Monday, March 14, 2022

Tell Me Your Stories of Racism in the PCG - Kieren Underwood


 

Tell Me Your Stories of Racism in the PCG


Hi all ex-PCG members!

I am an ex-PCG member who attended HWA College and wrote for the Trumpet magazine. I grew up in the church and eventually left in late 2017. While I was almost completely oblivious to the PCG's racism while I attended, I slowly grew more aware after I left of not just the racist legacy of the WCG, but the continuing racist practices the PCG pursues, all while denying that any of these things exist.

I have been thinking about writing an extensive piece on racism in the PCG, but while I can do all the research on the PCG's doctrines, attempted scriptural backing, or their origins in the WCG, I don't have any personal experiences to draw on, since I was a white male who went through 22 years of the PCG with little to no thoughts on race.

While there are lots of small stories here and there, there aren't any deep dives like the WCG has in Jerald Walker's book Growing Up In Flames: A Black Boyhood in a White Supremacist Doomsday Cult.

If you have a story that you would like to tell about your experiences dealing with racism in the PCG, I would like to hear them. Or if you know someone who would love to tell their story, please direct them my way. Without these first-hand stories, I doubt I will publish anything on race in the PCG, since I don't exactly feel qualified to be the one to do so.

You can get in contact with me through my email: kierenjunderwood@gmail.com.

Thanks,
Kieren Underwood

Sunday, March 13, 2022

PCG: Famine of the word will happen when Gerald Flurry's booklets are no longer available..Wut?


Just when we think Armstrongism cannot get any crazier, along comes Wayne Turgeon of the Philadelphia Church of God cult that is based in Edmond, Oklahoma. Wayne is not known to be the brightest bulb in the box, even when he was a student in Pasadena and worked in the Auditorium.  Wayne was just one of many narcissists the college pumped out and dumped on the church as being educated in the truth. Like so many that were failures in the WCG, he jumped to the Philadelphia Church of God as a ready place of employment.

Wayne has a long history of spiritual abuse in the PCG at members and other fellow ministers that have been talked about here and on other websites.

Turgeon was sent to England to oversee the Edstone campus of the so-called :college: of the PCG while Lil's Stevie had more important things to do in planning a new office and institute in Jerusalem.

Today we add yet another entry to Dumb Things Wayne Turgeon Says file:

Wayne Turgeon and GF’s Messed Up View of Bible Prophecy:
March 12, 2022 
 
Wayne Turgeon gave a Bible Study from England last week on “Isaiah” Chapter 6, Part 2.” He barely mentioned “Ukraine” when he started out and that was only because “his wife wanted him to.” There “were more important things” to cover than Ukraine. 
 
In Turgeon’s messed-up view of Bible prophecy he linked Isaiah 22:22 to PCG because the verse mentions the words “Key of the house of David” which he said means the descendants from David, meaning PCG. GF is so hung up on his “New Throne of David” that Turgeon said GF wrote that the only way it would be possible for all the splinter groups to unite is if they “all united through the Key of David.” 
 
Turgeon said GF believes Isaiah 22:25 is talking about “the famine of the Word.” Then people in the world “will wish they had every book and booklet of Mr. Flurry’s”; therefore, Turgeon said, “get those booklets and study them and mark them.” (i.e., underline all over in them) Since when has GF’s booklets been more important than the Bible? Since when does someone need GF’s interpretation of the Bible? A good Bible commentary will explain these verses much better than GF’s “new revelations.” 
 
PCG believes Amos 7:10-11 is referring to Joseph Tkach Jr. going to the leader of the land, that he called, Mr. Jeroboam–and said “Mr. Donald Trump is his official name.” How the h*** is Tkach Jr. going to go to the “leader of the land” when he (Tkach Jr.) retired at the end of 2018 and Greg Williams replaced him as GCI’s President?! He added, “So he (Trump) has got to get back in office” and for members to “be patient.” Does GF have inside info that the rest of us don’t have? Or has he merely lost his marbles? 

Then, like any good COG false teacher/prophet/apostle/Elijah, Wayne goes on to claim that intense persecution is coming due to what they preach. Wayne is about as dumb as Bob Thiel is in this department. 

He said, “We are making ourselves a target for some intense persecution” by broadcasting and printing about the rising Beast of Revelation 17 and warning that the nations of Israel are “quickly losing their power” in this so-called God is cursing America mantra of GF’s. “We have had it good so far” Turgeon said, “The grass is still green,” etc., “compared to the terrible persecution that is coming.” 
 
Turgeon is losing it, along with GF. No matter who is in the presidential office in the future, Tkach Jr. isn’t going to go to him and cause PCG to receive “intense persecution” by being kicked out of the country. This is nothing but lunacy. If he is interested in true persecution, he needs to take a hard look at what Christians in other countries like Nigeria (or even Ukraine) are enduring. But that doesn’t count in Turgeon’s well-worn fear book. 
 
GF absolutely cannot get his head out of the O.T. Even when he does go to the O.T., have you noticed that you never hear him reading from the Psalms? It’s always some minor prophet book where he tries to see “modern-day Israel” in it. You never hear him talking about Jesus or grace or salvation, the most important subjects in the entire Bible. That’s too “dull” for him. God have mercy on his soul at the Judgement seat. –Anonymous Exit and Support Network

Not only is Gerald Flurry unable to get his head out of the Old Testament but almost every single COG group out there is in the same boat. The Old Covenant trumps the New Covenant in every aspect. Jesus still embarrasses the Church of God 80 some years down the line. They would much rather be seen worshipping at the feet of false prophets/ministers who preach false prophecies than being seen as followers of Jesus.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

CGI Admits There is No Proof That Saturday Is The Sabbath But Keep It Because It Is Tradition Of Men

 


Church of God International has a letter in its latest The International News written in by a person asking about the Sabbath.

Question: Can you prove to me by Scripture alone that our Saturday is the seventh day? I cannot find one verse that proves Saturday is the seventh day, only by other sources from men, like history books, modern rabbis claiming Saturday has never changed or been broken, but by Scripture alone I cannot link Saturday to the seventh day... 
 
ANSWER: The biblical proof you’re asking for doesn’t exist. One cannot determine by the Bible alone that the day we call “Saturday” is the seventh day of the biblical week. But then, the Bible nowhere teaches that the Bible is the sole source of truth—so by what authority do you establish your “Scripture alone” rule? On what biblical grounds do you throw out examination of historical data as a legitimate means of arriving at important truths? The truth is, the extreme form of sola scriptura you have adopted is nowhere taught in the Scriptures. 
 
Make no mistake, the Bible is God’s unique reve- lation to mankind and therefore must be given first place in our quest for truth, but Scripture nowhere teaches that it is the sole source of all true knowledge.

CGI admits it keeps the day because of traditions of men, not from actual scripture.  

The Church of God movement (Armstrongism) has made a big point about now falling for "traditions of men" when it comes to following its god. And yet, for 8 decades it has done just that. Keeping traditions of men, especially Herbert Armstrong's interpretations as "gospel truth".

Because of the witness of the faith traditions of both Jews and Christians, the whole world today knows that the day we call Saturday is the seventh day of the week, and that it’s traceable all the way back to the time of Jesus.