Why Did Herbert Armstrong Find Jesus So Embarrassing?

Chapter XI

HWA's EMBARRASSMENT WITH CHRIST 

Writing in The Bulletin, June 3, 1975, pp. 293-294, Herbert
Armstrong explained a perplexing dilemma he had been facing:
“One thing has been a serious handicap, and caused me
and my touring team no little embarrassment. We have had
to say that we represent either Ambassador College, or
Worldwide Church of God. 

“I am regarded as an Ambassador for WORLD PEACE.
But if I represent a CHURCH, immediately that shouts to
them ‘RELIGION!’ and that sparks prejudice and
competitive religious prejudice. If I try to get away from
appearing to be a religious crusader by representing
Ambassador College, they ask, ‘Where is this college? How
many students do you have?’ A college even with two
campuses, having enrollments of only some 500 to 700
sounds pretty small, compared to the universities all over the
world each with from 5,000 to 68,000 students.
“Christ has said we must be ‘wise as serpents, and
harmless as doves.’ Some weeks ago I authorized the
forming and incorporating of a new FOUNDATION,
named ‘The Ambassador International Cultural
Foundation. ‘ It is non-profit, dedicated to serving humanity
worldwide. 

“Foundations, such as the Ford Foundation, the
Rockefeller Foundation, etc. are regarded with great
respect. I still mention Ambassador College, but also
explain that we have now formed this new Foundation to
sponsor our worldwide educational program for all peoples
at all levels. In time, we may, in this worldwide new
dimension of the Work, drop all mention of Ambassador
College, except as one of the associated institutions. 

Furthermore, for accreditation purposes, it is necessary that
this phase of the Word be removed from Ambassador
College, as it now will be legally. 

“Already, we are finding that this new Foundation is
giving great added prestige, credibility and favor. It is
something NOBODY CAN CRITICIZE! It carries no
RELIGIOUS connotation!” 

Three years later, HWA was screaming about those who had
deceived him into going secular and intellectual! What could be
more secular and intellectual than founding another foundation
similar to the Ford Foundation? Interestingly, that organization’s
founder, Henry Ford II, separated himself from it a few years
ago, claiming it had entirely lost its direction, and he wanted
nothing more to do with it. And, I think, the Rockefeller
Foundation is well known to Americans for its humanistic
liberalism. But Herbert Armstrong craves association with those
types of institutions while he abhors having any connection with
his church and college! No wonder he refers to church members as
“dumb sheep.” What could be more revealing? 

Also, while he himself was going international, seeking the
support of “all peoples of all levels, everywhere,” and while he
was actively seeking association with the “great and near-great of
this world,” he had the brass to write to the “dumb sheep:”
“SHOULD GOD’S PEOPLE TAKE ACTIVE PART IN
LOCAL COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES?” In his Pastor’s Report
of August 28, 1978, his answer is “No.” While he cavorts with the
“name people” as much as he possibly can, he wants the “dumb
sheep” to “sacrifice until it hurts” to further his work and his
work alone. It has never been HWA’s policy to give aid to local
communities via the local church there. 

While Jimmy Carter discussed Christianity with the Chinese
leaders (Carter is not even a minister), Herbert Armstrong, who
professes to be a Christian minister, did not so much as mention
the name of Christ on his trip to China for fear of offending his
hosts. Herbert Armstrong seems to have no fear of offending
Christ. But remember, he is ashamed of religion. He would prefer
not to mention the “only name given under heaven whereby a
man might be saved!” Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt.
10:32-33). 

Herbert Armstrong has an unusually strong desire to walk
among the great of this world. In May of 1978 he wrote to his coworkers
that he and Queen Elizabeth of Britain were going to cohost
an important premier of a charity motion picture in London.
The Queen’s staff at Buckingham Palace replied they had never
heard of Herbert Armstrong. There was embarrassment all
around. HWA’s boast just was not so. But that is the way he
thinks. He so desperately wants to mix in important circles of
“this world.” One would be hard-pressed to explain what a
religious leader who has taught the things Herbert Armstrong has
taught would be doing sponsoring such a motion picture in the
first place. 

Herbert Armstrong was not ashamed to be photographed
with his friend, President Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, who was
involved in the massacre of British people and cannibalism during
the uprising there some years ago. He liked the picture and had it
put on the cover of some of his publications. He probably would
be photographed with the devil himself, if that would advance his
social position. But he must keep his sheep in line back home,
because they are his power base until he can do better. They pour
the money in. 

Church members who worked in the expensive new auditorium
in Pasadena began to speak out when concerts of all kinds began
to bring in entertainers and support crews right out of
Hollywood. These crews were not “born-again Christians” by
any means. They run the cross section of the entertainment
industry. In the eyes of religious people, that is not good. Here,
right in what Herbert Armstrong had called “The House for
God” when he was soliciting funds from the membership, were
technicians and others who took God’s name in vain as a matter
of course and others who talked “homosexual talk” while among
our people. On at least one occasion, members were rushed out of
the auditorium after Sabbath services while it was still the
Sabbath in order to get it ready for a performance that evening.
Why? Well, HWA was busily removing the stigma of representing
a church and a college in order that he might be well spoken of
among the New York and Beverly Hills set.

From John Robinson's, Tangled Web....courtesy of The Painful Truth 
SaveSave

LCG Members Witholding Tithes

Below is a comment on another thread.

This person is not alone in withholding tithes from Charlotte. I have had scores of private emails from LCG members who are also withholding money. The mistrust in the leaders in Charlotte is astounding at how widespread it is.  Yet, every time someone from Charlotte speaks or writes it is as if the church has never been more unified. Any time a minister, evangelist, department head or representative from Charlotte ever says they are unified, you will know immediately that they are liars.

LCG is ready to implode.

Who will take all the money this time and start a new church?

Meredith did that twice before and will never be able to do so again. Lil'Jimmy is incompetent and will never be able to. Richard Ames is old and incapable of keeping the church unified. Gerald Weston has a horrible record of abuse of members, so don't expect huge numbers to follow him.

I truly feel sorry for LCG members will face yet again.

Lying has become a big problem in the LCG ministry. Meredith is a big liar, and it looks like he favors other big liars. The fruits of the Spirit are almost nonexistent the closer you get to the top in LCG.

I don't know how many people I am speaking for when I write this, but I know I am not alone. Earlier this year I started banking my tithe, because it is obvious that LCG is no longer doing the work it used to do. LCG used to have the best Church of God TV program, but the program has gotten ugly and tacky. Maybe that's why Meredith has taken it off so many TV stations and now spends money on stupid videos like that Man-Pig thing. Jim Meredith loves those short videos, it was obvious when he visited my congregation, even though they are stupid little things and don't even preach the gospel. They're just vanity. Why should I give my tithes to vanity and lying? When the split comes, I'll have a nice bankroll set aside to help the preaching get going again.

Living Church of God Advertising Pulled From Christian Station

Living Church of God suffers another setback in their advertising campaign that uses deception to get in the door of Christian radio stations.

Deceptive advertising is key to LCG in getting their feet in the door.  The same goes for UCG.  They do the exact same thing.  They of course learned this from their religious Daddy, HWA.  After getting caught so many times being deceptive he started Ambassador Foundation as another avenue of getting the message about "a strong hand from some place" across to the deceived world.

From Eixt and Support:

June 6, 2016
Thank you for alerting me to the Living Church of God, and their ad on Salem Christian radio in KY. 

I called WFIA and talked to individual who said that the ad was for the "The Living Church." Interesting. Many of these offshoots of Herbert W. Armstrong will not not be upfront and give their complete name. 

I informed this individual that their real name is "The Living Church of God."  

He informed me that Salem Media in Irving, TX was responsible for airing advertisements. I called and was informed that they are pulling the add, and rightfully so. --[name withheld]

If you want to contact Salem Media for other ads by LCG and other COG groups then see here:  Salem Media

Living Church of God Living in Fear of Transgender Man-Pig Marriages

Living Church of God picks the most moronic things to discuss on their tv/web casts.

When they should be talking about Jesus, grace, salvation, helping the needy, the sick and what true rest in Christ is, they instead preach this kind of idiotic drivel.

Can Wyatt truly be this silly?

It's no wonder the Living Church of God has sunk into being nothing more than a sad parody to mock.

What could have been, is no longer.

Poor Dave Pack: Made Out To Be A Fool Once Again

The mocking of Dave Pack makes this all worthwhile.

As Income Plummets 25% Gerald Flurry Set to Buy Jet Plane So Stevie and His Kids Can Fly In Luxury

Gold plated bathroom fixtures, ermine covered toilet seats, 

fully stocked high-end alcohol bar with beer.  

Only the  best for  Gerald Flurry.

Gerald Flurry has now decided that he can no longer breathe the same air on planes that the commoners breath. He also cannot stand being int the same security lines with the unwashed heathen masses.  Its important now for God's only chosen apostle to travel the earth in style and comfort.

What this really is is a tool for Stephen Flurry to fly around the world as his daddy sinks into senility. Stevie will use this for whatever purpose he wants, regardless what Daddy says he can do.

From a PCG source:

FYI: Yesterday in a play-all-areas sermon entitled “Abraham’s Vision”, Gerald Flurry mentioned that he is now considering buying a private jet!  The rationale behind this unbelievable decision stems from experiences Flurry had last year on his flight to and from a US feast site.  Apparently his trip left him feeling so unwell that it took several weeks to fully recover his energy levels.  During the message he commented that modern air travel is now very unpleasant and that breathing in recycled air was unhealthy for him.  He also complained how in the US passengers needed to get to the airport in sufficient time to allow for security screening, sometimes requiring that they arrive up to 3 hours before an international flight.   He concluded by saying that owning a private jet meant he would be able to travel and do more for the work, especially being able to travel quickly between the two campuses in Edmond, OK and Edstone, UK. 
 What that all translates into is this:  After buying a multi-million dollar stately home in the UK, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars refurbishing it, literally pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a fruitless UK TV campaign for his son, after building a multi-million dollar music and Irish dance facility for the Edmond compound brats, all of which is financed by an ageing and declining membership, the PCG is now going to buy a private jet so Gerald Flurry's children Stephen and Laura and their children and friends can travel the world like rock stars and not have to rub shoulders with the unwashed masses. This unbelievable decision has been made during a time when PCG is experiencing a current 25% drop in income!

You seriously have to wonder about the long-term stability of the PCG and who is really running the church behind the scenes.   Repeatedly throughout his message, Flurry referenced Josephus and how this ancient historian taught that Abraham was an educated and cultured man who introduced fine arts and music everywhere he went.  Each time Flurry made that statement, after the expression, “fine arts and music” he would quickly add “and dancing”.  I know for a fact that “Wittle Laura” and “Wittle Stevie” are both obsessed with Irish dancing, perhaps this is where the pressure is really coming from to buy that oh so needed Lear jet!

(Sent to this blog and Redfox's Living Armstrongism)

Warren Zehrung: Remembering Karl Beyersdorfer (With The Honesty Rod Meredith Refused To Exhibit)

Remembering Karl Beyersdorfer

(Children of God)

Karl Beyersdorfer died only days before his fiftieth wedding anniversary. In fact, Karl was planning an anniversary trip with his wife and friends to Arizona and New Mexico to see the Decalogue Stone and other artifacts that bear ancient inscriptions carved into rock. Naturally, the study of these old inscriptions is controversial in that some claim the inscriptions are pre-Columbian, and therefore indications of early Israelitish contact with the Americas. Karl died before he could make that exciting trip.


Karl was a longtime faithful minister of Jesus Christ. Actually, Karl was a servant of Jesus Christ. ‘Servant’ is the correct meaning of the word – ‘minister’ having taken on an entirely different meaning today. Karl graduated from Ambassador College in June of 1966, was married two days later, and then was off to his first ministerial assignment in Minnesota. After fifty years, what led to the abrupt end of a life spent in service to God’s people?


Karl had a zest for life and living it that few men possess. Somehow toward the end of Karl’s life he became disillusioned with where the church was headed. All of his life was spent in building the church, adding to the numbers, and raising up new congregations.  In the end, it seemed to Karl that his best efforts were producing little or no growth. Karl came to the point where he felt that he had become ineffective as a minister. He could not see God’s hand in the work he was trying to do.


Karl began to question his past decisions – wondering if somehow God had become displeased with him – even thinking that perhaps he had committed the unpardonable sin.  Not only was professional help needed for Karl – but professionals with the Spirit of God to direct their efforts. Psychiatrist and neurosurgeons know only the physical aspects of depression, and are therefore totally unable to be of help spiritually in time of need. Sadly, in the end, there was no one there for Karl in his darkest hour.


“What man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one understands the things of God, but by the Spirit of God.” (1Corinthians 2:11)


God’s people are not exempt from discouragement and depression. The people of the Church of God are facing more and more trials in this evil age and are prone to becoming discouraged and, yes, at times even depressed and despondent. Many among the true saints are going through serious problems related to age, accident or illness. For many, these afflictions may last the rest of their natural lives. These kinds of pressures continue to be a source of constant struggle, which bring about discouragement and depression. Even the strong of mind and heart can sometimes become discouraged and depressed. It is nothing to be ashamed of.


Many of the prophets and great men of God were mentally tormented with discouragement and depression. Moses, Elijah, Jonah, and many other leaders among God's people fell prey to emotional stress and strain. Discouragement and depression are not the malady of a weak mind or a sinful heart. Brilliant intellectuals and statesmen have been brought to their knees. Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale and Meriwether Lewis suffered horribly from discouragement and depression.


God has promised us that He will see us through every trial. But, let’s understand that even the faithful martyrs did not physically survive their final trial – and yet, God’s words are true:


“He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)


God has honored us with the most precious gift that a person can have – His calling.  We have been selected to have a place at the wedding feast with Jesus Christ as His bride. If we remain faithful to our calling, by accepting our trials with faith and dealing with them with perseverance, we will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God with these words:


“Well done thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23)


Take heart, and remember what a tremendous privilege it is to have been chosen at this time, as first fruits. All our efforts to overcome this world will be rewarded by our gracious Father. The magnificence of the Kingdom of God will cause all of our present-day trials to pale into insignificance. Karl’s healing awaits the resurrection.