Rod Meredith Disgusted By Traditional Christian Hymns

Songs of Praise at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Living Armstrongism has posted an entry about a sermon that Rod Meredith preached in 1953.  Meredith was fresh out of the "college" headquartered in Pasadena at that time. The sermon shows that Meredith's arrogant dismissive disdain for anything outside of the Church of God was formed at an early age and is retained to this day.

Many of the traditional Christian hymns that have been passed down over the last several centuries are magnificent pieces of music praising God in ways that hymns in the Purple Hymnal never did.  Armstrongism prefers hymns that sing about a vengeful god ready to squash and kill all those who are outside the Church of God.  Armstrongism sings it hymns to a god who is a god of war, violence, pestilence, and death. These hymns are usually the ones that are sung the most and with gusto.  Anything that smacks of grace or love from God towards creation or humanity are rarely sung.  If a hymn that is in the LCG hymnal is "protestant" based you can be guarantee many words have been changed to fit Meredith's theology.

Below is summary notes take by the blog owner on the things Meredith said in his sermon.

Condemning Non-Armstrongite Hymns

Now Meredith begins to discuss hymns. Meredith talks about how disgusted he is by the hymns of the other churches because they contain ideas that contradict what HWA has said, (or as he puts it in Armstrongite jargon "lies".) 

You (the Radio COG lay members) were finishing "Praise Him" which he approved of. Must "not let paganism come into this church". Thankful and congratulates Dwight Armstrong for writing the Bible Hymnal. (13-14 minutes.)

The more he listens to other hymns the more thankful he is that Dwight Armstrong has made the hymns in question. Other hymns have been edited.

Onward Christian Soldiers speaks of a cross. This has been changed to a sword. Nothing loving about the cross. Despicable cross. Not to be "worshiped" in any form.

Singing Hymn 33. Have to watch it regarding what is sung. Meaningless poetic language. Draw me to the cross. Offended that it talks about Christ bleeding. Not the Christ preached in the Bible. (17 minutes.)

Talks of how Protestants believe in "Little Lord Jesus", in mocking tone.

Christ did not have long hair. Protestants have pagan pictures -- idols -- of Jesus. With effeminate features. Portrayed as "sickly individual." He was a "he man". Not a sissy. Not a sissy. (He uses that phrase twice very quickly.)

HWA is preaching the word of God. Soundly. Sober.

Not just telling about the person of Christ.

LCG Lied About 2013 Income Claiming It Was Up 5% When It Was Really Down 9.1%

From the current issue of Living Church News:

Estates and Accounting

In the last couple of years, God’s Work has been particularly blessed by the estate donations it has received.  Those who can make such donations are indeed leaving a lasting legacy that can do great good for those whom God calls and to whom He wants to send a message of witness.  So we are very grateful for these donations as they come. Of course, this brings some accounting challenges, as those of you familiar with generally accepted accounting principles will recognize. For instance, our auditors last year required that some estate donations that were made in 2013, but not yet received in full until 2014 or even 2015, would be booked as “income” for 2013, because they were considered to be “receivables.” As a result (as you may remember from the article accompanying the 2013 audit, published in the September-October 2014 Living Church News, p. 20), this had the effect of “overstating’’ our 2013 income. Also, some estate receipts in 2013 were held over so the funds could be spread out for additional TV stations in 2014 and 2015. This had the effect of increasing our stated 2014 expenses and creating an operating deficit for that year.  So, even though we were blessed in 2014 with about a 5 percent real increase in regular income over 2013, the auditors’ statement for 2014 will show a paper decrease in income of about 9.1 percent in total income, largely because of these generous estate donations. The good news is that the reported income decrease and operating deficit will be due largely to established accounting rules.

Update and "Thank You" from the Business Office

LCG Business Office

 A reader here writes:

Ok, wait, I'm confused. So you lied about how much tithe money you brought in in 2013 to make the numbers look good and to profess your all so important "growth" thereby "proving" that LCG is being blessed as God's one and only true church so the deficit that you are running in for 2014 isn't really as bad as it looks because 2013 wasn't really as great as you said it was? And then you "held receipts" so you could spread out TV stations in 2014 and 2015? And the takeaway is supposed to be the income is down 9.1 percent  on paper but it's really up 5 percent?! Sounds like deception to me but what do I know.

As usual, it's likely that a large number of sleeping sheep won't even question this insanity because if headquarters says it, it must be real.

Rod McNair Lashes Out At Discontented LCG Members Blaming Them For Their Bad Attitudes

One of the biggest tools of intimidation that the Church of God has always used against is members is "stop whining" scenarios.  Discontented members where not allowed to voice their frustrations.  Doing so was direct rebellion against God.  That method of spiritual terrorism was used particularly well by Rod Meredith.  I see that it still used to this day.

April 08, 2015  LCG Weekly Update

God Is Faithful: One of the striking themes of the Exodus story is the extreme negativity of the Israelites.  They complained when they were in Egypt (Exodus 3:7).  They complained when they were coming out of Egypt (Exodus 14:11).  They complained when they had no bread (Exodus 16:3).  They complained when they were given bread (Numbers 11:6).  They complained against the authority of Moses, and tried to incite a revolution (Numbers 16:3).  Others complained when God struck down those who had rebelled (Numbers 16:41).  And they even complained when God told them to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 13).

Were they especially bad sinners?  Of course not.  The Apostle Paul shows that a spirit of negativity is a trap for all human beings—even those with God’s Spirit!  And thus, he wrote to the Corinthian church: “Nor let us... complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:9-11).

Paul then continued his instruction with one of the most encouraging passages in all of Scripture:  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

As these Days of Unleavened Bread draw to a close, it is good to remember God’s care and love for us.  He does not condemn us for having difficulty with an obstacle.  He knows what we’re going through!  And because He is faithful, He will always help us when we cry out to Him and seek His strength, mercy and deliverance.  That is one of the enduring lessons of the Exodus.
 
Have an inspiring Sabbath,
Rod McNair

  From a reader here:
 

MY OBSERVATION:

Me thinks Rod McNair protesteth too much. It's interesting that in addition to all the sermons on obeying and submitting (to LCG government) McNair is now chastising the unhappy LCG members even in the weekly update which is read as an update from headquarters in congregations worldwide each Sabbath. Notice how he tries to scare them about complaining against the authority of Moses and those that tried to incite a revolution. It's sickening that he would even try to draw a parallel between the corrupt, completely absent of humility, tyrannical LCG authority, himself included, and Moses. Translation: "You stupid sheeple need to sit down and shut up. Quit complaining about the fact that we are changing church doctrine, ruling unjustly, spending millions of dollars on university expansion and prying into your private lives. We have been given this authority over you by God Almighty and we can rule however we see fit. To question us is to show a lack of faith for which you will be punished".

Interesting how he completely leaves out the part  where God punishes Moses for not following His instruction and for exalting himself before the Israelites in Numbers 20:8-12
 

“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

 
McNair must is either stupid or counting on the fact that his audience isn't all that familiar with scripture. Either way, it made for an entertaining read.