The Thanksgiving Dilemma of Armstrongism

 

American Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  A day filled with cool crisp temperatures (usually), football, turkey, stuffing, and other gastronomic wonders.  A day filled with thanks for things seen and unseen and for blessings immeasurable.

It is also a time for certain COG splinter groups to start their anti-Thanksgiving messages which quickly lead to tirades against Christmas and New Years.

Several COGlet splinter cults write all kinds of stupidity about the day.

The Obedient Church of God states:

All the other COGS (Churches of God) have wandered out of the ways of God into the spiritual wilderness of: Darkness, confusion, and the adoption of Pagan ways, including the settler's Corn God Festival, cloaked under the name of thanksgiving. It is the "same" trap of Pagan ways that the original Israelites fell back into, via adding practices to God's Bible, which is exactly what all the COGS including TPM have done.

Some who have left the COG and still hold to Armstrongite mind-speak and have aligned with Messianic Judaism believe this guy:

Why do we need another fall harvest Festival?! God has given us Sucote (Lev. 23:33-44). It seems apparent that to keep Sucote, and then to keep, only 30 or so days later, another harvest day of thanks to God, is not only repetitious but very strange. Thanksgiving Day is an outright copy of Sucote. The Counterfeiter has struck again! Did you ever wonder why the majority of God's People don't keep the days He has designated as holy? The majority are deceived by Satan. The majority also keep Thanksgiving Day. For those of us whom He has called out of Babylon, this ought to be cause for concern. Seed of Abraham

Why is Armstrongism filled with such grumpy sad little people? They are not happy about anything.

COG/Armstrongism Stories Currently on the Web (Updated)

Some news stories floating around on the web that may interest some.

The first is about Billy Graham, a story about the interview with The Plain Truth.  The Plain Truth magazine is no longer associated with WCG /Grace Communion International.  It is an independent spin off run by Greg Albrecht.    One interesting side note is that one of Billy Grahams sons is married to a former WCG Pasadena HQ employee.  I imagine Herb is spinning in his grace over that one!  

ASSIST MinistriesMONTREAT, NC (ANS) -- Back in 1997, I had been invited to a media event at his at Billy Graham’s mountaintop home in Montreat, North Carolina to write a cover story for Plain Truth magazine about Mr. Graham and also to ask him what it meant to be “born-again.”
This cover piece was to help re-launch the magazine, and that in itself was quite an historic event as Plain Truth had once been a publication arm of Herbert W. Armstrong and had at the time just became the first “cult” in history to change to an Evangelical theology and had even joined the Evangelical Press Association (EPA). 

Billy Graham story in Plain Truth

Armstrong, who also founded the Radio Church of God (later renamed the Worldwide Church of God), Ambassador College and The World Tomorrow radio and television programs, had originally called the magazine The Plain Truth, and following his death in 1986, it ceased publication by the Worldwide Church of God and began as publication by the non-denominational Plain Truth Ministries (www.ptm.org).
The new Plain Truth was to have radically different editorial content, and mainstream Christian teaching, featuring a variety of Christian authors.
Before the media event began, Mr. Graham had kindly shown a group of us around his modest home and I marveled at how humble it was. Here was a man who was a world figure living in this simple log cabin with his wife Ruth, who has since passed on.

Dan Wooding meets with Billy and Ruth Graham after the interview at their home

Then, about 50 of us journalists, gathered in the back yard, and Billy took his seat on the porch and began taking questions under the supervision of his long-time media man, A. Larry Ross.So now, as Billy Graham has recently celebrated his 92nd birthday on Sunday, November 7, 2010, I thought it was time to re-run the story, with a few light edits to bring it up to date.
So here it is as it appeared in Plain Truth in their 1997 March/April edition:


Read the rest of the story here:  Just As I Am

From Here & Back Again: The World is Ending in 2012 … or is it?

By Jim Coufal

There have been many predictions of the end of the world; they have all been wrong. But they do provide both humor and pathos and the opportunity to reflect on human nature. These include prophesies/predictions of the end of the world, Armageddon, the rapture, the coming of a messiah, the second coming of a messiah and other such world-ending events.

In America today, perhaps the most thought-provoking prediction is that of Jesus, who said, “Verily, I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28).

This implies Jesus’s second coming during the Apostles’ lifetime, and they expected it. It did not happen.

Yet there are those today who believe the Bible is the literal, unerring word of God.

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, foresaw the millennium beginning in 1836. It didn’t happen.

One missed millennium date leads to another.

William Miller, leader of the “Millerite Movement,” predicted the return of Jesus sometimes between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844, allowing himself a little wriggle room. Wriggle or no, it didn’t happen.

But Miller had gathered thousands of devotees, and when Jesus failed to show, the cult experienced a crisis of faith and began reinterpreting the prophecy and aggressively proselytizing. An offshoot became the Seventh Day Adventists of today. Perhaps it would be fair to call our major religions “cults” – grown large and powerful.

Skipping plenty of other prophecies and moving ahead to times in which many of us have lived, Herbert W. Armstrong of the Worldwide Church of God told his followers that the...Read the rest of the story here: From Here Back Again. The World is Ending in 2012

The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ – His True Grace, Not the Watered Down Religious Version!

Image : http://www.flickr.com

I was a member of a legalistic cult, known as The Worldwide Church of God, for seven years, where the ministers behaved like Pharisees and regularly laid guilt upon us through Old Covenant teaching i.e. trying to get us to keep the Old Covenant Law under our own strength. We, the congregation, were as those described in Galatians1:6 (foolish Galatians) only most of us, in all fairness, had never heard the original true message of grace in the first place. In defence of the cult, what I will say is that we learned Old Testament scriptures very thoroughly indeed, which in itself, as a study, was not a bad thing. I will also add at this juncture that cults do not have a monopoly in legalism – they are not the only grace killers, but I have digressed somewhat – just a little about my background.

Entire article is here: The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Ron Weinland continues to make a jackass of himself.  The God Discussion is discussing him now.

Worldwide Church of God Offshoot: Jesus Is Returning on May 27, 2012, Mockers Are Issued a Stern Warning

Filed under Interesting Stuff25 comments

The Worldwide Church of God, once led by the late Herbert W. Armstrong, was considered by many to be a cult.   It allegedly had over 140,000 members in its prime.   The church changed its doctrines after the 1986 death of Armstrong, which led to numerous people leaving the church and the formation of various "splinter churches."   The Worldwide Church of God  changed its name to Grace Communion International, probably a move to cut its ties to its cult reputation and the dozens of Armstrong splinter groups.  The new organization is not considered to be a cult, but more in line with mainstream Christianity.

Although Armstrong has been dead for over 20 years,   those familiar with his church are still passionate about his influence.   Some staunchly cling to his teachings; others feel abused, disillusioned and/or angry.   Various websites and blogs continue to provide news and support for former members.

The various splinter churches that rose from the ashes of the old version of the Worldwide Church of God each appear to be proclaiming to be "the one true church" and true champions of Armstrongism.  They are strict Friday  sunset to Saturday sunset Sabbath keepers.  They continue to follow the "holy days" set forth in the Old Testament.  They follow Armstrong's teachings about the Trinity, dietary laws, tithing and other subjects, including a belief in "the tribulation" and end times.  Read the rest of the story and comments here:  Worldwide Church of God Offshoot: Jesus is Returning on May 27 2012

Unique Book Of Inspirational Sermons Now Available Through Christian Archives

NILES, Michigan -- Christian Archives (www.christianarchives.org) has debuted Inspirations Volume One, a book of sermons for everyday living.

The collectible book contains more than 20 inspirational sermons, each hand-picked from submissions from pastors and religious leaders world-wide. Mark Batterson, National Community Church; Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia; Dr. Johnny Hunt, Southern Baptist Convention; Dr. William H Willimon, Grace Communion International; and Doug Batchelor, Amazing Facts Ministries are just a few of the notable contributors to this publication.

Proceeds from the book will go to Christian charities and continue to support the goals at Christian Archives.  

“We hope this collection provides comfort and inspiration to readers,” explains Brian Callahan, co-founder of Christian Archives. “We worked with members of the religious community to create a book that will be well-read by Christians everywhere.”

Christian Archives has been providing churches with an easy-to-use online platform for storing and serving sermon files and other content to their membership and the online Christian community. Since the demand for sermons online has been growing and inspiring.

Rest of article here:  Sermons

Smackdown 2010: Leon Walker vs Mario Seiglie

Letter from Leon Walker regarding UCG accusations:

11-19-10
Hello everyone,

As you know, Denny Luker sent a letter to the Spanish ministry still credentialed by UCG demanding that they choose between him or me—as though that was the issue. The letter contains many errors regarding this issue—including the concept that I have formed a group in competition with UCG. This is totally false. I have not formed any new group. I have visited with and spoken only before United Church of God congregations in Latin America, pastored by ministers still credentialed by UCG. However, Mario Seiglie has traveled to Latin America and formed groups in competition to the UCG congregations—contrary to the UCG Rules of Association.

This morning Mario began a telephone campaign calling the Spanish ministry and asking what they plan to do regarding Mr. Luker’s letter. Mario attempted to intimidate them by stating that if they reject the Council of Elders they are rejecting the government of God. How arrogant! Did Mario believe that when he rejected the WCG Pastor General in 1995 that he was rejecting the government of God? Rejection of a system that has gone astray from God is not rejection of the government of God. Mario even attempted to intimidate one minister by implying that his rejection of Mr. Luker will send him into the Great Tribulation.

However, the ministry in Latin America will not be intimidated by such bullying.

Warmest regards,

Leon Walker