Rod Meredith Whitewashes The Reason He Was Sent To Hawaii.

Here is Rod Meredith's take on his exile to Hawaii by Herbert Armstrong.  It was NOT his fault! It was other men who wanted him gone.

It was not so much his rotten attitude or his mistreatment of members, but a bunch of pesky men who wanted him gone.

His god was so angry at all of those  men that he has struck them all dead!  Only God's most true servant is still alive.

Sometimes he lets human beings go off a little bit like he lets us humanly go off a little bit; even when we're converted we'll make mistakes for a while and then he'll jerk us up and we'll learn lessons from it. I know when I was sent to Hawaii in exile at one point I had to pray to God and literally fasted, twice a week for a while, asking God to deliver me, and about two or three weeks after I started that constant prayer and fasting – I'd already been studying and fasting a lot, but I intensified it – within about two or two and a half weeks a special, uh… [I] forget all the names of it, notarized, uh, he had to sign on it, Special Deliver Letter: Return Receipt Requested was sent me from Mr. Herbert Armstrong – he was kind of in his exile 'cause of his heart trouble, and other men were taking advantage of him and telling him lies – he sent it from me from Tucson telling me to go back to Pasadena and he appointed me to teach certain classes including the finishing class of the young people before they went into the field; the doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God. He said, "I have confidence that you will teach the right thing," and he brought me back and very soon after that put me back on the Council of Elders. Mr. Armstrong KNEW that something was up; God revealed to him what was happening, then he brought me back without even letting them know. I was back on campus before they could stop it; before they could go to him and try to argue with him. He brought me back and I was there before they even knew about it. Several times in my life, brethren, God has rescued me even when it looked like a judgment was wrong for a while, and God allowed me to have a time out there to study, to pray, to examine myself if [I was] that bad; no, I learned certain lessons. I learned to trust in God no matter what. And sometimes you will have to learn trust in God no matter what, but in the end God will deliver you. I've seen several times, without naming names, where some of these men that did that then, and others, were wishing that I was kicked out of the Church, or I was dead. They're all dead. I'm not rejoicing that, I'm just saying that God took care of it; it's kind of interesting how those things work. "He that digs a pit will fall into it." So if you're taken advantage of, if you put your faith and trust in God and you feel you've been wronged, pry it out to God; fast and pray and God will turn it around. But in the meantime you should try to learn every single lesson you can if you're corrected by the ministry. And I did do that, I said, "God, show me whatever." I prayed and beseeched God to help me do better. And I came back and I did do better, not that I'd ever been turned on Mr. Armstrong; never been disloyal I could just tell you that, PERIOD! But I had been too pushy and maybe talked too much in certain ways, and I was more careful, and God helped me learn lessons from that. It was those lessons that are still blazed in my brain; it was good for me, it was good for everyone concerned. But God turned it around – they didn't turn it around – God turned it around in a way that those men could never have foreseen. He will take care of it! God will guide you in the judgment and if God allows a human or a group of humans to make a wrong                                   
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decision, Christ is the head of the Church; HE will turn it around, he will cause it to work out good – you may have to be patient for a while. (From his August 2015 Sermon)

Contrast that to Herbert Armstrong's letter to Rod Meredith while he was exiled to Hawaii.

LETTER FROM HWA TO RCM:

WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD WORLD HEADQUARTERS

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91123

HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG                                 Tucson, March 14, 1980
President and Pastor

Dear Rod:

Your letters of February 1 and March 7 show, I am sorry to say, that either you still cannot understand WHY the living Head of God's Church, Jesus Christ, had you sent to Hawaii, or you are unwilling to see or admit — and I prefer to believe the former.

There is no point in telling you this letter is written in LOVE for YOU — for you ought to know that without my saying it. But out of love for you, and DESIRE to see you back as PART OF GOD'S TEAM, working in full co-operation and right attitude with the rest o[f] us; I shall take time and space to make it clear once for all this time.

I have tried to hold the mirror up for you to see yourself as others see you. But still you don't see in that mirror the same YOU that others see-or are unwilling — I hope not the latter. But now I must be SURE! I shall speak plainly, candidly. If this letter hurts, I quote from a letter the Apostle Paul sent to brethren at Corinth: "For though I made you angry with a letter, I do not repent... for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance, for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

"For godly sorry worketh repentance to salvation ... but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (II Cor. 7:8-10).

Now I'm going to come with plainness of speech as Paul said — in I Corinthians 2.

To overseas audiences, and to Kings, Emperors, Presidents and Prime Ministers, I simmer down the WAY OF GOD and the WAY OF THE WORLD in two very small words — "GET" and "GIVE." This world is geared to the way of "GET." That is the way of VANITY, SELF-centeredness, coveting, lust and greed, jealousy and envy, rebellion against authority, competition which leads to strife, violence and war. The way of "GIVE" is OUT-flowing LOVE, harmonious co-operation, serving, helping, sharing, giving.

In spiritual PRINCIPLE, the latter is the way of God's Law, the Ten Commandments-the former the way of Satan. I tell them that ALL the Unsolvable problems, troubles and evils in the world are caused by the fact the world lives by the "GET" principle.

Rod, WHY have so many who have worked [with you] said that you rub the fur the wrong way? You are DOCTRINALLY correct, But in II Corinthians Paul says we are not to live by the strict letter of the Law, but by the SPIRIT or obvious INTENT — the basic PRINCIPLE of it (II Cor. 3:6). You are a model of doctrinal correctness according to the LETTER — the strictness of the letter — but you do overlook the SPIRIT from the heart. You won the mile in a state high-school meet, You had know[n,] as Satan injects into us all from childhood, the spirit of competition. You b[e]came a COMPETITOR. In conversion you learned and accepted the strictness of the letter of God's Commandments. You wrote a good booklet on the Ten Commandments. But now I hold the mirror up for you to see in yourself what SO MANY who know you wIll see in you — the SPIRIT of COMPETITION is still there!

You are not going to like this, Rod. Members of your family will resent it. But I am the chosen apostle of Jesus Christ and in His name, I have to say these things to you, for I want to have you with us IN GOD'S KINGDOM — and there will be no contentions — no spirit of competition there! No one is going to be there who strives for himself to take over the CHIEF SEAT!

Jesus Christ through me elevated you to the chief seat (which you had come to me suggesting over the ministry of God's Church in what we then called CAD, you were a harsh task-master over the ministers. You, yourself, find it difficult and perhaps impossible to TAKE what you dished out. Dozens of ministers would testify to that. You rubbed the fur the wrong way! That has been your life-style!

When you were made second Vice President, it became a standing joke among leaders at Pasadena, the saying, "Well, after all, I am the second Vice President."

Jesus said, "And whosoever of you will be chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even th[e] Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (Mark 10:44-45). Jesus said further, "Beware of the scribes which wear long robes, ...and [love] the highest seats in the synagogue, and the chief rooms (offices-ranks-positions), at feasts" (Luke 20:46). Rod, am I qualified to call to your attention, these things? I came into the ministry more than fifty years ago, back in Oregon. I was never a member of the Church of God, Seventh Day, headquartered at Stanberry, Missouri. The church of Dugger and Dodd at Salem, W. Virginia, was an off-shoot, and, like Ted's present "church". Ray Cole's, and other's, NOT the true Church of God. However, I never became a member of the Salem offshoot. Half of the Oregon brethren (while all were in Stanberry) had incorporated as a separate church, "The Oregon Conference." I was ordained by them. Twice I was paid by them-about four months at $20 a week, and 15 mon[n]ths later, from February to July, 1933, at $3 per week.

But I did CO-OPERATE with the Stanberry people, from 1927 until ordained by the Oregon Conference, June, 1931-without salary, I co-operated with the Salem people after the start of the present Worldwide Church Of God (then called the Radio Church of God), and WITHOUT RECEIVING FROM THEM A PENNY OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT in any way, from 1934 (after both the World [T]omorrow radio program was going, and The PLAIN TRUTH was being published) until August, 1937. And after that, while building the present Church of God, Philadelphia era, I co-operated at my own expense with the Stanberry (Sardis era) people until October, 1945.

I DID NOT, as Ted claims (he was 5 years old when I ceased the co-operation with them because of the pressure of the Work in the present Church of God). I did not leave them to start something of my own. I continued working with them-GIVING, not getting-at my own exp[e]nse co-operating — GIVING — as long as my time allowed.

But the point I want to make is this: I SERVED — I HELPED — I co-operated. And I did not have or seek any high position. I always considered myself, just as the Sardis ministers did, that I was the LEAST of the ministers-the TAIL-ENDER!

When I conducted the campaign in the Firbute school house (36 seats) in 1933, I stopped receiving even the $3 per week salary from the Oregon Conference.

As the tail-end LEAST of the ministers, Christ started me in that little 36-seat school house, I constantly suffered persecution-first from Stanberry ministers, then again from Salem, W. Va.-ministers, then again from Stanberry. The 19 members we had from that Firbutte campaign was the START of the present Worldwide Church of God. The brethren at the start were my own converts-my own children in the Lord. NEVER in all my ministerial experience, I once sought a higher position.

Jesus Christ gave me the Pastor position at the start. The Church grew, as I held other campaigns in Eugen[e] and in Alvadore. Finally I appointed and ordained two other elders, one a preaching elder and one a local elder, at Eugene, beside two deacons. In those early years of this, our present Church, I served as pastor of a Stanberry church near Jefferson, Oregon. There I appoin[t]ed and ordained two elders, and two deacons — for THEIR church. All the time I "GAVE" — I did not "GET." Before that I had learned how Paul says, in II Corinthians 3:6, that we must obey the SPIRIT or obvious INTENT of the Law, not the letter. I had dedicated my life to "GIVE" and not to "GET." As the Work grew, Christ used me in founding Ambassador College. After their graduation I ordained m[y] son Dick, Raymond Cole, Herman Hoeh, Raymon[d] Mc Nair and his brother. From there you know the history, Your uncle and yourself came along about next, then others. I ne[v]er sought or moved up to a higher rank or office. Jesus Christ raised up the Church through me. I came to the position I hold as the simple result of what the living Head of this Church raised up through me.

But others have sought higher Position. There has been, it seems, NO END of worldly POLITICS at Pasadena Headquarters. As Christ blessed and prospered God's Church and Work, and we came to have better than $100,000,000 of net worth, and a near $80 million a year income, there devel[o]ped a mad scramble for ever higher and higher rank. Sure, I made some mistakes. I naively TRUSTED men like Al Portune, David Antion, my own son, Wayne Cole, many others no longer with us. But now, f[o]r the first time since about 1967, there is HARMONY and a spirit of Co-oper[a]tion at Pasadena. AND I AM DETERMINED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY!

Now back to you.

You have demonstrated, as seen clearly by many others, a spirit of rank-consciousness. In plain language that is coveting higher authority. I do not think you have coveted more money. I do not think more money is what Ted, Al Portune, Dave Antion, Ray Cole, Wayne or others really coveted. They coveted POWER — more authority — like a 15-year old boy coveting the POWER of a steering wheel and a throttle. We have gone through a House CLEANING. We now have PEACE and CO-OPERATION at Pasadena. And eight to ten others on the executive level there have voiced to me their fears and convictions that if you now come back to Pasadena, that PEACE, and HARMONY, and CO-OPERATION will be turned once again into constant contention, irritation, and HARM TO GOD'S WORK! I do not like to tell you this. I haven't mentioned this to all, but to those I mentioned your return, that is the unanimous feeling.

If I have you come back as Dean of the Faculty, several say you would delegate most or the real duties of the Dean, and devote yourself to trying to make yourself the LEADER and boss of the College, and even of the Chur[ch.] You have — and all are aware of it — been possessed with the idea that I will not live much longer, and that YOU are the "FIRST among equals" to take my place.

Rod, in frankest candor, JESUS CHRIST will NEVER put any one at the head of His Work on earth who is competitive, covetous of power and status, and self-righteous. In brutal frankness, you lack the charisma to lead God's work You do not attract-as I said before, you REP[EL-] people. You are a harsh taskmaster over those under you. THAT IS YOUR RECORD!

When I wr[o]te you [] that a change of ATTITUDE is needed, perhaps I have at last made myself clear.

You have said that you only said a few statements you probably should not have made, but you didn't think you had said enough to warrant this six months' leave of absence. Rod, I'm very well aware of the amount of words you said against Christ's chosen apostle. But Jesus said, "of the abundance of the heart (attitude) the mouth speaketh." What you did say, affirmed to me by two witnesses, was sufficient, coupled with many other things, to show me the [a]ttitude back of those words. You try to c[o]nvince me of how glowingly and how numerous were the times you have shown loyalty by the things you have said "hundreds" or "thousands of times". But in this regard your attitude reflected [] OMISSION rather than the sparse and sparing things you did say. Ted was leading a conspiracy to destroy my credibility before the ministers and the brethren by saying nothing about me — as if the human leader did not exist — and blowing himself up. Radio and TV programs went under his name-no longer The World [T}omorrow. He even started correspondence under HIS OWN [Letter head] NAME, rather than that of the Church or College. Now I do not want any of our ministers flattering me, or trying to see how often they can mention my name.

But neither do I want it deliberately AVOIDED in both speaking and writing, as if I did not exist. Jesus Christ — NOT MAN — has made me the human leader under Christ. A leader cannot be a leader if all under him IGNORE his very existence. I never did want anyone to go out of his way deliberately to mention me — as you profess to have done. That is not what I mean. But I do not want the other extreme, caused by a competitive feeling, and deliberate non-mention.

Now another thing you cover in your letters. You imply that in what few things you did say, you were FOLLOWING MY ORDERS. Rod, that is hypocrisy. It is not a matter that I CHANGED MY MIND. Let me tell you how it [ac]tually was. When I told you and Raymond, and perhaps another or two, that IF I were no longer among the living, I wanted you to be su[re] Ted did not slip in and take over. At that time, I had heard SO MUCH talk about my dying right away, perhaps started by Ted, that for a while I was overly conscious of it.

It is not that later I changed my mind. But as time went on I began to realize very deeply that God has not prepared ANYONE to take my place. You, Rod, could never take it. I know that is 100% contrary to your own estimate of yourse[l]f. You have a WILL to lead, but not the qualifications. I came to realize that God raise[d] me [from the dead-f]rom total heart failure-in August, 1977, FOR A PURPOSE.

I have felt like the Apostle Paul, when he said earlier in life it would be more profitable for him to depart this life — and in the next split-second of consciousness, be with Christ in the resurrection, but it was more needful that he stay.

I did not CHANGE my mind. I did come to realize, as God caused me to realize, that He had raised me up as His instrument to raise up His present Church and Work — and that Work is not finished. So after my heart had completely stopped, my breath — no pulse — no blood-pressure — by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation I was br[o]ught back. I have not said I now believe God will keep me alive until Christ comes. I have said and I say now again, I do believe He will keep me alive AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME!

You have taken the attitude that "some one GOT [you]." No one did but your own self.

I have tried here to make clear what I mean by a CHANGE OF ATTITUDE. I sincerely hope you "get the message" this time. Self-pity is not your need. A change of ATTITUDE from "GET" to "GIVE" is! If this letter does not get through to you, I shall not try again. So far you have not admitted a wrong attitude. Your RIGHTEOUSNESS you have maintained! But it has been only so much "filthy rags" to GOD! God said-rather, Christ to His disciples, that he who would seek the top seat should be the SERVANT of all. We should be as a little child.

So far, four months or more of your leave of absence has profited you NOTHING! Rod, in a candor, HAVE YOU EVER REALY REPENTED? To repent means much more than being sorry, or remorseful. It means a CHANGE OF HEART — a CHANGE OF ATTITUDE — a CHANGE FROM "GET" TO "GIVE." From competition, vanity, coveting power and position, to harmonious co-operation. BELIEVE ME, there is PEACE, and HARMONY at Pasadena now. Our men there do not want it disturbed. I have held up the mirror with BRUTAL frankness-in LOVE not only for you but also for GOD'S WORK! The Work is getting along wonderfully well now-without you. It can go on growing and pleasing Jesus Chris[t] an[d] prospering under His blessing WITHOUT YOU. I have written you are not coming back until I am CONVINCED BY THE FRUITS of a real REPENTANCE, and CHANGE OF ATTITUDE. I hope at last I have MADE IT PLAIN.

In deep LOVE as a father to a son,

In Jesus' name.

Some have claimed that HWA was hood winked by Stan Rader and others into writing this letter and did not mean to send Meredith to Hawaii.

If you remember from above, Rod Meredith blames his exile on various men at Pasadena HQ, one of which was Stan Rader.

Aaron Dean weighed in on this in the late 1990's and says that Rod Meredith is not being truthful in his excuses.

That is the letter that was in Mr. Armstrong's files. HWA did talk to not only RCM [Roderick C. Meredith], but others about how he was wrong about Stan [Rader]. Mr. A didn't apologize to people, and had other ways of apologizing—some of which could be misinterpreted. His discussion with Rod about SRR [Stanley R. Rader], I imagine Rod took to be an apology. Of course he wanted to see it this way. To RCM it seemed either he was right or SRR was right. Since SRR turned out to be a 'bad guy' RCM assumed he was vindicated. This helps to justify why he maintains he should be in charge. He never understood the issue was not about him and SRR, but him seeing himself as next in line.

It did not change RCM's problem, as you can see from the letter RCM's problems stemmed from well before SRR. The fact that HWA never reappointed RCM to a position of power shows that he knew RCM still had the problem. The COE [Council of Elders] was never a power body, although many seemed to see it as that.

RCM took the fact that those he disliked (and it is interesting to note they were always the ones between him and the top) turned out to have problems, so it seemed a vindication of his problem. Mr. Armstrong still felt the same way about RCM up until his death.

One thing HWA did say, was that "Rod will be personally loyal to me" (HWA). Of course RCM wanted that same loyalty to himself, never realizing that what HWA really wanted was loyalty to GOD. That is why HWA, amid the confusion of the receivership did appoint RCM over Church Administration in '79.

Unfortunately RCM began immediately to try to solidify his position as heir to the church, and had to be removed within the year, and was never reappointed to a high administrative position. It was RCM's own words that caused him to be sent to Hawaii, not anyone else. I pray that he eventually can come to see himself, just as I pray for so many other self appointed leaders.

— Aaron Dean

See:  What Did Herbert Armstrong Really Think About Rod Meredith

See:  March 14, 1980 Letter From Herbert W Armstrong to Roderick C Meredith



 

 

United Church of God: Latest Expensive Media Campaign Is Another Flop

United Church of God still struggles to make its self relevant to the world around them.  After an outrageously expensive billboard campaign that was an epic failure, the UCG has had three different media blasts in news papers.  LCG claims it will be reaching 2.4 million people.

The United Church of God will conduct its third and final test of full-page literature advertisements in the coupon sections of U.S. Sunday newspapers on November 1, 2015.

The first two tests (May 17 and August 9, 2015) provided critical cost and cost-per-response data. We expect this additional test will generate conclusive statistical information on conducting a rollout into numerous other cities in 2016. In this latest effort we will test four (4) new ads featuring the following popular Bible study aids: Does God Exist?, What Happens After Death?, Why Does God Allow Suffering? and Are We Living in the Time of the End?
A total circulation of 2,440,000 literature ads will occur in the following 54 cities/counties on Sunday, November 1:

You would have thought the worlds most educated men would have been paying attention to newspaper trends that indicated that readership of hard copy papers is dropping dramatically.  But no.  Its more fun to waste tithe money on failed projects than it is helping widows, orphans and those disadvantaged in the church or their neighboring communities.

When asked about the results, UCG had this to say:

...the first test gave us reasonable results, but not as good as we desired. The second test was a nice improvement on the first, with CPRs approaching our acceptable range. This third test we pray will build upon that. Then, we can determine the best regions and strategies to use going forward with larger circulation figures.

Their first two attempts never reached their goal.  Obviously the brethren were not praying and fasting as hard as they should have been.  Jesus Christ has had to delay his coming yet again because no one is ready.

Masonic Lodge

Living Church of God: Our Government Keeps The Membership "Unified" and "the Wolves Away"

The Living Church of God is apparently the ONLY COG out there that is 100% unified.  It can only be unified because the people at the TOP are the only ones capable of solving problems thus keeping the ravenous wolves out.

I'll digress a little bit, but I know that some, uh, churches in the past have tried to take this example – some of those who split off from Mr. Armstrong – that they don't need any government; they've tried to say that back here in Acts chapter 6, where they appointed these, uh, deacons, that that was voting; that was one example they've tried to use when they first started out, I don't know if they still do it or not, but they use that many, many times. It talks about in Acts chapter 6 – there was murmuring about which people were getting the service – and so, "The twelve (disciples), summoned the multitude…                      


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saying, 'It is not good for us to leave the word of God and serve tables." Who took the lead, who started this, did it start from the bottom? No, the NEED came from the bottom, but the ones who solved the problem were the APOSTLES, the leaders said, "Here's what we want done, you choose out from among you…" they had hundreds of brethren, and maybe actually thousands in the Jerusalem area by that time; it grew very rapidly. So they asked the other leader – leading men and women, no doubt – "Who among you…" they got input, they got counsel. Proverbs 11:14, "Without counsel the people are disappointed," things don't work out right, get counsel. "In multitude of counsel there's safety." That's another part of right government – counsel. They were getting input. "Choose out from among you seven men (or "seek out") seven men of good reputation…" you see, you're to recommend them to us; they must've discussed it. Maybe they were given a list of ten or fifteen and then by discussing it with these people that knew about them and among themselves they chose seven of that multitude that were given to them, no doubt. "Full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may…" "we?" who is "we?" Not the church as a whole, but the APOSTLES, "Whom we may appoint." He didn't say, "You elect these men," "We're taking the lead, you give us input as to who fits these qualifications, and then we will choose these men, and we will appoint seven of them over this business of serving tables, of doing this physical job as deacons." That is not VOTING! That's hypocrisy to try to call that voting; that's ridiculous. Don’t let people fool you with that kind of reasoning. I'll just tell you brethren, from one end of the Bible you'll never find that at all – never, never, ever, that's not in there. So God never had that as part of his, his Bible; part of this book, which is the mind of God, he always had it by appointment from those in charge based on the fruits of the individuals, and undoubtedly many times with input, and counsel, and prayer and so forth; prayer and fasting they did before they ordained people. So God's government can be a great blessing in serving the church and keeping the people together, creating unity, and in keeping the wolves away. 

Unity?   Really?

Living Church of God" The Government of the LCG is a BLESSING and is Based Entirely on Love...It's Here to SERVE...

Did you know that the government of the Living Church of God is a blessing to its members?  Rod Meredith thinks so.  Tell that to the hundreds and hundreds that have suffered under his abusive hands.  Rod McNair and countless others down through the decades have been the agents of Meredith's almighty graceless power.  Meredith has left a trail of destruction that is anything but a blessing.  People have literally died because of what Meredith has preached.

Rod Meredith is right about one thing below.  He is NOT practicing true Godly government.  A government built solely upon on grace and love.  Love is NOT found in the Living Church of God.  When Jesus is absent how can love be present?

And brethren, we do need to understand God's government. The true government of God is a blessing, and if we don't understand that and are not practicing that, we are not preparing ourselves for the Kingdom of God, we really aren't. What's the whole message that our tithes and offerings are going to do? To preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the true name of Jesus Christ, and then to feed the flock with that understanding. The Kingdom of God, as Mr. Armstrong said again, and again, and again, and again, kingdom means GOVERNMENT – that's what it means. I came back several years from the United Kingdom of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II – the government, the government of Queen Elizabeth – it's the government that runs this whole area there over in the British Isles. So kingdom is a government, and we're preparing for a real government on this earth, and we've got understand government, and we understand it better by practicing and – by properly understanding and practicing it in God's Church today. So he tells us to do that there in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, why would you have outsiders judge matters? You're to learn to govern yourselves and to have the leadership of God right in the Church. He says here, it's God's government that matters. God's form of church government is a blessing. I say God's form, because some people say they don't need any right form of government, but frankly they don't have the correct understanding even Gospel of the Kingdom if they don't do that; I'm going to show that to you as we go along.

One of Meredith's first proofs of his true government is to trust in Jesus Christ.  How can the membership of the Living Church of God do such a thing when the law trumps anything that Jesus did or accomplished.  The law overshadows everything when it comes to the "christ" Meredith claims to follow.  Bastardizing Judaism by claiming it is true Christianity is not following Jesus.

What are some of the blessings of God's government? If you're taking notes write this down; here are three blessings of the true government of God. Number 1, it teaches us to trust in Christ. I've been trying to urge you to learn to put your faith and trust in Christ. Christ is real, and as we'll see in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 22 and elsewhere, Christ IS right now the living head of the Church of God. Do you believe that; believe Paul in what he said, that God inspired that in his Bible? You either believe it or you don't. Christ is the head of the Church. Government teaches you to trust in Christ to guide that.  

Did you know that as members of the Living Church of God you are too stupid to think for yourselves and to run the church?  You MUST have Rod Meredith as your leader.  Only HE is capable of knowing the truth.

Secondly, it keeps the Church unified. Without government people wander off and they let some outsider come in or someone from some other organization and start upsetting people. I know Mr. Armstrong sent me – right after the autumn at least, after I graduated from college – up to Portland, Oregon; we had a wonderful elder up there, but he was a little older and he was a cartoonist, his name [was] Basil Wolverton. He said "Mr. Wolverton is having a hard time because ex-Adventist, and exPentecostal and ex-Church of God ministers are coming around picking off some of the brethren, so I want you to go there and pinch hit," he said. He was trying to lure me into the ministry, 'cause I'd always told him I didn't want to be a minister (snickering), but he said, "You pinch hit for Basil Wolverton." So I did for about seven months as a local minister in Portland, Oregon and I made sure those things didn't happen; I had to stop their mouths if someone came around and take the lead in the right way, the right way to keep God's Church together. It protects people [from] WOLVES coming in to pick off the sheep. You need a leader, you need a shepherd, and (means) that, and has that in his Bible, and it's part of his government. 

God's true government has Spokesmen Club in order for LCG members to train to be rulers of planets in the World Tomorrow.  How can God's kingdom be set up without Spokesmen Club graduates running the world?  The god of Armstrongism certainly is the most impotent god I have ever heard about.  In other words, you are being taught to treat fellow members like shit, so that you can be true leaders in the World Tomorrow.  Well, at least you will be if you follow the leadership of the top dogs of the Living Church of God!

Notice the words highlighted in GREEN below.

How many hundreds of LCG members have felt the swift hand of that "love" as they were kicked out of the church without any recourse or real explanation.?

 A third blessing of God's government: it prepares all of us to learn how to rule forever, because many of you men are coming along as leaders in the Spokesman Club or other activities; acting deacons or deacons – we can't lay hands on and give a title to everybody who serves, then we wouldn't have any laymen left (snickering), 'cause we hope everyone will serve. So we want to teach people leadership, and as you cooperate with the new people to serve them, and then older deacons and older deaconesses to cooperate with them and try to submit yourself to one another in the fear of God – submit to their guidance – you learn the whole pattern of God's government. God's government is based on love; it's there to serve. We practice servant leadership and that's a vital thing as I've explained in whole sermons – servant leadership – you lead by serving, you lead by giving, by helping people to have their lives work better, to have God's Church work better, to cause everything to work better. That is to be the attitude – servant leadership. So that's the point that God wants us to learn how to do now, but that's a great blessing in God's kind of government. It's not politicking; never in God's Church, or in the Bible does God talk about men getting together and making speeches and trying to have a voting to see who's going to be the minister or who's going to be the next elder; never, never ever, not one single solitary time in the Bible did that ever happen; God does not do that.  

As many in the LCG know, the words of Rod Meredith above in GREEN are a bald faced lie!  Servant leadership is SORELY missing in the LCG.  It's appalling that he even had the nerve to say such a thing!

Former Church of God Member Was Imprisoned In North Korea For Smuggling In Bible

Glynn Washington had a link up on Facebook to an article about Edward Fowle, who was imprisoned in North Korea, for leaving a Bible in a bathroom as a way of evangelism.  You may remember this story from last year.  It made the news everywhere, though the connection to Armstrongism was missing from most reports.

The complete story is here and is absolutely fascinating to read.  Holiday at the Dictators Guesthouse:What possessed a family man from Ohio to smuggle a Bible into North Korea?

On the morning of August 1, 2014, Jeffrey Fowle woke before seven in his room at a guesthouse in Pyongyang, North Korea. Soon a young woman arrived with his breakfast of rice, broth, and kimchi. She smiled as she set the tray down on the large desk at the foot of the bed, then walked out of the room and locked the door behind her. It was Fowle’s 87th day in custody.

He sat at the desk, watching a shadow play across his window. An opaque vinyl film had been applied to the glass, so Fowle could see only silhouettes walking past. That April, when Fowle had traveled to Pyongyang, he’d felt that God wanted him to help North Korea’s oppressed Christian underground. His attempt took the form of a Korean-English Bible, left behind in a bar bathroom; he was taken into custody as he tried to leave the country. Fowle poured the broth over his rice and began to eat.

An hour later, Mr. Jo, Fowle’s interpreter and minder, appeared at the door: His slacks were ironed, and he’d traded his usual polo shirt for a crisp dress shirt. “Today is the day,” Mr. Jo said. “Be ready.”

A few weeks earlier, Mr. Jo had told Fowle that he might be allowed to speak with international media. It would be his first chance to tell the world about his situation, and to remind the U.S. government that he needed help. At noon, Mr. Jo led Fowle to a conference room on the other side of the guesthouse, reminding him of his talking points along the way.

“Emphasize your desperation for wanting to get home and that your family needs you back,” Mr. Jo said. “Put some emotion into it.” He suggested that it might be good if Fowle cried. In the conference room, Fowle was seated at a long table with a couple of North Korean journalists from the Associated Press Television News. Instead of press badges, each reporter wore a pin with the smiling face of Kim Il-sung.

Later on in the article there is this bit about the Worldwide Church of God:

Fowle had stopped going to church when he was 12. His parents, Edward and Virginia, were Episcopalian when they married. Edward was a guidance-systems specialist in the Air Force. They lived in Florida when Fowle was born, in 1958, but a few years later, Edward was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, outside Dayton. The family built a house in nearby Beavercreek. Virginia was a homemaker, raising Fowle and his three siblings. Each Sunday, they attended services at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

As the family settled into their new home, Edward began to have a crisis of faith. At a time when new religious movements were multiplying, he became fascinated by the Worldwide Church of God, an organization led by Herbert W. Armstrong, who had helped pioneer the use of radio and television to reach far-flung worshippers. His teachings leaned heavily on the Old Testament and British Israelism, which held that white Europeans of the British Empire descended directly from King David.

Edward quickly became serious about his new beliefs. He forbade the family from celebrating Christmas, pushing them instead toward Old Testament celebrations. In the fall of 1967, he took the children out of school and drove the family to the Pocono Mountains, to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles. During the festivities, Fowle’s brother, Jaime, ran through a window, slicing his eyelids open; his younger sister, Lynn, developed pneumonia. Virginia’s patience ran out, and she returned to St. Mark’s.

Despite the rift, Edward’s commitment deepened. When Armstrong said that his adherents could serve only one master, God or government, Edward left the Air Force after 13 years of service. He resigned without hesitation and without Virginia’s blessing. He continued working at Wright-Patterson as a private contractor but forfeited his pension.

The Fowle household was divided. On Saturdays, Edward dragged Jeffrey and his sister Laurie to Worldwide Church of God services. On Sundays, Virginia took Jamie and Lynn to St. Mark’s. By 1970, Jeffrey Fowle had stopped going to church altogether.

Jeffrey Fowle, American Detained in North Korea, Was on Vacation, Lawyer Says

Jeffery Fowle, American  Detained In North Korea Released

Jeffrey Fowle, American Held By Norht Korea, Is Freed 

Rod Meredith: Why Is He Incapable Of Loving Servant Leadership?

For well over 70 years now Rod Meredith has been bellowing about government, control and authority from the top down.  It has always been more important him to use power to lord it over people than to be a serving servant to the people.  On top of that he is not even a true shepherd of the flock.  He doesn't care about even the least of his members.

Every few years I hear from some of our men on the West Coast, and elsewhere it's happening – some back in the Midwest – but every few years Satan comes around stirring up people to try to argue about counting Pentecost, or counting the Passover, or they talk about the sacred names or something like that. They manage to get upset about something and it seems like it goes in cycles; a few year will go by then the same thing will pop up that we discussed with Mr. Armstrong, and sometimes even back then the whole Council of Elders, and thought it was all settled. But people get mixed up on these things and we do need to have strong leadership in God's Church, and a strong understanding of these things to keep our balance. Because Satan is going to come at us with all kinds of things to think about and get upset about, believe me.

Satan always seems to be on the warpath against Meredith for some reason.  Of all the hundreds and hundreds of Churches of God out there to wage war against, Satan always has to pick on Meredith and crew.

In his sermon he rambles on with a lot of incoherent babble till he gets to this. Apparently some in the LCG are getting sucked back into the mythology of the sacred names and new moons legalism. This is another one of his reason to enforce authority upon his members and rule with an iron hand.  He validates his authority by claiming the scriptures were translated wrong and inserts his interpretation so as to give credence to LCG overlords deciding what is right or wrong.

The weekly Sabbath, coming every seventh day, is a type of the Millennium. The 7,000-year period, a time to rest from sin, it's definitely a type of that. And of course the annual Holy Days picture, step by step, various aspects of the plan of God, and so they "are a shadow of things to come, but the body…" or, "the substance," it says, "is of Christ." And the Greek word here, brethren, in this verse 17 – look it up yourself – is soma, s-o-m as in Mary, s-o-m-a. Now that same word exactly is used back in this same book, here in verse 18 of chapter 1; it talks about Christ being the head of the Church, "He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence." The Greek word is "body." it means the basic physical structure. So it talks about that being, of course, applied to God's Church; we are the physical structure that God is using today. When Christ was on Earth he had his own physical body; he does not have a physical body today, he works through us, we are his body. So don't let any substance or something like that judge you, but the body of Christ. And when you understand it makes sense; the Bible is not translated correctly here, it's talking about the body of Christ. Who judges you? The body of Christ. Who leads the body of Christ? The ministry, as we'll see as we go through this chapter and this whole subject. The ministry leads the body, and so the Church makes decisions as to how we keep – we don't change the Holy Days – but we make decisions about when they're held and where they're held, and we make decisions about what we can eat or not eat, or if we're going to have snacks or not have snacks, or all kinds of things to do with the body and with the Church of God and how we observe these Holy Days. So don't let any man judge you, but the body, the structure, the body of Christ which is the Church of God. And so that's an important thing to understand in this passage: the body of Christ does have that authority and they are given that authority by God. 

So there you have it folks!  No man can judge you, but the church certainly can!  The church has the right to tell you everything you will be doing.  There are no exceptions to the rule.

He then continues whining about those that don't bring their doctrinal questions to the church and instead run to others that will actually listen to them. LCG members should never be running to theses people because God has set aside the MEN in the one and only true church to make all the decisions.  MEN are to make the judgments in the Living Church of God.  That's why Rod McNair, Meredith and others have turned into such tyrannical beasts of prey.  They have been set into position of power where they assume they have all the answers and that the lowly members are nothing more than pond scum.

Now let's go to something we often refer to, but I want to talk about this aspect a lot today, turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 6, 1 Corinthians (sipping tea) 1 Corinthians chapter 6 in your New Testament here, and you'll notice in verse 1 the apostle Paul tells the Christians, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?" You're to go before the Church of God when you have a disagreement about how to count the Passover, how to observe the Sabbath, how to keep the Holy Days, all kinds of things, but even if you have personal disputes we're to come there also. "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" Aren't you able to be judges? You're training to be judges forever in God's Kingdom. Know God's Church is to learn that today; all of you in this room are to learn that. "Do you not know that we shall judge angels?" We're going to judge the angelic hosts through all eternity if we're in God's family. "How much more, the things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning thing pertain to this life, do you appoint…" or some translations have it as applied, "WHY do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church…" Why do you go to outsiders who don't even know the truth; why would you have them try to be your judges? "I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?" So we are to learn to be wise judges – God has intended that men know that – and that men are able to make judgments in the Church of God

Meredith and crew have the capability to make ALL the decisions in the LCG as to how church members are to believe.  None dare question that mode of thinking  because to do so is to question god himself.

 ...we have to make binding decisions as to how to observe the Holy Days, what days they are to be observed upon, and all this kind of thing; whether we should eat or not eat, or how much and so on. So, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be loosed, whatever you loose on earth shall be bound."

Then to further intimidate LCG members, Meredith claims that everything he and his ministers do is bound in heaven.  He also has the capability of stripping away LCG members salvation and standing with god, just because he says so, his god will do it in heaven.  In other words, LCG members are eternally screwed!

"Moreover if your brother sins against you…" now this is not just a judgment about Holy Days, this is a judgment about some personal offense; people are causing trouble – John starts flirting and carrying on with Joe's wife, and Joe's upset, what does he do? He could go punch John in the nose, but the right Christian thing to do is to go face to face with him [and] say, "You're gettin' too friendly BACK OFF, that's my wife," and if he won't back off you take one or two leading brethren with you – preferably two, "so in the mouth of two or three witnesses (it) will be established," whatever the offense is. So he says you're to do that and to have two or three witnesses. "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church." Do you go announce it, do you ask Mr. McNair, "Can I make the announcement that Joe was bothering me?" No you don't do that, you tell it to the leadership of the church, and all the way through the Bible that's in fact what they did do. "Tell it to the church…" they are to make the judgment, "But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." You don't have regular fellowship with him, he's not in the church anymore, he's deliberately left the church in his actions. "Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth…" Jesus Christ said, talking to his ministry, his leaders, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. And I say to you…" verse 19, "that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name…" you see, to make some judgment, to be used by God. It doesn't mean whenever two or three brethren get together at a movie, or a skating rink, that he's with them in some special way – he's with us all the time – but he's especially those leaders who would be together in judgment. So he says, "I will be with them, whenever two or three are gathered together in My name…" in Christ's authority to make these judgments, "I am there in the midst of them." So Christ guides this as we shall see, and as God did all the way through the Bible, and we do need to clearly understand that. 

In the above quote Meredith also claims to profess that members have the right to go to the church to have their voice heard.  Sadly that has never been an avenues most LCG members could take without repercussions.  The slamming down of hammer has been swift and severe against those that the church labels as trouble makers.  LCG members have never had any recourse when McNair and others go on their purge campaigns.  No recourse whatsoever!

 

Rod Meredith: 63 Years Later And His World Is Still Coming To An End

Here is the logic that trickles from Rod Meredith's aging mind.  It is his PROOF that the end times is rapidly pounding down upon us.

I think all of us know that things are speeding up in the world – events are happening, that they are exciting. And many of the news analysts – famous news analysts – admit that there are more vast changes in this society than have ever taken place in hundreds of years; just one thing after the other. So it certainly shows that the end of this age is near, it really does, and that's exciting to me after been preaching these things for about 63 years to see them speed up to the degree they are.

Every decade brings about new and exciting discoveries.  This is nothing new.  It most certainly is NOT a forewarning of the end of the world.  It really doesn't!

He immediately jumps into his other trademark scare tactic...Big bad meanie Satan is on the warpath...again...through this blog and dissident members. Satan and the world HATE the LCG and is making life horrific for its members.

But brethren, as the end approaches we know that Satan's going to attack. God shows us the people of God are going to have a great deal of persecution, and also we're going to have Satan attack us. God describes a massive attack by Satan in Revelation chapter 12, where he fights God, he's cast back down to the earth, and he's going to cause trouble – the people on Earth are going to suffer as never before – we're not having that yet. But we need to be close to God, and we need to be ready for that kind of thing and understand what's ahead and really learn to put our full trust in Christ as the living head of God's Church and our living head. And the one that we walk with, talk with, personally know and have faith and trust in him and in his leadership.

Since when has the Church of God "walked and talked" with Jesus Christ?  How can the Living Church of God know anything about Jesus Christ when the church refuses to discuss him?  The law trumps Jesus Christ every time.

The first two paragraphs quoted above are the very first words out of Meredith's mouth in a sermon he preached on August 1, 2015.  Does Meredith have the capability of ever preaching anything positive and uplifting?  It's death and damnation from the get go in every single canned sermon he repeats anymore.  He apparently is incapable of coming up with new material.

Garner Ted Armstrong Auction

It's been several years since Garner Ted Armstrong died.  Now you have a chance to own many of Ted's personal belongings.  How about a mounted deer or antelope head that was killed on your tithe money's dime.  Ted would go on yearly hunting trips all paid for by tithe payers.

The ultimate knife in the back is that the auction is being held on a Saturday.

Check out the auction here.