Mike Swagerty Thesis On Decline In Church Attendance

This may interest some here.  I have not read through most of it.  Mainstream Christianity has been going through a gradual decline over the last several years.  Evangelicals are the latest taking a hit.  People are tired of the hypocrisy, bigotry, legalism and other things they see wrong and are jumping ship.

While Swagerty claims to have written this geared towards all churches who are suffering from this decline, I have to wonder if the main reason for this paper was the continuing decline of the GCI/WCG membership.

It was thought for many years that the church would grow dramatically after the dust had settled after the changes.  People would be in awe of us and want to join.  It hasn't happened.  A few years ago GCI/WCG was closing down a church a week.  What membership it has now, is made up of current and former members who may be returning.  New ones, with no connection to Armstrongism, are few in number.

I don't care to weed through his thesis, but some may.

Mike Swagerty: Church Growth in America: Whose Responsibility Is It?

Theological House of Cards

Check out this story of a woman who went through the WCG changes, left the church came back, spent ten years in GCI and then left again.

Sandy Blank went through the big doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God, became thoroughly disillusioned, and walked out. After having a powerful conversion experience she went back to Worldwide (now Grace Communion International) to try to make a difference, but left again after 10 years. In “My Theological House” she describes her experience using a punchy metaphor that captures the feeling of desolation that comes from leaving a Bible-based cult.

Her entry is here:  My Theological House

But Judge, We Were Only Following "The Plain Truth About Child Rearing" Booklet

	The other day I published an entry about a Church of God couple who are now in prison for 20+ years each for child abuse.  Here is an entry that I posted on another newsgroup just prior to the sentencing.  It quotes from The Plain Truth About Child Rearing, one of Armstrognism's most vile booklets. The millennial couple - followers of God's truth restored after 1,900 years through Herbert Armstrong took to heart the teachings promoted in  "The Plain Truth About Child Rearing" Here is how they will justify their degenerate child abuse practices. They will use Armstrongism writings and proof text parts of them to justify their actions. Everything has to come straight from the Old Testament. And as usual they pick and choose those 'laws' they think are still required while ignoring those laws that they don't like. This is straight from one of the loony splinter cult sites: Physical Punishment: God's Way of Rearing Young Children Proverbs 3:11-12, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Hebrews 12:7-11, "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Proverbs 13:24, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes [early]." Proverbs 19:18, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." Proverbs 22:15, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." Proverbs 23:13-14, "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell." Proverbs 29:15, 17, "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame . . . . Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." II Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."