Convicted COG Felon Says God Has Told Him That Ministers Are Not To Be Called "Mr."

The Church of God's favorite imprisoned felon, Ron Weinland, says that God has spoken to him about members calling ministers "Mr."  Did you ever hear anyone calling Peter, Mr Peter, or Mr. Christ, or Mr. Paul?   This tradition of calling a minister "Mr." is unbiblical, according to Weinland, and is a hindrance to the gullible fools looking to join his rapidly shrinking personality cult now being led by his lunatic wife and money laundering daughter.

This matter of respect and honor shown where it needs to be shown is similar to something addressed early-on in the Church of God – PKG. God revealed that it was no longer necessary to address the ministry by saying “Mister” before a person’s last name, but that the ministry could simply be referred to by one’s first name. Using “Mister” before a name was more readily expected within society throughout most of the last century, but towards the end that was changing. The Church has always “stood out” as strange enough to others simply because of how God’s truth is so different from what the world knows and believes. Adding an unbiblical (not commanded) requirement of formality was not helpful in how the Church was perceived. We are to be moderate in most things and are not to be ultra conservative or ultra liberal.

Everything is now on a first name basis. 

As a Church, respect cannot be legislated within the mind by how someone in the ministry is addressed. Just addressing a minister by “Mister” does not mean that a person saying it has respect or is showing an attitude of honor toward one of God’s ministers. So the Church made the decision that we would simply address a minister by their first name, just as in the beginning of the Church when people simply addressed Peter, Paul, John, etc., by their name.

Sure thing Ronnie!

Former COG Minister Writes Book About God and Evolution

Daniel Samson, reportedly a Worldwide Church of God minister, has written a book about God and evolution.  

Amazon has this to say about him:

Daniel J. Samson is an author, inventor, lecturer and former fundamentalist church pastor. For more than eighteen years, he has ministered and lectured in French and English to large church conventions numbering over 4,000 throughout eastern Canada, the Antilles and the United States. Samson received his B.A. degree from Ambassador University in Pasadena, CA, in 1980 with a theology core. He resigned his pastorate in 1998 allowing him to speak more openly on this important and controversial issue.

Red flags go up when I see all glowing reviews of his books.  Far too many COG folk have padded their book ratings by having church members get on and give them high ratings.  The Philadelphia Church of God and Restored Church of God are experts in this.  They also complain to Amazon when people leave negative comments and have them removed.

One reviewer writes:

 

Someone who actually believes the Bible and the facts of Evolution should write a book explaining how you can believe both. I, for one, do. This author starts out promising that he wants to extend an olive branch to his "fellow fundamentalists". But he calls us incipient Osama Bin Ladens; he has a funny concept of olive branches.

See the book here:

God and Evolution? - The Implications of Darwin's Theory for Fundamentalism, the Bible and the Meaning of Life

Joel Hilliker: Men of the PCG Constantly Need Problems, Challenges and Afflictions

Joel Hilliker, part of the elite at the Philadelphia Church of God compound has lived a life of privileged over the years, as has all the "men" working at PCG's headquarters.  He and the rest of them have never known hardship or real distress.  Yet, Hilliker thinks he is qualified to tell other men on how they need to be able to endure hardships.

While being part of the 1% of the PCG he has this to say:

Endure Hardness

2 Timothy was the last book Paul wrote. He wrote it from prison—an uncomfortable place—right before he was put to death. Despite the hardship, 2 Timothy is Paul’s most inspiring book.

The apostle admonished young Timothy, “be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:8). Doing your duty before God involves some affliction! Paul suffered to do God’s Work! Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. Paul was beaten with 39 stripes five times; beaten with rods three times; stoned and left for dead; shipwrecked three times; he suffered in dangerous journeys, perils, weariness, pain, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness. He lived a rough life as a minister of God!

Fluury's god expects everyone to struggle and be in constant battle...except for  the elite in Edmond.  Men of the PCG are required to struggle for the good of the PCG.  This translates into working over time so you can send in more money.  Mortgaging your homes, farms and businesses so you can send it in to PCG.

God put this man through a lot! But Paul told Timothy, That’s the way it is! That’s the life we’re called to! God intends for your life to be difficult. He doesn’t intend for you to live your life of snuggling in your comfort zone. He wants you to struggle, battle, overcome, conquer! He wants you to do what needs to be done for the Work of God and the Family of God. “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). This is manly advice: Don’t be weak—be strong!

Men of the PCG NEED problems in their lives!  These asswipes ignore the simple quality of Jesus where he says he will carry your burden and make the yoke light.  He says nothing about living a life of finding constant affliction.

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (verse 3). There is hardness that benefits you. We need the problems, challenges and afflictions life presents.

How skilled are you at enduring hardness? God wants you to embrace this struggle. When you do—and you learn to rely on Him—He can develop His character in you!

“God has ordained that this life will not be an easy life—for a very good reason. He knows that, if we have no severe trials and tests, we become spiritually soft and flabby!” says the July 1967 Good News. “A comfortable man is a complacent man. A comfortable man doesn’t want to change—doesn’t want to alter the status quo! Why should he? He is quite happy to let things continue as they are. Why change—when everything seems to be going along so very smoothly?”

Hilliker feels that he and his cult are constantly facing one trial and persecution after another.  These guys  have never known persecution because they are the PERSECUTORS!  Look at the lives of church members which have been destroyed by sick ministers of the PCG.  Look at the families broken up because some ministurd tells a family to kick their child out of the house.  Look at the parents and grandparents who now ignore their children and grandchildren.

“God Almighty knows that we need problems, temptations, trials, necessities, weaknesses, persecutions and afflictions to stir us to action—to stir us up enough to overcome our spiritual lethargy! … He knows that we need to have continual trials, tribulations and persecutions in order to toughen us up spiritually—in order to show us how weak and helpless we are so that we will always look to Him and rely on Him for everything!” (ibid).

Challenges reveal your heart (e.g. Deuteronomy 8:2-3). They teach you about yourself, reveal your weaknesses, and show you the areas where you need to be stronger, more like Jesus Christ!

You must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Men who are part of the PCG need to know that their lives will constantly be uncomfortable.  They will never be able to do anything right.  They will never be able to please Gerald Flurry or his god.  Its a no win situation for these men.