LCG: Friday Night Smackdown is back!

 

Well, it is close to LCG Sabbath and time for the weekly smackdown on things LCG members are constantly doing wrong. It seems some LCG members are not focused upon the "truth" that LCG claims to possess and instead are caught up in the "cares of this world." LCG members must constantly be building character in order to be admitted into the Kingdom of God. Members are encouraged to focus their time upon that which is "true, noble, just, and pure".

LCG members have posted here for years about watching leading ministers in Charlotte and elsewhere mistreating members. From Rod Meredith on down through his kids and other ministers; abuse, nepotism, and financial abuse have been rampant. LCG HQ needs to clean its own windows before constantly criticizing its members.

Staying Focused: Jesus admonished His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). However, the temptations and pressures of this world continue to pull us away from seeking God and building the character needed to be in His Kingdom. Jesus also warned that “the cares of this world” can choke the Truth and cause us to stumble and miss out on our calling (Matthew 13:22). This is why the Apostle Paul advised Christians to “walk circumspectly” (live purposefully) and make the most of the time and opportunities to grow “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16). This is also why we need to check our focus periodically—what are we watching on TV? What we are reading? How much time do we spend on the Internet? Are we acting and treating others like a Christian? Are we using our time and talents to glorify God, or just doing our own thing? Let’s follow these biblical admonitions and focus our minds on what is true, noble, just, and pure (Philippians 4:8)—so we can be in the Kingdom of God.

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

Crackpot COG Prophet On Defensive After LCG Minister Spilled The Beans On Him

 

It's a hot day in California, and in more ways than one. Our favorite self-appointed dreamy prophet and Great Bwana to Africa and 299 Caucasians, who was kicked out of the Living Church of God by Rod Meredith over his crazy theological stances, got a major smackdown from an LCG minister who spilled the beans on why Bob Thiel left LCG, and boy oh boy, is Elijah steaming mad! Nothing infuriates apostate Bob more than having LCG ministers and members not acknowledge him as a prophet.

06/17/21 p.m. Someone told me today that an LCG minister wrote to him that the "main reason" that I left that church was because LCG did not consider me to be a prophet. That is untrue. 

As it turns out, the particular minister who indicated that never talked to me to ask why I left. So, how could he know the main reason I left?

The only way would be if I told him, someone I spoke with told him (or someone else who told him what I said), or he read what I wrote about it. For those interested in the truth, here is a link to an article about why: Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God.

The Bible warns repeatedly in the Old and New Testaments about not bearing "false witness."

It is being a false witness to claim to know the "main reason" why I left when 1) it was not the reason at all and 2) the writer cannot read minds (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7). Yet, that is a false narrative which many in my former association have chosen to believe. 

Because they know the truth! 

In addition to bearing false witness, the Bible warns against "whoever loves and practices a lie" (Revelation 22:15).

As people who truly know me realize, I left LCG because its top leadership informed me it would not correct doctrinal, historical, and prophetic errors that it had--and had previously agreed to correct. It is a lie to believe otherwise.

For just one example of uncorrected errors, here is a link to LCG's 2011 Statement of Beliefs with my proposed corrections, December 2011 Proposed changes to LCG's Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. Dr. Meredith originally promised to completely make these corrections by January 2012--but he failed to do. Then on 28 December 2012, Dr. Meredith made it clear he completely renigged on that promise and many others--I left LCG that day. The prophet matter was NOT why I left (though it was a factor in deciding I had no choice but to then declare a separate organization).

It's funny to look back at the day Rod Meredith posted his letter kicking Bob out of LCG. We had it posted here when he read it. He did not know at that moment. Bob threw a hissy fit and then officially posted about how he was starting his own splinter group. LCG members turned their backs on him, awesomely! 

The only 'prophet' recognition that matters is God's, who appoints prophets per 1 Corinthians 12:28 . Many act like they do not realize that, but instead talk against that which they do not want to accept (cf. Matthew 5:11-12; Acts 7:52).

Self-appointing one's self to prophethood status does not make one a prophet, particularly when it is one who has lied about the many reasons he is "chosen" to be a splinter group leader. Having nightmares and dreaming up fantastical stories to prove your legitimacy does not make on a prophet either.

Public/official 'prophet' recognition by LCG was NOT a factor in my choosing to leave--particularly since ALL the then LCG HQ evangelists stated that God might consider me to be a prophet. This was also directly confirmed to me by Dr. Doug Winnail in September 2012 and after I left in January 2013 (and that 2013 time was in writing).

It is a FACT that not ALL LCG evangelists thought Bob might be a prophet. If any of them thought that then it is proof that these guys were not real ministers. No one and I mean no one has any reason to believe Bob is a prophet. God expects no such things. No one needs to hear ANYTHING Bob says. 

Furthermore, as Dr. Winnail, Dr. Meredith, and Richard Ames were aware, it was certainly not my desire to start a separate church organization.

Yet, sadly, most with LCG have chosen to believe something about my departure that is not true.

The Bible specifically warns, "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully" (Jeremiah 48:10).

The above scripture is why I had to leave and biblically know why, without repentance, LCG cannot possibly lead the final phase of the work and CCOG can.

Those who believe otherwise are trusting in a lie.

The poor little guy just cannot get any respect! 

Quietly Dismissing Herbert Armstrong

 

ARMSTRONGISM 2021

 

Although folks like Gerald Flurry and David Pack have embraced Herbert Armstrong, many of the descendants of the Worldwide Church of God NEVER mention his name. They like to pretend that Herbert Armstrong and/or Garner Ted Armstrong have/had absolutely NOTHING to do with them. They continue to adhere to and preach many of their doctrines, but they act as if they have derived their teachings directly from the pages of the Bible. In effect, they have chosen to deal with the sordid history of their movement by pretending that it all never happened, or that they have somehow moved beyond those men and their failures.

It’s like saying that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had/have NOTHING to do with the United States of America! It’s like saying that Karl Marx had/has NOTHING to do with Communism in the Twenty-First Century, or that Colonel Sanders had/has NOTHING to do with Kentucky Fried Chicken! To be fair, Armstrongism isn’t the first religious movement to attempt to put some distance between themselves and their founder (e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Charles Russell or Anglicans and King Henry VIII).

For groups like the United Church of God and Church of God International who claim to have moved beyond their founder’s failures, when pressed, they will almost always identify issues of government, administration and/or character as the principal failures of the founders of the movement (and the things which they have “corrected”). Unfortunately, even in these “liberal” organizations, the “core teachings” of Armstrongism are defended and preserved. And, while most of the critics of the movement would acknowledge problems in all of those areas, the elephant in the room is the flawed THEOLOGY of Herbert Armstrong. In other words, to pretend as if there is absolutely nothing amiss with those teachings is ABSURD!

Sure, we all understand how hard it is to invest so much of one’s life and energy in something that turns out to be a major mistake. The potential damage to our ego/psyche/sense of self-worth is frightening, and we are not without other examples of this very real phenomenon that all longtime Armstrongites have faced (or avoided facing). On the secular side, a great many Americans continue to support Donald Trump because the prospect of dealing with the consequences of admitting that they made such a major error in judgement are simply too horrific to entertain – let alone admit! Hence, it is much easier to live in a fantasy world that denies or ignores where the REAL problems lie. Sorry folks, whether or not you’re willing to confront them, the ghosts of Herbie and Ted continue to haunt everything you do!

Lonnie Hendrix