Gerald Weston: "It is difficult to “sell” to someone who finds your “storefront” distasteful. "

Gerald Weston has written in the latest Living Church of God News about the task ahead for the LCG in drawing in new members.  He has a product to "sell" but no one seems to be biting, except for disgrutnled COG members who church jump at regular intervals.

Weston makes a telling comment early in his article:

It is difficult to “sell” to someone who finds your “storefront” distasteful. Different stores and different approaches work for different people. We know we have the right message, but how we present it is important in a world where professing Christianity is an ever-shrinking population.

He is right that so many find the "storefront" of LCG so distasteful.  Abusive ministers and policies have kept scores of COG members away from LCG.  Rod Meredith's horrendous treatment of members when he was in the Worldwide Church of God led many to not join up with them when he apostatized and started Global Church of God. Members understood that there was no reason to jump ship to where they would still be treated like dirt by Meredith.

Weston continues:

So how do we attract people to walk through the door of our “store”? We must never forget that we have something unique. The real gospel of the Kingdom of God and the true Jesus Christ is radically different from anything found in professing Christianity. It is the only hope for this very troubled world. This is our message, but as with Paul and Stephen, we must capture people’s attention. God told Ezekiel to portray a siege against Jerusalem as a sign to the house of Israel (Ezekiel 4:1–3). Jeremiah wore a yoke of wood around his neck—something that would garner attention and make a point (Jeremiah 28:10–14). Read through the prophets and see the many ways God got the attention of rebellious nations.

Ecclesiastes advises us, “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good” (Ecclesiastes 11:6).

We must continue to preach to those who are most likely to listen—professing Christians—but we must also gain the attention of a skeptical, secular world. Most will not “buy” God’s truth, but we must get them to look in the storefront window by offering common ground. An example of this is the Canadian-produced Viewpoint video, “Where Do the Celts Come From?” It is not overtly religious, but at the end advertises the booklet The United States and Britain in Prophecy. As of this writing, it has more than 68,000 views, more than 20,000 during a two-and-a-half day stretch, without advertising during that time.

Who would guess that subject would bring people “into the store” to look? Whether they pick up the free literature inside is yet to be seen, but we turned their heads and got their attention for a few minutes, and maybe more!

I think the readers here can add many reasons as to why the Living Church of God will continue to have problems attracting people to their "storefront."  So let Weston know the reasons why....

Sabbath Sex Is WRONG! And so is Passover Sex and Holy Day Sex!!!!!!!!!!!

As I mentioned in the dating post below, the Church of God has made a business out of meddling in its member's lives.  Sex has been a high priority of church leaders for decades.  Who can ever forget the incessant obsession Rod Meredith had with sex!  Or Ted Armstrong, who one day would be denouncing premarital sex and the next would be fornicating with unmarried students and the next with ministers wives. And then there was God Speaks Out On The New Morality book by Herbert Armstrong, which was later revised as The Missing Dimension in Sex.  Both were filled with provocative illustrations because Church members were too stupid to know how to have "godly" sex and needed to be shown how. Even with both books filled with Victorian ideals that HWA grew up with, never once did they condemn sex on the Sabbath.

That doesn't matter to some select few in Armstrongism who have a deep aversion to sex. They feel the need to stick their sweaty palms into the sex lives of members. The Chief Pharisee and bastardizer of the law James Malm has now spoken out about sex on the Sabbath, Passover night and high days.

For those of you who like to be frisky on those days, you will need to now strap on the chastity belts and take cold showers.

Sex on Passover, Sabbath and High Days

    The man and woman were created without sin and it was only AFTER sin entered, that Sacrifices, a High Priest Intercessor and the Law of Clean and Unclean were instituted. 

    Even then, there were clean and unclean animals, but the further details only began at Sinai with God’s detailed instructions for Israel and a PHYSICAL priesthood.

    If one considers the laws given to Israel one cannot help but come to the conclusion that it is physically impossible to avoid becoming unclean for more than a very short time.

    A woman can be absolutely perfect yet she cannot overcome the female nature [natural cycle], a man can be absolutely perfect yet he cannot prevent an emission even if he restrains himself otherwise.

    This is meant to teach us that the physical state of man once Adam and Eve had sinned is antithetical to godliness, and only God can make us spiritually clean washing away our sins. Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

    In practical terms; yes, let a man and his wife enjoy each other to the full, but refrain from sex on High Days and Sabbaths [and on the Appointed Time of Passover day] so as to be clean on Holy Time. This principle is presented when God commanded Israel to refrain from their wives for three days before Pentecost at Sinai (Ex 19:50).

    I have been in error on this point in the past and I now realize that it is proper to rest from sex on the Passover, Sabbaths and High Days. This is not a burden since one can prepare on Friday afternoon and before High Days and wash before the Sabbaths begin. 

In other words, have sex all you want Friday afternoon and then wash up before sundown.  Seriously? Preparation Day sex, who knew?

It does not take long, thanks to the Internet, to look up as to how the Jews look upon sex on the Sabbath and other holy days.  A person will quickly see that no matter how much James Malm bastardizes the law to his own interpretations or how much he pretends to be a "Christianized" Jew, he is neither.

Here is one Jewish interpretation:

The practices of physically indulging by having intercourse on the Sabbath may be traced all the way to the book of Isaiah, which reads,

³ Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’  ⁴ For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, ⁵ I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.^[6]

This passage in Isaiah, which comes from a section of the book that was likely composed sometime during the early Second Temple period, is profoundly significant. Although a eunuch is unable to engage in sexual intercourse, the prophet assures him that his observance of Sabbath is cherished by God. The underlying presumption here, I would argue, is that sexual activity is an integral part of the experiential joy of Shabbat.  This explains why the eunuch is cited as complaining that he is a “dry tree.” His complaint is that, as a eunuch, he cannot celebrate the Sabbath to its fullest, most pleasurable extent with a partner.  

The eunuch’s complaint is coupled with the concern of the foreigner, who is concerned that he too, cannot fully participate in the covenantal community, because he does not possess Jewish familial roots.  To these complaints, which both regard the question of genealogical and physical connection to the covenantal community, the prophet offers this answer: God cares not about the identity of one’s familial connections; God cares only about whether the person in question is devoted to God’s service. Intimacy on Shabbat

Or this one:

Furthermore, intimacy is encouraged on Shabbat not so much as a means to procreate as it is to create a bond between husband and wife. There are two separate mitzvot in the Torah that involve sexual relations. One is to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis1:28.) The lesser-known mitzvah is for the husband to ensure he sexually satisfies his wife (Exodus 21:10). This second mitzvah is totally independent from the first and so the obligation to make love to one’s wife applies to couples regardless as to whether they wish to, or are capable of conceiving. 

The very notion that sexual pleasure can itself — provided it is experienced in the right context — be a mitzvah, underscores the unique Jewish attitude to life. Judaism, on the whole, frowns upon asceticism. It sees the material world not in conflict with sanctity but rather as capable of being sanctified. Nowhere is this more evident than on Shabbat where the sacred is celebrated through the physical. This holy day is observed not just through prayer and song but also through eating, socialising, relaxing and — for married couples — sexual intimacy. Shabbat illustrates the harmony that can be achieved between the spiritual and the physical. 

Throughout the week we live fragmented lives lurching between high ideals and practical realities; on Shabbat we attain a sense of wholeness, where the disparate and often opposing forces in our lives meld together in celebration of this special day of rest. Why is Sex Allowed on Shabbat

Even the Seventh Day Adventists agree that sex is ok on the Sabbath:

Sabbath is a holy day and Marriage is a holy institution therefore sex can be done on the Sabbath: The supporters of this view contend that both the Sabbath and Marriage were instituted by God and as such sex is definately sacred, especially since God only sanctioned sex in the institution of marriage. They further argue that the Apostle Paul gave strong support for sex on the Sabbath when he said: "Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency" 1 Cor 7:5. The argument is that couples are not required to fast and pray every Sabbath. Some even go as far as to say that since Adam and Eve were married on the sixth day, God would not require them to wait that long before consummating their marriage.

As an order of priority, the activities of the Sabbath should be ones that bring honor to God, ones that promote a spiritual and holy encounter. Since sex is an expression of love, it believe that a spouse may have the need to share his/her love for his wife/husband on the Sabbath. While I would not encourage couples to reserve sex just for the Sabbath, I would also like to encourage those who believe otherwise, to reserve judgment to God. If you feel it is wrong to engaging in sexual activities on the Sabbath, then by all means, avoid doing so, but do not stand in judgment of someone else. 

An intimate relationship between a married couple is a spiritual relationship. Marriage is a holy institution; the Sabbath is a holy day. One might ask, if holy people, participate in a holy institution, sanctioned by a Holy God, on a holy day, could that act be Unholy? That's for you to decide! Should married couples have sex on the sabbath?

Why would ANY Church of God member in 2018 ever let some hypocritical, self-appointed and self-serving Church of God leader tell them what to do? Particularly one who bastardizes the law over the opportunity to revel in grace.

I am not a fan of 7th Day Adventist's or particularly Ellen G White, but what she had to say about the Sabbath is spot on:

As Ellen White so passionately put it, “The Sabbath–oh!–make it the sweetest, the most blessed day of the whole week.” – White, Ellen G. The faith I Live By. p 36

Sabbath sex rocks!  Malm sex, not so much.

Does the Church of God Need ANOTHER Booklet on Dating?

As has been normal for the Church of God, it has always felt the need to control every aspect of its members lives, from what they eat, what kind of clothes they wear, and what kind of sex they have and how often.  From birth to grave the church has made a business of meddling in members lives.

Last week, the Church of God's most perfect end-time leader (sorry Dave Pack, it's not you) announced he is writing a new booklet on dating.  Dreamy Bob Thiel is its author.  The weird part about this booklet is that with 2,996 of his members living in Africa, WHY would THEY care about American dating habits?

Almost arrested, but not arrested Bob Thiel says this:

Let me start off by explaining about the forthcoming dating booklet.

Originally, we planned to put out a book about the canon of the Bible this year. However, I realized that with my schedule and the research required for this subject (I had started on it last year), this would not happen in 2018. After praying about subjects to cover, I concluded that we could–and should–get out a booklet on dating. And I have been working on that. This is a subject quite different than others that our booklets, sermons, and magazines have covered.

Many aspects of Christian living should be part of what we need to teach (cf. Matthew 28:19-20), and while they have been, many aspects of dating were basically missing.

Furthermore, as we have scattered unmarried people in many places, and I did not want them to feel left out or without additional guidance from us. I have long prayed for our singles, widows, and divorcees (and yes, I pray for married people too). Soon, we expect to have a dating booklet that may help some of them. And hopefully, this will help others not with the Continuing Church of God as well.

So God revealed to him to write a booklet on dating, just like he revealed to Elijah Thiel he needed to start a new church?  We all know that one was a lie, so why should we believe God told him to write a booklet on dating?  Even worse, you will notice that he is also writing another booklet about the canon of the Bible.  Does ANYONE care?  Tens of thousands of books have been written on the canon since the Jews started compiling their own books in specific order between 200 BC - 200 AD.  The only thing Amos Thiel is attempting to do is rewrite church history to make it more in line with Church of God myths, particularly his myths. But, that is for another story.

The self-appointed prophet Thiel is going to present this new booklet in an awe-inspiring new way on the Internet.  He is going to have ANIMATED videos!  I can see Dave Pack whimpering behind his security gate right now at this most momentous announcement!

Announcing a New Door: Animations 

In order to help get information out to a wider audience, we have decided to produce some short animations that we plan to initially put up on YouTube.

This may be somewhat unique to us as I personally have never been part of a church that used a lot of animations (I only remember a two-minute animation in the 1970s used once as part of a World Tomorrow telecast related to Gehenna fire). The first CCOG animation is intended to be related to dating and our forthcoming booklet on the subject. 

Currently, I have written two or three scripts for the animations, and am working on one or two others. Some will mainly promote booklets we already have, but we also will need additional ones. 

Now, because of this animation door, this seems to be the time to produce some other booklets on subjects I had in mind to write (God’s existence, Christian living, God’s calling as Ambassadors for Kingdom of God, baptism, prophecy, etc.). So, I plan to work on at least a couple of those before going back to the book about the canon of the Bible.

The Internet will have a field day when he starts posting these.  then watch, he will start screaming PERSECUTION when they are mocked.

Apostate Thiel is taking this animation route because Apostle Paul told him to!  It's all there in the Bible.  Apparently, Apostle Paul was a visionary man who knew the Internet was coming down the pipeline in the future.

We are striving to implement ways to better reach the audience in the 21st century. That is consistent with the following teachings from Jesus and the Apostle Paul:

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NKJV throughout, unless otherwise noted)

19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

Apostate Thiel believes that the youth of the world will be highly attracted to his videos:

To try to reach all, we must also consider their demographics. Younger people are looking for more short bursts of information, and people are more used to being entertained.

There is a place for ‘milk’ as well as ‘strong meat’:

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Apostate Thiel is aiming these dating videos to the 13-30-year-old crowd.  As if some 20-30 year old is going to pay attention to any of his crap!   Apparently, this will be a huge witnessing tool in Africa.

So, while we will continue to have sermons, long articles, etc. (stronger meat), we are looking to provide some basic information (milk, starter food) in forms that more would be comfortable to start with. Plus, everyone who has been around for a long times does not always need strong meat. God made a variety of physical foods, and in CCOG we are trying to provide a variety of spiritual foods (magazines, websites, sermonette videos, sermon videos, personal contacts, visits around the world, baptizing trips, youth camps, church and holy day services, radio appearances, and now also videos). Radio appearances, of which I have done over 100 since CCOG formed, should be considered mainly along the “milk of the word” line.

Consistent with biblical admonitions, we need to “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, CEV) as well as “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:6).

Since very young children tend to have their hearts turned towards their parents and vice versa, I have long believed we need to, in addition to teaching parents (which is something we have always striven to do), better reach young people in their teens and above. Animations look to be one way to do that (and yes, church youth camps, which we have each year are also another specific step we have taken).

But let it be understood that while the use of animations is mainly focused on people from age 13 to 30, animations should also be effective for people of almost all ages. 

Apostate Thiel believes that these animated videos have the potential to start the persecution of his improperly named "continuing" Church of God.  YouTube may pull them for being too controversial. PERSECUTION I SAY! PERSECUTION!

The use of animations looks to be a door that we can use to reach others that we may not otherwise reach as well as those not as likely to want to read long articles and/or to watch long sermons. Hopefully, after watching animations, many will want to learn more.

The use of online television services like YouTube, and modern computer software to make animations, is a NEW DOOR IN TELEVISION.

My hope and prayer is that the short animations, combined with relevant free book offers, will help others develop more interest in true Christianity. This is another way to get the witness out to the world.

We plan to announce each of the animations shortly after they come available.

We also are expecting to make some of them available in other languages.

Now, as far as YouTube goes, yes we are aware that they censor and may one day block our content–it suspended a CCOG sermon by Steve Dupuie once and has blocked non-CCOG people (see YouTube censorship of ‘conservative’ content). However, since more and more people can watch YouTube on televisions in their homes, it is still the least expensive way to reach a broad television audience. Unless something better comes along, we plan to utilize the ‘door’ of YouTube until it closes. Which, one day, it will.

Until then, putting animations online, in addition to our sermons and sermonettes, on YouTube is an exciting development that I ask all of you to pray about. We hope to have the first one finished and available within weeks.

There is nothing new under the sun because it has already been done!