Schism In The Church of God

The Fragmentation of a Sect – Schism in the Worldwide Church of God by David V. Barrett: Book Review(available on Amazon) 

This book is based on his PhD thesis and is an independent look at what happened, what is happening, and how WCG is similar to other founder churches. 

Part one discusses the doctrines (Sabbatarianism and Observance of the Law, millenarianism, the ten lost tribes and British Israelism, Church governance, and a comparison between Worldwide and Mormonism. Then continues with how WCG got started. Next it covers failure in prophecy, major doctrine changes (Pentecost, divorce and remarriage, and liberalism), sex scandals, ousting of GTA, and other problems.

Next a chapter on Tkach doctrinal changes, membership of WCG then and today.

The final chapter in Part one covers the schism, the schism of the schisms, smaller groups, and special focus groups.

Part two – Analysis 

First chapter – authority and governance in HWA and Tkach eras, and in the offshoots.

Second chapter – after the founder dies – examines other organizations as well as the WCG splits, plus looks at what happens when the split founder dies.

Third chapeter – who went where and why.

Finally, he covers his research behind the book.

For an unbiased look at what happened and how we compare to other groups, this is a book well worth reading regardless on whether or not you are a believer in the original WCG doctrines.

Submitted by TLA

My comments

David Barrett was given almost unfettered access to Worldwide Church of God historical archives and Herbert Armstrong's writings.  Of all the hundreds of books written about the WCG over the decades, this one has been deemed the fairest and most balanced.

Barrett also goes into depth the doctrine of British Israelism.

Living Church of God even quoted his book in their The Incredible History of God's True Church by Ivor C Fletcher, as did the United Church of God's Michael Snyder..

James Tabor had this to say:

Prof James D Tabor, Chair, Dept. of Religious Studies, UNC Charlotte, wrote:

“Millions around the world listened by radio or watched on television 'The World Tomorrow' program with Herbert W Armstrong or his son Garner Ted Armstrong, or subscribed to The Plain Truth magazine in the 1960s through the 1990s. Both were sponsored by Ambassador College and the Worldwide Church of God. The Armstrongs believed they had been raised up by God to warn the world before the final Apocalypse. In many ways they were the most successful such movement of our times. David V Barrett, a sociologist of religion with no connection to the Church, has provided us with the most thorough and objective history to date. From its inception in the 1930s to its schisms and transformations, Barrett weaves the fascinating story of faith, corruption, disappointment, and hope. His careful research and skillful analysis has not only advanced our understanding of the Worldwide Church of God and its history, but clarified the dynamics of such modern apocalyptic groups more generally.”

Oxford University Press had this to say about the book:

The Worldwide Church of God was a largely American 20th century Christian sect (or new religious movement: NRM) with heterodox beliefs and practices. It was Sabbatarian, millenarian, British Israelite and legalistic. After the death of its charismatic founder Herbert W. Armstrong in 1986 his successor changed the Church’s distinctive doctrines, leading it towards an increasing convergence with mainstream Evangelical Christianity. Ministers and members faced massive cognitive dissonance: whether to accept or reject the authority of the Church leadership which had abandoned the authority of the founder’s teachings. Groups of ministers left to form new Churches, taking thousands of members with them. These schismatic Churches in the “Worldwide family” in turn faced continuing schism, resulting in over 400 offshoot Churches by 2009. This sociological study examines some of the processes involved in schism, including the legitimation of authority, within both Worldwide and its range of offshoots, from hardline to comparatively liberal. Religions frequently face a period of turmoil and readjustment following their founder’s death. This book offers a new typological model for categorising various outcomes, including schism, and explores the usefulness of this model by applying it to both the Worldwide Church of God and a wide variety of other religions. It also extends Stark and Finke’s rational choice concepts of “social capital” and “religious capital” when people make religious choices, specifically reaffiliation between movements; it introduces a third factor, “moral capital”, covering for example past problems with leaders, and tests the relative strengths of these factors.

Will the Churches of God Unite Together For A Fast For California?

CA Deadliest Fire

I too have a dream - a dream that the COG groups will get together and have a joint fast. 

A fast for the people in California who in 1 week have suffered 2 huge wildfires and a mass shooting. A fast to beseech God for mercy, comfort, healing, and rescue for our fellow human beings. 

A fast for our divided nation that they will be more tolerant of our internal differences and stop attacking one another. 

A fast for the end of division in the COG groups. 

An immediate end to division internally and joint church services for COGWA, LCG, and UCG, plus all other groups who want to join. 

Because of the belief in servant leadership, an end to calling ministers Mr. - whoever heard of calling servants Mr. anyway?

TLA

Satan Attacks Petra In Order To Scare COG Members

According to the Church of God, a sure sign of the end times is when Satan rises up and attacks the Philadelphian church and the Laodiceans.  The Philadelphians are lucky though, they et to flee to Petra where they will live in millenial bliss for 3 1/2 years, making the deseret bloom like a rose. Satan is angry that the true church will possibly be taking shelter in Petra and somewhere else in Jordan that he will do all he can to thwart their journey there.

The BBC had this story today about how 4,000 tourists had to be evacuated from Petra and several Jordanians had died in flash floods:

Jordan flash floods: Eleven killed and tourists evacuated from Petra

Rescue teams and helicopters are searching for five people whose car was swept away in Madaba, south-west of the capital, Amman.

Downpours also triggered a state of emergency in the port city of Aqaba.

It comes two weeks after 21 people, mostly children, drowned in a flash flood in the Dead Sea area.

A civil defence spokeswoman told AFP news agency on Friday that a child was among those killed by floods in the Dabaa region, south of Amman.

A main road connecting the capital with the south of the country was also cut off, she added.

In Petra, floodwaters in some areas rose up to 4m (13ft), state TV reported. Footage showed people on the city's main road trying to stay clear of the water. 

Evacuated tourists were taken to safe areas, government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat said.

She said more heavy rain was expected on Saturday and residents in affected areas were being urged to evacuate their homes. 

Jordan has suffered weeks of heavy rain. There was a public outcry last month after 18 children on a school trip were swept away, leading to the resignation of the country's education and tourism ministers. 

This immediately set the official false prophet of the Church of God into meltdown.  Bob Thiel writes today:

Petra is considered by many in and out of the Church of God as being the place or near the place that God will provide protection during the Great Tribulation/Day of the Lord. 

The late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong thought it may be, but he was not definitive, as he wrote:

Petra may very well be the site for God’s protection of HIS PEOPLE—those who are counted WORTHY TO ESCAPE the terrifying GREAT TRIBULATION that is soon to strike an unsuspecting Israel! PETRA, an ancient Arab stronghold deep in the rugged mountains, is accessible only by traveling through narrow, twisting gorges on horseback! (Letter, April 15, 1956). 

Apparently many are carelessly supposing they are now SURE of being protected through the Great Tribulation (now ALMOST READY TO STRIKE!). Whether it will be Petra or another place, many feel carelessly secure, and, after that, entering God’s Kingdom with ETERNAL LIFE! But YOU DON’T HAVE IT “MADE.” You are still being TRIED — to determine whether you shall have this protection — whether you shall enter the Kingdom of God! It is those who are LED BY the Spirit of God — NOT those who are led by desire for more and more physical and material things!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK!…SO, hundreds of you are SLACKING OFF in your RESPONSIBILITIES in GOD’S WORK! (Letter, September 1, 1968). 

Incidentally, I know many of you seem to have your hearts set on going very soon to Petra as “the place of safety” during the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Well, GET YOUR MINDS OFF PETRA. Brethren, I HAVE NEVER said that Petra definitely is the place of protection where God will take us. I HOPE IT IS NOT! One reason it could be the place is that it is a place NOBODY ELSE WOULD WANT TO GO. It would be the most UNpleasant, UNcomfortable, miserable place you could go! There is nothing to be desired there. But, just in case, God HAS miraculously given me very gracious favor in the eyes of King Hussein and also his brother, the Crown Prince. They are very friendly to me personally (Letter, July 16, 1982).

Philadelphian Bob loves to trot out Herbert's nonsense on this as PROOF that Philadelphian COG members will be the only ones going to Petra while the Laodiceans get left behind to serve as servants of the Germans or killed in concentration camps, which is what Thiel believes will happen to all LCG members for not following him into the one final true church.

(all hyperlinks have been removed to prevent exposure to further heresy)   

Thus, Herbert Armstrong thought Petra could be the place, but felt that those who slacked off in their responsibilities in doing God’s work, would probably not go. 

Here is a prophecy concerning some Christians being protected and others not so being protected:

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:13-17) 

Notice that there are two groups of end-time Christians according to Revelation 12:14-17–one group that is protected, and the other that is not. 

It is to the Philadelphian Christians Jesus promised protection from the hour of trial:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:7-10)

I will give you one guess as to who the true Philadelphians are.  It is doubly cursed Bob's improperly named "continuing" Church of God.  No shocker there.  The prophet of paganism goes on to claim that the recent flood in Petra has already been written about in one of his previous articles.  It is all in Jeremiah...

Not what about the flooding? 

Does that eliminate Petra or some other Jordanian location? 

No. 

I have written about the floodplains of Jordan and the place of safety in the past. Here is something posted here over five years ago:

Interestingly, Jeremiah wrote:

You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest in the sides of the cave’s mouth (Jeremiah 48:28).
For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one shall fly like an eagle, And spread his wings over Moab…” (Jeremiah 48:40). 

It should also be noted that Petra is south, south-east of Jerusalem, which, as we saw earlier, is a possible direction for the place to be. Other than the aspect of caves (which does not mention the amount of caves), it should be noted, that many other areas in Jordan also are in the right direction and fit the description of the place–so it is possible that the Church may flee into Jordan and not stay in Petra, but somewhere else in Jordan or a neighboring area. 

It may be of interest to note that although Moab (somewhat associated with modern Jordan) is likely to somewhat support the upcoming King of the South (Daniel 11:40), Moab ends up escaping the punishment by the final King of the North (Daniel 11:40-43)–and possibly God allows this escape because the place of protection may be in their land (though the King of the North would likely believe that there are other reasons, including political ones). 

There is another passage of scripture that may be alluding to a Jordanian location for the place, which states,

5 If you have run with footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they have wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of Jordan? 6 For even you brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you” (Jeremiah 12:5-6). 

The implication to God’s people is if you are having a difficult time living in a relatively peaceful land, what will happen to you when you are being pursued by ‘a multitude’ in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’? 

Remember, the serpent spews out a flood to try to destroy those who flee to the wilderness (Revelation 12:14-15). Thus it is possible that this is why Jeremiah is warning God’s people about how they will do in the ‘floodplain of Jordan’ (most any map suggests this floodplain looks like it is east of Jerusalem, God’s people would probably need to cross it if they arrive in Jerusalem and head towards Petra).  They will also have lessons to learn. (Thiel B. Philadelphian Christians may wander to get to the place of safety. COGwriter.com, September 17, 2013) 

Thus, a flood could be in Petra or on the way there, consistent with Revelation 12 and Jeremiah 12. 

Although most of the world does not consider a place in Jordan or that basic area as a place to flee to for protection, scripturally, the place in the wilderness God promised looks to be in that region.

I just can't what for Thiel to enter Petra and find Pack, Weinland, Flurry, UCG, COGWA, and the rest of the COG leaders already there arguing over who is going to be in charge.  It is not going to a pretty sight when Bobbie finds out that none of them will let him be in charge as none of them will pay him any attention.