Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
We are getting close to Feast time and Satan's wrath is getting stirred up.
From a reader:
COGWA already is having Feast trouble again.
After last year's hurricane wipeout of Fort Myers (which left President Franks stuck at the airport throughout the first Holy Day, trying to get to the Bahamas), a severe thunderstorm this past week ripped a hole in the roof of COGWA's planned theater in Branson.
So COGWA is scrambling again - at least this time with about eight weeks to find an alternative.
But this stuff keeps happening to COGWA Feast sites - going all the way back to when a Feast was cut short by Legionnaire's Disease.
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Storm damages the roof of Yakov Smirnoff’s theatre in Branson, Mo.
BRANSON, Mo. (KY3) - The storms early Monday morning damaged the roof of the Yakov Smirnoff Theatre in Branson.
The storm damaged the roof, flooding part of the auditorium. Smirnoff says the entire theatre will likely need to be gutted. The repairs will close the theatre through the rest of the year.
Smirnoff added a silver lining to the damage.
“If I go, okay, it is not comfortable, it’s sad, it’s all those things, but I know the sun will shine through,” said Smirnoff. “Right now, the sun is shining through the ceiling, but eventually, it will shine through, and it will be a beautiful opportunity to clean things up and make it new again.”
The Duttons family has offered Smirnoff to use their theatre as he rebuilds.
I realize that there are many twists and turns to the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) story, but it is sobering to me that so many COG members in the offshoots (e.g., UCG, LCG, COGWA) know so little about the actual history of the WCG.
Perhaps a stellar example of this is the appalling ignorance of Herbert Armstrong’s (HWA) often histrionic behavior and failed prophetic utterances. Some claim that all HWA did was speculate about the future, but that is not true according to HWA himself. HWA in his radio broadcast apparently linked his prophetic interpretations and utterances to the standard in Deuteronomy 18.
Deuteronomy 18:18-22 New International Version
20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?”22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
The most readily accessible example of this reckless behavior can be found in David Barrett’s excellent study of the collapse of WCG: “The Fragmentation of a Sect”. Barrett cites the late Richard Nickels a well-known researcher and COG historian. Nickels concluded that HWA labeled himself a false prophet based on this direct quote from an early World Tomorrow radio broadcast:
“A terrible famine is coming on the United States, that is going to ruin us as a nation inside of less than twenty years. Alright, I stuck my neck out there. You just wait twenty years and see whether I told you the truth. God says, if a man tells you what’s going to happen, wait and see. If it doesn’t happen, he was not speaking the word of God, he’s speaking out of his own mind. If it happens, you’ll know God sent him.”
HWA clearly spoke out his own grandiose self-delusions and not for God resulting in incredible harm to those who trusted him. There are still many ignorant people even now in the COG, and it is time to share the above documentation with them – graciously -- especially the young members of UCG, LCG and COGWA.
Instead of front-loading “The Greatest Unending Story! (Part 461)” on July 29, 2023, with the bad news, David C. Pack of The Restored Church of God opted to save it for the last five minutes. There was probably a secret hope that most of the congregation would have already mentally checked out by then and that the members in the field who still bothered to listen stopped halfway through.
The Restored Church of God is in financial straits as David C. Pack piecemeals information to the brethren. He has said nothing in any of his messages to the church about WHY they need cuts, but that financial changes are necessary "IF time went on.”
Oh, Dave. Time is going to Energizer Bunny all up in your biz-natch.
It has been several weeks since Dave last sang his lamentations to the membership. Back in June, six Headquarters employees received their pink slips, including Mrs. Pack. Dr. Tim Ranney (PR No Mo) and Ken Orel (The Chicago Heavy) received the added bonus of being wished away into the cornfield.
Flashback Part 451, Part 2 – June 14, 2023
@ 06:15 So, we reached a point where we realizedwe're gonna send some people to the field…we're doing everything we can to cut costs.
@ 10:16 But anybody who has Common out there, we want to hit it.
@ 10:42 But I would just ask…all of you listening…Can you do more? Sell all…this is a great time to be thinking about that.
“Think about that” is all the brethren did. It seems the Common money did not materialize. Keep holding out, folks. There will come a day when you will be extremely thankful you did.
If you thought making six people redundant would be enough to secure the ship, then you would be wrong. Apparently, The Restored Church of God needs to trim even more fat at Headquarters. The situation is becoming a little "too real," especially since the Kingdom of God cannot possibly arrive until the Opening Night of The Feast of Tabernacles. That is way, way out on September 29 at sunset.
To the All-Believing Zealots and Headquarters Fakers: Book only a one-way flight to the Feast this year as a show of faith. And only pack one change of clothes since the first song on Opening Night will not be sung. You do not even need a toothbrush. Please show David C. Pack just how much you trust what he says. Walk in faith. As he has said, just having hope is not enough.
Part 461 – July 29, 2023
@ 1:34:23 …one of the problems is, we’ve got two months to go. What is that? Conditions will worsen. The implications of how God uses the next two months are great. Just trust me on that. I may have big decisions to make, or they may be made for me.
@ 1:38:00 But, I still wondered, you know, if that's what God wanted to do, then we were gonna be ready to do it.
Dave’s god wants to use the next two months but is unwilling to provide the cash windfall to make it happen? Perhaps Dave’s god slumbers or is on a far journey and cannot wire the adequate funds.
We all know David C. Pack does not believe his own doctrines, and his promises could not be more worthless. If this new date was sure, he could easily empty the reserves and do whatever. He knows he will walk all this back, just like we do.
Talk of cuts is a faithless act on his part. He does not trust his own god to provide. Instead of waiting for the ravens to bring bread and flesh each day, he has to roll up his sleeves and do it himself. His human steam is a shining example of righteous virtue.
@ 1:38:06 We were not gonna continue as we are. So, I began to make major cuts. I announced, for instance (and believe it, this is just the first one), but I think the cuts start with me, so I already had in mind long before I knew this,my wife was gonna step aside, and I'm gonna give up her salary. But I’ma take a ten percent cut. I was planning to stay here for the Feast. Mr. Schleifer knows this. I wasn't gonna travel. The price of renting an airplane is an abomination, and I won’t do it again.
Flying commercial is just ridiculous, out of the question, and not even worthy of discussion.
@ 1:38:36 I'll just stay here, and I'll leave half of my Second Tithe just stay in the General Fund. Which is what happens at the end of every year.
Giving your “excess Second Tithe" back to the church is not biblical. That is a Herbert W. Armstrong manufactured tradition with no scriptural basis. It is just another way the church guilts brethren out of more money. Do yourself a favor. Study the Bible before you do that.
Dave breezed past a tiny detail, but it is worthy of your attention. One crucial word caught my attention. Half.
@1:38:42 And I’ll give up half my secretary.
Whoa. Whoa. That is NOT what he said during the Ministerial Conference when he was willing to bleed alongside everyone else. Dave informed Ed Winkfield (Stepford Prime) that since he was firing one of Ed’s staff, Dave’s personal handmaiden would be gifted to him in exchange. Now only half-gifted.
Flashback Part 451, Part 2 – June 14, 2023
@ 08:56 So, I'm gonna just make a sacrifice…I'm gonna give up my secretary…she's gonna work for Mr. Winkfield.
@ 09:10 So, I'm gonna have to function without a secretary.
Dave shuddered at the idea of pouring his own coffee. The thought of being responsible for bringing the right glasses down the Main Hall for a message sent a chill up his spine. When times are tough, David C. Pack is willing to half-sacrifice.
For all who feel obligated to donate extra funds, follow the example of your Pastor General, David C. Pack. Give him half of what you planned.
But seriously, for the love of Pete…do not give them anything!
Dave likes to inject inappropriate humor while delivering unpleasant news to the local congregation. He has no consideration for those in the audience who may feel distressed learning that more vague cuts are coming to Headquarters. They do not know if that means layoffs or an across-the-board salary percentage cut.
What a fantastic way to top off another restful Sabbath at Headquarters. Employees enjoy going home, setting down their briefcases, and taking off their ties, wondering what financial woes shall befall them. Dave is long on drama and short on details.
Part 461 – July 29, 2023
@ 1:38:44 And then I realized if I do that, I been preachin', and then I could look at the other ministers and start meddlin’. [Laughs]'Cause that's preachin’. Long as I’m makin’ the cuts.But, after that, it’s time to meddle. And [laughs] have fun. There's some men nervously laughing right now out there. [Laughs] So hoping the Kingdom comes.
Ha ha ha. Some are nervous right now because they might lose their jobs. Ha ha ha.
Wow. How creepy is that?
The callous attitude and snarky delivery again expose David C. Pack as to what kind of man he is. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And his mouth speaks A-Lot.
@ 1:39:09 I know how to motivate our ministers to get them to want the Feast.
He might as well say, “Mr. Armstrong chastised you with whips, but I shall chastise you with scorpions.” Yes, fear is a potent motivator, Dave. You have grown quite good at it.
Having outgoing love and concern is for the unordained. Letting your light shine is a nice idea, but it does not pay the rent. Choosing mercy over judgment is intended for those not in any real position to wield it. By their fruits, you shall know them, brethren. Pay attention to his fruits.
@ 1:39:13 But, there’d be other cuts. More much streamlining. Cuts of various kinds. Fairly dramatic, and it would put us in a powerful position IF God did not add (we'll call it) an accelerant.
The "good night" thirty seconds later, without giving any clue as to what will happen or why, is just more spit in the eyes of the brethren of The Restored Church of Another god.
Hey, Brad. Is Dave going to streamline the horses or put a moratorium on new trees? Inquiring minds want to know.
Those ringing the bell signaling the financial demise of RCG need a reality check. They have millions of dollars tied into real estate around the Campus. An accurate indicator of dire economic circumstances will be when houses start popping up on Zillow. It will come. It is only a matter of when.
I hope these fairly dramatic cuts affect things more than they do people. But I doubt it.
This is not a sign of the end for RCG, folks. It IS another step down that slope.
