The Systematic Theology Project: One of Armstrongism's Biggest Bogeymen

James Malm (The Shining Light Blog) is presently spitting daggers at  COGaWA and UCG claiming that they both may be ready to do their own version of The Systematic Theology Project.  This is Armstrongism's biggest perceived millstone that they continue to wear around their martyr necks.  It is also their biggest bogeyman that they can dump their collective anger on (after Joesph Tkach Sr, of course).  Bob Thiel has also spent a considerable amount of time denigrating the project.

I was there when this project was being developed and knew many of the men involved in it.  They were not 'liberals' hell bent on destroying the church.  It was not GTA's pet project on liberalizing doctrine or his tool in getting rid of his father.  It was a sincere project on their part to systematically lay out in print what the Church actually believed and understood.

Part of the reason they wanted to do this was because of ministers like Rod Meredith who would take simple doctrines and add numerous legalistic attachments to them to where things were becoming a burden on the members.  HWA would say one thing, Meredith and crew would interpret in their own way and include lots of nonsense that they felt members should also be doing.  The doctrines of the Church had become encumbered by this addition of legalistic rules and regulations

Another reason they wanted to do this was to have a unique document that laid out for the members and the  society at large on what we actually thought and believed. 

There was no cohesive document that ever stated what the Church actually believed. No document laid out in simple language the core beliefs of the Church.  We had hundreds of booklets, form letters, and 900 some different interpretations by 900 some different ministers on doctrines and beliefs.  Not only were we making statement on who and what God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit was or was not, we were also laying down laws on what color of cars people could drive, make up, hairstyles, clothing styles, dress lengths, etc. 

Armstrongism was infecting peoples lives with rules and regulations that they had no business using.  This was these men's attempt to stop that abuse.

I was there in the Auditorium when this notebook was passed out.  HWA was present that morning.  HWA also knew about this project from day one to the day it was passed out.  The myth that Malm and Thiel promote  that HWA knew nothing about this project is a lie.  Each one of the project's papers went right by HWA's desk.  Some of the Church's most educated men worked on this document.  They knew how to do research and how to do in-depth study.  Meredith did not like this because he has always been anti-education.


Meredith and various of his henchmen always loved to mock higher education and ridicule it as best they could.  That's part of the reason to this very day that Meredithism, Flurryism and the rest of the COGism's are still stuck in late 1800's/early 1900's method's of biblical understanding.  That was the thinking prevalent when HWA started his six months of study.  In those six months of study, in a public library, using books written for less educated minds, he formulated a set of beliefs that carry on to this day.

Public Library's have never been founts of knowledge for intensive in depth studies.  If you went to a public library today to study doctrine, theology, hermeneutics, etc., you will find an overwhelming selection of syrupy sweet Evangelical thought and interpretations.  Serious, in depth books are not in great supply.  Public librarians are not educated in the types of in depth biblical criticism books that they need to stock.  For that kind of study you need to go to a university or seminary library. A serious student of theology will use serious, in depth books on theology written by men and women who have spent their lifetime studying and examining Christian belief.  But of course, since these men and women are NOT educated in COG thought they are deemed as ignorant morons and their works irrelevant. And, God forbid if a COG man ever read a book written by a woman!

However, not all conservative COG members are as scared of the project as Malm and Theil are.  Surprisingly there is a conservative COG member named Nathan Albright who decided to look past all the hoopla and anger directed towards it.  You can read his comments here:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Systematic Theology Project?

A Brief Look at the Systematic Theology Project

While there is no doubt my understanding on certain doctrines and what Nathan believes are miles apart, I find it greatly refreshing to read his viewpoints and understanding.  If more of the leadership of the COG's were like him then there might be a glimmer of hope for the COG yet.

Comments from "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Systematic Theology Project?"

As someone who is, in principle at least, sympathetic to the idea of a systematic theology project (something which I am not afraid to openly admit and defend), I find this sort of account baffling.  Why would it be “liberal” to desire a consistent view of scriptural positions on a doctrine, so as to avoid prooftexting and an incomplete understanding of the Bible?  As readers of my blog can attest to, my own interests in consistent biblical teaching about relevant biblical laws are not liberal at all [2].  They will also know that I have a passionate desire to help provide biblical consistency in understanding and practice in a broad array of issues ranging from business practices [3] to those who struggle with addictions or the aftermath of child abuse [4].  In short, I have zero interest in corrupting doctrine, but every interest in purifying it and removing from it inconsistencies that have resulted from ad hoc decisions made over the course of decades without a full understanding of the biblical context of existing judgments and doctrine about such issues as the Sabbath.

Nonetheless, there are potential pitfalls that abound in a systematic theology project that are worth considering.  It is not only liberals but also “conservatives” who like to add and subtract from the Bible.  People may spiritualize away obligations for generosity and support unbiblical systems of class warfare against the poor and helpless, completely twisting the purpose of biblical government [6].  Likewise, people may add their own personal interpretations to scripture and then seek to enshrine those as biblical, when the biblical core of truth has been deformed almost beyond recognition by the attached speculations.  This is especially true when someone claims that a scripture can only be interpreted one way when it may have many different applications and possible valid interpretations [7].  The pitfalls generally fall into two camps:  the people engaged in the systematic theology project may have agendas to pervert scripture by applying the wrong principles to the body of scripture in order to change doctrine by stealth by getting rid of proper biblical doctrinal material under fallacious grounds.  However, let us not forget that the other (and perhaps more common) pitfall is for a systematic theology to threaten the pet doctrines and speculations of believers and leaders, and thus to lead to the rejection of religious truth on behalf of deeply held error.  There are ditches on both sides of the narrow path of proper systematic theology.

One may say this or that is a twiggy point, but it is the purpose of a systematic theology project to tie up loose ends and resolve minor inconsistencies that threaten to discredit one’s commitment to the whole structure of biblical law.  Now, whether this was what was meant by the Systematic Theology Project engaged in by the Worldwide Church of God in the 1970′s, I cannot say.  It is, however, the way in which I would support and agree with such a systematic theology project myself, and an aspect in which I believe ordinary believers should be engaged in themselves in their own lives [8].  We grow in our capacities of spiritual discernment when we begin to see the rich and full perspective of scripture and transcend our own narrow understanding and limitations of perspective, and that process of spiritual maturation makes us more capable to judge and discern, and thus more expert practical and systematic theologians, not simply out of book knowledge but out of consistency of thought, belief, and practice.

From his article "A Brief Look at the Systematic Theology Project"

Among Church of God members, the Systematic Theology Project, which can be found in its entirety online, all 400+ pages of it [1] has a legendary and cursed existence.  It is often said that this effort was intended to liberalize doctrine and water it down.  Those who were involved in the project were subject to a late 1970′s backlash by a group of so-called “conservatives” who wished to get the Worldwide Church of God “back on track” that led to the early 1980′s “rule of the Ayatollahs” that some people (myself included) find a deeply traumatic past that is too painful to want to see come alive ever again, but was a nostalgic period for others.

What is my intent is to let the mostly dead men who worked on this project speak for themselves a little bit when it comes to their intentions and goals for the project and provide some of their doctrinal statements on such areas of interest for me such as our example to the community and our views on race and ethnicity as well as the Sabbath.  After all, the men who served on this project have been slandered for decades as liberals who sought to water down the true doctrines, and as I cannot bear to let people be slandered who can no longer defend themselves, I thought it useful to let their words speak for themselves, so that we may at least give them the credit they are do for being faithful and intellectually consistent men without heretical goals.  For too long their work (and those who wrote it, or those who like me long for similar such efforts to be made) have been unjustly insulted and maligned for desiring to bring doctrine and tradition into harmony with the Bible (or to discard it, if it is unbiblical tradition) and to judge everything by the absolutely and external standard of the scriptures [2].

You can read the entire Systematic Theology Project here:  STP Project

WCG2 Make's It Official

WCG2 has decided that it is keeping it's name that they came up with a few weeks ago. Once again, we are treated to another deviation of HWA's Worldwide Church of God.  And as usual, none of these men could come up with something original and eye catching.

Four hundred and eleven different names were submitted and they came up with WCG2.  Pretty pathetic!

Church of God, a Worldwide Association

The Church of God a Worldwide Association  Board

Michael Hanisko, George Evans, Roger West, Ken Giese and Greg Sargent

Temporary Leadership Team

Jim Franks, Doug Horchak, Clyde Kilough, David Register and Richard Thompson.

Losing Faith In Faith

I remember well when Joseph Tkach Jr, Eternal Head of the present, almost non-existant, Worldwide Church of God, said that from what they could tell, almost 40,000 former members were staying home from any church. Others have written well about this total mismanagement of the spirituality and sincere hopes that tens of thousands had invested in over the years in that particular church, so I spare you.


I would like to talk a bit about how one, such as myself, can go from being a minister in WCG, or any church for that matter, to an informed skeptic, with the hope that human beings, somehow, are spirits trapped in a limited five sensed carbon based wet suit of sorts, for now. No, I'm really not kidding! Very metaphysical I know, but then again, you never heard of a bunch of metaphysicists declaring war, Jihad and utter annihilation upon each other unless they repent or convert to each others "faith." Most of the real history of Christianity, Islam and Judaism as practiced by those who rule over the believer is pure bullshit. Is it any wonder that people of faith, inquiry and hope simply want to be left alone?


Years ago I took a personality profile test found it so accurate, down to the kinds of gestures I use and why, that I suggest to Joe Tkach that all ministers and leader types take one. This, from my naive perspective, might just prevent sending the same, ill placed and probably not really called to serve anyone but themselves type ministers from going on and on and hurting one congregation after another. WCG had this very bad habit of transferring it's problem ministers rather than confronting them. They said no to testing. Now I know why. People hate the insecurity that comes from knowing they aren't as special as they think they are.


Being out of the loop, it took me years to figure this out. It took me years to admit that what I was seeing in WCG was happening as my ENFP personality, which is Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceptive, also is founded upon the idea that people like me are negotiators, ministers, counselors and even massage therapists, but simply hate conflict. Or as my son said so aptly said once, "dad, you'd take a stabbing lying down." That hurt, not the stabbing, but the fact he was right. It's my loathing of conflict I have found that some, like Dave Pack, leader of the Restored Church of God, and others, who are what I would consider abusive, personality driven and more narcissist than shepherds, actually thrive on. Or as Stanley Rader, personal counsel to Herbert Armstrong once said, "I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right." True narcissism. And so I dismissed in my mind what my heart was telling me was so and went about the business of pastoring people in concepts I still had faith in, even if I could see that the higher up one went in the business of religion, the more your brains turned to shit and you forgot where you put your spirit.


But even more than that, even more than losing faith in a particular church, I knew I was losing faith in faith. I had seen too much that was real and did not match the great promises of the Bible. For all the conflict over healing and doctor care, make-up, and all that I generally labeled as "majoring in the minors," I never asked anyone to do or not do what I would or would not do myself. My conscience is clean when it comes to being an enforcer of stupid things in years gone by. I found that "ask and you shall not have, do not ask and all things are possible", worked just fine in most cases and the years have proven my gut feelings correct in thinking that "someday, none of these things will be issues."


Back to the original thought. I have always been a seeker and open to new things even as a minister. Actually my internal definition of a minister seemed to contain the "keep looking" clause, but that was rare among my peers who felt they had found once and for all, as I did too, but now don't. I think my working mostly alone, apart from the big cities and multiple ministers in one place, probably saved me from scrutiny. The few times I did work with other ministers it was ongoing drama and egomania. I found it entertaining but stupid as well and it took me years to see it was more widespread than I imagined. So even as a minister in a "One True Church," I could see the Bible itself had problems that my Church and all Churches simply do not want to address. I think I ended my own ministry in the midst of WCG's "miracle from Christ" (was Jesus drunk when he did this miracle?), when I asked in a Festival Sermon at Myrtle Beach before one of last large gatherings of WCG members for such things, "Just where do babies come from," when showing how Matthew only over reached in trying to show how Jesus was born of a Virgin etc. I know most of you believe he was, but I will still ask you where do babies come from? Mark, Luke, John and Paul (not a band) knew nothing of what Matthew "knew."


Even as a kid in Sunday School, the stories in the Bible generated many questions about how such things could be in reality. Did Joshua really stop the earth from rotating so the Israelites could kill more Amelakites? Answer: NO. Not only is it bad science, but it's a just plain stupid reason to stop the rotation of the earth! Also, no one else on the planet noticed, which made me suspect.


Did 600,000 men, plus women, children and hangers on really trek around the Sinai in a group for 40 years leaving no signs of it? NO, they did not, at least not that many or for that long. I once read a study on how long it would take those in the back of a group that large to get moving once the front of the group started to move. It was weeks! It's mythology adopted to give a small insignificant people, who now get way too much attention, a history. How many times have we almost found Noah's Ark? Always a great story in the news that just goes away. It never happened, at least not in anyway the Bible describes.


Over time, I came to see that evolution of all life, including man, is generally true, details to unfold as time goes on. The defensive arguments of the Creationists are lame. Not to them, because they need to believe it, but to me, because I don't. I'm not afraid not to believe the unbelievable. I'd rather be ahead of my times than behind. I have flint hand tools in my collection that are 1.8 and 1.4 million years old, from Oldavai Gorge in Kenya made by "men" who became us over time. I can sit and hold them, and somehow it comforts and enlightens me. I have 12,000 year old Ice Age American spear points that do the same. I have a coin given to me as a tip, minted by Caligula to remind the population of Jerusalem just who really was in charge. It doesn't encourage me, but it does inform.


I have had my DNA taken back 70,000 years to Africa (I'm Dutch) and tracing the personal journey my cells, blood and spit have taken to get "me" to America. Fascinating how my saliva proves that in the distant past, "I" traveled through Yemen, Iran, Iraq, the Russian Steppes and left into Europe as Cro-Magnon, routing the Neanderthal who were already there, but lacked the imagination I had to rid the place of them in 18,000 years or so. I love that explanation and journey far more than I do those of the Bible, because it is true.


When I was a pastor and WCG was changing over from Holydays to Holidays, every doubt about the Biblical story of Jesus birth circumstances and the actual narratives came out. I felt that if they could flip over to something so theologically lame as Christmas, I could finally examine my doubts about the whole story. Needless to say, the birth narratives, over which the Church said I studied too much, are not coherent, do not agree, are two different stories, are not known by Mark, John or Paul and find their origins in pagan mythology. All Paul knew of the physical Jesus, who he never met or quoted, was that he was "born of a woman of the tribe of Judah." Nothing special there. Long story.


From there, I discovered that the story of the dying Sons of God in history, such as Osiris, Mithras and Jesus, were retelling of the larger story of the journey the real SUN of God takes around the 12 constellations of the Zodiac every year. It is no coincidence that the SON of God and the SUN are crucified in the Spring on and around the Spring Equinox or that Jesus was the Lamb of God as was the SUN in Aries, the Lamb when it was "crucified". For Jesus to be "with you until the end of the age," means more the age of Aries which ended 2000 years ago with Jesus death and not the end of the world as fundamentalist Christians insist. It explained all those 12 tribes, 12 sons, 12 disciples, 12 Apostles etc, that surrounded the "SON" on his one year ministry, according to Matthew, Mark and Luke, but three years according to John. It's no coincidence that in Revelation, God is surrounded by 24 elders, which are the hours in the day. To me this makes perfect sense and the fact that Matthew's Gospel accounts of Jesus ministry through the twelve months of his short ministry, exactly match the story of the SUN through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Stories in the Bible that make no sense literally on earth, (like the Magi seeing Jesus star in the East and following it West to his house) often make perfect sense when you understand them as astro-theology. The story of the dying Son/Sun of God takes place every year over our heads. Light is the great revealer, but light also hides. You won't hear that story in church! Nuther long story. I suppose years ago I did wonder why in Malachi, the "Messiah" or Jesus as Christians said it pointed to, was said to be "the Sun that arose with healing in his wings." If you know of the Egyptian sun symbol with wings, you'll see how old a concept that was.


So while I find the story of the Bible in the heavens, as below...so above etc, I don't fear the literalism of the Bible anymore, nor would I teach it. This is, in part, why I feel strongly about those that are manipulated by ignorant and pushy pastor types, into supporting something literally that is not literally to be supported. Ideas have consequences and we see that every day with religion gone amuck. Spirituality, as I have always noted, comes from within and doesn't need your money nor for you to show up Wednesday evenings, Saturday or Sunday.
Now to some, the reason I can go on this journey of discovery and enlightenment, while painful at times, is because I was never converted to the truth of past affiliations. I think I was. I was a true believer for a long time. But when I saw how quickly those in "high" places could change and demand change, everything I ever doubted bubbled up and here I am. I have both a deep resentment for those that have hurt so many and a gratefulness that I was able to get out and not have the drama of all that followed. The local church I last pastored was already using me as a punching bag in place of those they really resented enough. Remember, I don't like conflict, much less being the imagined target and cause of their anger. I learned to tell people I was never one of them, but one of "you" working for "them." I grew up Presbyterian and well outside a lifelong WCG mentality. I did manage to remind Joe Tkach that he was reinventing the wheel and that what he found so so new in Jesus, was so so old a story to the vast majority of those who came to WCG in the first place. For that I was told later that "HQ thinks you know a lot about Jesus, Dennis...but they don't think you KNOW Jesus." Uh oh.... :) Actually I think I know about Jesus more than they can possibly imagine... at least the Jesus of the Bible. It seems real contemporaries of Jesus know little or nothing of a Jesus who was known everywhere according to the Bible.


And so I have lost faith in just having faith. I like the facts more than I like faith. I understand faith and I agree that sometimes there is nothing to have but faith until facts come forward. But I do not substitute faith for facts. Even a good Buddhist will say that sometimes there is nothing left in life to do but have a good laugh. A good laugh and "faith" sometimes are the same thing. When I had my kids immunized in 1974 when it was not fashionable theologically in WCG, I did so because facts over rode my faith factors. When Herbert Armstrong said in a Bible study that dinosaurs probably couldn't reproduce because they were created by Satan who couldn't either, I went with the cover of National Geographic that displayed dino eggs. That happened a lot over the years when I listened to one minister or another on various topics they really knew little about. Mixing religion with science is lame.
So now I kid about "rubbing people the right way." It still fits my personality profile. I"m still an extrovert, intuitive, feeling and perceptive. I still do "counseling" and I still hate conflict and confrontation. I don't, however, believer I will take a stabbing lying down again. I suggest you find out what you are and you'll understand your life in much more detail. Humans are hardwired the moment the sperm hits the egg...the rest is conditioning, programming, tribal expectations, fear, guilt and shame that keeps one in line with the group, religion or organization.


Sometimes we have to loose our minds to come to our senses. You can loose a lot of other things along the way when you do that, but being more authentic is well worth it. It's what ENFP's treasure almost above all other things.

DenniscDiehl@aol.com

UCG's New Pharisees Indignant at Iron Man!

Clyde Kilough has a new name.  He  can now be called "Iron Man".

The modern day Pharisees at The Shining Light Blog are indignant that Clyde went out and bought a shirt and ironed it on the sabbath!  Oh the humanity!  The abomination of desolation has occurred! Ironing shirts on the sabbath has destroyed the UCG.

When comments like this are uttered by the ultra conservatives it just shows how theologically bankrupt and graceless Armstrongism really is.  This is a prime example on why Armstrongism is splintering into 700+ personality cults that have no relevance to humanity.  You never hear these legalistic fools talk about Jesus, grace, love or serving mankind. Instead it  just one humongous list of hundred's of old covenant  "do not's" that they love to spit out in their hypocritical Pharisaical glory..

Yesterday Clyde Kilough had no qualms about announcing that he had purchased a shirt and ironed it on Saturday.  He made no attempt to say that he did so after sun set or any such thing.  He therefore left the clear impression that such Sabbath shopping was acceptable.  He was surely setting an example of righteousness for the flock: wasn’t he?  Would Elijah have set such a terrible example, or would he have made the record absolutely clear by simply adding the words; after sun set?

Poor Clyde, he just can't seem to do anything right any more!  :-)

Balloting To Start for New COGaWA Church Name: 411 Different Names Suggested

January 9, 2011 – The organizing conference of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association was opened at 1:00 p.m. by Mike Hanisko, president of the temporary Board of Directors. In his opening remarks, Mr. Hanisko reminded everyone that we are here in faith, looking to God for His blessing. In reference to Psalm 145, he pointed out that God "raises up all who are bowed down" (verse 14) and "preserves all who love Him" (verse 20).

Clyde Kilough then gave an opening address in which he responded to a question that he had been asked. Were ministers just jumping on the bandwagon with those who were exiting our previous organization? Considering that those who recently resigned willingly accepted unemployment, a loss of benefits, etc., he noted that it seems unlikely that what transpired was capricious in nature. Shortly after resigning, Mr. Kilough performed a baptism and was deeply moved by the fact that he wasn't doing this as a minister of a particular organization but as a minister representing the spiritual body of which we are a part—the Church of God. Mr. Kilough noted that the understanding that God's Church is not a human organization helps center us. Though unemployed, he reminded the pastors that they remain ministers of Jesus Christ.

Mr. Kilough said we need to ask God what He wants us to do and that we must have the poor and contrite spirit spoken of in Isaiah 66:2. Without this approach, he said that we would simply be planting and watering the seeds of future problems. Although making difficult decisions is generally not good to do very soon after going through a difficult experience, he noted that people often have to make decisions at such times, just as we will be doing over the next couple of days. Continuing, he observed that while we had committed 15 years to making another organization work, those years weren't wasted. Even though we are older, he said, we have learned important lessons through those years and that experience can often trump the energy of youth. He also noted that we have many younger people who are also desirous of helping do the work.

As for how we got here, he mentioned that via a teleconference, a temporary leadership was established to plan the meetings that have now begun. Continuing, he noted that this team realized that we will still be operating with an interim government after this conference. Committees were then formed on short-term administration, long-term administration, short-term governance and long-term governance. Answering the charge that all this was planned in advance, Mr. Kilough suggested that people simply talk to anyone who served on a pre-conference committee. If you do, you'll find out just how foolish that claim is when you learn how much work those committees had to do in such a short time he said.

He then reminded everyone of the "storming, forming, norming and performing" steps through which new organizations go. This time, he urged us not to spend overly much time on the initial steps. He then appealed to everyone to understand that the government of God begins "between the ears"—that is, in the mind or heart. If we yield to God, he said that he was confident that a good form of administration and governance would be established.

Todd Carey then began a presentation on ethics with a quote by H. Jackson Brown: "Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you." If we do this, he said that he was confident that we would come through this storm. Next, he noted Proverbs 11:3 that says, "The integrity of the upright will guide them."

As for our actions, he encouraged everyone to act more ethical than required and to do less than one is allowed. The reason for doing this, he said, is to leave an honorable legacy. He then covered seven points found in a document given to every conference attendee titled: "Ethical Expectations During Transition."

The next presentation was by Jon Pinelli on proposed church names. There were 411 names suggested. After considering the names in terms of identity, mission and legal availability, five potential names were selected: "Covenant Church of God," Church of God, Ambassadors for Christ," "Church of God, a Worldwide Association," "Faithful Church of God" and "Church of God, a Christian Association." Balloting to select one of these five names will take place on Monday afternoon.

Both Mr. Pinelli and Mr. Kilough noted that the choice of a church name is often intimately personal. They said that a word might bring comfort and strength to the mind of one person, while the same word stirs a strong negative reaction in the thinking of another.

Dave Baker then spoke on interim governance—noting that it was not the intention of this committee to set a precedent for what would be chosen for a long term government, nor how choices would be made, process-wise. After reviewing scriptures showing the importance of choosing capable men of character, he presented two proposals from the committee. The first proposal was to have the assembled ministers, following public prayer, each nominate five men. The names of the top 14 men would be placed in a box and then following another public prayer, seven of the 14 names would be drawn by the interim secretary. These seven men thus chosen would comprise the Interim Governance Team.

The second proposal was to extend the terms of the temporary leadership team and the temporary Board of Directors that have been serving prior to and during the conference until the permanent form of governance is selected and established. These two entities would become the Interim Governance Team. The meeting then recessed for ministers to further discuss these options in smaller groups with members of the short-term governance committee that authored these proposals.

There were 774 web connections to today's meeting.

Did A Lot of the UCG Ministers Jump Ship Too Quickly to COGaWA?

I am sure many of the ministers that jumped ship in the last several weeks are now wondering if they made a wise decision.

Herr Pinelli announced at the COGaWA conference that only around 35-40 of the ministers that left UCG would be on salary.

This splint is nothing like when UCG split off from WCG.  UCG had months to plan their break-off.  UCG Texas and other groups were set up months in advance to facilitate the breakaway group.  While behind the scenes shenanigans went on behind UCG's back, COGaWA planners did not have the same amount of time to think this entire process through.

Five thousand members now will have to support 40 paid ministers and HQ staff.  They also have to support the Latin America groups that jumped ship with Leon Walker.  UCG was subsidizing the South American's big time.  Now those five thousand COGaWA members will be supporting them too.

I am sure Rhodes and crew are laughing their heads off at that one!

Another UCG Philippines Resignation

GTA Vidicated! It Was NOT His Fault!

Beddy Teddy has been vindicated! All that romping around with 200 coed's, the stewardesses on the three WCG Corporate jets and that hot masseuse,  was NOT his fault!  Hallelujah and pass the collection plate!  COG leaders take note!  You now have an excuse!

Thrill-Seeking Gene Can Lead to More Sex Partners

SUNY Scientists Find Longer DRD4 Gene Can Lead to Double Risk for Promiscuity, Infidelity

By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES

Dec. 6, 2010

John Coleman, a 22-year-old from Syracuse, N.Y., has been engaged for the last two years and cannot fathom having sex with anyone other than his girlfriend.
"I find cheating appalling," said Coleman. "There's got to be something going on in your head to cheat."

It turns out Coleman is right.

In what is being called a first of its kind study, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY) have discovered that about half of all people have a gene that makes them more vulnerable to promiscuity and cheating.

Those with a certain variant of the dopamine receptor D4 polymorphism -- or DRD4 gene -- "were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity," according to lead investigator Justin Garcia.


Read the article here: Thrill -Seeking Gene

Board Announced For WCG2, French Not Too Keen On Joining WCG2

In COGaWA's background planning meetings while many were still part of UCG they set up a temorary list of men that would run the church.  These men were to be voted on at the COGaWA conference this past weekend.  It shoudl come as no surprise that these men were ratified to remain in power for the next six months while they see what addtional growth happens to their new church.

As usual in COGdom, it is the same old Catholic based power structure.  The same men who were rulers under Armstrong, Tkach Sr. and UCG are once again ruling in their ivory tower.

The Church of God a Worldwide Association  Board

Michael Hanisko, George Evans, Roger West, Ken Giese and Greg Sargent

Temporary Leadership Team

Jim Franks, Doug Horchak, Clyde Kilough, David Register and Richard Thompson.

It looks like poor Joel Meeker did not get many of the French speaking members in Europe to jump ship with him to the new WCG2. Of the twenty members of UCG in France only five jumped ship with Meeker. Belgium also has five members who joined him.  Big times are ahead little Joel!  Big Times!  Woo Hoo!

UCG Down 5,000 Members

There is no way UCG can fluff off 5,000 members leaving their organization.  5,000 members bring in a huge hunk of change.  If there is a dramatic decrease in money UCG will loose the time slot for their TV program (that very few watch already) and publications will also drop.  ABC lost instructors. Summer camp leaders defected. Feast coordinators left.  The list goes on and on.

More OnThe Bar Church

More on the Bar Church story.

With all the incredibly silliness going on in the UCG/COGaWA pissing contest perhaps the self righteous leaders could get off their rear ends and go meet in some bars and do something useful for a while...

Emerging Church’: Should You Really Worship Jesus in a Bar?

TWO HARBORS, Minn. (AP) — It was a Sunday during Advent, and inside a small pub a few blocks up from the north shore of Lake Superior, 17 people gathered around four bar-top tables shoved into a ring.
Betsy Nelson, the bar’s cook, lit two candles with a cigarette lighter as Addison Houle strapped on an acoustic guitar and sang a slightly off-key rendition of “We Three Kings.“ Curt ”Fish” Anderson sipped a beer as TVs overhead flickered with NFL pregame shows.

“Father, thank you for this time we can share on Sunday morning with new friends,” prayed Chris Fletcher, an emergency medical technician, part-time bartender and seminary student who has led this service every Sunday morning at Dunnigan’s Pub & Grub since last summer. “We’re getting to know you, and getting to know each other better.”

Spending Sunday mornings in a bar sounds like an activity for those running from God. For this small group in a watering hole in Twin Harbors, about 160 miles northeast of Minneapolis, it’s about chasing God. It’s one unconventional place of worship around the country fostered by an evangelical movement known as “the emerging church.”


“I feel closer to God here than I do at a conventional church,” said Nelson, 56, a lifelong churchgoer who until recently could be found every Sunday morning in the pews at First Baptist Church nearby. “Jesus said we’re supposed to be a light to the world. What better place to do that than at a bar?”

After the opening prayer, Fletcher read a brief passage from the Bible before opening the floor to a group discussion. Gene Shank, a 68-year-old retired police officer making his first visit after reading a notice Fletcher put in the local newspaper, confessed to a bit of discomfort.

“I’m a reality person, and I’m finding a little too much established religion here to be honest,” Shank said. “I believe, I pray — but I don’t like structured religion.”

Read the rest of the story here:   Can You Worship Jesus In A Bar?

Prophets, Apostles, and Mental Illness

I have kidded for decades about the fact that in my ministerial years I have met at least 23 of the Two Witnesses. One felt he was both of them, thus the odd number.

I remember going with a minister to a home in Idaho once where the woman heard the voice of God often in her head. She had a young baby so the minister asked me to tend to the baby while he talked to her about her visions and voices. The baby had not had a diaper change in a pretty long time, so I took care of that in the kitchen while the minister tried to help her. Seems she was killing chickens on the farm and trying to resurrect them...without much luck. We never made any connection to the danger and I doubt either of us understood the symptoms of schizophrenia, but I do now. After that, I returned to Ambassador for my last year and was reading the LA Times in the lounge before breakfast. My eye fell on a small article about a woman in a small town in Idaho who was found sitting in her car on a Mountain top waiting for Jesus to return. I knew the name. They found the baby dead on the farm. Or should I say, still dead.

From the Bible we find a man once laid on his right side for 390 straight days and then flipped over for another 40 because the voice in his head told him to. He built little models of Jerusalem in the sand and laid siege to a stone with a pot (Ez. 4). He even cooked his food with human waste (Ez. 4:9) and dug a hole in his own home and squeezed himself through it with his possessions on his back (Ez. 12). His name was Ezekiel. Maybe he was traumatized by the captivity or the destruction of the symbol of all that was holy and stable to him, the temple. He died forever ago and lots of the stuff he said was going to happen never really did far as we can tell. I hear a lot of minister types quoting him 2500 years later as if you can read the newspaper and immediately see what Ezekiel was talking about. I guess if they lay siege to a rock, lay on their sides for a year or more and give up charcoal for human waste at cookouts, ...well...ewwww. Time to find another church. I know most will say that God told him to do these things....but think about what you are saying. Would you say that about Andrea Yates who God told to drown her kids or Mijailo Mijailovic who killed the Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, saying when asked who told him to do it, "I think it was Jesus. That he has chosen me"?

An Old Testament character, Moses, went up into the mountains a few times because the voice in his head that no one else could hear, called him up for a meeting. He said it was God, but when he came back down the mountain carrying , what he said were the rules from the voice in his head, he ordered the murder of 3000 more pretty nice people, men women and children for not patiently waiting for him. And these people had already had a pretty tough time getting out of Egypt doing what the voice in this guys head told him to do. He had friends killing friends and families. Bummer... that was a heck of a lot of drama and walking for nothing. From what I understand, hardly anyone who fled Dodge City, Egypt believing the voices in this man's head ever made it to the Promise Land. I'm not sure the story really happened, which would be a relief. I just can't imagine this as a good way to begin their understanding of "Thou Shalt Not Kill." This same fellow, was pretty sure that the voice spoke to him from bushes in the desert too. Not a good sign in the world of mental health types .

Yet again, an Old Testament figure called Abraham, decides to take his only son, up the mountain and kill him as a sacrifice. Perhaps a weird way to say thanks for the son that he could never have before. But I'd think that was going a bit too far. Reminds me of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Anyway, the voice in his head said to and then decided it was only kidding. The child, who probably refused ever again to go on any "just a campout" with dad , was replaced by an animal conveniently stuck in a nearby bush. What's the chance of that! I can't imagine Isaac every quite trusted ol' dad again.

There was a guy who married a prostitute because the voice told him to. We had to drop the standard laws of marriage for this one, but its ok if you are doing it for God. Man was his wife mad about that! The guy even began to think he was a reincarnated form of the guy before him who talked to the bush. Tons of people obeyed this guy for a time, but usually not for very long. Hosea I think.

The more I think about it, the more I have to admit that voices in the heads of people I never met, and no one at that time could hear themselves, have played a really big role in who gets the final say in religion. What if...Nah.

Paul in the New Testament fell off a donkey when he heard a voice in his head about giving Jesus a hard time in his old job. He even saw a flash of light in his head, brighter than the sun and it was already noon when this happened! That's pretty darn bright! When people in the Bible light up, it's ALWAYS brighter than the sun. You'd think more people would notice. The others either heard the voice but did not see the light, or saw the light but not the voice, stood up, or all fell down depending on the story your read in the Bible. The voice in Paul's head told him it was time to change jobs and he'd get his vision back from a guy in town if he did what he was told. Today we might say he had all the symptoms of a sunstroke or maybe even temporal lobe epilepsy where voices and flashes are pretty darn common along with an intense sense of morality that others must get in tune with.

Paul went on to write most of the New Testament and continue to tell people nothing about any real Jesus he had ever met. No stories, no miracles, no teachings, nothing about the 12 guys Jesus had to follow him, and I would expect to have passed the teachings on to others. Maybe even write something about Jesus, after all there were 12 of them! But alas, they didn't much and we have no clue what happened to that bunch. It's all hearsay. Some say that they were merely a symbol of the twelve signs of the zodiac surrounding the central sun/son, and not real people, but let's not go there.

Paul spoke volumes about the one who spoke to him in his head and he saw often in visions. When he gave the instructions for eating the body and blood of Jesus, he said very plainly Jesus himself told him about the details of that. Paul never met the real Jesus so I'm pretty sure he meant in vision. When he said, "have I not seen the Lord?" he didn't mean in person. He meant in his visions. He even took a trip to the third heaven, but said the stuff he saw was too much to share at this time...Hey!

At any rate, Paul ends up in Rome for some unnamed offense and disappears. Sometimes I think his death or execution must have been an embarrassment to the church as the last we hear of him, he is under house arrest having a pretty good time. I'm sure they knew how it ended for the guy and why, but it might have annoyed the early Christians to know the truth of it all, so they left it out.

I even heard or read in the book of Mark that Jesus mom and brothers came down to Jerusalem to get him because THEY thought he was "mad." I don't think they thought he was angry, but rather a bit daft. Jesus kind of blew them off in a way that would have got me slapped by my dad for being so rude to mom. It was like he didn't know them. Mary had evidently completely forgotten about his wonderful birth story and all those great things she kept and pondered in her heart. Besides he had to do what the voice in his head said. Later, other guys who wrote about Jesus dropped this hot little tale and told a really cute story about how Jesus came to be. God himself had visited her, well no, I guess the Holy Spirit did. You know the third thing in the Trinity and she was pregnant by no less than the Deity. She burst into song about this in Luke and seemed to know that Jesus was literally "fully God and fully man", whatever that means. I can understand one thing being fully something, but not two things being fully the same thing but different and coequal but not. Oh never mind. Church talk. I guess it's one of those mysteries we hear about when one story leads to the next and we tie ourselves in a knot, wrapped in a enigma, coated with cheese.

Matthew tells a great story of Jesus birth, different from Luke's, but at least they cleaned up that embarrassing tale about Jesus being hauled away by his family for being nuts. Mark must have been mistaken according to Matthew and Luke, but Mark was the embarrassing story and came before the cute story, I suspect it had a ring of truth to it, at least as Mary saw it.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus was so anxiety ridden not to know who his real father was that he took mom literal when she got tired of him asking and said "God is your father." Who knows?
I always found it interesting that the poor kid in the New Testament who threw himself in both the fire and water often, or maybe just fell in them when this hit him, cried out, foamed at the mouth and then recovered pretty quickly when the demon was put out, had all the symptoms of infantile epilepsy. Every one!
Some say his cursing trees for having no fruit at a time of year when there is not supposed to be fruit, or attacking the legitimate money changers in the temple who really were simply changing pagan money into temple scrip for the purchase of sacrifices, were not good signs of quality mental health. That last act probably got him killed by the Romans, though somehow it ended up being the Jews fault. I guess it was easier and a bit wiser to blame the Jews who could not hurt you, rather than the Romans who could kill you. At any rate, this temper thing is not a good sign of good mental health.

As long as we are on the topic... I always found it interesting that the poor kid in the New Testament who threw himself in both the fire and water often, or maybe just fell in them when this hit him, cried out, foamed at the mouth and then recovered pretty quickly when the demon was put out, had all the symptoms of infantile epilepsy. Every one! I wonder how people back then would treat a kid with epilepsy! It runs its course in about 30 minutes so it would sure appear that the old demon was banished. I also wondered as a kid, what a kid would have to do to get a real demon lurking in his body. Must have been some weak minded kid to let that happen. I remember as a kid hoping no demon would jump on me. I'd vote infantile epilepsy and not blame the folks of 2000 years ago for not knowing the symptoms or how it manifested. Anyway, the demon was put out, but we don't know if it ever came back.

Jesus had a hard time doing this stuff in his hometown because a prophet has no honor in his own town or with his own family. Well duh! They know you pretty darn well and got so concerned they came down to retrieve you for your own good, if you believe Mark. Of course he blamed the weak faith of the group, but maybe that's because they all know you so well and aren't easily convinced. I mean, if Jesus was God, really, really, really GOD, would the force be thwarted just because the neighbors who knew you as a kid had a hard time accepting that? I think not! Since when does being God in the flesh depend on the acceptance of the people who know you best?

I once read a story about Jesus where, as a child he kills another playmate for some offense towards him. Gosh, I hope that didn't really happen but I can see why it never made the cut. I guess Jesus could have heard about Moses knocking off the Egyptian for picking on a buddy and God said it was ok to express your anger that way if you need to.

Jesus also got rid of a whole legion of demons in a man that lived in a cemetery, naked and was really an angry guy that was so strong he broke the chains they tried to bind him in. I guess that was sorta the lithium of the times...chains. Anyway, aside from this man having every symptom of schizophrenia, all the demons got thrown into a herd of pigs and they ran down into the sea from a town no where near the sea and drown. Kind of a marathon run and by the time they got there, they'd be skinny and pooped out pigs. But this is another story. Boy, I bet that made the farmer mad at Jesus! Of course, this would not be a Jewish farmer so it's ok. In the OT, if you found some animal that was defective, you couldn't eat it yourself, but you could sell it to the pagans, so hey, not your problemo.

Anyway....I guess we could really wonder about the book of Revelation... Whoa...that is some good drugs! Whoever wrote that was one angry human being... Death, destruction, fire, plagues, trombones, vials and all sorts of stuff pour out on everyone! This Jesus is not such a nice guy. Sometimes I get to thinking the one in the Gospels can't possibly be the same one as the guy in Revelation, but that's what they say. The one in Revelation seems like an end stage schizophrenic gone amuck. I'm not sure I could be comfy in heaven or the kingdom with one who could be so freaking mean to everyone except those special ones. I always felt a few seminars or maybe a refresher type program would send a kinder gentler message, instead of all the butt kicking, death and destruction. Maybe a nice lunch between encouraging sessions and a Luau in the evening where we could all marvel at actually meeting the real God and Jesus. And hey...if the presenter is really God or Jesus come down...I mean really really...I'd listen and be good. But alas, this Jesus in Revelation is a case...maybe literally. It's just one big vision in someone's head hearing voices again that others can't hear and seeing things others don't see. Makes me nervous. And people today base their entire life perspective on a vindictive vision expressed almost as a "oh yeah, well this is what you get for not believing me." Nuther symptom. Vengeance.

Someone once asked what's the difference between a Bible Prophet or Christian fundamentalist and a paranoid schizophrenic? Well, one hears voices in their head, has a heightened moral code, is judgmental yet can be very deceptive and manipulative, has delusions of being on a mission from God, sees things that no one else present sees, hears things that one else hears, sees lights in his head, is the center of the universe and has special knowledge that must be kept secret until the right time an then can only be understood as explained by the one. The other, of course, is a paranoid schizophrenic.

I had a close friend in high school who in college came down with the classic symptoms of schizophrenia. Very intelligent but all of a sudden was overcome with the chemistry of schizophrenia that comes mostly between 18 and 35. He simply could not function in this world. His perceptions and his reality were far different than even he could understand. He died in his chair, alone in a dingy apartment last year. I wish I had gone to see him. Nice kid.

What if most, some or even ONE of the characters of religion, are humans who suffered from certifiable mental illnesses? What if some get followings because they are so darn fascinating and in combo with reading the Bible can seem so right? Perhaps we are dealing with traumatized human beings and their coping mechanisms. Schizophrenic and paraphrenic personalities can be brilliant yet fragile. A narcissist can rise to amazing heights of success and productivity. They can have "beautiful minds" and be very very ill. They make great dictators and Televangelists.

We know more now than we did 3000 years ago. And yet when it comes to the Bible and those who declare themselves the special men of God, we go as blind as Paul claimed to go on the road to Damascus. (Even though Paul himself never says this was the mechanism of his conversion. Perhaps even worse, like Jeremiah and Jesus, he was called before birth in the womb as he notes in Galatians.) Pretty darn special! And yet we can allow that kind of perspective to be religious when today, we would get very uncomfortable with a real person saying that about themselves. What seems ok as long as it is in the distant past becomes freaky if in the present. Many who turned away from Paul or an Ezekiel may have had that gut level discomfort. I doubt anyone today would feel a religious zealot who cooked dinner with his own dung would be anything but twelve short of a dozen.

Why is this an issue? Because a minister, maybe sincere, and maybe simply mentally unstable or delusional can hide in the ministry much better than he can hide at IBM. A minister that is prolific, charismatic while also dictatorial and delusional looks spiritual and obedient. The quirkiness is mistaken for spirituality and obedience to God. They have the ability to be deceivingly compassionate one minute and intensely angry at anything and everyone the next. They don't like to be contradicted, corrected nor have their mental processes questioned. They NEVER take personality tests! How is it that normal human beings, who have accurate perceptions about the mental instability of some at work, then lose that instinct at church? The quirkiness at work becomes the spiritually desirable trait in church! Go figure!

When Alexander Haig declared himself in charge of the government after the Reagan shooting, he was torn to shreds for his misstep and is still trying to explain it. But when a pastor type declares himself a "Watcher" or an "Apostle" or a Prophet or incredibly more special than the average human, it gets swallowed hook, line and sinker?

What if the behaviors recorded thousands of years ago that has been the basis for so much religious zealotry is simply better understood in the context of mental illness? We always say if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and swims like a duck, there is a good chance we may be dealing with a duck. When it comes to religion however we change our perceptions. If it walks like a narcissist, if it talks like a Para or schizophrenic and if it has all the symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy, it must be a man of God!

What if some of the many heroes of faith, even some of the biggies, were simply mentally ill as we understand it today? Wow...what a thought! Makes you think doesn't it?

Dennis is a former church pastor and now has a Therapeutic Massage practice in Greenville, SC. DenniscDiehl@aol.com

COGaWA Conference Updates

Conference Update

January 8, 2011 – Approximately 400 people assembled in the ballroom of the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky, for the Sabbath service in connection with the organizing conference of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Thousands more were connected via webcasts and phone lines.

In addition to the ministers and brethren who registered to attend the January 9-11 conference, brethren from near and far attended this historic occasion. An air of excitement and hope permeated the meeting room as attendees looked forward to a new beginning from which the commission of the Church might be fulfilled.
Giving the first of two split sermons, Richard Pinelli spoke on the work of Elijah that will occur prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Basing his message on the prophetic account in Malachi 4:4-6 and the concept of going in "the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), Mr. Pinelli reminded everyone that there is a great work to be done. After examining how the spirit of Elijah worked in the early Church, he emphasized that there will be a spirit of Elijah throughout the entire Church in the end time as every part of the Body of Christ contributes its part to the Work God is doing and is about to do.

Prior to the second message, Co-conference Coordinator Mark Winner gave the announcements and introduced the special music—a choral piece, "By Faith" by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Janel Johnson directed the 18-voice ensemble composed of ministers and wives. Prior to the performance, permission was sought of the composers and received to include the presentation on the webcast and phone connections. Many were moved by the phrases "we walk by faith and not by sight" and "the power of the gospel shall prevail."

Arnold Hampton then spoke on how we can remain calm in the midst of storms. Mixing humor with graphic descriptions, Mr. Hampton expounded Mark 4:35-41, where Jesus was sleeping on a pillow in the stern of the boat in the midst of a raging tempest that was threatening to capsize the ship. As Mr. Hampton noted, we all face storms in our lives (such as health problems, church problems, unemployment, etc.) but these can all be weathered by faith (verse 40). From the outset of this teaching experience, Jesus had said, "Let us cross over to the other side" (verse 35). It seems that He knew in advance they would make it. If we have faith in God, we, too, will make it through our storms.

After the second split sermon and prior to the closing hymn and prayer, Mike Blackwell, Co-Conference Coordinator, gave special recognition to the brethren in Louisville for their generous hospitality and service. Having hosted a Winter Family Weekend just two weeks ago for approximately 2,000 people, the same members were now providing transportation to and from the airport for conference attendees and providing a hospitality room for breakfasts and evening fellowship. A warm round of applause affirmed this well-deserved commendation.

The sound crew in Louisville reported that there were 1,180 web connections and 107 phone connections to the service by congregations and members around the world. Additionally, there were 346 web connections to the Spanish translation of the service.

The Church of God, a Worldwide Association congregation in Houston, Texas, also had 2,476 connecting to its website as it rebroadcasted the Louisville service. Some people may have connected to view it a second time. Houston's reported breakdown included these numbers of connections and locations: U.S.-2076; Canada-99; Chile-50; Mexico-37; Guatemala-22; Bahamas-19; United Kingdom-15; Singapore-13; Mauritius-13; Philippines-12; Peru-12; Columbia-11; Barbados-11; South Africa-9; Indonesia-7; El Salvador-7; Argentina-7; Germany-5; Sweden-4; New Zealand-4; Bolivia-4; Venezuela-2; Singapore-2; Ecuador-2; Dominica-2; Thailand-1; Trinidad and Tobago-1; Netherlands-1; France-1; Dominican Republic-1; Cayman Islands-1.

So Where Were You When God Called You into the Belief---I mean Truth?

So Where Were You When God Called You into the Belief-I mean Truth?


"I don't know anything that gives me greater pleasure, or profit either, than talking or listening to philosophy. But when it comes to ordinary conversation, such as the stuff you talk about financiers and the money market, well, I find it pretty tiresome personally, and I feel sorry that my friends should think they're being very busy when they're really doing absolutely nothing. Of course, I know your idea of me: you think I'm just a poor unfortunate, and I shouldn't wonder if your right. But then I don't THINK that you're unfortunate - I know you are."
(Plato)

"The difference between a man who is led by opinion or emotion and one who is led by reason. The former, whether he will or not, performs things of which he is entirely ignorant; the latter is subordinate to no one, and only does those things which he knows to be of primary importance in his life, and which on that account he desires the most; and therefore I call the former a slave, but the latter free."
(David Hume, 1737)

What happens when one is faced with the reality that ones truth is not really true? What do Christians, of all types, do when their truth turns out to be merely a belief that has been found wanting?

Years ago I gave a sermon using the then new and fascinating 3D art form where one had to practically go into a trance, release the fixation on the wavy pattern of nonsensical forms and let the mind sense another way of looking before one could see that, indeed, there was a 3D picture of ships and sharks staring you right in the face. I had this picture on a tripod by the lectern during the sermon which was on "Can you see it?" I suppose the point at the time was seeing the truth etc. What was fascinating was the crowd that gathered around the picture after the sermon to try and see what I saw and indeed, was there to be seen.

Some saw it right away and gave themselves a big pat on the back and acted like it was no big deal. They became the instant experts at helping others "see" it too. They pontificated on how to look, how to stand, how to relax ones eyes etc, and to their dismay, most could not do it with the pressure they were putting on them to "see it." The one or two who did received a great congratulations which was really the zealot congratulating himself for being such a good teacher.

Others were quiet, not needing help, nor wanting it. They would figure it out. Some quietly did and some did not and just wandered away perhaps feeling a bit dumb for not being able to see it or wondering if everyone that did see it was nuts. Some rejoiced when they finally could see the ships and sharks and some got mad when they couldn't and never did. It was fascinating and I learned more about how we see the truth of something after the sermon than I did in giving the sermon.

The fact is that a belief is just that and not necessarily a truth or the truth. We all have believed many things that turned out not to be so true from the not so reality of Santa Claus to the idea that perhaps I was not a part of the one really really true, only and exclusive Church of God. But belief goes further than that and mere belief in something does not make it truth by any means, or there would not be so much disagreement, for example on the doctrines, history, meaning and intent of God, the Prophets, Jesus, the Disciples, Paul, and all the so called "early Church (which Church?) Fathers.

Other impediments to the truth are the following beliefs. It should not be such a threat to question these core beliefs, but in fact, one might never come to see anymore truth if one gets stuck in these erroneous beliefs.
The Bible says it, I believe it, that does it for me"

To which we might add. "Darwin said it, I believe it, that settles it." If you think this is a silly reason for accepting evolution, you know why "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" is a silly reason for accepting Creationism. But the evolution side does not use that argument: the Theory of Evolution is based on evidence, not Darwin's authority.

The Bible is literally true

To which we might add...There are many things in the Bible that are not literally true or did not literally happen. Yet to even hint at this is to raise the ire of fundamentalists. Joshua did not really raise his arms and stop the earth from rotating which is what stopping the sun from going down for "about a whole day" really is all about. Yet we struggle with thinking we simply have to believe that is literally true or God will be angry at us and label us as weak in the faith. Ok, well it won't really be God letting you know that, but it might be your Pastor.

The Bible says it is true

To Which we might add the Bible also calls a bat a bird which we know is not true or that snakes and donkeys can talk at times and do. It tells us humans can survive ovens, Fiery Chariots pick up the good guys so they can skip death, iron floats, fish deliver loose change and hundreds of other things that it is not my intention to remind us of, but you know them well. It also says women come from men and not men from women and I KNOW you don't believe that..at least not literally.

Prophecies prove the accuracy of the Bible.

To Which we might add that both Ezekiel and Isaiah prophesied different fates for the City of Tyre and neither one of them came true and Tyre stands to this day. Prophecies about Egypt also failed to materialize and adjustments to reality are obvious in much of what Ezekiel writes about. The idea that many "prophecies" in Daniel are so accurate because they were written after the fact never crosses the readers mind and enrages the fundamentalist and apologist.

The Bible must be accurate because archaeology supports it.

To which we might add that archaeology also does not verify Biblical stories as well. No evidence has ever been found in the Sinai of millions of people having passed through specific places in the wilderness, not with ground nor satellite surveys. And many never think that real place names can be used to tell stories that are not literally true as well. The literally true place name does not make the story true. The Angel Moroni gave Joseph Smith the Gold Plates, now conveniently unavailable, to start the Mormon faith at Hill Comorah in NY. I have been to the literally real Smith farm in NY and grew up where this literally false story took place and on which millions of Mormons base their literal beliefs.

Bible's accuracy on other scientific points shows overall accuracy.

To which we can add that the Bible makes some very big blunders in scientific observation. The sun does not rise in the east nor really go down in the west as we know even though a modern apologist would insist that is only an explanation of an apparent truth just as we today know it is the earth that rotates. Well, the inspired Bible did not know that back then. To the bible characters, the earth was indeed flat. The "circle of the earth" was not a ball, it was their idea of a round plate 360 degrees around them, not a sphere. Its what they saw when they turned in a circle , not what they knew was beneath their feet. Satan could show Jesus all the Kingdoms of earth because the earth was flat and they could be "seen" from a "high mountain."

The 29,000 feet high Himalayas were not covered by flood waters and did exist a mere 4000 years ago no matter what apologetic geo-creationists come up with. That much water would drain no where and only penguins and polar bears would survive the adventure on the ark if they could breath.

The Bible is harmonious in it's presentation

To which we could say it absolutely is not. I challenge anyone to sit down with the Gospels and try to put together a coherent account of what happened at Jesus birth or death from the "harmony of the Gospels." If you think it will be easy, or can be done with the proper approach, you are kidding yourself. If you think you can explain why Jesus chased the money changers out of the temple at the beginning of his ministry in John but at the end of his ministry everywhere else, go ahead. You'd have to say he did it twice. If you think you can reconcile Luke's account of Paul's conversion in Acts, and Paul's account in Galatians, go for it. You won't the first nor come up with a satisfactory solution. Of course, some, who need the belief of inerrancy to be true will satisfy themselves but it still will not be true.

It is not my purpose to prove these points one way or the other. It is merely my point to show how these ideas are what hold a belief in place that perhaps is not, in fact, the truth of the matter. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to both the defense of the Bible as literally true and sites showing how this is not really the case. I happen to be of the "not really the case" persuasion after spending decades sincerely developing a belief that I thought was true and was found wanting...for me. In reality, I consider it neither my business nor responsibility to any longer convince anyone of anything they simply are neither willing to consider nor able to "see."
For me, the joy is in the search for meaning and, yes, I still want to know the truth as it really is. That path has never changed in me and it began when I was a very young and precocious kid.

... it's quite true that the best of the philosophers are of no use to their fellows; but that he should blame, not the philosophers, but those who fail to make use of them. (Plato, 380BC)

And isn't it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? For I assume that by knowing the truth you mean knowing things as they really are. (Plato)

A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive. (Albert Einstein)

'... I have a right to ask for a rational explanation of religious faith.' (Cicero)

So, how's the journey going for you personally in looking for "the truth." Is it not like that 3D confused patterned art in which someone managed to place a beautiful picture if only one could see it . Some will insist there is only that one true and obvious confused picture and there is nothing more to understand about it. Some will catch a glimpse only to have it fade and never be able to see it again. Some will see past the pattern to the 3D picture that really really is there and be amazed they didn't see it before. And of course some will just get angry and stay mad that they can't see it and that you and I are idiots for thinking we do.

Never confuse mere belief in ideas for the truth of the matter....

This is a lifelong process and we are all here to learn.

 

Dennis Diehl

DennisCDiehl@aol.com

UCG Philippines Ministry Now Starting to Resign 1/8/2011

New COGaWA Locomotive Is Barreling Out of the Station!

January 7, 2011 – Today Feast Coordinators, camp directors and youth corps administrators met to consider the needs of the members of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association in these respective areas. While the number of members needing these services is still undetermined, potential Feast of Tabernacles sites, youth camps and international service projects were considered.

Yesterday several committees met to work on assignments. The interim governance committee chaired by Dave Baker met to refine three options it will present to the ministry on how to function until a permanent form of governance and leadership is selected.
The immediate administrative needs committee chaired by Dave Johnson also met on Thursday to work on the recommendations it will give to the interim leadership team that will be selected by the end of the conference. Of particular focus was the financial need of congregations, ministers and the organization.

The pre-conference leadership team also met yesterday and asked an international attendee, Andre Van Belkum of New Zealand, to give the closing address to the elders and guests on Tuesday.

As for yesterday's meeting of the long-term governance committee, Chairman Bruce Gore explained that the committee created a mission statement for itself and discussed the pros and cons of centralized and decentralized governance. This committee's job entails reviewing biblical guidelines for governance and recommending governance options to the elders. Although specifics have not been determined, consensus is building among members of the committee for recommending a centralized structure that will seek to be inclusive of members and minimize politics.

The mission statement of the long-term governance committee is: "Our mission is to recommend a structure founded upon biblical principles by which this new organization will be administered and to propose to the elders this structure for their consideration."

A Man Walks Into A Bar And Starts A New Church

No, this is not some UCG splinter church, even though they do love their alcohol.....

Read the article here: Star Tribune Article 
and here: Parliament of Religions.org

"Father, thank you for this time we can share on Sunday morning with new friends," prayed Chris Fletcher, an emergency medical technician, part-time bartender and seminary student who has led this service every Sunday morning at Dunnigan's Pub & Grub since last summer. "We're getting to know you, and getting to know each other better."

Spending Sunday mornings in a bar sounds like an activity for those running from God. For this small group in a watering hole in Twin Harbors, about 160 miles northeast of Minneapolis, it's about chasing God. It's one unconventional place of worship around the country fostered by an evangelical movement known as "the emerging church."

"I feel closer to God here than I do at a conventional church," said Nelson, 56, a lifelong churchgoer who until recently could be found every Sunday morning in the pews at First Baptist Church nearby. "Jesus said we're supposed to be a light to the world. What better place to do that than at a bar?"

After the opening prayer, Fletcher read a brief passage from the Bible before opening the floor to a group discussion. Gene Shank, a 68-year-old retired police officer making his first visit after reading a notice Fletcher put in the local newspaper, confessed to a bit of discomfort.

"I'm a reality person, and I'm finding a little too much established religion here to be honest," Shank said. "I believe, I pray — but I don't like structured religion."

Fletcher responded that, while he wants to be as informal as possible, the main goal is still "creating an open space for Jesus to come into our lives, then he does the transforming work."

He quickly adds that anyone who questions the way he's running the service has come to the right place.
"We're all messed up," he said. "We're all screwed up some way."

Fletcher, a stocky, balding 43-year-old with a bristly goatee, is his own first example. The native of Sudbury, Ontario, grew up in the Worldwide Church of God, a small evangelical sect he described as "almost cult-like." He left religion behind as a young man, but was drawn back as he was hitting 40 and experiencing a series of personal crises: the death of a close friend in an auto accident and the dissolution of his marriage.

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Pastors