Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
This one little paragraph buried in Dave's sermon explains everything about Dave's manipulation of his members. Dave is the final authority on everything. Do not question him. To do so is to deny the gospel and proves you have no faith. To deny Dave's abilities means you deny the Bible. When you do that, then you have no chance of salvation.
I said I’d, earlier, ask again when do you want to escape? In which phase? I’m not speaking now about selling all, I’m just generally speaking now. I warn us all to be careful. Don’t adopt a backup plan. It’s my job to teach you there are different phases. But why on Earth, if you’re going to have to do the same things eventually, wouldn’t you do them early? You must obey the gospel. You must live by faith. Why would anyone risk everything waiting for a later phase so they can punish themselves?…
One of the ongoing issues that has continually resurfaced in the United Church of God is its ties to Vic Kubik's Lifenets charity that he runs and takes the glory for. United has had its own arm called "Good Works." Now that Vic is President of UCG, the issue keeps resurfacing. Vic has the best of both worlds now. He gets the glory of being in charge of UCG and running his own charity using UCG members as a donor base.
UCG members and elders have asked why. You can watch a video here UCG and LifeNets of the meeting where this is discussed.
It is interesting to see how they scramble to justify the unholy marriage of UCG and LifeNets.
Many in UCG have always felt large discomfort with the blurring of the lines of UCG with LifeNets, the pet "ministry" of Vic Kubik. Many question the man running two organizations that are suppose to be separate, but are they really? LifeNets presents itself as a "humanitarian organization" to woo in the public while failing to disclose it is a Church of God related tool to encourage people to come over to the dark side. Is Kubik and UCG too embarrassed to to say UCG is behind it and that it is a recruitment tool for its "god", much like HWA started Ambassador Foundation because he was too embarrassed to say he represented the Worldwide Church of God? While it has undeniably done some good, its motives are questionable.
Those in Australia need to know (as do those in South Africa and most international locations) that their ‘church’ is not really an extension of the UCG in the USA — instead they are what Cincinnati calls the “LifeNets” churches –they are not funded by UCG any longer, have to be self-sufficient, and Kubik travels to them on LifeNets funds, not UCG money. This is why the moment the “airy” sermon is over, Kubik launches into a 45-minute LifeNets presentation to the congregation. Legally he has to do this because he is on LifeNets money which is being audited. The members are not in a Church, they are just laborers in a commercial LifeNets exercise, even thought they don’t know it. Council members who did not want Kubik as president (took the most re-balloting ever ) finally acquiesced over the information that it would save UCG money since Kubik was the only only one who could travel internationally on another budget (namely his private Corporation Sole LifeNets, which has made him the wealthiest Council member, and which he built in competition with the Good Works program, since that one wasn’t going to earn him anything personally).
And yes, we are all supposed to give up our various ‘cultural backgrounds’ to put on the culture of Christ, but this man Kubik still can’t disconnect himself from a Ukrainian village he has never really lived in, now bending the truth to accommodate a small Pentecostal and trinitarian group there that clearly for over 20 years has shown no interest in joining with UCG. But,like the populism of Brexit and Trump, it’s beginning to all blow up: we have what we call the “parking lot church” in our congregation — it’s about what is said when everyone goes to their cars so the minister can’t hear them, and it’s about 50% of the congregation now that meets this way — outside. The moment someone stands up with some integrity and calls UCG out on all of this, the following is in place and ready to move.
But it also included this, which has irritated a LOT of UCG members in the Cincinnati area and around the country.
Home Office Grounds: A new playset for children was put up on our grounds. It was largely financed by LifeNets.
UCG members are asking WHY it is that UCG had to take money from Vic Kubik's "charity", that is supposed to be helping the poor and destitute in Africa and elsewhere, to install a play set that UCG SHOULD have done on their own. With income coming in at more than they expected this year, members are wondering why a thousand or so dollars could not have been spent on this playset. A playset that only the children of the privileged UCG employees and some few members will get to use. God forbid of the unwashed children of the Cincinnati area played on it!
This also has led to more grumbling from UCG members as to why Vic Kubik is running his "charity" LifeNets while being President of the UCG. Many see this as a deep conflict of interest especially when UCG tries to guilt trip members into donating to Vic's pet cause. A cause that gives the impression to the world that it is a charity for ALL in need, but in reality it is geared towards UCG members in poor countries and some non-aligned sabbatarian groups in Eastern Europe. A few good works do go towards those outside the small sabbatarian world, but its main focus is inward. Many UCG members feel that he needs to resign from either LifeNets or the presidency position.
Apparently a play set for the privileged elite at HQ was more important than clean drinking water or life saving mosquito nets for the disenfranchised in Africa. Jesus must be pleased. Privilege does have it rewards!
“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons: for what son is he whom the father chastens not?” (vs. 7). Welcome to Christianity if you’re feeling chastening. “But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers…[One way or another, God has to get us ready. The faster and the better you learn, the stronger your conviction, then good. But if you don’t]…then are you bastards, and not sons” (vs. 8).
We don’t have to call anybody bastards; but there are bastards in the Church. At some point, they’ll reveal themselves, and in the sense of what God says, you’ll literally say, “You’re a bastard.” Now today, people say, “You bastard!” or whatever they say. You know what I mean. A bastard is just somebody illegitimate. But…you’re illegitimate, you came in here as My son, and I chastened you and you wouldn’t take it. And I’ll say this, for the first phase of the fire…here’s what God will say to him—“You bastard. Get out.” And then it won’t be cursing.
“If you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons…” and then it talks about, our fathers did it when we were kids: “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure [and so forth]” (vs. 9).
Now, verse 11: “Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto to them which are exercised thereby.” There are going to be some people who can’t take it and it’s going to feel unfair—“This is incredibly hard!”—when this monster comes at them personally. And maybe they watch their wife killed. WOW! Or their husband killed, or however it goes. “This isn’t right!” There are people…The clay starts, you know, talking to the Potter about how He should have done it differently. Be careful…
