Laodicean Jones Goes Golfing

Former Church of God (Seventh Day) president discusses Church of God history and Herbert Armstrong

Robert Coulter

Former Church of God (Seventh Day) president 

discusses Church of God history and Herbert Armstrong 

"...Mr. Armstrong and the CG7

Mr. Coulter talked extensively about Worldwide Church of God founder Herbert W. Armstrong and Mr. Armstrong's relationship with the CG7.

He referred to Mr. Armstrong's statements that, although he was ordained in the CG7, he was not a member of the CG7.

"It is kind of unusual to claim to be a minister of the church in which you are not a member," Mr. Coulter said.

Mr. Coulter proceeded to mention points of what he considered evidence that Mr. Armstrong was indeed a member of the CG7.

In Mr. Armstrong's autobiography, he noted, Mr. Armstrong wrote that he was ordained to the ministry in the CG7 by the authority of the Oregon State Conference.

In that same book, Mr. Armstrong reproduces a picture of the second certificate of his ministerial license.

Nothing but the truth

"Now he makes this statement," Mr. Coulter said of Mr. Armstrong: "I was ordained by, and under the authority of, the Oregon Conference of the Church of God, separately incorporated; not by the Stanberry, Mo., headquarters.'

"As far as that goes," continued Mr. Coulter, "that's true, but it doesn't tell the whole truth."

In his autobiography, Mr. Armstrong wrote: "I had never joined the church whose headquarters were at Stanberry, Mo."

Mr. Coulter sees two possibilities to explain puzzling statements by Mr. Armstrong about his CG7 membership or lack of it.

"Mr. Armstrong showed a pretty serious lack of understanding of our polity, of our organizational policies of the Church of God (Seventh Day). He did not seem to understand. It might be that he didn't realize that the Oregon State Conference operated under the auspices of the Stanberry."

"The other possibility is that he didn't want to admit being a member of a church that he came to hold in contempt."

Mr. Coulter emphasized that he believes Mr. Armstrong held the CG7 "in a certain derision or contempt ... He certainly was not willing to admit to having had much of a relationship to it."

Sometime between Mr. Armstrong's conversion in 1927 and his baptism, "he would have had to accept membership in a congregation of the Church of God (Seventh Day) because when you become a member of our church you become a member of the conference. You do not join [only] a state conference. You do not join the general conference directly."

Even a person who was considered to be an "isolated member" would still technically have to be an official member of some local congregation, Mr. Coulter said.

"When Mr. Armstrong received a ministerial license from the Oregon State Conference, he was receiving it by the authority of the general conference, because the Oregon State Conference, even though it was incorporated locally, was actually authorized and operated under the auspices of the conference whose headquarters at the time was Stanberry, Mo.

"So either he was ignorant of that or did not want to admit it. That's the only explanation I have for that."

Severed all ties?

Although Mr. Armstrong "gives the impression" in his autobiography that by 1933 he had severed all ties with the CG7, "here is something that I don't think is revealed," Mr. Coulter began.

He said Mr. Armstrong was a close associate of Andrew N. Dugger and that Mr. Armstrong looked upon Mr. Dugger as a mentor.

In 1933 Mr. Dugger "led a rebellion in the Church of God (Seventh Day)" after failing to gain office during a conference of August 1933. "On Nov. 4, 1933, Andrew Dugger and several colleagues organized a separate conference at Salem, W.Va., to compete with the conference at Stanberry, Mo., which was the original one organized in 1884."

Mr. Dugger and friends tried to create the illusion that the new Salem headquarters was the legitimate successor to the original organizers of the CG7, Mr. Coulter said.

"As evidence, [Mr. Dugger] used the name General Conference of the Church of God, and he issued a volume of the magazine that carried the same volume and number as the magazine that was published in Stanberry, Mo."

Set apart

The new Salem conference could boast of several "unique features" that set it apart from the Stanberry conference, Mr. Coulter said, "and this is where Herbert Armstrong comes into play here."

Salem organized around a structure that Mr. Dugger called "Bible or scriptural organization." This terminology referred to a board of 12 men whose objective was to oversee the spiritual life of the church.

The Salem-based folks elected a board of seven men to conduct the business of the church.

They identified 70 elders, ministers or evangelists "who would go out to carry out the gospel endeavors of the Church of God (Seventh Day)."

They stated that the church's world headquarters was to be in Jerusalem.

They decided to "appropriate apostolic succession for its authority to govern in this manner and to function as it was supposed to function...."

"...Clean and unclean

Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Coulter continued, did not receive his credential immediately because "there were some ministers in the Salem organization who needed to have him clarify his position on the clean and unclean foods."

When Mr. Armstrong replied that he believed in abstaining from unclean meats for health reasons but not because he believed eating unclean meats was a sin, the conference issued his credential.'''"

Laodicean Jones

UCG 20+ years on and it still is struggling to find its focus as ministers

It has been 20 some years since UCG declared itself the new and improved "Worldwide Chruch of God". It actually had a good chance to do something great by correcting abusive errors and bad treatment of members. But where are those changes? The same men who abused members and kicked them out of the church when they disagreed with the changes were coming down the pipeline simply jumped ship for a continuing paycheck and continued on being the jerks so many of them were.

So here we are in 2019 and the United Church of God is not so united. It files to attracted new members, like most of the other COG's. They still cannot adjust their message to 2019 minds and still rely on old models and preaching from 30-40 years ago. Just how many times so members need to hear the same canned sermon?

These are some of the topics being examined by the boys in Cincinnati in their conference:

What impedes us from being “joined and knit together?” Are there things that we can do now to change that?

Do you feel valued for what you personally “supply?” Are you given opportunities to contribute the skills you have to offer?

COG members were always considered "commodities" for what they could supply and contribute towards the church.  Never once were members ever considered equals and children of God. Rarely were members talents out to good works.  The church had a great way of devaluing talents and many times deliberately berated members at what they were good at and often forced them to give it up, including jobs and education tracks.

What is currently in place that helps you work most effectively? Is there anything that could be improved upon or added?

Are we growing in love as a home office staff, within our church, and within our community at large? What specific things can you point to? What barriers do we face?

Are there things we do that are inconsistent with our Vision statement?

Is the home office team conveying the vision of the Church to all our members effectively and does the message we send encourage and enable them to fulfill it?

Are we conveying God’s vision for humanity in a loving, genuine, and compelling way?

Do we have a culture that is welcoming and loving to new believers?

How do we as individuals fulfill the vision of the Church?”

Two Witless Witnesses Will Be Here Within 2 Years

Are you ready for the two witless witnesses to arise within the next 2 years?  They are coming this soon, claims the Chief Pharisee and bastardizer of the law, James Malm.  As he begins the new year he is "doubling down" on his own silly interpretations of what he wants the law to be.  The more miserable he can make people the better he feels. He claims his "work" is now of vital importance as it prepares for the two witless witnesses to come forth and take his teachings and force them upon the entire world.  I doubt very much if Ron and Laura Weinland care too much about his legalistic rantings.

In addition I am doubling down on the amount of material being posted with a focus on reviving today’s Spiritual Ekklesia in anticipation of the revealing of God’s two servants.   

Very soon now, within a year or two, God’s two  servants will be revealed and they will pour the Holy Spirit out of themselves and into the lamps of the seven churches.  

How?  By teaching all people and especially the Spiritual Ekklesia; to turn to, to learn, to love and to live by every Word of the Almighty Father God, and his Christ!

God’s two witnesses will arrive at the darkest hour of the Spiritual Ekklesia, when our pride in our own false traditions has come to the full and we have the highest opinion of ourselves, not seeing ourselves as God sees us.  

Then those who are humble before God and have prepared themselves and filled themselves with the Holy Oil of God Spirit through learning, loving and living by every Word of God, will go to God’s refuge for further learning.  

Those who will NOT turn to learn, to love and to live by every Word of God now, will be cast into the furnace of affliction, and in their affliction very many will be turned to a wholehearted zeal for godliness.   

Then when our LORD comes a great spiritual revival will spread out across all the earth.