Thursday, March 12, 2015

Norbert Link Not Happy That So Many Ministers Keep Jumping From One COG to the Next Keeping Their Ordinations Intact



One of the biggest challenges every new splinter personalty cult faces is why would anyone want to join them.  With hundreds and hundreds of of splinter groups now spread around the world the Church of God has presented itself as a fractured and impotent organization.  For decades the Church of God regularly mocked Christianity for having so many different domination's in its midst. Armstrong, Meredith, Blackwell and many others constantly made fun of the "disunity" of mainstream Christianity.  Now the Churches of God are even more fractured than the churches around them.   The membership are getting sick of all the fracturing and keep asking, "why are we all not together?"

Norbert Link, from the Church of the Eternal God, has this to say since he is the leader of the ONLY true COG in this end time dispensation:

Why Are We Not All Together?

I hear it all the time from our viewers and readers: “Why are you not together with this or that organization which is also a part of the Church of God, since we are all believing the same thing?” If that were true, then we should all be together, but in reality, this perception is simply not accurate. In fact, we differ greatly in doctrine, administration, approach and purpose.

The founding documents of the Church of the Eternal God state the following in our Statements of Beliefs, under “Doctrinal Foundation”:

“The major doctrines of the Church are those, which were taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, derived from the Biblical teachings as followed by God’s faithful servants, and originally established by Jesus Christ through the founding of His Church in the time of His chosen early apostles. Since we are to increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are committed to review and alter any of our teachings, if and when proven to be wrong by from the Bible.”

Unlike other Church organizations which declared from the beginning of their existence that “everything is on the table” and that all doctrines and teachings of the Church must be reviewed and reconsidered, we have been taking the opposite approach. For us, nothing is on the table, unless a doctrine, teaching or administrative practice is proven to be wrong, based on Scripture. This means, even if we cannot fully prove a particular established teaching from the Bible, we will not change it, if we cannot prove it to be in violation of God’s written Word.

At the same time, we will change if a doctrine or administrative practice is shown to be in contradiction with the Bible. However, there are groups which say that nothing can be changed after Herbert W. Armstrong’s death in 1986… and some even go so far as to say that none of the Church’s changes can be accepted which occurred subsequent to 1974 and 1975, including major changes pertaining to the correct day of Pentecost and our teaching on divorce and remarriage. This concept that nothing can be changed today is clearly unbiblical and must be rejected.
Because the Church of the Eternal God is the ONLY enlightened COG out there, Link needs to emphasis that their understanding is the ONLY safe way of believing. His group  is the ONLY COG on the entire earth where TRUE unity and doctrine reside.

He does however bring up a valid point on why so many Churches of God let ministers come into their organizations, straight into leadership roles, when they stab previous organizations in the back just a few days or weeks earlier.

Ted Budge is a prime example of that right now.  He left David Hulm's fledgling group early last year when a small group of ministers rebelled against Hulme's tyrannical ways.  He jumped ship with the Church of God, A Family Community (Father's Call) in order to establish true doctrines and to provide a safe haven for true believers damaged by Hulme.  That fledgling little group soon had issues of its own within a few months.  Ted Budge then stabbed those people in the back and jumped ship into United Church of God where he remained as a minister. Four COG's later and four different issues of disloyalty the UCG embraced him with open arms. 
Our approach, as described herein, is the ONLY safe approach which ALL Church organizations in the Body of Christ should take, because only then true unity in doctrine and administration can be achieved. To just give one example, it is simply not acceptable that one organization disfellowships a person for Scriptural reasons (compare Matthew 18:17-18; Romans 16:17), and another organization, claiming to be in the same spiritual Body of Christ, embraces him or her with open arms, without even inquiring into the cause of the excommunication. Another unacceptable policy prevails in many Church organizations which sanction and officiate over the re-marriage of divorced persons in their fellowship who are still married in the eyes of God, since God had bound their marriage (Matthew 19:4-9; 1 Corinthians 7:10-15) and no subsequent biblical grounds existed for divorce and re-marriage. Such conduct gives some of the many reasons as to why there is no unity amongst many Church groups. Unity can only come through the working of the Holy Spirit, based on the teachings of God. How CAN two walk together, unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3)?
Norbert Link is just as bad as the other COG's he condemns. The hypocrisy of the COG leadership continues on unabated.  Meanwhile, the members continue to suffer and families destroyed all because of the fear based belief system that the Church of God continues to perpetuate.


God's Mightiest Chief Pharisee and Leader of the ONLY True Work is Facing Dire Financial Issues


God's only true end time work carrying the ONLY true message to the deceived and lost brethren of the Churches of God is suffering major financial issues.  In spite of being the only man on the entire earth giving the TRUE warning message and CORRECT biblical interpretations, no one is sending him money to support his work.  Because he spends every waking hour of every day writing his theologically bankrupt bullshit he has no time to get a real job, thus he has to rely on handouts from gullible followers.  He has even resorted to publishing his "understandings" in book form for people to read.  Apparently hardly anyone one is buying James Malm's book.

By the beginning of May some major expenses are coming up; not the least of which is the renewal costs of our web hosting dedicated server.  At the same time the income for the past months has been well below our basic needs and our debts are piling up.
As events are being fulfilled we are facing a financial wall.  

I want to explain that the books are not being published to make money and I expect a royalty cheque in the neighborhood of only around  $100 sometime in May.  Most of the price is taken up with production costs, and the numbers sold are very low at this time.  Everything in the books; has been, is, or will be, published at the sites.  The purpose of publishing the books is:
1.   To make available as comprehensive a resource as possible on any subject, to save people from having to search through many different posts for information on the same subject.  
The Chief Pharisee then resorts to a typical COG avenue stream.  Let the sheeple use tithe money to buy the books.
2.   To provide a personal written copy for easy immediate access. 
Please visit the Books page  for links to CreateSpace.  And as these books are solid biblical sound doctrine or prophecy, it is absolutely appropriate to use tithe money to purchase them.  
Even though the book is made available tot eh public no one is buying it.  No one cares.  His topics have no relevance in the 21st century on how to live a life in this confusing world. Like UCG, LCG, RCG, COGWA, etc., the focus is on out dated literature and understandings of Herbert Armstrong dreamed up in the 1930's.
3.   To make the material available to the general public who are suspicious of “free” offers.  
The books are now available on Kindle.  This is intended for the general public as I would like the brethren to have a personal printed copy. 
Just to reenforce the martyrdom status of the writer, he mentions how much he has had to work and struggle to get this vital information out to them.  Its all an act of charity and good will in order to save souls from eternal damnation.  So buy my damn books and send me money!
These books have cost countless hours of hard work and like this blog, are not a money making enterprise. 
When simple persuasion does not work, its time to bring in looming death and destruction from war and violence.  That will scare the crap out of the sheeple and cause them to send in money!
Right now as events are unfolding towards a Mideast peace push beginning after the UN General Assembly meetings in late September; the high probability of a peace and safety deal triggering the tribulation is fast approaching, 2 Thess 5:3. 
Make no mistake; Almighty God will complete his warnings before he acts! 
Now is the time for the true believers to step forward, with check books in hand, to support this mighty work!
Right now we all have an opportunity to show God how dedicated and supportive we are.
While thousands of brethren regularly visit us and are receiving a solid warning; only a very small number actually provide any support, and many of them have suffered to help:  May Almighty God bless them greatly and crown them with glory in the world to come!
Please support this work of warning with your payers; and remember that your generous financial help is urgently needed.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Blast from the Past: Garner Ted Armstrong - How Low Can You Go?



Here's blast from the past that a reader sent me.  The entire article is here:  How Low Can You Go?


"All I can say is the 'Nancy Nurse' in me came through. He was complaining of this severe pain, and he was literally begging me to do the massage."

Suerae, dressed in a purple jogging suit, shifted her gaze to the floor. "I am a classic co-dependent," she said blankly, shrugging her shoulders. "Royce has always told me I could get bit by a dog, the dog could run across the street and get hit by a car, and I'd run across the street with a bloody leg to save the dog."

As Armstrong's massage sessions with Suerae continued throughout June 1995, he grew ever bolder, according to court documents. "Armstrong would begin to fondle his genitals and try to place plaintiff's hands on his genitals while he would 'minister' to the plaintiff," the lawsuit says. "His tattoos, including that of a naked woman on his body, would greatly frighten her."

Suerae said she would abruptly end the sessions when Armstrong got aggressive. But, her lawsuit states, "Armstrong would be extremely apologetic, make reference to his similarity to King David" (with whom Suerae says Armstrong compared himself frequently, saying that his work on earth was so important that God would overlook any transgressions he might commit), and beg Suerae to continue. The massages would then conclude without further incident, and she continued booking his appointments.

By early summer, Suerae recalled, she was beginning to understand who Armstrong was. He preached and "counseled" her about her separation from Royce. He urged her to join Church of God International. She said he discussed his ministry and television show, and outlined the tenets of his sect, including a commandment that members pay a tithe of 30 percent of their income. The tithe, he told her, is required to attain salvation.

Despite his clearly sexual behavior, Suerae never stood up to Armstrong, never barred him from her business. He returned again and again.