Exposing the underbelly of Armstrongism in all of its wacky glory! Nothing you read here is made up. What you read here is the up to date face of Herbert W Armstrong's legacy. It's the gritty and dirty behind the scenes look at Armstrongism as you have never seen it before!
With all the new crazy self-appointed Chief Overseers, Apostles, Prophets, Pharisees, legalists, and outright liars leading various Churches of God today, it is important to hold these agents of deception accountable.
Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web of Corrupt Leaders
I attach my Last Great Day message delivered in Ocho Rios Jamaica to approximately 400 brethren gathered at the largest Feast site in the Caribbean and one of the largest in the world. Our Kingston congregation is one of the fastest growing of all COG groups in the world and is by far the largest of all Armstrongite groups in the Caribbean, averaging over 200 on any given Sabbath. On Atonement we had 250 in attendance. Among those who heard this Last Great Day message were American brethren on a CEM cruise who had traveled over an hour to join us for worship. It was a most delightful experience! The Americans stayed back after services to have a meal with their local brethren. We had a wonderful song by Karen Clarke of Eugene, Oregon, daughter of one of HWA's earliest ordained ministers, Bryce Clark, a former district superintendent.
I spoke relevantly to the crisis which faces Armstrongism today: widespread knowledge online about our history of massive corruption, abuse of power, religiosity with little spirituality, atrophied growth, profound disillusionment etc.
I had been keeping up with my usual daily reading of your site, Gary, and had noted what was said about the boring, repetitive and lifeless sermons at the Feast. I myself can, sadly, confirm that, as every day after services I surveyed at least eight different Feast sites, which shall remain nameless.
I spoke on the nook of Jeremiah and noted that Jeremiah faced our exact crisis, with a leadership that had become corrupt, deeply sinful and arrogant about it. But I said the answer for Jeremiah was not to reject Torah or the religion of those who had become corrupt. It was not to then accept the religion of the Assyrians or the Babylonians or the Egyptians.
It was to be true to the faith.Similarly, I encouraged the brethren that today we should not reject Armstrongism because of the corruption of the Armstrongs (of course I did not use that offensive term. That's only for the "strong meat" people on this site!)
I even mentioned Byker Bob's comment that after he left in 1975 he went out and partied. I mentioned others who had become atheists. I spoke about those well-known ministers like Albert Portune, David Jon Hill, Al Carrozzo, Gary Arvidson and Robert Kuhn and Lester Grabbe who had left because of our corruption. The sermon received an amazingly positive reaction from the independent COG members from that CEM cruise. Many of them could relate to the disillusionment and deep hurt I spoke about. One man said it was the best Last Great Day sermon he had heard (which probably says more about the quality of those sermons rather than mine!)
Our service ran nearly three hours with much praise and worship music. I had warned the Americans about this before which is probably why not everybody left the cruise to join us, including its only minister. Those who came knew what to expect. I only spoke for about forty five minutes though. I didn't want to push my luck!
I wanted every American to get the message. Listen to it and tear it apart here. I am eager to hear the response of my favourite and favoured participant on this blog, Byker Bob who is usually so insightful.
NOTE: I will not post racist comments directed towards Ian or those in Jamaica. I have deleted things like this in the past and will still do so. Ian invites your criticism, so criticize away, but be civil.
During the Passover Season, some arbitrary male member would always rise to the occasion and speak the phrase: Next year in Jerusalem!
It happened every year.
This arbitrary man would stand behind some arbitrary Sabbath lectern set up in an arbitrary over-lit school gymnasium or Jewish Community Center. Or, he’d stand at the head of a candlelit table on The Night To Be Much Observed. He’d stand in someone else’s home or maybe his own. He’d hold a glass of red wine up over his head, over a white tablecloth set with silver and crystal, roasted lamb and unleavened bread, vegetables and bitter herbs. He’d make a toast.
He might be a minister or a deacon or maybe our father or any lay member desperate to be all those things: minister, deacon, or father (authority figure of some kind or other). Most often he’d be that goofy accordion player with the very old, Old Testament name – the one named Enoch or Jedediah or Amos or Obediah who annoys everyone with Fiddler on the Roof songs at Church Socials. Every local congregation had an Enoch or two, but not all could play the accordion. Our Enoch played the accordion.
Whatever the case, this arbitrary Enoch would speak with artificial authority as if his words had power to conjure deep traditions that bound us to something other than a manufactured and imaginary past.
The Enochs, they trafficked in nostalgia.
Fundamentalists traffic in nostalgia.
They trace imaginary lineages to pasts that never were and to places they don’t know. They tout deep roots dug-in to a pure and more perfect historical period that contains All The Truth undefiled by modernity or interlopers or dissent.
They claim tradition where they have none.
“Next Year in Jerusalem!” meant (in the longer version): Next year, the tribulation! Our enemies will be destroyed! In 3½ years, we will be revealed as God’s Chosen! We will be transformed into God Beings! We will sit on God’s Throne in Jerusalem! We will rule The World with a rod of iron for a thousand years!
