Gerald Flurry: To Reject Herbert Armstrong is to Reject God

Did you know that the only way to true salvation is in the idolatry of Herbert Armstrong?  Gerald Flurry thinks so.  He claims that if you reject the teachings of Herbert Armstrong you are also reject God.  It is funny to see Flurry write such things considering the fact that Flurry and the Philadelphia Church of God have CHANGED Herbert Armstrong's writings to FIT the theological stance of the PCG.  Even the most holiest of Holy Books in the PCG, Mystery of the Ages, has been changed in order to make Gerald Flurry's claims of being a prophet/apostle legitimate.  Numerous other books have had entire sections deleted and Flurry's words inserted.

Flurry is using that rejection of Herbert Armstrong as the main excuse in forcing his gullible members into cutting off all contact with family members and friends who are exCOG.

Mr. Flurry writes: “We must fellowship in the context of the God Family and our engagement to Christ. We can’t even begin to fathom such depth without God’s Holy Spirit. The world does not understand fellowship with God—they are cut off (Genesis 3:22-24). Unless our fellowship is with the Father and the Son, we are just another deceived church. … The Laodiceans rejected Mr. Armstrong’s office and most of God’s revelation through him. That was the single most significant way they stopped fellowshipping with the Father. Is it logically possible for someone to have family fellowship with God and still reject the man God used to restore all things?”

That imagined rejection is what makes PCG members throw their teenage children out on the street.  This imagined rejection is also what makes PCG ministers tell parents of disabled children to take them to the mall and abandon them so that the State will take care of them.  This is the imagined rejection that belittles and intimidates women to the point they commit suicide.This imagined rejection is what makes PCG parents cut off all contact with children and grandchildren.

Of all the Churches of God out there, with maybe the exception of the Restored Church of God, the PCG has the potential to turn deadly at some point in the future.  We have already seen what aberrant teachings did in the living Church of God when a disturbed member killed seven LCG members after being pushed over the edge by one of Rod Meredith's doom and gloom sermons.

What is it going to take to wake PCG members up and place their faith in someone OTHER than Herbert Armstrong or the demonic rants of Gerald Flurry?

CGI's Bill Watson: Does He Believe That Gays Soon Start Beheading Christian On The Streets?

The stupid things Church of God ministers continue to say continues on unabated: 

CGI Embraces Bill Watson’s Attack on Homosexuality

By

Lonnie C. Hendrix/Miller Jones

The lead article in the latest edition of The International News, makes clear that the CGI leadership has decided to fully embrace Pastor Bill Watson’s campaign against homosexuality. The article, “Required Immediately:  A Spiritual Conditioning Plan,” (by none other than the said Mr. Watson) is a diatribe against homosexuals. In the piece, Mr. Watson uses several fallacies to justify his homophobic rants and ensure that CGI Christians don’t succumb to this “secular malignancy.” He skillfully employs false analogy, guilt by association and an appeal to fear and pity to make his case against homosexuality.

The following quotes are representative of the tenor of the language and methodology used in the piece:

“Our nation is currently sick and in jeopardy, as was the nation of Israel before it was devastated, conquered, and exiled into captivity from its homeland by the ancient Assyrians. It’s obvious by the historical legacy of Israel, nations that have adopted the God of Israel as their guiding source of morality, judgment, and liberty have been held accountable for their abandonment of those statutes, judgments, and laws.”

So, because the United States is moving in the direction of greater protections for the rights of Gay people and tolerance for their existence within society, our current situation is analogous to that of an ancient agrarian kingdom that failed to meet the standards of the covenant which God had established with them?

“Undoubtedly, for some of us, it’s quite disturbing to see some of these changes and effects now beginning to affect our lifestyles. Even our language has been mandated, in some cases by legislation, to be more sensitive and accepting toward those circumstances and conditions that were at one time considered wrong, or illegal, but now are acceptable and something to embrace. Political correctness is growing exponentially, causing those not in agreement with these progressive changes to be viewed as narrow-minded, discriminatory, bigoted, or just simply mean-spirited and irrational.”

Those poor, mistreated and persecuted Christians – Folks are calling them bigots and accusing them of being narrow-minded and mean-spirited. They’ve even made it unacceptable to refer to those abominations as “fags” and “sissies.” What will these evil folks come up with next?

“Make no mistake:  This is taking its toll on many Christian people who find themselves faced with contesting these ‘progressive changes.’ And don’t think for a minute the Christian way of life and belief system isn’t under attack outside of the cultural wars in the West – because it is! Anything resembling Christianity is being assaulted in many areas of the world today. Whether you look to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, or Africa – so-called Christianity – the name of Jesus Christ – is viewed as a ‘danger, or threat’ to the homeland cultures of these areas, primarily due to the perceived peril (which is not a peril at all) it poses for Communist regimes and those radical Muslims aggressively executing jihad on many traditional Christians throughout the world. Literally thousands every day are being kidnapped, tortured, raped, or killed in extremely gruesome ways!”

So the “campaign” for greater tolerance, civil rights and the fairer treatment of Gay people is an attack on Christianity? Moreover, this movement is somehow analogous to “radical Muslims” and the “jihad” which they are perpetrating against Christians overseas? Is Mr. Watson suggesting that Gay militants are about to start beheading Christians on the streets of America?

Sorry, it all sounds like a bit of a stretch to me – a leap in logic. It also propels me to the conclusion that I was right about discarding the perception that the CGI is any more enlightened or moderate than the other manifestations of Armstrongism!

Contrast Bill Watson's absurdities with how this  minister came to change his mind and let grace enter.

Who Are You Going To Push?

On a couple of Facebook pages there are stories being shared about the abject evil that the Philadelphia Church of God is perpetuating on its members.  The vile filth that these so-called men of God are doing to members is appalling to read.  No one in the PCG speaks out for these people who are mistreated and traumatized.  They sit by and do nothing.  Marriages and families are ripped apart.  Grandparents turn their backs on children/grandchildren all because a narcissistic drunken despot and his cadre of gestapo agents have allowed themselves to sink into a cesspool of moral depravity.

Contrast that to the short film above about a man with severe disabilities and how a best friend and a community of fellow travelers came together to help him accomplish a 500 mile journey on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail through northern Spain. A loyal and devoted friend helped push his friend over what seemed to be an insurmountable mountain.  Joining him on the way were other travelers that saw a need and joined in accomplishing something that will remain with them their entire lies.  A community of people who were filled with compassion and love that conquered something unimaginable.

In spite of what is displayed in the film above, many in the Churches of God are all about CREATING mountains and obstacles.  Abusive ministers, manipulative members and all kinds of evildoers conspire to keep members beaten down, devalued and dehumanized. Fear and legalism are the two things that keep the members compliant.  That's why they sit by and do noting when their friends and relatives are treated like dirt.  That is why they turn their backs on these same friends and family members.

The film closes with the following words which I think describe what we do here and others are doing in numerous web sites, blogs and Facebook pages.  There are desperate people out here that need to be pushed and pulled over the mountains of abuse and out of the valleys of quagmire that Armstrongism has trapped people in.  There is no community or loyalty in Armstrongism, only people slightly joined together in fear.  Disrupt that apple cart at some point in time and you will truly see who your REAL friends and community were.  It will NOT be those in the COG.  That road has been littered with the bodies of tens of thousands of former members of the Churches of God over the past eighty some years.

Everyone of us have people in our lives who pushed, pulled and drug us over mountains at some point in time and everyone of us have people in our lives that are desperate for hope, who are desperate for someone to come along up the face of their mountain, over the precipice of their mountain and push them forward in life. Push them beyond their limitations.

Who are you going to push?