Some excerpts from The Journal article about Gerald Flurry's stance on disfellowshipment and how it relates to family members. Flurry is truly an appalling sick man.
Mistaken notion
In his sermon Mr. Flurry, a native of Oklahoma City,
explained the new, or at least clarified, policy on fellowshipping and
disfellowshipping.
"In the past," he said "some members"
have operated under the mistaken notion that "relationships" with
family members are permitted "as long as religion is not discussed."
But "that is not what God says."
The Bible "makes it clear that there should be a
complete cut-off" of contact with any family member, no matter how closely
related, with only two exceptions.
• One exception is an apostate or Laodicean spouse of a
PCG member. Scripture, Mr. Flurry said, dictates that "that relationship
should be preserved as long as the [disfellowshipped or Laodicean] mate is
pleased to dwell." He cited 1 Corinthians 7:10-14.
A wife who is "pleased to dwell" with her PCG
husband is one who is willing to live peacefully with him, with no tendency
toward hostility or contentiousness.
"But if that mate becomes hostile or stirs up
contention, it [the marriage relationship] should be cut off," Mr. Flurry
said. "Where there is hostility you must cut off every time."
• The other exception to the disfellowship rule is
"unbaptized children" and other former PCG attendees who may have
been baptized but were not "validly baptized."
Mr. Flurry noted that Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of
the Worldwide Church of God, in whose footsteps Mr. Flurry conscientiously
endeavors to walk, "had a relationship with his daughter" only
because Mr. Armstrong "believed she was never converted."
The fruits of Mr. Armstrong's daughter's lack of
conversion "were there," said Mr. Flurry.
Mr. Armstrong had two daughters, Beverly Gott, who died
in 1992, and Dorothy Mattson, who lives in Sun City, Ariz.
Mr. Flurry did not say which of the two he was speaking
of, but Mr. Armstrong did have working relationships with both his daughters in
his lifetime.
Mrs. Gott frequently traveled with her father on his
trips to visit world leaders and the Ambassador College campuses in Texas and
England, even though many members of the Radio/Worldwide Church of God did not
consider her to be a member of the church.
"As long as they [unbaptized or invalidly baptized
former church attendees] were unconverted, we can have a relationship
there," Mr. Flurry said, "but we do have to be awfully careful."
If church members aren't cautious in their dealings with
these kinds of relatives and friends, they can fall into grave error by
promoting fellowship--ungodly fellowship--with somebody who really had been
converted.
Therefore church members must make sure anyone they have
contact with who formally attended the PCG was never converted--that is, was
either never baptized or was invalidly baptized--because "we don't want to
use this as a cop-out."
Mr. Flurry said it again, just to make sure the brethren
understood:
Although they may associate with their children as long
as they were never converted, "if your children have been baptized and
left [the PCG], that relationship should be severed. We must obey God's
command."
He explained what he meant by "God's command"
in this context by quoting the apostle Paul in Romans 16:17: "Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to
the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them."
It just amazes me that PCG members would go to their
minister to ask for help in the following areas. What right does a minister
have in telling you who you are allowed to visit with in your own family?
He did mention that the PCG could encounter some legal
problems if church members prevent their Laodicean parents from visiting with
their children; that is, the Laodiceans' grandchildren.
In such cases, the PCG ministry could evaluate the
situation and might allow the Laodiceans some contact with the members'
children, as long as the Laodiceans are not hostile and contentious toward the
Philadelphian church members.
Mr. Flurry also talked about church members who work for
Laodiceans. To preserve their livelihood, the members may continue their
employment with Laodiceans (or, analogously, with employers who have been
disfellowshipped), but they should work toward finding a new job as soon as
possible.
"The principle, remember, is this," Mr. Flurry
said: "There should not be any contact with converted church members who
have left, and that includes family members other than a mate."
Mr. Flurry did say that, when shunning disfellowshipped
and marked former members and Laodiceans, PCG members should take care to be
"as inoffensive as we possibly can and as kind and loving and as
considerate as we possibly can, regardless of what attitude even they may
have."
The exception to this rule would be if the ex-members or
Laodiceans began "attacking" the PCG members.
In that case the PCG members do not have to be as
inoffensive, kind and considerate as they would normally be.
Shunning, disfellowshipping, marking and avoiding
Laodiceans serve the higher purpose, said the PCG leader, of sending an
important message.
"Avoiding these people . . . get[s] a message across
to them that they are influenced by the devil and we don't want to have
anything to do with them."
If situations come up that he did not cover in
this sermon, Mr. Flurry said, then members can check with their regional
directors for more clarification of church policy. If a regional director
cannot answer a question, he will pass it up the line to Mr. Flurry for a final
resolution.