Samuel Martin on the Feminine Voice In Scripture

Samuel Martin (son of Earnest Martin, WCG) has a series of posts on his blog about the feminine voice that is found in a lot of scripture.  This is sure to gall many diehard Armstrongite leaders because God only works through men, at least in their eyes.

Samuel writes:

Yes, these books are known in ancient times by the Hebrew name, Megillot (meaning festival scrolls because they were read on specific festivals in the Hebrew calendar) and they appear in this order in the Hebrew Bible. We’ll have much more to say about this in future posts because I believe these books are full of feminine voices.

However, a major feminine voice appears in the book of Proverbs, which merits investigation. This text, in fact, is so obvious and presents us with an urgent blinking light telling us to pay attention, I think. So, of late, I’ve given Proverbs a fresh look and I am indeed glad that I did.

Before we get into that though, let’s look at this obvious text with a specific feminine voice. It is found in Proverbs 31 and I think it provides a type of a key of understanding.

No, it is not the “perfect woman” text per se that I want to draw your attention to. No! It is who the author of it is! The source of that section of Scripture is a woman! The evidence cannot be clearer.

“The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:” (Proverbs 31:1 ESV)

Much more research is needed on this issue because not only did Lemuel’s mother teach her son some exceedingly beautiful and inspiring teachings, she did it in such a way that the English reader might not catch.

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Now, if we take a look at this abecedarian poem in Proverbs 31 through Mediterranean eyes a bit, what we may see here is a glimpse of a song/poem that a mother made up for her son (which is exactly what the text of Proverbs 31;1 says) with the idea that it would help him remember the qualities of a woman that she hoped him to find.

And who better to know the desirable qualities of a woman than a woman herself? A mother knows and cares more than anyone else about the type of woman that their sons marry! This is especially the case in a patriarchal society where daughters would leave the home and join the families of their husbands whereas wives would enter the home from outside of the immediate family and become a part of a new family.

The investment and interest that a mother has over who her future daughter in law is in such a society is of prime importance because it is her son who will be caring for her in her old age as she will probably outlive her husband. So, this is no small point for the future harmony of households in ancient and even modern times.

Now, this is just a taste of where I am going with this, but in the next post I will do, we are going to look at Proverbs 1-9 anew.

Feminine Voices In Proverbs?

The Church of God Trojan Horse

Silenced has an excellent post today on the desire of the Churches of God to live on the "fringe" while trying to maintain an air of respectability.  Silenced looks at UCG's recent attempt to try and be hip and cool with a series of videos trying to make God cool.  UCG is trying to imitate the successful  series of videos and books by Rob Bell called NOOMA over the last few years.  UCG cannot even come close.

Silenced is correct in calling UCG's video's "Trojan Horses" as they try to infiltrate mainstream Christianity.  Their videos may look harmless on the surface, but it's the deadly message inside the horse that is going to cause problems.

Living on that lonely edge has deterred growth, the COG withering on a vine of its own planting as it continues to promote a closed culture of control and unorthodoxy for its own sake. COG attempts to distinguish itself from the packs of other doomsday followings haven’t made the church stronger or more recognizable, nor has it added power to its message or microphone. Instead, the COG is left to dwell in obscurity even while trying to pour more money into its media projects. What most COG groups don’t seem to understand is that growth problems aren’t rooted in a lack of money and resources, things it constantly tries to hustle from its members for bigger and better toys. Rather, its message isn’t gaining popularity or recognition because it continues to embrace HWA’s legacy of rejecting the mainstream in a world it’s trying to warn.

In short, the cult’s message just isn’t inherently appealing to most and it hasn’t figured out a way to package fringe beliefs in more publicly-palatable packaging. COG tactics are outmoded and obsolete in the digital age, its words don’t resonate with the current generation and it simply comes across as insane.

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 Take UCG’s recent series of short clips, including the infamous Sand and Drive. These were attempts to flirt with mainstream Christian imagery and messages as a Trojan horse for its more unorthodox teachings.

Read their excellent entry here:  Packaging the Fringe

E W King: Hurricane Issac Punishment From God

Here we go again, another hurricane and Armstrongism's magical god comes to blowing in to punish heathen America for its sins. 

I remember years ago sitting in Jekyll Island as the tent was bouncing from the wind of an approaching hurricane with groups of men  holding each tent poles to try and stop the tent from blowing away.  Never mind the fact that the ministry of the Church was more concerned about holding a service than they were with the safety of the members.  Of course the story line then was that Satan was using the hurricane to destroy God's true church.  So the minister prayed, the hurricane turned around and went and killed hundreds in Cuba.  The Feast site rejoiced.  It did not matter that their "prayers" magically sent the hurricane to Cuba where it killed and destroyed property.  That apparently was OK in order for the TRUE Christians to be spared.

Every natural disaster that hits the US brings out the lunatics and spiritual deviates as they blame tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes on gays, abortionists, atheists, etc.  It's always "the other" that cause these things.

I am sure right now every single splinter cult leader is broadcasting out news that Satan is trying to keep the True Church from keeping the Feast in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama this year.  I don't even need to check their web sites because I know they are doing it.  History proves that.

So in typical grand Armstrongite style, E W King trumpets out today that the hurricane that bypassed Florida and that is pounding New Orleans and Gulf Coast is because a Mormon is running for president.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Romney Storm...it's happening!

The Romney Storm

Many of you have read my “Prophecy Forecasts”. In early April of this year I posted a list of possible events. I have warned [as I did last year] that God may send violent storms to warn this nation not to vote for a president who follows a false prophet. Read my April forecast and look what has happened!

Now I have waited to see if Mr. Romney would postpone the Republican Convention due to the respect of those in New Orleans. Did he? NO, he did not. While the Republicans are having a party [at the same time] the hurricane will hit. Wow! This is a forecast of just what is ahead under Mr. Romney’s presidency [if elected]. The Real Worldwide Church of God-Really Real

Jeff Neil: Have You Had Your Music Bath Today?

Jeff Neil, another crazy splinter cult leader who calls himself the "WCG Preceptor," wants to encourage all of you reprobates out there to take regular music baths. Worldwide Web Church of God

Good music is to the soul as a good bath is to the body. We should try to take a good music bath regularly. Here are three very beautiful pieces of instrumental music:

Theme From a Summer Place with Percy Faith's Orchestra

Maria Elena by Los Indios Tabajaras

Stranger on the Shore with Acker Bilk

Regarding giants among us:

The Biblical book of Genesis Ch. 6 verse 4 records: "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." The skeletons of many giants have been discovered over the years, ranging in size from 8.5 feet to 36 feet tall!

Regarding Jesus and long hair

For many years sincere Christians worldwide have held the belief that Christ did not have long hair. The reason for that was the biblical statement found in 1 Cor. 11:14 “Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame to him?” Well, new research has discovered that Christ may actually have worn his hair a lot longer than we may have thought!

Our modern idea of ‘short hair’ and that of Our Lord’s days are vastly different. Back then hair to the collar or shoulder was not considered ‘long’, but in fact short; a man’s hair was only considered ‘long’ when it passed the centre of his back down to his buttocks. On this information, Christ did not have long hair at all… In fact our modern haircuts of shaved heads and near shaved heads would have been considered a shame in those days by the Christians, as only the pagan religions had shaved heads in their priesthoods (eg: Ancient Egypt and Babylon).

Absalom, the son of David the King of Israel, used to poll/cut his hair only once per year, and only then because it was heavy on him because he had very thick hair. The average man therefore, would have cut his hair even less often than Absalom. (II Samuel 14:25-26).