Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
A comment the other day:
I stumbled on your site today, and most of the articles and posts seem rather old. and most everything posted is very negative ripping church members and leaders for their sins and it reminds me of a Scripture where Jesus slapped several self righteous people where it hurts. The Scripture???? John 8:7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."
Even an Archangel wouldn't do what some of these people have done...Jude 19 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" another Scripture tells us... Luke 6:37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Tread lightly folks, I want mercy not what I deserve and you should too! But, He who is without sin among you keep judging!
Regards, Sanford Sorrow
Things may be finally looking up for Living Church of God! It seems that there is a disproportionate number of LCG members who have no interest in watching Richard Ames and others on LCG's telecast, nor do many in LCG care to read its literature! Seriously, who can blame them! All of their telecasts, magazine articles and literature are nothing more than a rehash of decades-old articles and programs. Do any of these men in any of the Churches of God have an original thought in their heads? It is 2018 and most of the COG's still live in the 1950-1960's mode of church literature and beliefs. Just how many articles do LCG members need to read about sex? How many do they need to read about the law? Maybe, just maybe, they would like to read about Jesus, or grace, or mercy - all topics sorely ignored in LCG.
Even more interesting in Weston's comments is that LCG members know more about literature in other COG's than they do their own! So delightful!
Gerald Weston writes in the latest letter to the members:
Why You Need to Read This
Gerald E. Weston
July/August 2018
Mr. Richard Ames is famous for asking congregations for a show of hands of how many watched the latest telecast or read the latest magazine. After scanning the audience, he then announces the percentage of the crowd who raised their hands, using an impressive degree of precision, such as 38.4 percent. This usually brings a chuckle from those present, as a guess like this can never be so exact, but, sadly, the figure is often less than what we might hope it would be.
While I rarely ask for a show of hands at services, it is evident to me from conversations before and after services that this is indeed the situation. Many members do not watch the telecast and many do not read our literature. This is a curious phenomenon, as we find that some of these same members are well-versed in the literature of others. And it is evident that the problem is not lack of time, as people today spend loads of time on Facebook, snapchat, twitter, e-mail and/or television.
Gerald Weston, who says he himself is boring, admits that LCG literature may also be boring!
One must wonder why this is the case. Perhaps our writings are not compelling enough for members to read them or our Tomorrow’s World telecasts fail to compete favorably with other options. If that is the case, we sincerely apologize. And please do not think this is a veiled request for compliments, encouraging faithful members to write supportive and encouraging letters. It is not. We know that there is great support and many prayers offered up to God for the telecast, our literature, and for us personally. Instead, this is an attempt to encourage all members to prioritize their lives so that they know the direction God is leading us. After all, either God is working through His servants or He is not!
Well Gerald, perhaps this is a clue that He is not! Ever thought of that? How can members be expected to prioritize their lives to know where God is leading when the LCG itself does not know? The 1950's and 1960's, the glory days of the Worldwide Church of God are over! They are long gone and will NEVER be recaptured by any COG in this day and age. Rudderless Churches of God who ignore Jesus and prostrate themselves at the feet of the law will never have any future.
Weston goes on in his missive to discuss how Paul and others wrote letters that ended up being so important that they were included in the canon of the Bible. Apparently, Weston thinks LCG literature may soon fit that standard! Imagine 1,000 years from now people sitting down to read letters from LCG writers that have been canonized into scripture! What an absolutely APPALLING thought! There is no need to worry though, that will never happen. If these men truly believe in the Jesus they claim to know and in the kingdom, they hope for, they would know that the literature and maybe even the Bible itself might be of little importance. Why would it be if the living and breathing Jesus is present? Who needs the book or booklets or letters?
Regardless, the point is that churches, and individual Christians, had letters written to them, and only later did the Church realize their enduring importance. We know the apostles and others wrote books and letters not preserved as part of the Holy Scripture (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:9; 3 John 9; Jude 14). How could an early Christian discern what would become part of a lasting record, and what would not? Does this mean that other letters, written by these men, were somehow in error? Were they not important at the time? Should we take communications from the Church lightly? Or neglect them?
Did you know that if you don't read LCG literature, watch a telecast, or miss a church service occasionally that you are drifting away and your salvation is at stake? So the next time you have to sit through a mind-numbing video sermon from HQ remember that your salvation bonus point card will start filling up and you won't drift away or start reading dissident blogs and willfully start sinning with wild abandon!
We often refer to Hebrews 10:25, where Paul admonishes us not to forsake assembling together, as some were doing even back then, especially as we see the return of Christ approaching. Do we know why? Part of the reason is found in the preceding verse: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (v. 24). This is one reason we attend services, even if the sermon is not “live.” Verses 23 and 26 give further context. There is a danger of drifting away from our baptismal confession. We must remain faithful over the long haul, for it is possible to drift away and sin willfully, thus losing everything!
Weston knows that most LCG members won't read his letter, so he decided to pull a little stunt with the few who will read his admonition. He says at the beginning of the article:
Dear Brethren, Some of you are familiar with Country magazine, where they hide an image of a needle somewhere in the pages of each issue for readers to find. Sometimes it is easy to spot, other times not. So let me get this off my chest up front: Like that hidden needle, there is a hidden flaw in this letter to you. I will reveal the flaw at the end, but my guess is that discerning readers will figure it out.
and ends with this:
I mentioned at the start of this letter that there is a flaw in it. Do you see it? It is, very simply, the fact that those who need this advice the most may never actually read it!
