COGNews has an entry up from Bill Goff today about an issue he has faced due to a meddlesome COG member stirring up a stink between Goff and the Christian Biblical Church of God. CBCG is run by Fred Coulter.
Bill Goff has been running a successful organization in Kenya for many years now that feeds impoverished children and others, Kenya Hands of Hope.
Thank you for your quick response in helping to bring food to our impoverished Brethren. May God bless each and every one of you! As many of you know, another young girl from the Rongo congregation died from starvation. But thanks to your quick action, the hunger situation was eased. We distributed Maze and Beans to the starving groups. We also distributed Wheat, Cassava, Millet and Sugar to the widows and remote orphans so they could continue making nutritional porridge. Your Brethren are so Very Very thankful to you for helping them during their dire need. The children were also very thankful (and happy) to have food to eat as you will see in the pictures below — See August 12, 2022
Goff goes on to write about what transpired between Goff's organization and Fred Coulter's Christian Biblical Church of God:
Now I have something sad to report on and bring to your attention. I’m hoping that you will pray about it, because it’s a very serious matter. A while back I reported that Fred Coulter stepped in and joined hands with us in helping our impoverished brethren, and it was a wonderful thing, we were able to assist more of our suffering brethren by working together. Sad to say, that help came to an abrupt end yesterday. Apparently someone informed Fred that my beliefs differ from some of what he teaches. There are a number of doctrines that not only I, but other members of the Body of Christ differ on, but that shouldn’t stop us from helping our brethren who are suffering and literally starving to death at this time.
Too many pulpits in the church of God are too quick to terminate all relation, and sever ties because of differences in beliefs. Now there are Scriptural instructions concerning this matter, and times when some do need to be dealt with, like in Romans 16:17 where we are told to “Mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrines which ye have learned; and avoid them”.
Let us be sure we understand what the Scripture is saying here: that word “divisions” means disunion, dissension, division, sedition. Sedition means to conduct or speech exciting people to rebel against the authority or a state or monarch, and division means disagreement between two or more groups producing tension or hostility.
Brethren, I don’t think I fit into that category. We had no hostility or tension, and there was no rebellion against any authority. On the contrary, we were working together quite well. Fred was even sending me all of the contacts he receives from people in various countries on the continent of Africa, and I was checking them out. Even that was working out quite well.
As I said, there was no problem between Fred and I, things were going on quite well. There was no contention or hostility between us, fact is there was much good fruit being produced, especially in assisting our impoverished widows and orphans who have been suffering significantly.
Christian Biblical Church of God joining hands with us in assisting our suffering brethren was a wonderful thing, it was answered prayer. We have been praying for more to join hands with us to help our suffering and starving brethren. Whoever approached Fred, and caused him to stop assisting our suffering brethren should be ashamed of themselves. The sad part is that now more of our brethren will continue to suffer. Please pray that Fred will continue to assist them. Those funds go directly to our starving widows and orphans, no doctrinal issues should come between us in helping our brethren who are literally starving to death at this time. (This attempt to divide us is the work of our arch deceiver.)
Nothing would surprise me that this was a follower of Bob Thiel, bitter over another COG stepping into Africa. Plus, Thiel is very vocal with his hatred of cooperation between churches, whether they be "worldly" or Armstrongite Churches of Glod. When his group is the only right church then this creates an issue with cooperation with others.
Plus, I can guarantee this person was an entitled American who has zero concerns about the plight of those in Africa, and most certainly a person who has never given financially to such organizations. After all, the official COG mantra has always been - Don't worry about them now, God will help them in the millennium to live properly like we do in America.
How can anyone look at the COG today as an example of Godly love? A love that is supposedly unsurpassed since the 1st Century Christians gathered together. A love that exemplifies the coming Kingdom of God. The Church of God today has very few groups that exemplify true love for others.
Who would want to be part of a kingdom where these kinds of people will supposedly be teachers and right-hand assistants to Christ?