COG's Now Turning Pentecost Into Weekend Fun Times, But Still Cannot Figure Out What Day To Keep It On

Several of the Churches of God over the last 15 years or so have tried their best to rope members into spending money on "Weekends" tied into various holy days.  These fun weekends are supposed to unite the true body of believers. The next one coming up is Pentecost, which for normal Christians falls on May 20th.  But, the Church of God has to be different, so it has to have it on another day or two.  The Church of God can't figure out which one is actually right.  And, this does not even include the crazy dates James Malm and Bob Thiel claim is right!

This is just indicative of the sad state of affairs that the COG is now in.  For a church that claims to be restored first century Christianity and that it is the one and only TRUE church, it demonstrates that it is anything but.

The Pentecost Festival Weekend in 2018 will be held over 3 different weekends (owing to calendar differences): May 19-20, May 26-27, June 23-24.

On the weekend of May 18-20:

The Church of God International in Ontario, Canada, would like to welcome you to its first ever Pentecost Super Sabbath Weekend.

Everyone is invited to attend Pentecost Weekend with the Intercontinental Church of God at its usual site: Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, Land Between the Lakes.

The United Church of God has a new venue for 2018: “the beautiful Potawatomi Inn Resort in Pokagon State Park on Lake James, which is right off of I-69 in northeast Indiana. This resort is larger than the state park facilities in Brown County and McCormick’s Creek, with a full restaurant and a café and community gathering rooms for fellowship.”  Church of God News

Dave Pack Battles The Demonic Cult Within The Church

More tales from the dark side with Dave Pack to prove to RCG members he can work with demons.  Of course, he claims these people lied when told HQ that he "too judgmental and harsh" when they denied such a thing happening.  As usual, Dave took no responsibility and blamed it all on the "liberals."

Secret Cult—Inside the Church

The Packs stayed with a local family for 10 days until they found a home. Almost immediately, since no other ministers had yet arrived in the area, Mr. Pack received a call from a local member, who told him that her husband was involved with a thing called “personality demons.” The young elder was at first hesitant, but it was soon obvious that what she described was not a hoax, and the problem had been widespread.

After some investigating, it became clear that one of the three previous ministers transferred from the area had taught and deceived a great many into accepting a ridiculous and bizarre belief: that every human being is born possessed by a demon!—and that conversion is in fact a lifelong process of self-exorcism!

This was happening in God’s Church!

A large, but secret, group of people in the two congregations were literally on a first name basis with demons. All members of this inside-the-Church-cult believed that they each had their own “personality demon,” referred to in code as their “PD.” Individuals were taught to daily “call forth” a “good spirit” that God was said to have assigned to them from birth. This “good angel” then supposedly “helped” the person get rid of his or her “bad angel,” or “evil spirit.” These terribly misled people were actually talking to twodemon spirits, with one masquerading as an angel.

The apostle Paul warned the ancient Corinthians—and all Bible students today—that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (II Cor. 11:14). This was certainly true of the “good angel,” said to be working with each member.

Every day, the members involved would “call forth” their “bad angels” to talk and reason with them. These masquerading spirits would claim, for example, “I’m your good angel. I’m here to help”—or “I’m your bad angel. You need to get rid of me.”

The misguided people then wrote down the chilling messages and instructions from these spirits in endless notebooks as a futile attempt to “exorcise” themselves. Those thought to be members of God’s Church were actually inviting demons into their lives, thinking they were “pushing them out”!

Because the previous associate pastor had been so influential and well-liked in the congregation, he was able to persuade many to accept these demonic beliefs—and possibly lead them to what could in fact become the very possession they thought they were escaping. This minister was actually trying to cast a spirit out of his own infant son!

“Somewhere in my basement I still have a pile of full notebooks of many who were involved in this terrible activity. That such a perverse practice could enter God’s Church, and in a relatively large way, was hard to believe. For me, it was a sobering example of how determined the devil is in his desire to infiltrate the Church and cause confusion and destruction among God’s people. And the pastor knew nothing of it.

“I later found myself counseling a young man in the group, while at my house, with my wife present, who began to speak to me in seven different voices, each spirit only too happy to give me its name. I cast all of the demons out, right there in my den, and found myself very thankful for training I had received just months earlier.

“This was more training of an extraordinary nature, something one could not imagine, never mind expect to be part of his field experience. It would take its place among the many unique elements of my training that I could only later understand for their collective value.”

Experimentation with Spirit World Downplayed

Once Mr. Pack had gathered sufficient information on the “PD” cult, he contacted his area coordinator, still living at Headquarters. The man planned to immediately come to investigate.

When he arrived, Mr. Pack had been on a scheduled vacation to Milwaukee. The offending minister came with him and downplayed Mr. Pack’s report. He carefully covered up the situation and his followers did the same. The investigating area coordinator believed that the matter had been terribly exaggerated. Mr. Pack was not there to challenge the investigation with the facts.

The men left almost as quickly as they had arrived. The area coordinator later phoned Mr. Pack and suggested that the matter had been overblown.

Mr. Pack could not believe his ears—a representative from Headquarters, his future boss, believed the discovery of a large secret cult operating within God’s Church was “overblown”?!

The young minister was unsure of how to handle a matter this serious. It was another trial on top of the original trial of discovering the cult.

First, Mr. Pack was determined to get more information in preparation for his supervisor’s arrival, so he asked more questions of the brethren involved who were willing to talk. Finally, one man’s wife turned over her husband’s “personality demon” notebook.

Relying on chain of command for the solution, he called his superior back.

“I told him, ‘You are about to inherit a serious problem when you settle in the area. This whole thing was swept under the rug. I have looked into this much more, and gathered many additional facts. A truly unbelievable situation is developing in this pastorate!’”

When the area supervisor arrived, he examined the writings—irrefutable evidence that a demon-influenced cult of about 110 people had been secretly thriving among Christ’s flock! The associate pastor was immediately removed from the ministry.

Incredibly, certain brethren involved pointed to Mr. Pack as the root of the problem, saying that he was “too judgmental and harsh”! Some actually believed the young minister should have been “more understanding” of the local brethren’s “difficulties”—in other words, they thought he should toleratedemons and a form of angel worship among God’s people!

Mr. Pack recalls that the situation revealed how many who attended the Church could not possibly have been part of the Body of Christ.

“I was aware that certain opposing views and rebellious attitudes had entered the Church during the 1974 rebellion. But now, over two years later, I saw that even though thousands of brethren and scores of ministers had left, there were still men in the ministry who privately held to a host of different kinds of ideas, many of them truly bizarre.

“Starting in the 1970s, the term ‘liberal’ was used in the Worldwide Church of God. The phrase really doesn’t refer to a specific behavior or attitude, but rather encompasses a variety of different attitudes and unacceptable conduct that had entered the Church, which all had the same beginning.

“Before the liberal years, nobody ever questioned Mr. Armstrong’s authority and expected to remain in the Church. Everyone recognized that he alone was the leader of the Church. Publicly disagreeing meant openly acknowledging a decision to leave the Church. This changed in the 1970s as people began to feel more comfortable expressing their disagreement in a variety of areas.

“In the Church, the word ‘liberal’ has always been synonymous with permissive, overly tolerant, lax views toward accepted Church doctrine and members’ behavior. Unlike churches of the world that view conduct and beliefs in shades of gray, the Church of God understood that God’s Law is black and white.

“It was simply unbelievable that these kinds of things could happen in the Church of God. It was only years after that I could really understand I was seeing things that were preparing me for a role that would come much later. It was as though each new assignment was adding important training that would not normally be experienced in the ‘average pastorate’ or ‘average ministry.’”

Dave Pack the Exorcist

Dave story of the time he was in the Cincinnati WCG that was to prepare him for future encounters with demonic forces:

The Spirit World

Mr. Pack experienced in Cincinnati the first installment of what would be another unique training opportunity that most young ministers seldom faced: confronting the frightening reality of the spirit world and demonic possession.

One day while visiting with Mr. Reyer, the pastor was leading a counseling session with a married woman, whose four young daughters were playing quietly in a nearby room.

At a certain moment in the visit, Mr. Reyer saw something strange in the look on her face. His assistant, inexperienced in such matters, listened intently, not discerning anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, the pastor looked the woman in the eyes and declared, “You’re a spirit, aren’t you? You are a foul, unclean spirit!”

Her demeanor changed instantly—she snarled at the men like a wild dog bearing its fangs, her 10 fingernails literally raised and pointing toward Mr. Reyer.

He said, “We have to leave right now. We need to go home and fast about this.”

Mr. Pack left the house in disbelief.

The pastor called Mr. Frank McCrady, the minister from Chicago who had trained him years earlier. This man was generally recognized among the ministry as the one with the most years of experience and most discernment with people troubled by demons. From these two trained and experienced men, Mr. Pack learned firsthand about dealing with the spirit world, lessons and experience that would be important training for his later ministry.

Several days after their encounter, Mr. Reyer and Mr. Pack met with the troubled husband and wife in the living room of the Packs’ home on the north side of Cincinnati. Just before Mr. Reyer commanded the spirit to stop troubling the woman, she began a high-pitched shriek that Mr. Pack described as “a screaming hawk diving on prey.”

Moments later, she shot up from her chair and seized her husband, locking her fingers around his throat in a death grip while taking him to the floor. Mr. Reyer grabbed one of her arms and Mr. Pack the other. At 6’3,” the pastor was a powerful man. Both he and the younger minister were in top physical condition—yet they struggled with the small woman.

While pulling the woman off her husband, Mr. Reyer had commanded, “In the name of Jesus Christ, come out!”

The evil spirit obeyed Christ’s authority immediately, and departed from the woman—and only then were these two strong men able to now easily lift her fingers from her husband’s throat.

She immediately dropped to the carpet as if dead. The men stared as she slowly started to move. As Mr. Reyer lifted her up, she said, “Oh, thank you so much.”

“How long has that spirit been in you?” he asked.

“Since I was seven years old.”

Mr. Pack stood amazed at the event he had just witnessed. This was a ministry-changing experience. The reality of the power and evil of the spirit world was forever seared into his mind. This training would be needed in the future.

Dave Pack's Most Extraordinary Family and Country Club Upbringing

We saw in the previous just how important it was for Dave Pack to show the world he was a descendant Kings and Queens.  The extraordinary lineage of remarkable humans is what Dave was born into.  Dave has had the most successful corporate leaders, military officers, and famous writers in his lineage.  

David Pack was blessed to be born into a remarkable and diverse family of corporate leaders, military officers, literary authors, winning salesmen and successful entrepreneurs, as well as others who brought an unusual sense of cultural training and refinement. Most important, it was an extended family whose men and women exhibited special strength of character and vision, often in the midst of severe trials, which would prove to be a continuing theme even to the present day.

The diversity of relatives, with such varied backgrounds of experience that influenced him, afforded a young boy an interesting childhood, to say the least.

Part of the reason Dave expects his members to fund his lifestyle, is to live the lifestyle his parents raised him up to believe he deserves. From enjoying country clubs and golfing, the well to do lifestyle is the one he seeks to preserve to this day.

While her husband’s family had often lived a hand-to-mouth existence during the Great Depression, Jane’s family had never gone without. Her father’s entrepreneurial skills enabled the Crowls to afford a beautiful home and exclusive country club membership, even during trying times for the rest of the country.

Ran and Jane desired the relative peace of a typical suburban lifestyle. Hence, they joined the Shawnee Golf and Country Club in the summer of 1953. There young Dave and his siblings attended club events and spent his summers swimming and later occasionally golfing. He also did some caddying to make extra money. He would wade in “hog creek” (the nickname for the Ottawa River cutting through the golf course) to find golf balls for use or sale.

A Family of Golfers

Golf seemed to be in the family’s blood. His Uncle Frank was a “scratch” player—he routinely shot par for 18 holes, and would often play 36 holes before lunch during high school summers. His Uncle Bill, also a very good golfer, oversaw the construction of golf courses at each of the three naval bases he commanded (in Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida, and Brunswick, Maine). Again, he served as President of the American Golf Foundation for two years during the late 1960s, interacting with all the well-known professionals of that time.

Because he grew up listening to his uncles’ golf stories, young Dave took an early avid interest in playing golf at the club. But learning the game was not easy, and his mother was very particular about the way her children played. From the outset, Jane felt it was important that her son learn to golf properly, using her secondhand clubs. For several years, she allowed him to carry only irons in his golf bag. This was until she was satisfied he had learned how to “chip, putt and use long irons.”

Starting from age nine—when he shot a whopping 216 for 27 holes on the very first day he played—Dave was not permitted until age 16—seven years!—to use a driver to tee off. Nor could any woods be used. Jane challenged her son to use his size and strength to compete with and equal his friends who were using woods. While this embarrassed her son when he played with his friends, it also taught him a lesson in skill development and overcoming.

“I loved playing golf growing up. It was a game played at one’s leisure, meaning only on occasion, rather than another team sport like football, so my father and mother did not mind me playing. Many of my friends did, and my parents made sure I understood that I knew I was playing a ‘gentleman’s game.’ This meant understanding that there were points of ‘course etiquette’ to be followed at all times. This sport was a good discipline. My sons also grew up to love the sport. But it does take a lot of time I no longer have.”

“You have us”

Golfing introduces another element of his childrearing. Whenever Dave talked to his parents, no matter the issue, about what “the other kids’ parents allowed,” his parents, particularly his father, would repeat, “We’re not trying to run a popularity contest. And besides, you’ve got us, not ‘other parents.’” Ran and Jane Pack never yielded to the peer pressure their children experienced.

Enjoying a country club was not the only thing the senior Packs imparted to their children. As Dave grew up, his father taught him to become “street savvy,” meaning to “smell what’s really happening,” and helped his son acquire broad, real-world experience. This was another constant theme in the home.

Through Ran’s sales career, he had learned to successfully communicate with a wide variety of people; he was truly considered a master salesman. Both he and his wife worked together to teach their children the ability to communicate with “every kind of person.”

These skills contributed to the unusually strong bond that father and son shared until his death. Although Ran Pack was usually gone for one to three days on sales trips, young Dave treasured each moment spent with him while he was home.

In addition to becoming a good communicator, Ran taught his son to develop a strong work ethic and to be self-motivated—to “demonstrate industry.” Every summer, Ran required all three children to work in the yard for at least half an hour every day—an iron-clad rule!—before swimming or playing with friends. Ran Pack encouraged his son to spend his time wisely. If Dave ever complained that he was bored, his parents invariably replied, “There is always something to do. Be creative and find something. Read a book. Build something. Play a game. Shoot baskets in the yard by yourself. Play croquet by yourself. Play ping-pong with each other.”

From the time their children were young, the Packs wanted them to learn the value of maintaining an active mind.

Prosperous Fifties and Sixties

Considered a medium-size, peaceful Midwestern city by most, Lima, Ohio, was in reality quite prosperous. It was headquarters for companies such as Superior Coach, Lima Baldwin Hamilton, Lima Locomotive, Standard Oil and others.

In the 1950s, Lima high school residents had a saying: “There are the north end boys, east end boys, south end boys—and the rich boys.” The wealthier residents generally lived on the west side of town.

The Packs lived in a beautiful, two-story brick home, uniquely designed and with a slate roof, French doors, and wide windows and shutters, at 2222 West Spring Street on Lima’s far west side, an established neighborhood, but just one block from open fields. Though the Packs lived comfortably, they were not wealthy like almost all others in the neighborhood. Ran and Jane were very careful not to spoil their children.

Gerald Weston: Lucifer is Destroying the World with Music and Sex

Gerald Weston recently revealed he likes to listen to Elvis Presley, yet now he claims that Lucifer loves and uses music to destroy the world. Music and sex are evil but abusive ministers of the brethren are not.  This is the Church of God after all.

More of Weston's strange Personal for May/June 2018

We hear a lot about the growing opioid epidemic, and its toll has been staggering. As of 2016, more Americans are now dying from the scourge of drug overdose each year than died in the entirety of the Vietnam War! Consider the irony in this. Many war protesters took the lead in the “free sex” and drug culture of the ’60s and ’70s, and today, we are reaping what was sowed. Yet, many of those who introduced such misery to our world are viewed with reverence!

Ezekiel reveals to us that Lucifer was a musician (Ezekiel 28:13). As such, he knows how to use music in his plan to destroy mankind. He will fail in the end—but for now, he uses music to separate children from their parents and to promote destructive lifestyles. Some rappers promote violence against women and police. Some country music promotes alcohol abuse and adultery. Some rockers and pop stars promote drugs and a lewd lifestyle of disrespect for parental and other authority. Some musicians are anarchists at heart and have no comprehension of a purpose to life, other than cramming as much fun into it as possible, even if that fun kills you!

Satan shows no loyalty or compassion to those who promote his values. Consider this partial list of celebrities who paid the ultimate price, due to complications brought about by their satanically self-destructive lifestyles: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and yes, even the “King of Rock and Roll.” This is only a partial list of the more than 100 famous musician deaths due to drug or alcohol abuse since the 1970s, when drugs became a large part of the music industry. 

Man does not know how to fill the emptiness that comes from a life without God and without a purpose greater than the here and now.

Looking back a decade after their 30-minute concert at Shea Stadium, John Lennon recalled, “I saw the top of the mountain when we were at Shea.” In other words, it was downhill from there. Four years after that concert, the Beatles broke up, never again to play together as a band.

How shallow celebrity worship is, compared to that which God offers us. I can only imagine the excitement and thrill it must have been that muggy night at Shea Stadium, but it was a temporary, emotional experience that could never last. No matter how hard we try to relive some “top of the mountain” experience, it cannot be duplicated. It will never fully satisfy (Isaiah 55:1–2; Ecclesiastes 1:8; 2:10–11).

God reminds us in His word and through life experiences that we are mortal. We are here in the flesh for a very short time, but it is enough time to let Him know we want His Way to be our way. He gives us hope for an eternal future. There is a crown laid up for those who love God and endure the temptations Satan throws at us (James 1:12). We have a living hope—a hope that the world does not know (1 Peter 1:3–5).

David proclaims in Psalm 16 that his hope is in God. He ends the Psalm, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (v. 11). We accepted God’s new covenant at baptism, just as Israel accepted God’s covenant on Pentecost at the foot of Mount Sinai. We proclaimed our trust and allegiance to Him. Our mountain is the Kingdom of God, and when we are born into His family, that will be the beginning of something far greater than a fleeting emotional experience from the past! 

Racism In The Church

This is a first-hand account of a person who grew up in the church witnessed.  This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what went on.

Racism In The Church:

Armstrong was an extreme racist. It was present on up till the 1970's and remained thereafter, to a lesser degree. However, it was only directed toward Blacks. Asians and Latinos could sit wherever they liked in services. Blacks had to sit in a separate section. They used the back door to enter and exit the building. They parked in a separate lot often having to walk through knee high grass if it hadn't been mowed recently by the property owner.

They could only attend the FOT in Big Sandy TX. Some living closer to other FOT sites would drive all the way across country. One family lived only 50 miles from Jekyll Island had to make a 14 hour drive to Big Sandy. 

However, Latinos and Asians could go to any FOT site. A lady I know who attend AC married a Latino with the church's blessing. Another couple which was Asian and Black married in the church too. Then the Asian wife had to sit in the Black section. Before the marriage she didn't.

A sermon was given in the late 60's about Blacks. I will spare you all the details. In a nutshell, Blacks were designed to work outside and do manual labor. They would be gods just like everyone else who qualified to be in the Kingdom. However, they would be in charge of Agriculture in the 1000 year period.

Although, the church finally allowed Blacks to sit wherever they liked they were way behind the rest of society. The church still had a taboo against White and Black marriages.

Some of Armstrong's true feelings could be felt in his writings.

HWA's Autobiography:

"One of the first men I met was a Negro I shall never forget -- whose name was Hub Evans. One of the men in the store brought him around to me.

“Hub,” he said, “tell Mr. Armstrong how many children you have.”

“Thutty-six, suh,” replied old Hub, promptly and proudly -- “hope t’ make it foty ‘fo Ah die!”

I was not merely amused -- but intensely interested. “Tell me, Hub,” I responded, “how many wives have you had?”

“Only three, suh!” Hub was a proud man."

HWA's Interracial Marriage 1982:

"...A white woman wants to become the wife of a black man. Now I don't know of any cases where a white man wants to marry a black woman. Why is that? Answer that for me! I'd like to have someone give me an answer to that. Why is it our white women want to marry black men? Why is it our black men want to marry white women?..."

Of course, there was plenty of White men that married Black woman. Sigh.

reprinted with permission from a COG Facebook page

LCG's Gerald Weston Misses The Irony In His May/June Personal

In Gerald Weston's May/June letter to the LCG membership, he comments about a recent trip he took for Passover and the music he listened to in his car while travelling with his wife.  On his way there he heard songs of Elvis and had this to say:

Dear Brethren, Carol and I recently traveled by car to New York for Passover and the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, looking forward to joining more than 200 brethren who shared a few days together as one large family. Long road trips are challenging, and to amuse ourselves we alternated between conversation, listening to the one family-oriented comedy station on satellite radio, and enjoying some music. 

A station on the radio devoted to Elvis Presley played a mix of recordings and stories of the deceased “King of Rock and Roll.” There is a mystique about him in the minds of many. His music was part of my early years and I personally like his voice, but the virtual worship of the man and the desire of his most ardent fans to live in the past is a bit over the top. Enjoy his music if you care to, but please—the man was mortal. He is no god! He is dead!

Two guesses as to who else Weston has a "mystique" in his mind about...

The way the LCG hierarchy and some members virtually worship two men from the past is exactly the same as diehard fans worshipping Elvis.  Weston and others look to the past with flickering nostalgic memories of days gone by as the "glory days" of the old Radio Church of God/Worldwide Church of God. Herbert Armstrong and Rod Meredith could do no wrong.  The worship is more than "a bit over the top".  Both are elevated to heights of worship even worse than the Elvis fans.  One has to stop and wonder if both men are still alive!  HWA and Meredith were not God!  They are dead!

I am still looking for Weston and LCG to place Jesus on such a pedestal and worship him, but...

Dave Pack: As Direct Result of the Immaculate Conception, He is a Descendant of David, Herod the Great, Kings, Queen Elizabeth, and Adam and Eve

When a person runs the most superfantabulous church in the entire world, one must have an impeccable lineage to PROVE to the unwashed masses as to how special their leader is. Everything about Dave has to be presented in extraordinary ways in order to impress his gullible members.

Dave writes:

Herbert W. Armstrong was excited to learn at a point that he was a direct descendant of the ancient King David of the Bible. David, who died in approximately 962 BC in Jerusalem, was the renowned king of the 12 tribes of Israel. Mr. Armstrong shared this knowledge with the membership of The Worldwide Church of God, who found it fascinating.

Mr. Pack learned that he was also a direct descendant of King David, and that this could be traced through two separate branches of the Davidic line, one through Mary, Jesus’ mother. This was made plain through the well-known genealogy of Queen Elizabeth II, coupled with other historical sources.

This link was made clear when genealogical research revealed that Mr. Pack is a direct descendant of the royal line of Wessex kings. Wessex was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in England from the sixth century to the 10th century. For instance, Cerdric King of Wessex, who founded Wessex and died in AD 534, is Mr. Pack’s 47th great-grandfather. Other examples include Cynric King of Wessex—Ceawlin King of Wessex—Ceowald Prince of Wessex, and a great many more.

After this information was found, Mr. Pack’s cousin also learned that they are related to certain kings of Scotland. For instance, Eochaid IV King of Scotland (lived AD 747-819) is Mr. Pack’s 37th Great-Grandfather. He is also related to Kenneth I MacAlpin, the Conqueror of Scotland (reigned AD 843-858) and King Kenneth II of Scotland (reigned AD 971-995).

This royal line also included some of the kings of England, such as Henry II, Mr. Pack’s 24th Great-Grandfather. Henry II became king in 1154 and occupied the throne until his death in 1189.

Early historian and politician, Sir Winston Churchill (1620-1688), ancestor of the famous 20th-century British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, wrote that Henry II was “…the very greatest king that England ever knew…” (Divi Britannici, 1675). Historians record that he had tremendous energy, an incredible memory, a love of history and is seen by many as one of the most effective English monarchs. He is also credited for founding English Common Law due to his care for and attention to justice, which was virtually unknown during his predecessor’s reign. Mr. Pack can also trace his roots to William I (1028 to 1087) and Henry I King of England (reigned 1069-1135).

Tying into Elizabeth II’s genealogy by itself means one can trace his or her roots directly to Adam and Eve. The reader may enjoy perusing Elizabeth II’s royal genealogy, posted on the Internet on various websites.

Tracing the line much further back, it also came to light that Herod the Great, king of Judea (lived 73-4 BC) is Mr. Pack’s 63rd great-grandfather (and Henry II’s 37th great-grandfather). Considered the wealthiest man in the world in his day, Herod married into the lines of the Caesars. Within the Roman Empire, Emperor Marcus Aurelius (lived AD 121-180) is Mr. Pack’s 56th great-grandfather. Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’ son, becomes his 55th great-grandfather. Many other Roman emperors after Commodus are in a direct line to Mr. Pack’s family as well. The same is true of Mr. Pack’s 38th great-grandfather, Charles Martel (AD 688-741), a Frankish military and political leader who “reunited and ruled the entire Frankish realm and stemmed the Muslim invasion at Poitiers in 732” (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

A Bit of Perspective on the Church of God Experience

NASA's Curiosity captures Earth about 80 minutes after Sundown on Mars.

"They argue about gods and theology there"

COG Evangelist Rails Against "Queers" & "Hippie" Bill Clinton

Wes White writes:

I can’t believe i once thought GTA was a great speaker!  Just listen to the nonsense in this clip!  The old Ambassador Report once rightly labelled Ted’s preaching style as “hallucinatory braggadocio.”  I don't remember ever hearing any Christian love in his messages.  Just prophetic warnings that, if you don't heed my message, you will be killed or taken into slavery by the German beast power.  That is, if disease and pestilence don't kill you first. (Remember the Basil Wolverton pictures of people with boils all over their bodies?  And the guy with a spear thru his neck?) 

Looking back, i now find Ted’s nastiness and negativity unsettling.  I now find his name-calling repugnant.  As i recently watched this clip, i was reminded of Joe McCarthy’s drunken rants that included half-baked accusations against “all those communists” who had supposedly infiltrated the US State Department during his time.   Both practiced demagoguery. 

Yes, politicians and preachers love to create boogeymen for us to hate and fear.   

And the false prophecy in this clip is hilarious.  Ted spoke these words in 1992 during the Clinton Presidency.  In this message, he falsely claimed that America would never again win some conflict and then proudly wave the Stars and Stripes as was done in the First Gulf War.  

Apparently, the evil spirit that inspired him to utter this false prophecy was not aware that the second George Bush would soon — not only defeat Saddam Hussein — but that Bush II would also topple the Iraqi dictator from power.

Finally, it is public knowledge that Ted served in the US Navy.  However, after his subsequent conversion to the WCG and promotion to being one its top leaders, he presided over an organization that forbade the young men in the church to join the armed forces.  While enforcing this prohibition, Ted had the audacity to preach military saber rattling and military action.   You can’t have it both ways.

What was wrong with me for falling in with this group led by people with so much personal, religious, and corporate dysfunction?  Call me namby-pamby, but i find more helpful teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 than in Ted’s sermons.

It is clear to me that, when i read the hateful rants of Mark Armstrong today, his teachings are an almost carbon copy of his dad’s futile blusterings.   Until recently, i had forgotten how messed up Ted’s messages were.  

May God forgive us for supporting men like this.  For those of us who claim to be Christians, it’s time for us to repudiate these twisted prophetic teachings.  It’s all done for financial gain.  These teachings appeal to our basic instincts. They bring out the worst in us.  

Instead, let’s embrace the wonderful teachings of the Word of God — remembering that while Armstrongism’s teachings and Bible teachings would often converge, the teachings in this clip are NOT biblical.  They are not of God.  

Wes White has a self-funded ministry called dynamicchristianministries.org that does not ask for and does not accept donations from the public.  Wes may be reached at wdwhite49@yahoo.org.  

Blast from the past: GTA Sings "My Way"

That song pretty much sums up GTA's life and the life of most all of the splinter group leaders. In 2018 they are still doing it their way.

Dave Pack: "I am a clay pot that God is using to accomplish the impossible"

Dave starts Chapter 1 of his biography off with this deceptive myth that Dave likes to foster off as if Herbert had Dave constantly by his side in order to exclusively train him. That is an absolute impossibility that anyone in Pasadena could verify as never happening in the last 15 years of HWA's life and particularly the last 6 years or so.

David C. Pack was personally trained by Mr. Armstrong during the last 15 years of his life. (This was in addition to four years of Ambassador College.) In part because of this unusual training, Mr. Pack was in a position that God could use him to restore everything that had been lost. Today his ministry is a continuation of the same Work.

It took ever so humble Dave 2 1/2 years of intense humbleness and examination of his godly soul to determine that his story needed to be told.

The idea of a biography of Mr. Pack’s life first arose in late 2003 or early 2004. It took Mr. Pack a long time—about two and a half years—to come to grips with the fact that the book needed to be written.

Dave is God's chosen human and imperfect vessel.

Many fail to comprehend that God works through flesh. While all people are imperfect and all people make mistakes, it is vital to recognize that God has always chosen to work through human beings—flawed “clay pots.” But when a man determines to yield himself to Christ—when he dedicates his life to following the will of God no matter what—God can use that man to accomplish the impossible (Matt. 19:26; Phil. 4:13).

Dave has been tested by his god to be chosen for his extraordinary and difficult assignment.

As you read this biography, you will see that God tries, tests and proves His servants time and time again—over and over and over—and He has to do this, not only because trials both reveal character and build it, but He must know and understand the heart and mind of the human instrument through whom He is working.

How much more and greater become these trials and tests if the man at their center has been chosen for extraordinary and difficult responsibility?

God's direct intervention in Dave's life is even more extraordinary than Herbert Armstrong's.  Dave says that HWA heard God's call at the age of 34, but Dave was even more special, God spoke to him when he was 17!  Dave says he has received an even more comprehensive and intensive training than Herbert did for the same position.

...God called Mr. Armstrong when he was already 34 years old and married for 10 years with two children. He first opened Mr. Pack’s eyes to the truth when he was half as old—a teenager of just 17. Then, Mr. Armstrong had very little time to prepare for the role of leading the Church, while Mr. Pack was blessed with many years of comprehensive—and intensive!—preparation before coming to the same position.

Dave ends Chapter 1 with this:

Finally, Mr. Armstrong was Mr. Pack’s teacher, not the other way around. Mr. Pack attended Ambassador College, while Mr. Armstrong started and led it.

However, there are similarities seen throughout the two men’s biographies, with the most notable being that both men led lives of submission to God’s will, coupled with a unique determination not to compromise any of His truth, no matter how seemingly “small” or “minor” the point.

Humility. Apparently, it is a commodity that neither man had! 

Dave Pack: "I have often thought that my entire life has been one most privileged."

The quotes below are from the introduction to Dave Pack's "Authorized Autobiography." Can there ever have been a greater human being to walk this green earth and to lead a Church of God?  Not even Bob Thiel is this superfantastic!  The narcissism runs deep!

I have often thought that my entire life has been one most privileged. Of course, living in a modern Western nation is enough in itself to make this true. Just the list of extraordinary physical blessings enjoyed is nearly without end. I had wonderful parents, an unusually productive first marriage of over 36 years, with God blessing us with three children—and many grandchildren. There has now been the very happy, and quite unexpected, blessing of a second wife, also completely committed to God’s Way. I have traveled theworld, and met many remarkable people along the way.

Obviously, the greatest blessing in my life has been God’s calling into His Church, Work and truth now well over 40 years ago. Nothing could compare to the gift of learning and understanding the marvelous doctrines of God. My calling almost immediately involved a decision that altered the course of my life more than any other: the opportunity to attend Ambassador College. This in turn led to being placed into the ministry of Jesus Christ now approaching 40 years ago. Such a life-altering additional calling meant a host of diverse assignments, always in interesting cities and regions of the country, and working with and assisting many thousands of people, including leaders, in a ministerial setting.

These became the foundation for many of the events experienced and lessons learned related throughout these volumes.

Dave's life is so supferfantaulous that his writers cannot even figure out where to start chronicling his life.  Imagine living a transcendent life like Dave!

Since an unusually wide range of experiences has enriched my life, a certain problem was created for the writers: which stories and encounters should be included in the biography. Of course, there were certain ones that had to be incorporated because of their transcending influence or impact on my life. The biography would fail in purpose if it did not contain them, coupled with an explanation of why they were important. This alone meant a lot of material needed to be included. 

For some reason, Dave fails to mention the trail of destruction and ruined lives he left behind in EVERY church area he served at.  Someone else had to come in and clean up his messes every single time.

Dave claims his god had a hand in his life just as god supposedly had a hand in Herbert Armstrong's life.

When the overall picture is seen, it becomes evident that God had His hand on me as a young man, and, as with Herbert W. Armstrong, there were times His guidance was very clear in my life. This was most obvious when looking back, rather than around from the middle of an ongoing experience or trial. Taken together, the stories and accounts chosen either carried significant lessons or in some fashion helped define me.

As the holy child of God, Dave's mother recognized his magnificence early on:

As a young boy, my mother characterized me as “a child with great capacity for enjoyment.” This personality trait probably most summarizes my approach to everything and still describes me today. I have always seen life in brilliant colors. This had an automatic effect on how wonderfully blessed I have felt myself to be during the over six decades of my life. To this day, those closest to me marvel at the enthusiasm with which I seem to embrace almost everything before me.

When one lives a life so superfantabulous, the critics come out and deliberately lie about such magnificent men as Dave.  Dave therefore had to set the record straight:

Over the years, much, in fact most, of what has been written and spoken about me is either completely false or badly distorted. Through the Internet, these stories have proliferated and multiplied. That much of this information has been negative comes as no surprise. It is human nature to pass along gossip, true or false. But it is human nature to suppose that most of the stories are true, if only because this is easy. I had to eventually accept that this may be partly because there is no factual alternative to which to turn. I also had to recognize that some in the splinters of the Worldwide Church of God could miss out on participation in the true Work and Church of God if we did not do this. 

As if ANYONE in ANY of the splinter groups is "missing out" on the awesomeness of Dave's life.  They know enough about his crap to not join up with him over the past three years, as he predicted they would be.

Only Jesus has been tested more than Dave's personal life.  He is such an amazing dude!

My entire life has been a series of tests of faith. There have been numerous health trials, and more than the average person. There have been almost nonstop slander and persecution, coupled with demotion and unexpected transfers. Then there has been the challenge of having been drafted into the military after God had called me, the trials and blessings of paying third tithe, in addition to tests in the workplace for one year associated with taking time off to observe God’s Holy Days. And there are the many—and often severe—financial trials that God always saw me through. I also worked directly under several ministers who did not have God’s Holy Spirit, and almost seemed to set out to prove it—their later decisions before or during the apostasy plainly evidenced this. There was of course also the long, protracted illness in 2006 and 2007, culminating in death, of my first wife.

Some will say the stories and relationships described are embellished and/or exaggerated. They are not. They come from real events. They happened! (In fact, many punches had to be pulled just to keep certain names out.) The accounts of those I met and associated with involved real people inside and outside the Church. 

Dave is so confident in his awesomeness that he has geared his story towards 6 different groups of people:

Finally, the biography has been written so that it speaks to as many as six separate audiences. First would be members of The Restored Church of God. Second are those who were once in the Worldwide Church of God. These may be in or out of the splinters today, but are trying to find where God’s Church, Work, Truth and Government continue.

The third group consists of those God is calling now who may have the same interest in my background as I and so many others did in Mr. Armstrong’s preparation and training. Fourth would be the public press. These should at least have an opportunity to read an alternative to what God’s enemies state about His Church and its leaders.

Fifth would be young people in the Church who might benefit in the same way that Mr. Armstrong felt his early life experiences benefited young people of decades ago. Many will recall he excerpted into a small booklet his “Early Years” solely for this purpose.

Sixth are all true ministers of God today. The experiences recorded here become a guide of helpful counseling tools, organizational tips, methods used and painful lessons learned involving mistakes to be avoided that hopefully can be useful for the remainder of these last days. We live in a complicated age, and any additional assistance and voice of experience that can be offered can only help.

No one in the Church of God has ever lived a life that was as extraordinary as Dave's!  Read it and weep Bob Thiel and Gerald Weston!  You apostates!  Dave's life will soon be included in scripture as a worthy life to emulate.

I believe that what the reader will encounter captures the extraordinary life I have lived, and it offers an opportunity for others to learn from my experiences. I certainly did.