Faith of Our Fathers: A Racist Legacy

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: A RACIST LEGACY

A friend forwarded me an article today that appeared in The Atlantic at the end of last month. White Christian America Needs a Moral Awakening by Robert P. Jones encourages Christians to confront "their faith’s legacy of racism." Unfortunately, this article will not be well-received by many of the folks it was intended to address. The notion that their forefathers' spiritual views were tainted with racism - a racism which influenced the faith that was passed on to their descendants - is anathema to many of them.

Nevertheless, Jones is on a firm historical footing when he talks about the overt support for (or ambivalence toward) black slavery and notions of white supremacy which existed within most Christian denominations of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Moreover, this racist underpinning was not confined to Protestant denominations - European Catholics were convinced that it was their mission to convert the ignorant black and brown heathens of the world and save them from roasting in hell. In short, the notion that white Europeans were specially favored by God was widespread and extended to all areas of human endeavor (be they cultural, political, economic or religious).

Of course, this is not the history that has been taught or emphasized in most American classrooms. And Jones points out that this fairytale version of history has not been confined to the narrative we tell ourselves about our nation as a whole - that it has also extended to the story which these denominations tell about themselves! He writes: "Underneath the glossy, self-congratulatory histories that white Christian churches have written about themselves—which typically depict white Christians as exemplars of democratic principles and pillars of the community—is a thinly veiled, deeply troubling past. White Christian churches have not just been complacent or complicit in failing to address racism; rather, as the dominant cultural power in the U.S., they have been responsible for constructing and sustaining a project to protect white supremacy. Through the entire American story, white Christianity has served as the central source of moral legitimacy for a society explicitly built to value the lives of white people over Black people. And this legacy remains present and measurable in the cultural DNA of contemporary white Christianity, not only among evangelicals in the South but also among mainline Protestants in the Midwest and Catholics in the Northeast."

Jones goes on to underscore the fact that these racist proclivities continue to exercise a powerful influence on white Christians of today. Is there any hope of changing this dynamic? He writes: "Today, 400 years after the first enslaved African landed on our shores, and more than 150 years after the abolition of slavery in America, a combination of social forces and demographic changes has brought the country to a crossroads. We white Christians must find the courage to face the fact that the version of Christianity that our ancestors built, “the faith of our fathers” as the hymn celebrates it, was a cultural force that, by design, protected and propagated white supremacy. We have inherited this tradition with scant critique, and we have a moral and religious obligation to face the burden of that history and its demand on our present. Inaction is a tacit blessing on white supremacy’s continued presence as a Christian habit and virtue. Doing nothing will ensure that, even despite our best conscious intentions, we will continue to be blind to the racial injustice all around us."

Many of our forefathers worshipped together regularly and thought of themselves as Christians. They didn't see any irony in doing so while simultaneously taking land away from Native Americans and enslaving their black brethren. Like them, white Americans of today often fail to see the incongruity in proclaiming their faith in Jesus Christ and accepting and supporting the system that their forefathers created. The entire thesis of Jones' article is that white Christians must eventually confront this incongruity for the sake of their own souls.

He wrote: "If we are finally going to live into the fullness of the promise of liberty and justice for all Americans, we will have to recover from our white-supremacy-induced amnesia. Confronting historical atrocities is indeed difficult, and at times overwhelming. But if we want to root out an insidious white supremacy from our institutions, our religion, and our psyches, we will have to move beyond forgetfulness and silence. Importantly, as white Americans find the courage to embark on this journey of transformation, we will discover that the beneficiaries are not only our country and our fellow nonwhite and non-Christian Americans, but also ourselves."

Miller Jones

United Church of God: Spreading The Gospel With Jelly

The state of the Church of God today and its "gospel" message.

Get ready for the thousands of new members.

Gerald Weston: If You get COVID Was It Because You Tempted God?

Many of us have read and meditated on Psalm 91 during this COVID-19 pandemic. This beautiful psalm promises protection for those who put their trust in God. Review the whole psalm, but note especially verses 3, 6–8, and 10–11. We certainly appreciate this protection today, but as I pointed out earlier, this does not mean we should walk about foolishly tempting God. Verses 11 and 12 were the very verses Satan quoted to encourage Christ to tempt God (Matthew 4:5–6). So we must not be foolish. We must see the big picture. While it is evident that God has been very merciful to His children during this time, we must face the fact that He allows some of us to get sick, and we will all die from something at some time (cf. Psalm 103:3; 2 Kings 13:14).

We can only address the problems and challenges that we are truly willing to face. Let us face the truth that many people fear: It is true that this pandemic is our enemy and has the potential to kill. Yet, it is also true that God gives us this wonderful promise: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57–58). Do we truly believe this?

How easy it is to see only the here and now, to become fearful over what we see around us, and to fail to see the big picture of God’s plan and how we individually fit into it. Notice this most encouraging passage: “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works” (Psalm 33:13–15). Wow—He fashions our hearts individually! He knows you and me, and He is working with us individually as He knows best. He is a Father who is intimately involved in rearing His children.

Most of us will come out on the other side of this pandemic just fine. Some of us may get sick, but most who do will recover. We believe God is our Healer (Exodus 15:26). Nevertheless, we lose members every year from a multitude of causes and illnesses—as of this writing, only one of our members has died of COVID-19—but we can be assured that, no matter the cause, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).

Take courage, brethren. Don’t live foolishly. There is a threat out there, but look to God and trust Him that He knows you individually—He is your caring Father. If a sparrow does not fall to the ground without Him knowing it, how much more valuable are His children in His sight!

What Do Gerald Flurry, Bob Thiel and Brian Davis Have In Common?

For several decades the rumours about Herbert Armstrong's past have swirled around from various sources with a lot of fiction and fact mixed together. One of the biggest accusations against Herbert was him committing incest with his daughter Dorothy.

The Philadelphia Church of God with its endless quest of making Herbert out to be the most incredible man in human history, so much so that he has become an idol to the Flurryite empire. In their eyes, the man was incapable of doing no wrong, whether it was from running a church, writing articles, preaching, or committing unspeakable acts.

In their church propaganda rag, Royal Vision, July August 2020, Brian Davis has emphatically DISPROVED all the rumors about Herbert. DISPROVED, I tell you!  DISPROVED! So let it be said, so let it be done.

Brian Davis, the bumbling buffoon, and wannabe right-hand man to Gerald Flurry says:

Can't get their stories straight?  This is hilarious coming from a church that is founded upon lies and led by professional liars, including the bumbling power-hungry Brian Davis.

The real reason Davis is wetting his knickers is that to discredit HWA is to discredit Gerald Flurry and all church teachings.  We can't have that now, can we?

Enter into this Bwana Bob Thiel. Davis quotes Thiel in his article.  This is a wet dream come true for Thiel. to have a heretical COG quote his as a legitimate source, he gets his name out to a wider audience and that audience has always looked at Thiel as LCG did, as an arrogant self-appointed blow-hard.

So, there you have it, again, Bwana Bob did extensive research and says it is not true. No real Christian would ever dare criticize or question the Great Bwana's, Afterall, he is THE AUTHORITY upon EVERYTHING!

How can anyone, knowing how these men have lied their way to the top of their cult churches, lied about their leadership roll as a supposed appointment from God, lie about dreams, visions and revelations from their gods.

Bwana Bob has written about this article and adds this:

The fact that Bwana Bob quotes Bob Petry as a source of "truth s laughable considering how crazy Petry has been over the years.

Given the track record of abuse dished out in the Worldwide Church of God under Armstrong's leadership and the minions under him, the appaling documented abuses of Philadelphia Church o God leaders against members, and the outright lies of Bob Thiel and his self-appointment and false blessings, is there ay reason for us to take these three men at their word? But now we are supposed to.

You can read Davis article here as a pdf of Thiel's page. Charges Against Herbert Armstrong-DISPROVED!

Binding and Loosing

Binding and Loosing

Banned by Hwa recently generated an interesting discussion regarding the Philadelphia Church of God's views on the human authority to bind and loosen relative to the church. (Gerald Flurry Upset Not All PCG Members Worship His "New Throne of David" Stone) According to PCOG, this authority is expansive and is largely confined to the "chief apostle" of the church.

But was the authority to bind and loosen intended to cover all of the teachings and work of the church? Does a human leader (or council) have the authority to change Divine directives, rituals, callings or mission statements? In short, does this authority give a human leader (or council) the power to supersede or change what God has commanded?

First, let's notice what Jesus told Peter after he had acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah and God's son. We read: "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." - Matthew 16:19 For our purposes, it doesn't matter whether we interpret this passage as applying to a single man or group of men. Instead, we want to examine the parameters of this authority.

In this regard, it is interesting to note the narrow circumstances that Jesus attached to this teaching the next time he mentioned it. After pointing out how precious each one of the saints are to God, Jesus outlines the proper way to handle disagreements among them. In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, we read: "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:15-20

In this passage, the authority to bind and loosen is clearly limited to resolving conflicts between God's people, and it is also implied that this authority is to be shared among those people. Notice too that there isn't any suggestion within this passage that this authority was to extend to other areas or give carte blanche to any human authority within the church to amend God's edicts or set policy.

Moreover, we know that an expansive interpretation of this authority is inconsistent with what Christ is reported to have told the Scribes and Pharisees just a few chapters prior to this. These religious leaders asked Christ why his disciples violated the traditions which their predecessors had enjoined on God's people. Christ responded: "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." - Matthew 15:3-9 In other words, human traditions (even those instituted by authorities designated by God) cannot supersede or change God's commandments!

In this connection, it is interesting to note that the Armstrong Churches of God would be among the first to point out that no man (or group of men) has the authority to change the day of worship, Divinely mandated rituals or nullify other directives of Almighty God. And, if this understanding applies to one of the chief proponents of a broad interpretation of the authority to bind and loosen (specifically, the Roman Catholic Church), it is hard to see how one could reasonably justify such a broad interpretation of this authority within any ACOG! Likewise, the ACOGs are quick to point out that it is God who calls and places people into His Church. They love to quote John 6:44 in this connection, and then turn around and claim the authority to put that person out of the church!

In the Old Testament, it is recorded that God instructed His people to do exactly what He told them to do, and to be very careful NOT to add to those instructions or take anything away from them (see Deuteronomy 12:32). Moreover, Christ is reported to have instructed his apostles: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." - Matthew 28:19-20

Hence, while the authority to bind and loosen enables the Church to deal with disagreements and conflicts between people, it does not confer on that body (or any individual) the power to supersede, change or negate God's clear instructions on a whole host of topics. And, any interpretation of this authority which confers such powers clearly contradicts the spirit and intent of the Scriptures that inform us about it.

Miller Jones