In the Church of God, Respect was never earned, nor built as trust is.

I can remember very clearly the adoration and respect I, at one time had for ministers of the Worldwide Church of God. 

When Raymond F. McNair - the very one who began the generations of Worldwiders in my Family Tree on a baptism tour - walked into the Arena while I was setting up the floor on Set-Up Day - I was in awe. It could have been, in today's references to teenagers of today - Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, or J-Lo walking in for all I knew. I didn't dare approach him - but my day was made when he made eye contact, nodded his head in a polite "hello", and - in suit and tie, carrying a leather portfolio - and moved on to what I'm sure was a Department Head or Ministerial Meeting of some sort. After all, to me - this man was an Evangelist of Jesus Christ - right under the Pastor General. It was as if an air of holiness had entered the room in my perception. 

Certainly, I was not the only one who was impressed with this sort of idolization of Worldwide Ministers during its heyday. Of course, because I was involved in an extreme-fundamentalist family within Armstrongism, my emotions were imbalanced to a higher level of idolatry then if I was in a more balanced family (and there were many more balanced families within Armstrongism then mine). It wasn't just Raymond F. McNair, though. It was a mandated order of respect for any and all individuals who had ecclesiastical authority over me. Starting with the Deacons and Deaconesses, to the Local Church Elders and Local Elders, to the Associate Pastors/Assistant Pastors/Preaching Elders or Pastors, then of course, to the Evangelists, and finally, to the Pastor General. Each one having a little more respect because of my belief they each had a little bit higher of a portion of the Holy Spirit because of their position. 

In the Church of God, Respect was never earned, nor built as trust is. Respect was treated as commiserate with rank - not because of your character and spirituality - but because or rank, position, and authority. Respect was not based on who you were as a person, but what you were in the government. 

You could have been the most asinine, misogynist, arrogant, rude, caustic, pompous, cold-hearted authority figure of any position and rank within the Church - but still have gained respect based only on their role in government. Add the title "Deacon" to such a person and you have an asinine, misogynist, arrogant, rude, caustic, pompous, cold-hearted Man of God who God will eventually straighten out but still must be respected and obeyed because of his rank and government position within the Church. Add the title "Elder" to such a person and your level of respect multiplies ten-fold, and so-on down the government line. I'm not saying everyone held to such a yes-man way of thinking - there were plenty of independent-minded members (and youth) within the Church who could see through the bull and flush it in their heads to clear thinking. But I, and others, did think this way, admittedly detrimentally. Yet, that does not change the fact that even for those types, respect was still demanded - even if not always returned on that demand. 

But was that even respect that was demanded? I would say that it was not respect in its true form. 

According to Google, respect is "a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.". 

In most cases, what qualities did ministers possess? Let me rephrase this. What good and excellent qualities did most of the ministers possess? What achievements did most of the ministers possess? What abilities did most of the ministers possess? 

Were ministers respected for their abilities, their qualities, or their achievements - or were they respected for their position, rank, and prestige? Is there a difference between what real respect is - and what we defined respect as? 

While looking at "respect" I came across an article on respect from - of all things - a real estate writing (and Herb was in the Real Estate business, was he not?) and in it was this:(bolding not mine, and no, I'm not calling people in the Church shallow or pretentious, though it could apply to some, we all know that.)

Work On Earning Real Respect Versus False Respect.
We all want to be respected. There is even a famous Aretha Fanklin song R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It is earned by people watching and admiring your deemed honorable actions. In real estate it is your competence, your helpfulness, your great communication skills. In the world there is your sense of service, duty, honor, integrity, and values. For both real estate respect and general life respect I would say they have in common this trait
              CHARACTER.
The false respect I see in real estate and the world has to do with adulation and being impressed by your "status." Top agent or teams in an office that are top producers with money or recognition. In the world celebrity status due to fame or money and in the athlete world some kind of superstar athlete who can crush the baseball or score 40 points in a single basketball game. You know, Hollywood stars types.
This type of false respect comes about by shallow, pretentious people who are in awe of the status rather than one's character. FALSE RESPECT.
They are sycophants as followers who want to profit by association. Hangers on. Groupies if you will. They are seeking "opportunity" for themselves and in the friend world are called false friends. Kind of goes along with false respect.  Times get tough, situation of the superstar or celebrity or dream team REALTOR team changes, opportunities not there anymore, guess who is the first out the door? The sycophants.
Work on honorable character in yourself to get respected by others. In those YOU respect look for CHARACTER, good character, not an illusion that once you dig down a layer or two into a person's being there is nothing there. Fluff.

Let me just substitute "Religion" or "Ministry" for Real Estate - or "COG Ministers". I think that this makes my point clear concerning respect - that what I had for these people - and many other had for the ministry - was, and is, false respect - given by people who were in awe of the ministry's status. And the "character" of the Ministry was ignored in favor of the "status" of the ministry. In fact, in my opinion, those who ended up as ministers sometimes had the worst character of any people in the Church - but- they could speak, with a silver tongue and lying lips. What the ministry had, and has - is status. And in a rank-conscious, hierarchy which places extreme importance on status and rank in conjunction with reward - it is those who had the least character who were able to claw their way to the top. 

What I had - and many of us had - and many still in the Church still have - is false respect. A respect that ignores character in favor of status. A respect that focuses on what their position is instead of the fruits of who they are. A respect that looks down on honorable character, deception, dishonesty, and lies in favor of rank, authority, power, and title. It is this false respect that is craved by some of the most "senior" COG splinter leaders out there, who completely lack good character for the illusion that replaces the fluff and lack of substance that truly defines who they are. It is this "respect" that many members have been taught to believe is true respect. And it is this false respect that binds people in a certain level of fear that blinds them to the powerless humans that these COG splinter leader deceivers really are. 

When you come down to it, what is truly important isn't the rank, level, title, or position of some COG leader, self-appointed or not, or the adulation of such. What's truly important is their character - the only thing that can truly earn true respect from someone. That character that is in line with the Fruits of the Spirit. 

What's the final thought on this? Simply this.

Saying "God will take care of it", and enabling false respect to those who disrespect respect through their carnal and world based, status-oriented, greed-centered, authority-based individuals masquerading as servants of God isn't doing anyone any good, whether it's you or the minister. Paying people (through tithes) for their self-professed status only purports the evil within that they exude. You're an accessory to their evil. The power they claim is only enabled by those who support them. Without those who continually feed their narcissistic, self-centered, greedy, filthy lives - what do they have left? The question has to be - do they have good, decent character and qualities and achievements to fall back on? Have they really built true respect - or are you simply supporting a lying, narcissistic bully who has commandeered your paycheck in dishonest gain for their own petty and pathetic lives of dishonest gain and false respect?

by SHT

PCG: As Income Plummets, Flurry Declares Fast To Force His "god" Into Making PCG Members Give More Money

Gerald Flurry is scrambling to browbeat his declining membership into sending in more money to keep the Flurry family empire and jet functioning.  With is concert series in the Herbert W Armstrong Auditorium is costing him a mint, he then decided to imitate HWA and open a "college" campus in England.  He then dumped millions on a historic mansion after being rebuked with the current owners of the former Ambassador Campus in Bricket Wood St Albans, England. As that money flew out the window, Flurry decided he needed his own Gulfstream jet. He justified that purchased by proclaiming he should not be travelling on public jets where he might have to sit by sick or unwashed people. Plus, he needed private transportation so his grandkids could travel the country to participate in Irish Dance competitions.

Gerald Flurry has declared a church wide fast for April 13, 2019 for church finances (low cash flow) being the reason. First time a fast has been declared on the sabbath, hence breaking the holy day and it’s also just 5 days before Passover. Where is their focus, not on Christ but on money. What hypocrites. 

Gerald Weston Says We Push As Far As We Can...But...

Living Church of God, serving Wimpy Burgers daily.

One thing that Herbert Armstrong taught his loyal evangelists was that God's word was all-powerful and necessary to get out to the world as a witness of the soon coming kingdom of God.  At least for a few years, he did.  HWA started out powerful and bombastic with his message and then wimped out as he travelled the world talking about a "strong hand from someplace". Embarrassed to proclaim the God he claimed to follow, he travelled under the auspices of the Ambassador International Cultural Foundation instead of the Worldwide Church of God.

Fast forward to 2019, and the same wimpiness is still prevalent in the Church of God as many of the "ministries" who claim they are God's ONLY true church still are all too embarrassed by their message to do any great witness. They skirt issues they claim they want to speak boldly about and find ways around getting their videos and articles from being censored.

Gerald Weston is now making excuses as to why he won't stand up for the "word of God" he claims is essential for all humanity.

Greetings from Charlotte, 

We held a Council of Elders teleconference this past Wednesday and heard reports from around the world, as well as from departments here in Charlotte. Mr. Peter Nathan brought out how all-consuming Brexit is at this time for the U.K. and Europe. We are seeing a significant increase in GOTOs from French-speaking Africa. Mr. Rob Tyler reported that a Muslim backlash is the result of the recent attacks on Muslims in New Zealand. Weather has been the talk of members in California, Nevada, and the Midwest, where there has been significant snowfall followed by rain and flooding. Interstate 29 between Kansas City and Omaha is closed and 70 percent of the counties in Nebraska are declared natural disaster areas. Mr. Brian Pomicter sent this update from Nebraska: “Many brethren may be concerned about the flooding that has recently occurred in Iowa and in Nebraska. All of our brethren are safe and have been spared injury. The same cannot be said of some of the brethren’s property.” Mr. Smith’s upcoming telecast, “What Happened to Right and Wrong?” is being rejected by television stations in Australia and New Zealand. Some members ask why we don’t get stronger on the telecasts and this is the reason. We push it as far as we can and occasionally cross the bounds of what stations will accept, especially outside of North America. Dr. Douglas Winnail reported, following his recent around-the-world trip, that he felt a real family atmosphere among the members.—Gerald Weston Weekly Update

"Ah..(city/town of your choice).......We got a problem"

The Controlling, Narcissist Leader/Pastor 

              http://setfree0408.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-controlling-narcissist-leaderpastor.html

*I am bringing back this post that I originally wrote on September 16, 2009. Based upon the comments I've received lately, I believe there's a need to bring this subject back to the forefront.

The Controlling, Narcissist Leader/Pastor

Ungodly, controlling pastors have hurt many people. The phrase "ungodly pastors" seems to be an oxymoron. These two words shouldn't go together in the same sentence, but the sad truth is there are pastors and leaders who are only in the position for their own lustful desires.

These dictating leaders can be described by many words - controllers, manipulators, narcissists, psychopaths, cult leaders, false pastors, false prophets, and dictators, to name a few. There are varying degrees of this type of leadership and some are more damaging than others, but I have seen the negative effects these type of leaders can have on people. Some pastors are just strong leaders, while others are narcissistic psychopaths. If you haven't ever been around a person like this it may be hard for you to imagine that there are people who go to these extreme measures. But for those who have suffered under this type of heartless leadership, you know all too well how deep the wounds go.

Here are some signs and characteristics of a narcissist, unscriptural leader.....

*Resembles the same attitude Diotrephes had in III John verse 9. He is proud, carnal, demanding, overbearing, impatient, uncompassionate, "loving" only toward those who submit to him, but mean-spirited toward those who do not agree with him.

*He develops doctrines from pet verses that appear to support his view.

*He makes people feel that they cannot make important decisions and know God's will without him.

*He exalts himself before the people.

*He ridicules his associates, making them look small in the eyes of the church members, thus increasing his own prestige and authority and decreasing theirs.

*He treats people who leave as fools and evil men. All kindness and friendship is withdrawn by the leaders. People are only treated kindly when they submit to his doctrines and "authority."

*He contradicts himself a lot.

*He is accountable to no one.

*He provokes and intimidates people to get what he wants.

*He demands respect instead of trying to earn respect.

*He wears a phony grin and acts like everything is all right even when things are falling apart in his church.

*He acts as if he knows everything, but he really doesn't know how to handle problems he has caused.

*He is a captive storyteller and exaggerates the truth all the time. He is able to spin a web that intrigues others and pulls them into his life.

*He has the capacity to destroy his critics verbally and disarm them emotionally.

*He does not recognize the individuality or rights of others.

*He is extremely self-serving and thinks he deserves royal treatment.

*He has no checks on his behavior - anything goes.

*He has tremendous feelings of entitlement. He believes everything is owed to him as a right.

*He presents himself as a genius.

*He has an insatiable need for adoration. When others aren't praising him, he will praise himself.

*He gives the perception that he lives a grandiose life, but paranoia rules him. He creates an us vs. them mentality because of his perceived hostile environment.

*He lies coolly and easily, even when it is obvious he is being untruthful. It is almost impossible for him to be consistently truthful about either a major or minor issue.

*He is a plagiarist and a thief. He seldom gives credit to the true originators of ideas.

*He is extremely convincing and could more than likely pass a lie detector test.

*He does not have friends.

*He doesn't not have feelings of remorse, shame, or guilt. He feels justified in all his actions because he considers himself the ultimate moral arbiter. Nothing gets in his way.

*He is unmoved by things that would unset the normal person, while outraged by insignificant matters.

*He is cold, with shallow emotions, living in a dark world of his own.

*He can witness or order acts of utter brutality without experiencing a shred of emotion.

*He casts himself in a role of total control, which he plays to the hilt.

*He is tragically flawed in being able to either give or receive love.

*He despises community and emotional intimacy, and so he is profoundly lonely. On the one hand, though, there is something about his loneliness that he likes; for he can attribute it to his unique and superior nature.

*He constantly tests the beliefs of his followers, often with bizarre behaviors.

*He readily takes advantage of others, expressing utter contempt for anyone else's feelings. Someone in distress is not important to him. Although intelligent, perceptive, and quite good at sizing people up, he makes no real connections with others. He uses his "people skills" to exploit, abuse, and wield power.

*He will favor and offer help to people who are down as long as he thinks they will be useful to him later on down the road. Such favors might include offering employment, loaning money, or offering personal counseling. He may call in his favor if he sees you slipping away. Also, such opportunities help the narcissist persuade himself that he is good, despite the gnawing awareness of the dark cellar at heart.

*He has an inflated sense of superiority which propels him to recklessness; for he is subject to fantasies of omnipotence and unequalled brilliance, and he feels that he is above the law. And it is this sense of superiority that allows him to underestimate the intelligence and determination of his adversaries.

*He is indifferent to injustice and it's victims, but he rages against the person who is a threat to his charade and/or who refuses to cooperate with his underhanded schemes. "

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