with Levi,” it actually means Levi? No, no, it must be Herbert W. Armstrong. Could Jacob and Esau really be talking about Jacob and Esau? No, no, it must be talking about Jacobite and Edomite LAODICEANS. Remember everyone, “the word of Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Flurry is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12).
But Elijah must come and restore all things, right? Try reading Matthew 17:12 (without Mr. Flurry whispering commentary in your ear). “But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” Jesus is screaming at you: “I said he already came! How much clearer could I be?!”
New Throne, New Stone? Hmmm… why is the British throne still around? Oh, right, it’s corrupt and crumbling, according to Mr. Flurry. The evidence? Prince Harry shenanigans, marrying Meghan Markle, and trying to help people’s mental health (how terrible!). How about Henry VIII having 6 wives and killing 2 of them? What about Mary 1 (“Bloody Mary”) trying to establish Catholicism in England and killing Christians? (That’s nothing compared to Meghan Markle!)
What about our book “He Was Right”? Here’s the secret on how we produced that book: (1) find predictions Mr. Armstrong made, (2) ignore every prediction that was wrong, and (3) write about every prediction that may come true in the future.
The whole theTrumpet.com website is an exercise in this type of logic. We scour the news for events that look like fulfilled prophecy (this is called selection bias). We ignore everything that does not fit with our framework (this is called dishonesty). You then read it and believe it (this is called confirmation bias).
Mr. Flurry often says, “We have been warning American and Britain for 80 years!” He should be saying, “We have been wrong for 80 years.”
I will no doubt be “marked” for this email. I might even get a mention in a sermon or two. They will say, “He is inspired by Satan.” They will warn you, “Look at how clever and powerful the devil is.” But they will not address the facts. They will not give a rebuttal—that would be too dangerous.
But will you prove all things? (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Many of you have been my friends for years. This college has taught me many things. Its teachers have been generous and kind. This church does many wonderful things—I have many good memories.
But one thing it does not do well is tell the truth.
I hereby renounce every article I have ever written for theTrumpet.com.
If you have any questions, please email me at: kierenjunderwood@gmail.com. Or for more information, see: http://www.exitsupportnetwork.com/. Please forward this email to anyone who you think needs to read it.
(I have scans of the Plain Truth from 1934-1946, where HWA makes all kinds of prophecies about 1936, World War II, and Mussolini and Hitler as the “last resurrection of the HRE,” if anyone would like to see them.)
Thanks for reading,
KIEREN UNDERWOOD
EDITORIAL
theTrumpet.com | Edstone Hall | Wootton Wawen, B95 6DDTel:
+44 01789 581910 |
kjunderwood@HWACollege.org

FYI Kieren...I will post anything you want to send me!  Congratulations on achieving freedom!

PCG: "...why is Flurry allowed to prosper and live the high life--buying multi-million dollar jets while people are killing themselves? Why is his pampered and arrogant children/grandchildren getting great jobs/perks at Edmond HQ ..."



From Exit and Support:

Gerald Flurry Will Face Judgment One Day (concerning recent suicide):
June 16, 2018
Just wanted to drop you a short letter to express my outrage and disgust concerning the recent suicide of the young man from the Philippines. [see May 31, 2018 letter above] How tragic that another death has to be announced because of Gerald Flurry's insane doctrines. I am so angry right now. I keep asking WHY?!?!
Gerald Flurry will face Judgment one day because of what he has done. I have to believe in that. You see, many of my ex-PCG friends have turned their backs on God and have become atheists because of what they experienced in "God's church"--and because of what is continuing to happen in the PCG. Their mentality is that there is no God because of (what they perceive as) God's non-intervention in punishing Gerald Flurry for what he has done to people. All I can say to them is wait. God has his own timing. It is not God's fault. He has given us free will.
I also read on your site how the people at HQ are feasting on fine foods and wine at the Night to Be Much Observed while some cannot afford to attend the Feast or Holy Days. Makes me sick!! I know we want to ask why is Flurry allowed to prosper and live the high life--buying multi-million dollar jets while people are killing themselves? Why is his pampered and arrogant children/grandchildren getting great jobs/perks at Edmond HQ while so many PCG members are pressured by sermons into writing checks they do not have the funds to cover? It makes us all so angry I know.

Also, see:

PCG: Gerald Flurry and Elite Grandkids Travel In Luxury While Members Stay In "...nasty fleabag motels."




PCG: Fundraising For God. After All, It Is Always About The Money