Gavin Rumney RIP. December 16, 2016

Gavin Rumney passed away December 16, 2016 after a diagnosis of cancer.

On November 10, 2016 Gavin sent me the following:

I'm closing AW in a few days. Have had a diagnosis of terminal cancer that leaves me maybe 18 months. Will compose a final post in a day or so. In the unlikely event that I have anything worthwhile to say after that, and you're happy to do so, I'd be keen to submit it as a guest post on your blog, Let me know if that's okay. 

Best regards  

Gavin 

Gavin was a major force in the Church of God related news sites that have been online for a couple decades now.

When the church stated making its changes, Gavin started documenting people reactions to them.  While he any many, many others agreed they were sorely needed, he disagreed about how they were implemented.  That lack of proper pastoral implementation lead to huge disagreements, accusations and splinter groups forming.  Gavin kept pace with all of those changes through various individuals in the different groups.  This included informants high-up in the leadership of the church and individuals who knew the people starting the splinter groups.

Gavin's site kept church leaders on the edge for quite some time as more and more dirt was spilled.  It quickly became apparent that the church was not unified and that the corruption of the old Worldwide Church of God continued on with rampant abuse by its splinter leaders.  Gavin quickly pointed out the major flaws in Bob Thiel and other self-appointed upstarts who have been trying to enslave members with legalism, false prophecies, and manipulation.

Gavin helped thousand over the years to wake up and see how corrupt and un-Christ like the church really was, and still is to this day!  Thousands have freed themselves of that abuse and now are no longer a part of the Armstrongite movement.

Gavin had this on his blog on the day he started it:

The name Ambassador Watch is a nod to Ambassador College, a now defunct institution associated with a now defunct sect, the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) - now morphed into Grace Communion International. My name is Gavin Rumney, I'm a teacher by profession (now largely retired) and currently reside a little south of Auckland - enough to be safely over the border into the Waikato. My extremely modest academic qualification for pretensions as a commentator on the various Churches of God (COGs) is the aforementioned B.Theol with a major in biblical studies (2010). My real-life credentials are a few 'interesting' years as a member in the far off and long ago (1975 through to the early 1980s).

Other than the WCG, my previous ecclesial communities are the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (as a youngster) and a Baptist church. Several of my blog posts have appeared in print in The Journal: News of the Churches of God.

Gavin's work is done and well done it was!




Read back issues of Ambassador Watch here and read OTAGOSH here.

Important New Book Announced: Rod Meredith's Autobiography

The Living Church of God has announced that Rod Meredith has been busy writing his autobiography.  Since he is the most significant man left alive that worked with Herbert Armstrong, it is apparently necessary to share his side of the story.  This will be a book sure to give Dave Pack major butt-hurt since he claims HE is the most important man to train at HWA's feet.

Greetings from Charlotte,

We have all encouraged Dr. Meredith to write an autobiography to fill in some of the history of the Church, since he played such a major part in the Work of God under Mr. Herbert Armstrong. This week he distributed the first of a planned three-part series, titled “The Early Years.” The importance of this project cannot be understated as he is the last man to fill in many details in the early years of Ambassador College and the Radio Church of God during its existence and afterward. We look forward to the completion of this project and sincerely pray that he will have the energy to complete it. Meanwhile, Dr. Winnail was in Baton Rouge last Sabbath where he conducted a Tomorrow’s WorldPresentation and I returned from Canada after recording another two Canadian-version Tomorrow’s World programs. This Sabbath I plan to visit our congregations in Phoenix and Tucson. Please continue to pray for people to respond to the semi-annual letter by committing themselves more fully to God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son through the knowledge they are receiving.—GEW

We have all seen how Herbert Armstrong embellished his own story into such a whitewash that he was beyond human.  His was a story filled with ego, narcissism, control and bitterness.  Will Rod's be the same way?

Will Rod include how he got caught using Third Tithe money to decorate his home on Waverly Drive?

Will he talk about what it was like to be publicly humiliated by HWA and sent off to Hawaii for a year to learn some humility?

Will he talk about how his bitter uncontrollable mouth cost the church hundred's of thousands of dollars when he libeled Leona McNair in front of 700 ministers in Tucson?

Will he talk about how he helped plan Global Church of God with a known child molester while still on WCG's payroll?

Will he talk about how he nearly bankrupted Global Church of God when he did not get his way and took their money and formed Living Church of God, with the same child molester?

Will he talk about how he bragged in a Feast of Tabernacles sermon about spanking his wife, and about how much she "needed it?"

Will he discuss the thousands of marriages ruined because of his heavy handedness due to his enforcement of illogical divorce and remarriage teachings?

Me not You...Us not them

Exclusivism and just how to perpetuate that specialness is a hallmark mindset and goal of most religious faiths. It is a mind virus that seems to be rearing it's rather ugly head again. One way, one belief, easily defined rights and wrongs, one law, and one common acceptable mind virus will provide all the comfort and security we need. The Bible in our culture is often misread and misapplied to perpetuate more harm than good. It's what exclusivists do best.

Most religions, denominations and even rival churches of the same denomination but with slightly different practices, teach that they are the one true path to salvation and all others will simply suffer the fates. I live and work close to Bob Jones University, where being consigned to hell for non compliance is an art form. Around here it is not uncommon to read "Love Jesus, or burn forever in Hell." Try that one one on your kids. "Love Daddy, or I will kill you." That's child abuse isn't it??? Ask a Bob Jones student what they believe and it usually comes out in some form of "whatever they say."

When intollerant fundamentalists. who are infected with exlusivism speak, the goal is to spread the virus and get others to agree and support it's propagation. Once you are in, everyone not in, is out, and the virus then endeavors to become immune from attack through bluster, fear, shame and guilt. I recently tried to read a copy of the Philadelphia Trumpet, but gave up and opted for chewing ground glass which felt ever so much more pleasant.

Tell one of God's chosen they are biblically ignorant and watch what happens. So many sincerely misguided Christians and ministers are piously convicted, to be sure, but marginally informed in their education and perspectives.

While preaching exclusivism, they tend to leave out the being ignorant of the bible part. Tell one of God's chosen they are biblically ignorant and watch what happens. Too bad the being more like Jesus and less like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Malachi, Elijah and Paul never really caught on in the many prophecy motivated and obcessed churches and denominations. The "we only" mentality is responsible for much of the division in Christianity today. Christianity seems to thrive on division for multiplication.

So how does exclusivism work? What must happen for it to be successful?

First of all it must do two things. It must ensure it can take up a long term residence in the host (Membership or maybe Meme-bership). A meme is an idea that is passed on from one human generation to another. It's the cultural equivalent of a gene, the basic element of biological inheritance. The term was coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. Secondly, it must bring about the proper conditions for spreading itself (Evangelism).

This is how it is done:

1. Promise reward for the effort, position, power, inside knowledge and specialness. It's better if the reward is "some day."

2. Threaten punishment for failure to grow, or pay, pray, stay and obey. This can take place almost any time now and/or in the future.

3. Convince them they are the chosen, exclusive and special people. Teach them that all others are false and there is only ONE right way to think or faith to express. Teach them that right way just happens be where they are.

4. Disable their ability to challenge or disbelieve the information given. Lower their immunity. Faith is superior to reason. "The wisdom of man is foolishness with God."

5. Establish a library of true literature and correct answers, for the faithful and discourage reading outside of this one true source, usually provided by the chief virus and his team of pathogens.

Once the parasite has been injected into the host, it will need to propagate itself or the virus will die. Follow these steps.

1. Emotionally, spiritually, psychologically or literally kill all immune persons. If you can't infect them, eliminate them.

2. Those you can't kill... intimidate and discriminate against. In religion, this is being disfellowshipped, demoted, censored or made to bring the watermelon to the picnic. Isolate them because such people, if not held in isolation can pass on immunity and resistance to the virus.

3. Encourage true believers to breed faster than false ones. Evangelism is a great tool for this.

4. Censor incoming information and remember to repeat "the wisdom of man is foolishness with God."..often, along with a lot of other scriptures that promote blind obedience. Most of these will be found in the Epistles of Paul.

5. Be prepared to give out disinformation and spread lies about your rivals. Demonize them. And remember, the bigger the lies, the louder you shout it at church and the more seriously concerned you appear for the welfare of the members, the more successful you will be.

 Exclusivism is really a rather inaccurate and evil mind set. Us vs. them, Me vs. You, Chosen vs. unchosen, Christian vs. Pagan, True vs. False as defined by one government, organization or person over another, is never going to turn out well.  

Dave Pack: "no one in the splinters—none—zero—are Philadelphian"

One of the biggest weapons the Church of God has used as a tool of fear was to claim that someone was NOT a true Christian, NOT a Philadelphian.  It is a weapon still used by various splinter cult leaders of the Churches of God to keep people in line.  Dave Pack claims that any one who is a member of ANY of the COG's is CANNOT be a true Philadelphian.  True Philadlphians are members of the Restored Church of God.

I promise you no one in the splinters—none—zero—are Philadelphian in condition, else they would not be in any of those groups. You can’t be a Philadelphian and be in groups that don’t even believe God has one Church. You’ve rejected His government. Obviously, they haven’t anointed their eyes, or they would have gotten out. They didn’t open the door and let Christ in. They haven’t bought gold, as they were told to do. They have not done God’s Work or come under His government. They paid His tithes to His enemies. There’s no possible way…And I’m going to get into this a little bit later, probably next week. I want to illustrate some other things. Maybe it’ll be the week after…There’s no possible way they’re Philadelphia now. So, to get back to that condition is a problem for the living……

Dave Pack: Unless You Spank Your Child, You Hate Your Child

It’s like the parent who says, “I can’t possibly spank my child. I love them too much.” God says He that spares the rod hates his child. “Oh no, I love my child!” God says, “I’m sorry, you hate your child. If you don’t spank your child, you hate your child…I am God, you are not…because your child will grow up and be an enormous problem to himself and others, if you don’t channel him and discipline him.” Now here is the way to make sure you never spank your children: Spank them. You will not have to do it many times and the child will say, “Two and two is four. If I do that, I’ll get spanked.” You do it a few times consistently…now you might have, you know, can have a little Korah for a son or daughter, and you might have to do it more often. But the tougher nuts to crack, will usually crack pretty soon, and you don’t have to do it very often.