Latest Armstrongite Flare-Up: WCG Wales

You would have thought all the legalists that worshiped all things HWA would have left WCG/GCI by now.  It seems they have not in Wales.

There has been a rebellion recently by a deacon there who is leading a small group of people away from WCG.  It seems a WCG minister came to celebrate Unleavened Bread in a small Welsh church and brought a loaf of regular bread.  Drama ensued and the deacon is seeking to negotiate with Spanky Meredith about bringing his group into Spanky's cult.

There is another extremely small splinter cult in the same area (Church of God in Wales), but the deacon will not join with them because he had a falling out with them previously.  They want to get back as close to HWA's teachings as possible.

From the UK Apologeticss site:

Here in Wales a WCG group which has met in the southwest Wales area for several years (some of them known to your writer) have suddenly become more militant, insisting that pure Armstrongism should be revived in their area. Apparently, civil war broke out when a minister from the UK 'headquarters' attended their west Wales meeting place on the First Day of Unleavened Bread, 2011, taking only fully leavened bread which he openly ate in the presence of all. He also preached, effectively telling them that it was time for them to grow up! I have now received a few reports of what ensued, though, as always in such reports, there are variations. According to one report, the anger almost came to blows being landed, certainly the official WCG 'minister' was accused of 'preaching heresy.'

We are told that the deacon who seems to have led the local rebellion now states that he will lead the west Wales WCG grouping out of the officially "reformed" WCG and will make contact with the 'Living Church of God' (Roderick Meredith's old, diehard Amstrongist group; website here), in order to recover full-blown Armstrongist teachings. Of course, numbers are now absolutely tiny, we speak here of about 20-25 people at the very most. But the official WCG in Wales is already very small so if this breakaway goes ahead this will make their numbers even more meager.

Interestingly, this part of southwest Wales (around Whitland) already has an extremist Armstrongist group, the so-called Church of God in Wales, Now this group is truly tiny, 3-7 people the last time I heard, but the new deacon-led grouping is currently insisting (although this could change) that they will not make contact with that group because of former clashes between the deacon and the former WCG local elder who later set himself up as leader of this COGW ('Church of God in Wales'). I understand that further damage was done when the former WCG local elder did not attend the funeral of a long-standing member in the area.

This is not something new to WCG.  Almost every congregation still contains a few members who are loyal to HWA's teachings.  They remain in WCG/GCI because that is where God placed them. They feel that God will correct the situation in due time.  Many feel that by staying put they will become leaders when the GCI repents of it's errors and they can begin teaching 'the truth'. to the returning and repenting flock.  They are sad, miserable people who make everyone around them equally miserable.

Robin Brace sums up their state of mind quite well:

One could be somewhat amused by all of these rather sad goings-on but the real tragedy is that the Lord Jesus Christ is not enough for these people, they are firmly legalistic, believing that they cannot be "true Christians" without being in subservience to a whole group of Old Covenant laws. These people hold to what is sometimes now called Galatianism, and the Apostle Paul's ringing condemnation of Galatianist legalism should be a warning for us all....

So the WCG legalists (yes, there obviously still are WCG legalists, whatever you might have been led to believe) just seem to be committed to judging their brothers and sisters and causing friction. When will some of these people grow up? When will they actually study the Scriptures for themselves instead of worshipping at the shrine of Armstrongism?
Robin A. Brace. June 25th, 2011.

Pain

Pain Is Weakness Leaving the Body

Pain comes in many forms. There is the pain of a headache and there are many kinds of headaches that produce various degrees and quality of pain. There is organ pain when something is wrong inside and muscle pain when they are pushed beyond the norm either by exercise or emergency. Pain can be mild and a mere annoyance, or brutal and debilitating.

Pain can be emotional and many say they'd much rather have physical pain than the kind of pain that spins the mind and weakens the body due to emotional upheaval. All emotional pain is the body's reaction to the mind. There literally are molecules of emotion released into the blood by the brain, that find their ways to our cells and lock on to produce the effects we know all too well when emotional pain strikes. It may be that kicked in the stomach feeling, dizziness, crying or shock, but it all has its roots in the chemistry produced by the mind when the mind has to deal with the way things are. It's why funerals are as they are and bad news sucks. It's why chronically bad thinking produces chronically bad health. We are both what we eat and what we think. Emotions can be checked by proper attention to the breathing which most never do properly. When we breath from high in the chest, we literally send the message to the brain we are stressed and anxious. In response,the brain sends the appropriate chemicals for fight or flight. To change that, we simply need to breathe from the tummy which literally sends the message to the brain that "all is well." The brain then says "fine then, here comes the feel good stuff." It's why Buddah's tummy is fat!

If you are like me at times, you worry too much about that which is beyond one's control or inevitable no matter what I wish or do not wish would be. Worry is a way we think to lessen painful realities that will come if you live long enough, or if you're lucky as one friend of mine puts it. Worry is what we do to prepare, as if you could, for that which we think will be painful for us. Worry is also one of the more useless endeavors humans tend to come up with to address reality. It ranks right up there with shame and guilt.

Perhaps there is another perspective about literal pain and that which is emotionally painful that would be helpful to keep in mind. Pain is also weakness leaving the body. Think of that. PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY.

Doing massage as I do can put parts of the body into pain. It shouldn't,but it does in reality at times. The pain tells me that part of my body is not up for the task, at that moment, of doing what I'm doing that way. However, as I keep doing it, the pain leaves and what was weak is now stronger and not painful. All physical workouts are designed to create pain so that weakness leaves the body and one is left stronger for all the hard work. Tissue is strengthened by being torn and left to heal.

It's painful when people we love or we ourselves become less than perfectly healthy. It's painful when loved ones die, either too soon or very late. It's painful when life changes, jobs are lost, careers change, relationships deteriorate or change. But all pain is still weakness leaving the body.

To not understand that death comes to everyone and to react to it as if life has thrown us, and us alone, a nasty curve, is weakness and needs to go. The pain of loss wakes us up to our emotional weaknesses and we either grow through or become bitter as some do. Most grow through and are stronger for the pain that comes into their lives. Without the pain, there could be no growth and no getting stronger. I suppose this is why we cling, at times, to "what does not kill me, makes me stronger." Very true. Sometimes you have to wonder what the outcome of pain will be because, well when it happens, it's painful! Life is a bit like walking. Walking is a controlled crash in the making that, with practice, we turn into graceful movement and progress.

Whether pain is literal and hurts the body, or emotional and hurts the mind and spirit, perhaps if we remind ourselves that "Pain is weakness leaving the body," we can see the bigger picture of what it might be here to teach us. It is universally true that in our weaknesses and pain, we are made stronger, if we allow it and don't allow self pity, anger and "why me" (why not?) to distract us from an opportunity to learn the lessons here at Earth School.

Dennis C. Diehl

DenniscDiehl@aol.com

UCG Using Evil NIV Bible and God is Ticked!

Poor Apostle Malm is having a snit fit again about UCG using the New International Version of the Bible.  According to James this Bible is demonic in it's origins and is a tool of Madam Blavatsky and Satan.

I am receiving reports from several UCG congregations that their elders have now switched to using the NIV mistranslation of the Bible.  The NIV was created by the Evangelical movement and contains very many subtle changes designed to promote the Evangelical agenda.  This book is copyrighted to make money for the group who “translated” it.  It is strongly endorsed by all Evangelical organizations including the 33 degree Mason, Billy Graham.

Do some research on the NIV: take the trouble to look up the scriptures used in the sermons in your KJV and be very careful about the subtlety of the nuanced changes.  This is not about any single obvious change, it is about a series of nuanced changes that add up to a overall total change of focus and attitude about Law, Grace and Tolerance for Sin in the name of Love!

Love.  Armstrongism's four letter word.  It's most despised concept.  How dare one love a sinner.  There are RULES! There are LAWS!  Fools!

Then the Apostle get's down to his business of warning the laodicians.The end-time is here!  Wake up!

I tell you the truth:  He delays NO LONGER!

Those who are close to God and are diligently following the lead of his spirit, have nothing to fear of the tribulation.  They know that the Eternal is their refuge.  The true and ultimate refuge is in our relationship with our Father in heaven.  We confidently know that whether we live or die; he will raise us up on that day.  No tribulation nor any other trial brings terrors to us; being filled with God’s spirit and the love of God which is the keeping of all of the Father’s commandments; we know that we love him and are pleasing to him. The perfect love of God casts out all our fears as we are filled with confident faith in HIM.

Those who are NOT zealously keeping God’s commandments and pleasing him, lack the love of God which is contained in his commandments.  They lack a close relationship with the Father, having compromised with his Law and Word.
The tribulation is God’s merciful correction for those wicked persons who would compromise with his law;  who would call the zealous foolish; who are lifted up with pride and will not receive instruction.

These people are beyond saving; for they WILL NOT be saved.  They are beyond instruction; for they WILL NOT hear.  They have left a loving Father with only one option: To bring their fears upon them; to crush their pride; to humble them; and make them once again teachable by forcing them to realize just how wrong they have been.

Almighty God is ANGRY; He is vexed at our self-righteous failure to exalt him above our corporations and human leaders.

I warn you with all gravity:  We have lost our relationship with our Father by becoming corporate church centered, rather than using  church’s as helps to become and stay GOD CENTERED.

Some Things Never Change in the COG

The new and improved, 'authentic' splinter group, Church of God a Worldwide Association, has laid down the law regarding how it's leadership will be run. The grumpy old men still rule.

In a typically crafted COG document they have laid out a plan that keeps the old guard in power yet again.  They were trained in WCG, jumped ship to UCG where they wielded the same power they thought they had in WCG, and now plan on continuing with that same power structure. New ideas will be left by the wayside.

Only ministers who have been ordained more than 20 years will be allowed to sit on the Board of Directors.

Board members will serve eight year terms.  If five out of the seven members object to a person they can vote to have him removed.  Elders can request a ballot to removed a board member if they gather 25% of the elders signatures.  Then it will take 60% of the elders voting the person officially out.

 (According to J Malm) In practical terms this 20 years point narrows down the Board to AC Alumni only.  This means that the split leaders will be in total control of COGWA regardless of the selection option chosen.  ONLY they meet the required qualifications.  In reality this is a choice between irrelevant options.  Elders are being allowed to decide the method they will use; and will have no real choice as to WHO leads!  With very little exception they can choose between members of the same group only! 

 They are being told to choose between two irrelevant issues!    The Franks/McCullough/Kilough group wins either way!  THE BIG CON!

Only those currently employed or ordained in the last five years are allowed to nominate men to the Board. This is slick because the ministers who have been employed by the COGaWA are those that were hand selected out of the entire group when they all jumped ship.

Malm writes: That is a condition which disenfranchises those unpaid elders who have not  had paid jobs for the past five years in UCG;   this is  great for the Old Guard. It may be preferred by the paid Old Guard like McCullough/ Franks/Kilough and friends.  This is the key issue behind the power struggle in COGWA; only the inner circle of friends and AC alumni have been hired; and may nominate candidates if Option One  passes. This entrenches the Old HWA Guard. This gives the lie to the mantra of "Servant Leadership" as they define it; because it maintains the same old Caste System of the past.

The president of the church must have fifteen years experience and at least five years with 'pastoral' experience.  He is chosen by the board and must serve their desires and  needs. In other words, he will not be a spiritual leader like Meredith is.

Isn't It Time You Started Questioning Sabbath Keeping?

from The Monty Python Haggadah

If Charlton Heston had never went up that mountain we would not have all the Sabbath keeping controversies today!

Armstrongism is continuing to lose members because they realize sabbath keeping is not required of Christians.  Seventh Day Adventists are leaving too.  In 2005 the SDA church announced that 1.5 million SDA's have left the church in the last five years.  Part of the reason why is the same phenomenon that is decimating Armstrongism: "The Internet has made information accessible to people worldwide who are seeking for the answers to their questions about Adventism."

  

There are numerous web sites out there that have a wealth of information for those who are questioning sabbatarianism.

Sabbath Keepers Refuted

Lying For God

Kerry Wynne is a former third generation Seventh-day Adventist.  William Hohmann is a former Worldwide Church of God member.  The Sabbath “heritage” of both authors goes back to one, single group of believers which adopted Sabbatarianism almost immediately after the Great Disappointment of 1844. Thus, these denominations are truly “sister” churches.   Both authors graduated from the universities which host(ed) the theological seminaries of their respective denominations. The authors have worked in association  with biblical researcher, Robert K. Sanders, a former Seventh-day Adventist who now hosts a comprehensive web-site which addresses issues in Adventism and Sabbatarianism—Truth Or Fables.Com. 

Sabbatarianism Re-examined

Support for Questioning and Transitioning SDA and Sabbatarian Pastors

Journey Out of Legalism

Truth Lead Me Out

Proclamation Magazine: Combating the Errors of Legalism and False Religion

Truth or Fables?