Armstrongism: 1972-1975 And Its Backpeddling And Repurposing Of Its Folklore

The overriding folklore of Armstrongism was very wealthy in terms of theories or stereotypes which could be applied to nearly anything which was trending either within the church, or in "the world". Some people did not learn from the failure of 1972-75. They backpedalled and repurposed. In Pasadena, when men began growing beards, moustaches, and long, "rebellious" sideburns and when men and women finally began wearing contemporary clothing styles, the more conservative members of the church believed that the Laodicean era of the church was emerging. Per their revised view, the Germans may not have come on time, but, Laodicea had indeed arrived! This is also when, due to the failure of 1975, members began giving in to their intellectual curiosity and undertaking their own in-depth studies of the Bible (as opposed to proving all things by simply reading and agreeing with church literature!) leading them to doubt, disagree with, and challenge what HWA had laid down as restored truths. Many of the ministers, having similarly suppressed their own questions for years, agreed with these new "dissidents", and began challenging HWA at ministerial conferences. This was quite a sizable group of respected and credible ministers, and it was a phenomenon previously unheard of in HWA's church! It had to be dealt with, and could not be swept under the rug as if it had been the effort of one "misguided" individual who had lost the way.

A mass exodus ensued, one which would never have happened if HWA's prophetic timeline had been inspired by God, and thus proven to be accurate! I was one of the members who was part of that exodus, as were many of my WCG friends! We have to remember that HWA had preached many times in the years leading up to 1972 that obedience to God (as defined by the "truths" he had discovered and taught, which "had not been taught for over 1900 years") were the reason why he alone had the gift to understand the end times prophecies of the Bible. Apparently, the people who remained in the WCG in 1975 had found a work around for this direct association between obedience to correct doctrine and correct understanding of endtimes prophecy. I could not accept HWA's insipid rationalization that "you people in the church were not ready!" Assuming for the moment that the (R)/WCG ever had anything to do with God or Jesus, that dishwater explanation does not fly when compared to the parable of the ten virgins of Matt. 25:1-13, in which the wedding went on!!! It's just that the foolish virgins who were unprepared were left out! This had always been the way of describing the fates of the Laodiceans/Philadelphians, as if there even were such a thing as "church eras" and as if WCG were Philadelphian! 

For many, the nightmares gradually decreased and ceased as our lives progressed past HWA's false dates (which he actually had the gall to deny having set, even as "1975 in Prophecy" was pulled from publication (Russian style)). We went on, rededicating our lives to family and career, salvaging them from an artificial and bogus negative stimulus. Some turned to other Christian sources, others to disbelief. We've watched, in an effort to determine whether "the church not being resdy" could in any way have been a valid explanation for the failure of the original Armstrong prophecy mold. Over the past 50 years, apparently not a single one of the Armstrong related churches has ever been "ready", and none have had similar power to HWA's COG to get out an audible warning to the world. Hi! I'd like to introduce myself as one of the kids from the 1950s and '60s. We and our parents are supposedly the generations of the Olivet Prophecy who were warned. So many of us have had good lives, have died, and no Germans have ever arrived. Still, I'd like to thank Mr. Armstrong for my zest for life and accomplishment, which I would not have had, if his "half a gospel" had actually been the truth!

BB

Crackpot Bob Sends Underling To Malawi To Find Out Why No One Showed Up For The Feast This Year

 

God’s most exquisitely favored prophet is having an absolute meltdown over his stubbornly rebellious African followers, who keep voting with their feet and walking away from his certified premium-grade nonsense. After precisely zero souls bothered to show up at his Malawi Feast site (awkward!), he’s now been forced to send poor Evans Ochieng on a desperate reconnaissance mission to figure out why everyone suddenly has better things to do.

Naturally, in a few days we’ll all be blessed with radiant, glowing reports sent back to the Big Bwana assuring us that the Malawian brethren have never been more loyal (truly, their devotion has reached previously undreamt-of heights). And really, what else could we possibly expect when Bwana Bob’s devoted lap poodles are still furiously slobbering over-the-top superlatives about how staggeringly magnificent the Bobist Ministry supposedly is in Africa?

Shocking. Truly shocking.

Karl Kolchek reporting on the ground in Africa 

Just in: this Wednesday, the Crackpot Prophet sent his head, Witchdoctor Evans Ochieng, to Malawi to prove the CCOG Malawi still exists there, as virtually no one showed up for the Feast 2025 this year. 

 

Radson Mulowzoa was made a fool of as he only had around 50 or 60 people from Malawi-Mozambique come to his Migowi Hall. It was reported to be a disaster as the people there were not even fed properly for the few days they spent there. Living on dried cassava root, Radson left them high-n-dry. 

 

Radson was too embarrassed to even send Dr Pastor Bob Thiel pictures, as he couldn't produce the thousands that the CCOG Thiel claims are there. Sadly, Dr Pastor Bob will believe what Evans and Radson tell him, even without proof. 

 

It has also been reported that Sosten L., Thiel's trump card with so-called thousands, has left CCOG as he can't stand Radson's treatment and treachery. He's now working with an Australian Church of God. Oh my, what will Bobby do now? The witchdoctors aren't being paid enough to spread the spells and deception to cover Evans and Radsons' fake reports. 

 

Fake dreams. 

 

Fake numbers of members. 

 

Bob, you've been conned Big Time. 

Word has just arrived that Ochieng is on the ground in Malawi as we post this. Should we start a countdown clock for the soon-to-be slobberfest? 

 

Fleeing in the Night: Roberta’s Harrowing Childhood Inside the WCG and Her Journey to Healing

 

Roberta was born into a nightmare—and raised in the Worldwide Church of God, a religious group with deep cultic control. In this raw, unfiltered interview, she recounts her earliest memories of violence and terror inside both her home and the WCG environment. From surviving extreme family abuse and escaping into the woods with her mother and siblings, to experiencing racism as a young mother and eventually finding healing through contemplation and therapy—Roberta’s journey is a powerful testament to survival, rebellion, and renewal. This is a story for anyone who has faced religious trauma, spiritual abuse, racism in faith communities, or family systems rooted in control and silence. Through the pain, there’s a message of hope, healing, and transformation. Watch as Roberta shares what it meant to reclaim her voice after decades of silence. 👇 If this story resonates, please like, comment, and share. 🔔 Subscribe for more survivor stories and cult recovery conversations. 👍 Like, Subscribe, & Hit the Bell to support our work! Join this channel to get access to perks like Behind-the-Scenes footage and :    / @apostatesisters   Support the Sisters’ work on Patreon: patreon.com/ApostateSisters 📢 Follow Us on Social Media: Instagram:   / apostatesisters   Tiktok:   / apostatesisters   Facebook:   / apostatesisters   BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/apostatesist... Disclaimer: This episode may contain irreverent, personal, and critical discussion of religion, culture, and systems of control. Some material may be sensitive or challenging. Humor and bluntness are part of emotional procession and social critique. Opinions shared are personal and not attacks on individuals. We support curiosity, compassion, and the right to question systems that control our lives.

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript.

ApostateSisters

1.62k subscribers

Dave Pack On The Wisest Woman In Wadsworth

 

Crackpot Prophet: It Got Hot In Israel The Other Day - A Sure Sign Of The End Times! Oh Noes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God's most highly favored prophet to the Churches of God really got hot under the collar the other day, freaking out over a tiny little heat wave in Israel and immediately interpreting it as a surefire sign of the end times. Crackpot Bwana Bob fails to realize that Jerusalem and most of Israel sit on the same latitude lines as Los Angeles and the West Coast of California. Israel boasts a Mediterranean environment just like Central and Southern California do. Heck, we even share a ton of the same plants and crops as Israel.

Just as we endure heat waves here in Southern California during this time of year, Israel does too. It's nothing for us to hit 80-90°F while the rest of the country is freezing its butt off. Shush! Don't let our resident crackpot prophet in on this little secret!

Israel, just like the United States, has its fair share of crackpot rabbis and religious teachers—much like how the US and the Churches of God are blessed with crackpot prophets and assorted crazy religious nutcases.

God's most highly favored Crackpot Prophet scours the depths of the internet long and hard to unearth weird news that sends his brain into wild hysterics, usually over total nothingburgers.

This time, he quoted some nutjob from Israel365News, where a religious fanatic was losing it over a recent heatwave in Israel that had people flocking to the beaches. This loon equated the heat to Bible prophecy, and Crackpot Bob started slobbering in ecstasy.

The Israel Meteorological Service reported that Friday marked the single hottest late November day in Israel’s 77-year history as a nation. The heat wave persisted through the weekend, with temperatures across the country running 10°C (18°F) above seasonal averages. … 

The Bible repeatedly uses natural phenomena—drought, abundance, storm, and calm—as instruments of divine communication. When the expected patterns shift, when the seasons themselves seem confused, it demands attention. … 

Heat waves are hinted at in Isaiah as part of a Messiah-age healing process: 

And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when Hashem binds up His people’s wounds and heals the injuries it has suffered. Isaiah 30:26 … 

Conversely, the Talmud in Nedarim 8b describes a form of global warming as a punishment, … Reish Lakish states: “In the future (in messianic times) there will be no Gehennom. Rather, God will remove the sun from its sheath; the righteous will be cured by it, and the wicked will be judged by it.” Pre-Messiah Heat Wave Shatters Israel’s 83-Year Temperature Records

This caused Bwana Bob to chime in with:

Yes, God does send messages using weather. These weather issues should serve as a wake-up call. The Bible is clear that God controls the weather and various calamities, but wants people to heed His prophets:

6… If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it? 7 Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:6-7) The Bible tells of weather-related blessings for obedience and weather-related curses for disobedience. 

Weather is not as random as many people seem to want to believe.

And he keeps going with this gem:

8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9) 

But, the above prophecy is for several years into the future–we are not too near that yet. But I believe that this will happen in the 21st century. 

The Bible shows:

30 God … commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30 And weather problems are one tool that God uses to urge people to repent (cf. Haggai 2:17; Amos 4:7-12). But most will not. Nor will most Christians as they should (cf. Revelation 3:14-18).

Now, if everyone would just repent and join the one true Philadelphian Church of God, they could all flee to Petra at the correct time and spend 3½ years of eternal bliss listening to Bwana Bob preach in the great amphitheaters of Petra. Oh, joy!

UCG: 30 Years On And They STILL Are Trying To Figure Out Where They Are Headed

Here we are, a whopping 30 years after the United Church of God boldly proclaimed itself the shiny, upgraded Church of God, ditching their dear old momma church, the Worldwide Church of God, because it dared to slide into what they oh-so-wisely deemed apostasy. 

Scores of ministers flocked over, some helpfully swiping membership lists, computers, and whatever else wasn't nailed down from WCG, dragging whole congregations along for the ride in certain spots. And let's not forget, a few of these stellar gentlemen weren't exactly paragons of ethics back in the day, so they graciously brought their deeply embedded "leadership" quirks right along with them.

They held endless pow-wows to slap together some semblance of organization and strut forth as a church peddling what they swear up and down is the true gospel. But oh, the irony—then and now, they've never quite nailed that whole "united" vibe as a bunch of guys. That little gem exploded spectacularly in 2010's disaster-fest, when 80 ministers and nearly 8,000 members dramatically stormed out of UCG to birth the Church of God a Worldwide Association.

Since that charming split, UCG's been valiantly wrestling with the profound mystery of what their "strategic plan" might look like as an actual organization. And look at them now, in 2025, where they're STILL fumbling around, desperately trying to map out a direction and—gasp—how to actually get there.

Another year, another thrilling meeting lined up for the Council of Elders to ponder their eternal quest for purpose. How utterly groundbreaking.

From the Chairman...

As a follow-up to my earlier video, I wanted to share a short update about the Council of Elders and Church administration meetings held last week in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of our meetings was to begin a refresh of the Church’s Strategic Plan for the years 2026–2029.

Our specific purpose in gathering was simple but vital: to clearly define our goals, objectives and strategies so we can continue fulfilling the mission Christ has given His Church. While our mission remains unwavering—to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, and to prepare a people to serve in God’s Kingdom—the world around us continues to change. Therefore, every three years, we take a fresh look at how to best carry out that mission in a shifting landscape of new technologies, evolving societal norms and emerging opportunities.

One of the highlights for me personally was meeting and working with our facilitator, Michael Wilkinson, who is the founder of Leadership Strategies based in Atlanta. Seventeen years ago he facilitated an earlier planning meeting with the Council. Only two of our current Council members, Victor Kubik and Aaron Dean, were part of that original session, yet Michael remembered the experience well.

Michael began our meetings with training on understanding the dynamics of working together to form long-term plans. We discussed how disagreements arise and the three levels at which they tend to occur: differences in information, differences in values, and conflicts rooted in unrelated issues. Exploring how to resolve each type was eye-opening and deeply beneficial.

We then spent most of our time doing the actual work of developing the Strategic Plan. We reviewed the distinctions between goals and objectives, and we examined the critical success factors and barriers that can influence our ability to achieve what we’ve set out to do.

Over the course of three days, we made great progress and will continue the momentum with follow-up meetings in December. From there, the president and administration will develop action plans and monitoring systems to ensure our strategies are carried out effectively. Ultimately the Plan will be sent to the General Conference of Elders for review and approval in May.

The meetings themselves were productive and energizing. Meals served in the adjacent room kept us moving efficiently, and a warm invitation from Jonathan and Bridgette (Sexton) Beam to dine at their home nearby added a much-appreciated personal touch. A few Council members who remained in the area through the Sabbath were also able to visit and speak in nearby congregations before heading home.

Overall, these days together were deeply encouraging. I’m grateful for the unity, dedication and thoughtful collaboration shown by everyone involved. With God’s guidance, I believe the plans we’re shaping will strengthen our efforts to carry the gospel forward and continue caring for those He calls.

In Christ’s service,

Tim Pebworth, Chairman

A New Ministry By Samuel Kitchen