Doug Winnail (LCG) Does Not Like LCG Being Accused of "Prediction Addiction"

Doug Winnail has a short little piece up about how important prophecy watching is to the Living Church of God, while ignoring the fact that every prophetic utterance that has come out of Rod Meredith and Herbert Armstrong's mouth has failed to come to pass.  He is especially suffered major butthurt over LCG and its leaders being accused of suffering from "prediction addiction."

Jesus told His disciples to stay alert and watch for the fulfillment of specific prophecies that will mark the approaching end of this age (Matthew 24). Jesus also warned in the parable of the foolish virgins that many will be caught napping by the surge of events that will precede His return to this earth (Matthew 25:1-13). God has given His Church a “more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV) so His Church can act as a watchman to warn about the prophetic significance of both current and impending world events (Ezekiel 3 and 33; Proverbs 24:11-12). Yet over the years, misguided teachers and preachers have ridiculed the Church’s understanding of prophecy and accused anyone watching Bible prophecy of suffering from “prediction addiction.” However, as we see world events fitting into the end-time scenario that is outlined in Scripture, we need to make sure we are building a closer relationship with God and that we are learning to live by every word of God—as we continue to pay attention to prophecy.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

What really irradiates LCG and Winnail is that the "prediction addiction" phrase came from Grace Communion International who finally woke up to the fact that the decades of prophecies that the church and Herbert Armstrong uttered were nothing more than speculation.  There was nothing prophetic about any of the predictions.

Here is what happens. You conclude from your study of prophecy and its chronological calculations that we are in the “end times,” and that a catastrophe of “biblical proportions” is going to befall us in “just a few short years” (they are always “short” years, it seems). You then “watch and pray,” anxiously (or perhaps eagerly), fitting the events and news of the day into your predetermined framework. You watch with growing anticipation as the evidence piles up.

The problem is that the pile of evidence starts to get very shaky, and the “short years” stretch into decades. Although the pattern of major world events may not fit neatly into your prophetic scenarios, you can still find enough catastrophes to stay in the game, while you hastily recalibrate your prophetic timetable. GCI UPDATE: Prediction Addiction

Armstrongite ministers have always had to "recalculate" their predictions, or if you want a more accurate word...LIES.

Gavin Rumney had this up on his blog in 2013:

Our Roots of Prediction Addiction 

Some of us have learnt over the years to view "Bible Prophecy" with a jaundiced eye. The attempt to turn the complex texts of the Old and New Testaments into a coherent road map for the near future is doomed to failure from the outset. Ancient writings simply can't be read that way with any integrity. It's not just bad theology and rotten exegesis, it's a display of dull and incompetent basic reading skills. 

Where did we pick up the bad habit? When did the peculiar blend of Bible-quoting, fear-saturated fantasies we are familiar with first take recognizable shape? Doomsdayers have of course been with us from the earliest days of Christianity - with deep roots in Jewish apocalyptic. If we are honest about it, we can probably trace the trail even further back to the influence of dualistic religions like Zoroastrianism. 

But the version we're most familiar with owes a great deal to the Adventist "Midnight Cry." Stepping back into the nineteenth century we find the seeds of our particular prediction addiction. The various churches that have historic ties to William Miller (and, on the other side of the Atlantic, the equally disturbed John Nelson Darby) are still largely in thrall to bizarre and naive biblical misinterpretations, and the delusion that they have some kind of special "inside knowledge" about the future.  Our Roots Of Prediction Addiction

The extreme lengths we go to in the Church of God's is all due to our Adventist roots in William Miller and Ellen G White.   These two set the stage for HWA, Meredith, Thiel, Malm, Waterhouse and others.

Don Solin had an excellent article in The Hufffington Post about "prediction addiction."

Do You Have “Prediction Addiction”?

While his comments are geared more towards the stock market, it is applicable to "prediction addiction" in the Churches of God.  He writes:

This addiction is a particularly bad one. Not only are our brains hard-wired to believe we can predict the future and make sense out of random acts, it rewards us for doing so. The brain of someone engaged in this activity experiences the same kind of pleasure that drug addicts get from cocaine or gamblers experience when they enter a casino.

When predicting the unpredictable goes south, as it inevitably will, the neurons in the brain start misfiring, causing panic and anxiety.

Anything less than total confidence in our predictions implies that we have lost control. The brain resists this conclusion. Random events are perceived as the enemy.

In Armstrongism everything seems to be the enemy.  Some of its leaders find no joy in anything.  They need the world and church members to be just as miserable as they are.  Just look at the mindless rankings of James Malm and Bob Thiel.  Has the church ever seen two such unhappy men?

Living Church of God also blames Jesus for this addiction.  Note what John Wheeler had to say:

Allegedly, Jesus Himself set His followers up for "prediction addiction" in Matthew 24:3-7 when He warned of religious deception in His name, "wars and rumors of wars," famines, pestilences and earthquakes. "These things have always been around since Jesus' day," scoffers say (cf. 2 Peter 3:3–4). But they overlook the real significance of Matthew 23:8: "All these are the beginning of birth pangs" (literal Greek). When a woman is in labor, her birth pangs come in cycles, but they come more quickly and more strongly over time—leading to the "crisis" of childbirth itself. So it would be in the "latter days." During the space of a generation (Matthew 24:32–35), first broadly relevant events would occur with increasing frequency and intensity. Then, very specific events would occur with little or no warning in a very short time (cf. vv. 4–31). And all that is what students of biblical prophecy need to be watching for! No need to try to predict the day or the hour of Christ's return; that cannot be done (vv. 36–44). It is enough to be ready, no matter when all these events take place (vv. 45–51).  Tomorrow's World: Prediction Addiction 

If all of these people were actually followers of the Jesus Christ they claim to follow then they would not need to be in a constant state of worry and fret over events in the world.  World events happen as they happen, some may fit some imagined timeline, most will not.  Resting in the one you are supposed to be following is far more rewarding than following crackpots like Malm, Thiel, Meredith and others who make outlandish claims about world events.  These liars have no idea about "end time" events any more than your cat or dog does.

Matthew 11:28-30The Message (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

There Is A New Prophet In Our Midst Who Also Has Had A Dream Setting Him Apart

Almost Arrested, Elisha, Elijah, Amos, Joshua, Doubly Blessed Prophet/Apostle, Second Witless Witnsess and Future Martyr Bob Thiel has been working over time in trying to convince everyone that just because he had some nightmares after some bad Chinese food that he is now a true prophet of God.  He dreamed a dream and that proves it! We are expected to take his word for it.  Its all true!

Thiel has now been usurped by E W King.  Prophet King had a dream recently there he was named a true prophet of God.  If Almost Arrested Thiel can claim that his dream was legitimate, why can't King?  If I were going to pick one of the two, I would pick King as a prophet.  He seems kinder and gentler than the attention seeking narcissist Thiel.  Both men are just a few steps short of entering the looney-bin.

~Prophet Eric W. King taken December 16th at Land of Mormon Temple - The Alter~

“One of them lifted his right hand and spoke [unto Eric]. He said: “We have come from the celestial kingdom to call you forth as a prophet of God in this seventh church time. Behold, I am Elijah the prophet.” At this pronouncement I fell to the ground shaking madly. Then the other personage spoke: “Behold, I am, John the apostle. You have been working for the kingdom and now you must take on your full responsibility as prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ in this Seventh Church Time. You have rightly studied and discerned the seven church eras thus you have been lead by the Spirit of God and now called to take on the authority and responsibility of speaking with boldness and carrying this message with grace and humility to the church and to the entire world. You must now without any doubt fully trust the Lord.”

~The night of December 12th 2016 Vision~

Because of this fact we also believe that America has been given a record of its own ancient Scripture which we recognize to be what is called “The Book of Mormon”. This record of ancient Scripture was found by the prophet Joseph Smith back on September 22, 1823. 

Please understand that though we recognize this record of Scripture WE ARE NOT MORMONS in the regular sense of the title. After the death of Joseph Smith the church scattered as it always does after the death of a great leader. We do not believe in any other prophets after Joseph Smith accept for Sidney Rigdon and Eric King. We do recognize Brigham Young to be an authentic prophet but not in the same sense as Joseph Smith and it was he who led the group of people which latter on became known as “The Mormon Church” and what is today called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”. So again, though we recognize the Book of Mormon to be an actual scriptural record of ancient America we do not call ourselves Mormons in the regular sense. ~

Dave Pack: Ministers Who Will Soon Be Joining Me Will Come Out Of The Ground

Dave says that many ministers who will be joining his cult will be coming to him out of the ground.

Many of the ministers that are coming to do the Work and enter the Kingdom are coming out of the ground, brethren. I am telling you, a lot of them wrote their record—they have built their character—they’ve served other people—they were faithful, in some cases, for decades before Mr. Armstrong died, and then they went wherever they went. But they are taken away because they’re settled, and they’ll come up at Christ’s Coming. 

Others are dying, and they just died. They might have been tares. They might have fallen away completely, in the past. That’s why we don’t want to judge. Don’t decide that they were evil—and don’t decide that they were righteous. Just be aware of the process that, in many cases, God takes righteous men away from an evil I’m going to explain next week—that all of you know nothing of. The time has come to explain it. It just got particularly personal this week with a group of people I knew and helped come into the Global Church of God, and I wanted to explain that.

Many Church of God Ministers and Members Ask...Critical What?????

Thousands sit and wonder...

(or should)

"That doesn't sound right to me"

Critical Thinking-Does It Matter?

The Latest Issue of The Journal (Issue190)

The latest issue of The Journal is out with a nice article about Gavin Rumney.

There is also an article by John Robinson detailing Ken Westby's take on the 1974 "rebellion" of some on the East Coast.  I remember this time in the church.  Westby called it a "reform movement."

Mr. Westby was also known as the leader of a movement from within the Worldwide Church of God in the 1970s sometimes referred to as the 1974 East Coast Rebellion. However, Mr. Westby said it wasn’t a rebellion. He called it a reform movement. 

The article then goes on to talk about how they estimate that up to 10,000 members left the church during this time.  I know in the Dayton church we lost quite a few members from this.

Living Church of God has another ad up for their "university."   They don't like their members associating with other COG's but they think it is appropriate to poach youth from other COG's. Something is wrong with that picture.

Don Billingsley is back with  another one of his outlandish articles about his vision of end time prophecy in action.  As usually his goal is to get you to read The Mystery of the Ages along side your Bible, since it is the most important book ever written.

Time is Running Out—Based on what is made known by the news media, coupled with the end-time proph- ecies, it should be real- ized the handwriting is on the wall for this na- tion, and the end of it is now very close as it was for Belshazzar King of Babylon (Daniel 5:1-31)! Prophecy reveals super- power America will be conquered by the Revived Holy Roman Empire as was the impregnable Babylonian Empire by the Medio- Persian Empire. 

MYSTERY OF THE AGES—Study your Bible together with the last book Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote: the unedited MYSTERY OF THE AGES, ISBN 0-396-08773-6, and believe it. This could save your life from the worsen- ing troublesome times before us. R emember— Mr. Armstrong was the man Jesus Christ used to teach all of us His truth (II T imothy 3:13-14) 

Marie Casale has an ad up telling COG members to leave their spouses if they have remarried after divorce.

We are told to flee from fornication (1 Cor 6:18). This means that members who have unlawfully married or remarried should flee from those marriages. It also means that prospective church members who are in an adulterous second marriage while their first spouse still lives should flee from that marriage before they are baptized. Why? Because baptism does not change the definition of an adulterous marriage, nor does it forgive adultery that people are still going to continue living in.

We are also told not to company with fornicators (1 Cor 5:9-11). This means that we should separate from and stop having a one-flesh relationship with our spouse if he or she is an adulterer. If we don’t, we will defile our temple of the Lord. This is why divorce is allowed for fornication and why the Lord’s example was to divorce Israel for her fornication. 

You can read issue 190 of The Journal here.

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Dave Pack: My Church Members Are So Electrified By My Sermons That NONE Are Leaving The Church

Superfantabulous Dave,

the most electrifying COG minister ever!

Well Dave should have kept his mouth shut.  He has lost many member since stating this, including family members.

I learned the truth that Ambassador College. It was fairly well established by the mid-1960’s God called me, as I often say 50 years ago now this month. Next week 50 years since I began to learn the truth. We heard things ahead of the brethren—but it’s been a difficult thing for our ministers. We’re learning so much, so fast, and I know everybody has riveted. I ought to just tell you, it’s been weeks, quite a number of weeks since even one person, anywhere in the world has left the Church. That tells me that the reports I’m getting that people are just riveted, and electrified are real (if you will), and there’s going to be much, much more again, including today (of course).

Dave Pack: Gleeful at all of the ministers dying in LCG and other COG's. Calls all those COG's "The Widow's Convention"

Dave thinks that the recent deaths of COG ministers are a sure sign that his god is displeased with all of the COG's.   The god of Armstrongism has always been a magical god, ready to wreck vengeance upon all the ministers and COG's that certain leaders disagree with.

I wanted to talk a little bit about something that relates to prophecy in a way that we would not normally talk about or think of. If a certain verse came to mind…that I’m going to show you in a moment…that, again, is another one of those that nobody ever understood, you certainly wouldn’t think of what I’m going to tell you. I’m just going to pass on something that is not pleasant, but, in a way, it can be, once I explain the whole picture.

For a number of days now, maybe a couple weeks, in a large splinter…One of the large groups; the one I was in when it was called Global…one person after another, one minister after another, has died in an unbelievably tragic way. It’s just unprecedented. For a long time, in some ways before we even got to the things that I’m going to mention, I often thought of that group as a place of death and tragedy in some ways.

Now, you might say that’s awfully strong…but there’s so much. There’s been murder. There’s been a vastness of the ministers that have died; been incapacitated. I’ve often called the group a widows’ convention…and there are a great many.

About two weeks ago, maybe just a little over two weeks ago, a senior minister—a man who was ordained an evangelist over there in Australia—died suddenly. A massive stroke—dead—and left Australia rudderless. They put his son in charge because all the other ministers in Australia have grave health problems, and they can’t put any of them in charge. I know these men, because I’ve been to Australia for the Feast 20 years ago. I helped this man come into Global. I remember meeting him back in 1973. He was a faithful man in many regards. Love him dearly, and suddenly—gone.

Another minister—this week—killed himself, and I knew him very well. The name is very personal to me. He was my first wife’s dear friend, beginning in 1960. She was in Milwaukee at age 14, and he was in the teenage group from Chicago, age 15. She would have graduated from college in’ 67; he in’ 66. Her childhood friend…I’m glad my wife is not here to learn how he took his own life.

When I got to meet him, it was a joy, because I’d heard so much about him, and how, when my first wife’s grandmother, who was from Germany, came to services one day in Chicago for a Holy Day, this man’s father…very German family…also from Germany, walked up to the two Germans, on a Holy Day at, I believe it was McCormick Place in Chicago in the early’ 60s, and said, Oh, are you a member of the Church? She said no, and he goes, Ahh, du bist ein Heide. In other words, “You’re a heathen.” [laughter] I’ve never forgotten that story. And I kidded this man about his father, and it was a fun story. There are many wonderful memories I have of this man.

I also helped him…even though he was older than I was by about four-, four-and-a-half years; five years ahead of me in college…I helped him come into the Global Church of God. Now, they’re both suddenly gone.

Another pastor, in the Philippines, dropped dead this week. Just dropped dead, in the same group—heart attack, massive heart attack—longtime pastor.

A member in this splinter was on the plane that went down—Egypt Air. A member in France left a grieving husband and son…and she’s never to be found. A terrorist act or not…I don’t know…but they were coming in…If you know the story, about two-and-a-half weeks ago. That’s a sad situation.

So, there’s four, right there, and I wanted to just to cover this. I don’t “speak to” every one of those people. I’m not about to say that, if you take your life…That’s why I don’t want to get into his name…that you’re just going to come up in the Kingdom. Because very difficult things are going to happen, and to suggest to people—who, really, in the end, don’t endure to the end—that’s all right, you can die this way or that……But, that’s okay. You take your life, even though you didn’t endure to the end, you can be in the Kingdom. Because you suggest, to other people, that if the going gets tough—check out, and you’ll be in the Kingdom.

There is a horrible, horrible message being portrayed about this…I hope the man, who was a friend of mine, was never converted; then maybe he could be someday. It’s a confusing time. One other thing that makes this man personal to me, and I guess I choose to share it with you, this particular minister took the Real Truth magazine for many years, right till his death. His name is still on our subscription list. He used my book on the trinity to help people in the splinters. The fact that the Worldwide Church of God introduced the trinity at a point was a big, big problem, in a particular way to this particular man, and he saw the book that I had written…and he’d studied the subject a lot…and he asked if he could have copies of the book.

There was certainly a very interested and zealous side of this man, and none of you would have ever known he was on the Real Truth list, but now that he is gone, I will make you aware of that. But one of the concerns that we have, brethren—and I’ve seen this—where we sort of judge in more than one way. We have to be very careful we do not judge that people don’t make it into the Kingdom. You have to be very careful. And I’m not doing that. But when you declare that someone is in the Kingdom, you have also overruled God in a different way. You have judged for Him.

We can understand sin. We can know people by their fruits, but when it comes to such matters, at the end of the day, where they do or don’t go, we stay out of it. I just bring that up, because there are so many different elements of the tragedy like this in an organization that’s full of tragedy, where sometimes that tragedy can personally touch us. And in this case, I’m very personally touched. I’m just glad my wife, again, is not here to know how her dear friend, from the early 1950s, ended.

It’s a very confusing time with some of these people. The person who went down in that plane…Is it random? It’s kind of like the tower of Siloam fell on certain ones, you recall Christ’s account—except you repent you shall all likewise perish. These were not chief sinners, Christ said. There are tragic things that happen in a world. Why does God let a woman like that go down in that plane, leaving a grieving husband, and son? It also happens in other splinter groups where a lot of people are dying, not just ministers. I listed both there.