A Reminder Worth Repeating: Dave Pack Reminds His Faithful About Dave Pack

The time is long past for those who follow the theological  fantasies and prophetic delusions of Dave Pack to reclaim their critical thinking skills, tossed and torn  though they might be.

While you have been hammered with the untruth of your observations being foolishness.  That you might seem right in your own observations and discomfort over his pronouncements but it will only lead to your death. That your ways are not Dave's ways because Dave's ways are always right.  And that yours can never be because you are not Dave who by his own admission has never been quite like anyone else ever, cut from entirely different cloth than anyone else and titled up like no other...

 Hold Dave Pack's feet to his own fire and recognize he has long ago told you what was coming and what to do when it did. 

And it has.

Out of the abundance of the heart, this mouth has long ago spoken of such a time as this...

 

"I want to make a statement about...me...now, if I became deceived, I will never tell you what I'm going to tell you now...I am telling you  if I go off into strange ideas,  misconduct, rebellion, you name it, don't follow me. I want to tell you that now, because if I start doing that I'm gonna try to get you to follow me! I'm gonna come to you and tell you it doesn't apply, it doesn't mean me, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's OK to follow me because ABCD and XY and Z. Do you understand what I'm saying? Listen to me now, when I tell you don't follow me if I go off into weird ideas, or if I get off into other things that are total absolutely unscriptural conduct, because if I do I'm gonna paint it with a different face and try to get you to follow me. Do you understand what I'm saying brethren? Please remember that, because I promise you that if I become deceived, I'll forget it, and I'll want you to forget it...And  I hope you'll remember it well enough to quote it right back to me...But I'll tell you what, I'm not going anywhere."  

David C Pack

December 12, 1998

  Yes you did and often...

Poor Gerald Weston. It is just SO HARD to preach the gospel to the world today

Having to listen to Gerald Weston complain 

about how HARD it is to preach the gospel.

Ever since Rod Meredith apostatized to form the Global Church of God, he struggled to preach a gospel message to the world.  With grand visions of glory that he imagined himself achieving like his mentor Herbert Armstrong, Meredith floundered about in the do-nothing Global Church of God till they got tired of his shenanigans and voted him out.  Then, in a supreme fit of rage he apostatized once again and took thousands of gullible followers with him to form Living Dead Church of God, where yet again, he failed to produce an effective gospel witness to the world.

Living Church of God ended up being yet another unknown Church of God offshoot with no discernible impact upon the world.  Its main thrust only seems to be attracting other Church of God members.

Then, Meredith died and the worn-out shoes were passed on to a man that was disliked by many in LCG, Gerald Weston.

Weston likes to imagine that the church has continued on with some magnificent gospel message that the world so desperately needs to hear, but the church is still an insignificant blip in the COG landscape.  World leaders have no idea who he is nor is there a worldwide impact that the church is involved in. What is the reason LCG is a do-nothing church?

Well, Weston admitted the other day it is "challenging" for him and the LCG to spread the gospel message. If Herbert Armstrong were alive today, he would bitch slap Gerald Weston so hard that he would be exiled like Rod Meredith was!  Why are the leaders of the LCG such impotent emasculated messengers of God's word?

It is sooooooooo hard to spread a message of hope to a world filled with "soooooooo many people, cultures, age groups, and ideas."  Oh, boo hoo. Christians have had no problem for centuries in spreading a message of hope to people who are longing for something better.  Yet, Church of God groups whine and moan about being persecuted by Youtube or being mocked for their shallowness as a sure sign of satanic persecution.  Millions of Christians over the centuries have literally died getting the gospel out and living it fully in their lives, while the Church of God groups sit around pissing in their little boy pants.

Saratoga Family Weekend

Seventy-eight brethren came from all points of the compass to be together for the 22nd Annual Saratoga Family Weekend. Originally started with a visit from the Presiding Evangelist Dr. Roderick Meredith 22 years ago on one of his trips to the  Western U.S., we were treated with another visit from the current Presiding Evangelist, Mr. Gerald Weston.

Friday evening started the weekend off with Mrs. Whitfield’s world-famous Antelope Chili and a Bible Study by Mr. Weston on the weaknesses of the theory of evolution and effective tools for systematic Bible Study. With cool nights and fresh air, our weekend in Saratoga continued with a delicious Sabbath brunch, afternoon services on “Who We Are” by Mr. Arnie Lalum, a sermon on “Three Aspects of Attitude” by Mr. Weston, and a rousing “Final Exam” with Mr. Shawn McMillin Saturday evening. After Sabbath services the fellowship continued with an old west steak dinner.

I think they should have spiced that "world famous" chili with some kickass hot peppers and set a fire under Weston's ass to get him motivated!

Sunday morning breakfast was followed by Mr. Weston’s workshop on effective preaching of the Gospel message to the world, along with principles of leadership and the writings of Paul with his letter to the Ephesians. Mr. Weston showed us how challenging it is to spread the Gospel to the world with so many different countries, age groups, and ideas.

Expressions of thanks and gratefulness go out to everyone who helped make another very successful Saratoga Family Weekend possible. We checked out of our hotel rooms, said our good-byes, cleaned up the hall for the next activities, and made plans for next year. We hope to see everyone back again as the Work continues.—Ben Whitfield, Area Pastor for Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

I can just picture them all now when Weston finished talking about his failure to get the gospel out. That is all COG folk have ever done when the church gurus finish talking.

Dave Pack: "Release Your Assets to God! Sell all as you are waiting for the Lord. Even if the Work has no time to use it. Won't change my salary. Won't build any more buildings."

The Grand Garden where Jesus will walk with Dave pondering his third coming.

Recall that at the Feast last year Dave proclaimed the church only had six months to go until Christ would return to Wadsworth. That was sermon part 144. He said then it was his last sermon. But of course, he hasn't stopped since. 

As the winter went on and the prophecy drew close, HQ ministers flattered their leader stating God had saved the best revelations for last. Reports are the congregants were required to stay up all night before Passover, awaiting Jesus. 

What happened? Nothing. Pack became a false prophet, again. 

He pushed his false prophecy off to Pentecost. But again, it failed.

Last Feast, in the same sermon, Dave implored his sheep "

"Release Your Assets to God! Sell all as you are waiting for the Lord. Even if the Work has no time to use it. Won't change my salary. Won't build any more buildings. But it'll help you! Probably won't help us. But it'll help you! God's looking at your heart."

But wait...bait and switch. Behold just unveiled Dave's puny grand garden. How much do you think this cost? $250,000? $500,000?

Sell all, brethren, even if the Work has no time to use it...

Dave and the ministry smiling and waving. Wonder what he is thinking? "We got all your money, brethren!! Can't wait to sell you the next version of my failed prophecy! Certainly, there are some more assets out there!"

From an anonymous source

Ministerial Idol

"I was really encouraged to come down and be a prophet by some dreams. So it's thanks to them that I'm here. I think the Church will think that my ministry is unique, and that I bring something new and different, sounds like maybe an Evangelist, or an Apostle, my specialty is anything that's Mayan or Catholic.... "

Good old Bob Thiel, what would we do without you!

submitted by SHT

"What does the constant reinforcement of the idea that Satan is about to take over the entire world...do to your mental health?"

Ever since the Internet emerged with accessibility for the general public, the downfall of the Church of God movement was set into motion.  What took decades to build up through radio, television and print, has been decimated by the instant accessibility of news and articles about Armstrongism.  More and more people are stepping up to the plate to tell their stories of growing up in the movement. Every time this happens, the diehard loyalists dig in their heels and come out spitting and snarling in anger labeling such people as "you were never converted" or that they have "turned their back on the truth restored through Herbert Armstrong", or that they have a reprobate mind that is indicative of the Laodiceans. Or, worse yet, label such people as committing the unpardonable sin.

There is a new blog up that is filled with wonderful insights of a woman who grew up in the church.

From the time that I have been able to talk, I have had to explain about the doctrine and beliefs that Herbert Armstrong both concocted and plagiarized to create The Worldwide Church of God and the effect that it has had on millions of people all over the world.

Honestly, I'm sick to death of it. 

But in the same way that someone with a very noticeable scar or missing limb must continue tell the story of their ordeal when they meet someone new who can't help but ask, so I am still explaining the false doctrines and sharing stories of rampant abuse, fraud, and neglect with people who are curious about the cult.

As much as I hate it and wish I could just "get past it somehow," I can't.

This is my baseline.

Coming to accept that truth was a difficult road to travel because I kept telling myself that there was some way I could "normalize" myself.

I so desperately wanted that to be possible, but you can't change the way that you were raised. The best you can hope for is to adapt and overcome. Our experiences make up our foundations and it's up to us to reinforce them with better building materials as we go along. But the original elements of the foundation will always be there, because you can't unbuild the house while you're living in it.

I was born into a cult and raised by a devotee of Herbert W Armstrong. Consequently, their teachings and beliefs are my default settings even if I no longer believe in, nor even approve of them in any way. Much like the Outlook Mail or Groove Music Player that you can't delete from Windows 10, so are the idiosyncrasies of the people who observe The Days Of Unleavened Bread, and know the the hymn"Blessed and Happy Is the Man" better than they know they know the song "Jingle Bells".

When Herbert Armstrong started his "Radio Church of God" back in 1933 he was a frustrated 41 year old "Ad Man" who couldn't stand the fact that his job consisted entirely of upselling the value of something he couldn't afford or someone in a better position than himself.

I think that is one of the main reasons he failed to make a profitable go of the advertising business and thus was forced to turn to the life of a con man trapped in his own con for the rest of his days. He could never conjure anything more important in his mind than his own ego and insatiable lust for "the finer things in life."

Herbert may not have had a brilliant intellect, but he did learn what the internet would come to call the, "one weird trick" of being successful.

Even if you aren't great yourself, you can still rise above your peers as long as you can hide, or even destroy their potential.

So, how did he manage to do that?

The first step was to take away the idea of hope for the future of society. Because without a future, what use is potential?

In the late 1920s, while studying for his Nonexistent Pretend Theology degree at the Not Even A Recognized School of Any Kind, Portland Public library, Herbert Armstrong discovered a profound power that resides in the biblical narrative.

SOMETHING VERY BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SUFFER LIKE THEY NEVER HAVE BEFORE OR EVER WILL AGAIN. 

We don't know when it will happen, but probably sometime sooner rather than later, so y'all best get your shoes on and be ready to flee whenever you hear the trumpets.

Further down her posting is this gem of truth:

Herbert probably realized that the more strongly someone believed that The End Times were close at hand, the less they would care about preparing for their future financial security or reputation in the community.

A man who believes that Christ will return to Earth within the next 3 years has no motivation to spend 8 years getting a PhD. A family who thinks they will be going to a "place of safety" before the end of the decade, has no motivation to pay off a mortgage or save for a new car.

And why should someone not give most of their money to help "God's Apostle" spread the true gospel today? After all, in a few years all material possessions will all be worthless anyway, right?

I'm pretty sure that the ramifications of promoting this line of thinking never really crossed his mind.

But let me ask you this...

What does the constant reinforcement of the idea that Satan is about to take over the entire world and we are already surrounded by demons who are trying to separate us from our salvation do to your mental health?

Ripley invites your thoughts on what he has written.  See his blog here that also has other entries mentioning Armstrongism:   "What Did He Do That Was So Wrong?" (Part One)