A CGI Response to the Bill Watson Article

A CGI Response to the Bill Watson Article

By

Lonnie C. Hendrix

“I believe you misunderstand the reasons CGI is known for being ‘relatively moderate.’ The CGI differs from some (but not all) of the other groups in that it emphasizes servant leadership rather than some hierarchical form of polity, does not believe it is ‘above’ the other groups spiritually (it's members do not claim to be the ‘Philadelphia church’ or the ‘spearhead’ of the Work of God), does not have leaders claiming to be apostles or prophets, and doesn't use near-date-setting or claims about being in the ‘gun lap’ of the ‘final phase of God's Work’ to get people to send more money.” - See more here

So the CGI’s claim to moderation rests on its emphasis of the servant leadership model? So there is no one in the CGI telling everyone what to believe or controlling what everyone says and does? Then how do you explain another quote from the same response to my article?

“When someone from another organization is invited to speak in Tyler, if that person has views that differ in some way from the CGI's doctrinal positions or are considered controversial within CGI circles, he is asked not to bring them up. If he does bring them up, he will not be invited to come back to speak again. Further, the degree and nature of other CoG groups' differences with the CGI is an important factor in determining whether and how the CGI will participate in joint-activities with them. If you think CGI folks will "accept any belief that comes down the pike," just ask Lonnie about that. After he went public with his views on sexual issues, the CGI stopped using his material in its publications.” - See more here

Sure sounds like more of the same to me:  Unity imposed from above – We MUST all speak the same thing! No room for different views here. If you disagree, hit the road! And, if you don’t claim to be superior to the other groups, why should anyone want to choose you over one of them?

“But the CGI's theological positions are spelled out in no-uncertain terms in its Systematic Theology Project. Its official position on homosexual behavior is in agreement with the official position of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches as well as a very large number of Evangelical churches and theologians: homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity and are intrinsically disordered.” - See more here

Funny, in addition to being in agreement with the teachings of the Catholic, Orthodox and most Evangelical churches, the CGI finds itself in complete agreement with Herbert Armstrong’s God Speaks Out on the New Morality. Since they claim to regard all of those other groups as heretics, isn’t it funny that they would agree with them on this point? I guess Satan hasn’t succeeded in deceiving those folks on this one?

By the way, am I the only one who noticed that nothing was said in this response about the doctrine of British Israelism? If a dubious claim to an attachment to servant leadership is your only claim to independence from Armstrongism, then you may wish to rethink your responses to the thesis of my article?

Best Description of David C Pack Ever

...David C. Pack is in no way Joshua, 

or any other figure from the Bible, 

not a prophet, 

not an apostle. 

At best, he is a 

marked, 

defrocked, 

and 

disfellowshipped ex-pastor, 

frequently disciplined 

for his abusive treatment of the church members 

in the areas in which he served, 

and also for his continued refusal to accept authority.

...David C. Pack has financially ruined a large percentage of the people who were once part of his church. As a marketer of fear and authoritarianism, he has also caused mental disorders such as depression and paranoia. The RCG is known to radically worsen the life conditions of anyone who chooses to align themselves with and commit to that organization. Byker Bob

Church of God Leader Does Not Own Cell Phone Because It "Could" Be A Tool Of The Beast Power

Its always fun to wake up every morning and do a quick check of the various Church of God's and find another minister or church leader making a fool of themselves.  Its not like this is something that happens infrequently, its almost very single day!  Eighty some years down the COG pipeline you would think they would learn to keep their mouths shut.  But.......THANKFULLY no!

Today's silliness comes from a man who feels he is the most intelligent and well informed leader of the Church of God in this dispensation.  As a world renown authority on prophecy, end times events, vitamins, holistic medicine,  the Mayan's and Baron Karl zu Guttenberg's hot mustache, it does not take too much to imagine who this guy is.  Its our very own, Bob Thiel.  Woo hoo!

It seems that Berkeley, CA is getting ready to pass an ordinance that will require the city to include in all cell phone purchases a warning detailing how dangerous phones are and how far to keep them from their body.  This has Thiel quit concerned!

Thiel quotes:

On Tuesday, the city council of Berkeley, California, will vote on a cellphone “right to know” law that would be the first safety ordinance of its kind in the country. It would require cellphone retailers to include a city-prepared notice along with the purchase of a cellphone, informing consumers of the minimum separation distance a cellphone should be held from the body.

He then goes on to say this and later quote from the scientists:

Berkeley’s vote comes the day after the release of a letter signed by 190 scientists from 39 countries calling on the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and national governments to develop stricter controls on cellphones and other products that emit RF or electromagnetic fields (EMF). The letter states, “The various agencies setting safety standards have failed to impose sufficient guidelines to protect the general public, particularly children who are more vulnerable to the effects of EMF.”

While all of that may certainly be true and a legitimate concern, our Chief Overseer takes it another step and equates cell phones to possibly being mentioned in the Bible:

I actually do not have a cell phone.  I sometimes joke that I am the only person in the world without one.  But it is not because of health reasons.  Basically, I do not have much of a need for one as I have sufficient land-line telephones at my home and office, so I prefer not to bother with carrying and charging a cell phone.

Now, despite potential health dangers associated cell phones, there are some prophetic ramifications of them.

 The following scriptures could potentially involve cellular telephones:

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:15-18, NKJV)

Armstrongites have loved to claim over the decades that the mark of the beast will be its power to require everyone to work on Saturdays and buy food, while true COG folk will be imprisoned for refusing to do so.

The above was written over 1900 years ago.  At the time it was written it would seem that there would be no way to stop/monitor buying and selling that Revelation 13:17 foretells.  Now, as more and more financial transactions are electronic, we are at the point that the vast majority of financial transactions can be monitored/controlled in some nations, like those in Europe. The Bible teaches that it will be a European power that is 666 and will enforce what is prophesied in Revelation 13:16-18.
How could this involve cellular telephones?

Well, there have been news reports that certain nations are considering doing away with cash completely.  And there are more and more ways to pay electronically with cellular telephones (e.g. see Could Apple Pay be a step towards 666?).

Like so many fools in Armstrongism and the evangelical community that take every single word in the Bible literally, it is easy to see how Thiel can jump to these conclusions.   Thiel apparently realizes he is starting to sound absurd so he wants to make sure you know he is not banning cell phone use:

Now, lest anyone get the wrong impression, I did not post this to tell people that they should not have a cellular telephone nor to imply that cellular telephones are 666 nor the Mark of the Beast.

I posted about all of this to warn cellular telephone users that the health risks associated with them should not be ignored.  And I posted this so prophecy watchers would consider that the technology that is needed to fulfill the buying and selling prophecy in Revelation 13 already exists and possibly may involve cellular telephones.

But he wants you to also know he has WARNED you and anytime a COG leader warns you about something you must realize it is a command!

That being said, there will be a place for more than electronic currencies.  The time will come that problems and debt of the USA will trigger its economic collapse (Habakkuk 2:6-8) and military conquest (Daniel 11:39).

Because much of the world has used the USA dollar for decades as the international/trading/reserve currency, after the USA dollar collapses people will be hesitant to accept another ‘fiat’ currency (one with no real backing).  This may be one of the reasons that the Bible prophecies that the European Beast King of the North power (Daniel 11:40) will take “the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt” (Daniel 11:43).

But as more and more people use cellular telephones, it may well be that some version of them (such as what might become part of a national identification/bank card) will be part of how the Beast power will be able to control buying and selling.

 Just my luck to find out my iPhone  is a tool of the beast power.  Who knew....who CARES!