Dennis, please come back!

 

Dennis, please come back!

A few days ago, I read the following statement by Mr. Dennis Diehl with some dismay: “I realize I am pretty much done with posting.” Now, while I realize that that statement is not definitive (and that he has indicated this sentiment on previous occasions), I wanted to publicly state that the quality of this forum would decline without the voice of Dennis. Yes, I have arrived at very different conclusions from him about God, the Bible, and the value of Christianity; but I believe that he brings a unique perspective to these discussions that would be sorely missed here.

We all need to occasionally hear from people who do not share our views. In fact, I would say that it is essential to anyone who would even pretend to have an open mind or to be intellectually curious. Unfortunately, most of us tend to live in self-reinforcing bubbles these days. We surround ourselves with people who share our opinions and sustain our prejudices. This is the path to stagnation and ignorance. Moreover, even when a different perspective does not persuade us to change our opinion on some subject, it almost always makes us better informed and clearer about why we believe what we believe.

Dennis’ perspective is unique in several ways. He is one of the few former ministers of the old Worldwide Church to publicly comment here. As anyone who regularly participates here also knows, Dennis is a representative of the agnostic/atheist perspective. As such, Dennis tends to present an analytical and scientific approach to most topics (and we should all be able to see value in that). It is certainly helpful for people who are emerging from the fog of Armstrongism, and who are often in the process of reevaluating their belief system, to be exposed to the kinds of questions and observations which Dennis contributes here. It is naïve to think that many of these folks are not questioning just about everything – and there is value in validating their right to have questions!

Although I am a theist and a Christian, I appreciate Dennis’ sincere desire to help people to emerge from the trainwreck of Armstrongism. His journey led him to a different set of conclusions from my own, but it has endowed him with the same compassion and need to help others that motivates most of the rest of us here. Hence, even when we challenge his conclusions (or take him to task on occasion for appearing to be condescending), we should all strive to appreciate his journey, perspective, and desire to help others. Social media sometimes has the unintended consequence of dehumanizing our responses to each other, and occasionally makes us say things that we would never dream of saying to each other when face to face. So, while I am confident that I will feel compelled to challenge Mr. Diehl on some occasion in the future (if he chooses to return to this forum), I would like to express my sincere desire that he decides to do just that!

 

Lonnie Hendrix/Miller Jones

COGWA Wants You To Know They Don't Water Things Down

Remember, THIS is a Church of God stating this! A splinter group of a splinter group. A splinter group who thought they were more evolved than their mother church, the United Church of God. So, in normal COG fashion, they had a sanctimonious hissy fit and left to form their own church, taking with them hundreds of ministers and members, only after they had enough money to keep the ministry in their privileged lifestyle. The best example of 1st-century Christianity ever!

Our job—the mission Christ gave to us—is to share God’s message of life, hope and truth with the world. We don’t believe that message needs to be updated or polished or reinvented for the modern age. The words of God are as timeless and powerful today as the day they were first recorded.

Throughout the centuries the church has ALWAYS  updated itself, polished and refined itself, and reinvented itself to adapt to the rapidly changing world they were in. While the basic principles might remain the same the overall mission and action of the church has always made itself relevant to the age it was in. Unless of course, you are a Church of God and think you are better than everyone else and you remain stuck in the unreachable "glory years" of the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong. The current COG movement is stuck in the past, always trying to recapture some lost value or pipe dream that remains stuck in their heads.

The Bible contains the reason you were created. It contains God’s plan for you and what He expects from you. It explains where the world is heading and why—and how God is going to rescue it. It contains the blueprint for living a successful, meaningful life in the present, and inheriting eternity in the future. 

 

As the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, our job is to share that message with the world and then care for those who respond to it—to give them a place to grow and flourish. We are a community, a brotherhood of believers, marching together toward a common goal—the future promised to us by God.

COGWA, while larger than the improperly named "continuing" Church of God is almost in the same league. No one knows who they are. Other than continuing to poach COG members from other groups, little is known about them. 

Our Values 

 

Our values are developed from those of the New Testament Church. We teach the living Word of God from both the Old and New Testaments, which transforms peoples’ lives. 

 

The Church of God, a Worldwide Association, teaches and practices the same way of life Jesus Christ and the first-century Church of God followed. We observe the seventh-day Sabbath and the annual Sabbaths or Holy Days, as did Jesus and the early Church.

There is no Church of God today with any ties to Herbert Armstrong that teaches and practices what Jesus taught and what the 1st-century church did. No matter how much they claim this, they do not. 

PCG: Absurd Statement's By Gerald Flurry

 

When one looks at the appalling history of the Philadelphia Church of God breaking up families and telling parents to abandon their children at the mall for the state to take care of, it is rather hypocritical to see Gerald Flurry say the following things about the family. Of course, family to him is ONLY those who are currently PCG members. Former members are considered apostate, regardless of whether they are a spouse, parent, child, grandparents, etc. Those people are discarded by the wayside unless they fully repent and return to the fold and submit to Flurry and his apostate hierarchy, AND after reading Mystery of the Ages and Malachi's Message, AGAIN. Salvation cannot be archived without reading these two books. The simple scriptures on salvation are moot points with all the rigamarole that PCG puts their members through which can be stripped away at a moment's notice.

God’s people must be an example to the world of showing no partiality, and treating each member of Christ’s Body with honor. That way of life must begin within the Church because God wants it to reach every corner of the world! “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Hold to the Head, Jesus Christ, and then reach out to all those within God’s Church, and then everyone in the world, as we have the opportunity. 

PCG is not unified and never has been. Members are leaving by the day. Division fills the church, including in the elite realm of the chosen ones. They are always on edge fearing that they are going to piss off the Dear Leader and be banished from the cult compound.

God wants His Church to “dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133)—to be of “one spirit” and “one mind,” “likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 1:27; 2:2)—to “speak the same thing,” with “no divisions,” “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). He wants His people to be “as one man” (Ezra 3:1). That is truly deep Family unity! 

No one and I repeat NO ONE, who has ever left the PCG has lost ANYTHING! There is NOTHING that they need to recapture. What they do need to do is dump 99.99% of the crap they were taught into the rubbish bin and burn it. 

James really emphasizes this truth. He is showing the Laodiceans how much they have lost, and how much they are going to have to recapture in order to make it into the eternal Family of God! They must get back to the Family understanding. 

Gerald thinks that within the next 10 years the end times will have hit and the PCG members will be transformed into mini gods and goddesses and will be educating the world with the message of Gerald and Lil'Stevie Flurry. 

Probably within a decade, God’s people are going to be teaching the world about the Family of God! This world desperately needs that Family education. That is what God wants to give it most of all.

The world does NOT need the family education that Flurry rants about. The world needs NOTHING that Flurry has to offer.

That Bizarre Round-robin African Ordination

 

From a reader who reminds us how Bwana Bob Thiel was ordained after no COG leader or minister would ever do it.

Let's not forget about Bicontinental Bob's bizarre round-robin ordination ceremony a few years ago. 

 

He traveled to Africa to meet with one of his new leaders who was already styling himself as an "Evangelist" from some previous ordination. This African "Evangelist" told his people that he would be ordaining Bob in the ceremony. Bob, however, thought he was ordaining the African guy into leadership in his ACOG. 

 

This tells us that Bob was insecure, deep down, about his own status as an Overseer who had been double-anointed but never before ordained. And it shows us how the African and American leaders use each other for their own gain.

PCG's New Logo To Deceive Israelis

 

The Philadelphia Church of God is seeking ways to legitimize themselves to the people of Israel and their government. Israel still considers them to be an aberrant American cult, Israel holds them at arm's length.

The PCG recently started a new organization to educate the Israelis about their history. Apparently, they are too stupid to understand what their history is.

Their new "institute" seeks to capture the attention of the Jewish nation so they came up with a new logo as seen above.

Here is their explanation of it:

At the top is depicted a seven-branched menorah. This, of course, hearkens back to the menorah that stood in the tabernacle and, later, the temple (i.e. Exodus 25:31-32), a golden symbol of continually burning light. It is today one of Israel’s primary symbols and also reflects one of our most exciting discoveries: the sixth-century b.c.e. gold menorah medallion. 

 

On either side of the menorah are olive branches. This is a link to Zechariah 4:11-14: “Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick [menorah] and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? … Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (King James Version). This symbol of a menorah flanked by olive branches is most commonly seen on the official Emblem of Israel, as displayed on flags, printed on official documents, etc (shown on the right).

 

Flanking this central image on our emblem are two lions. Lion imagery is found throughout the Bible, especially in relation to the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:9), and the lion is the symbol on the official Emblem of Jerusalem (found, again, on flags and displayed in other forms around the city—see left). The lion symbol was used by Herbert W. Armstrong for his organization since the mid-20th century. It is also linked to the Mazar family: The symbol of the name Maisler (the original European surname of the Mazar family) is a lion. Prof. Benjamin Mazar’s son (and Dr. Eilat Mazar’s father), Ory, stylized his own personal symbol as a winged lion (below).

Thus, two lions befitting the two sides that have helped bring our institute together—Armstrong and Mazar.
Text


The text in the lower half of the emblem, האבנים תזעקנה, can be translated as the stones will cry out. This is a biblical refrain, found especially in Habakkuk 2:11 (which reads in the singular): “For the stone shall cry out of the wall”—in Hebrew, “כִּי־אֶבֶן מִקִּיר תִּזְעָק”. The famous 11th century c.e.Jewish commentator Rashi wrote about this passage of Scripture in plural form (“כי האבנים … תזעקנה מן הקיר”, On Habakkuk, 2:11:1). An almost identical statement to Habakkuk’s is found in the New Testament: “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out”(Luke 19:40; kjv). Numerous scriptures attest to the “stones” as history’s witnesses that deliver testimony (i.e. Joshua 24:27: “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us”).

Should Philadelphian Christians Be Meta's? After All, It Could Be 666!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe

 

Imagine for a moment the African followers of the Great Bwana Bob Thiel and his improperly named "continuing" Church of God. Imagine walking 5 miles or more to attend sabbath services in a building with a tin roof with the hot sun beating down on it. Imagine sitting there and having to listen to this taped crap as the sermonette. Heck, imagine being one of his 304 caucasian members having to listen to this! Jesus doesn't give a shekel about this kind crap!

Metaverse: Metasurveillence 666?
In the Fall of 2021, Facebook changed its name to Meta. Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Meta’ s Mark Zuckerberg are pushing for something called the metaverse? What is ‘meta’? What is a metaverse? Will it be the next logical step in the computer world? Will it bring utopia? Will it instead more facilitate a dystopian world? Does any of this have possible ramifications of 666 control and surveillance? What about the prophesied coming famine of the word? Could Europe’s ‘European Public Prosecutor’s Office’ possibly have potential to enforce 666 controls on buying and selling? What should Philadelphian Christians do?

Philadelphia Church of God Hypocrisy On Smartphones and Social Media

  

There have been several reports over the years about the Philadelphia Church of God telling members to not own smartphones. Even the younger people at Herbert Armstrong College are not supposed to have them unless of course, you are a child of one of the elite leaders (Turgeon) and all of them have smartphones.

In spite of all of this idiocy, the PCG sure loves to use all of the current social media platforms to spread their fake gospel message around on.

March 30, 2021 

 

Smartphones were forbidden to be used by those on campus last year (read November 19, 2020 letter: “PCG Ruling Says No Smartphones Allowed“). It was January 24, 2020 when Andrew Locher gave a sermon about “Technology Use” where he said using smart devices will “destroy our teenagers.” That was the time G. Flurry put in place policies that would eliminate Smartphones on campus to “set the example for the brethren,” even though some did not obey that policy at the time. 

 

The February 21, 2020 phone policy update said full time ministers were “expected to switch from their Smartphones to a future phone.” However, if some needed a Smartphone for their business, that was okay. G. Flurry “approved” the use of i-pads if you needed one. Then the April 2020 Pastor General’s Report reiterated again that the cell phone policy for ministers was that ministers should not be using Smartphones unless they were required to use one for their business. There were no exceptions for this policy. Minister’s wives were likewise expected to make the transition away from Smartphones. 

 

Not all members have been following this policy because this subject about Smartphones was brought up again at the recent PCG Ministerial Conference when Stephen Flurry gave a lecture. He talked about what he called “the signs of warning and danger” for the congregation if they used Smartphones. One of the warning signs he said was “too much technology.” 

 

Wayne Turgeon on day two of the conference gave a lecture on “Materialism” [Note by ESN: Why then did Turgeon in a 2021 sermon refer to all the materialism, riches and luxuries at HQs as “perks and fringe benefits” for being the few first fruits on this earth?] and said, “Materialism [not Charles Darwin] is the father of evolution and what we call human nature is really Satan’s nature. [Note by ESN: Human nature is that which makes us distinctly human] … People change a little at a time in the direction of the masses as they are influenced a little at a time.” This sounded to me exactly how PCG members change a little at a time as they are influenced by the leader’s mind control. 

 

I know several members in PCG who all have Smartphones. But if G. Flurry continues his crack down, the day could come when we’ll see them with a flip phone again. It’s ridiculous to what lengths PCG will go to in order to keep members from finding out the truth about PCG. I know GF is also worried about someone recording their sermons with these Smartphones. 

 

Members have been told that if they want to overcome they must hear what God (i. e., PCG government) is saying about this. 

 

Members, however, are still using Smartphones. –[name withheld] Gerald Flurry Cracks Down On Smartphone Usage By Ministers and Church Members