Wes White on the Relationship of Banned to the Churches of God

Proverbs 22:3 says: A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.  The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

Because of this Scripture, I gotta tell you that I’m not afraid to read things that are written by people who believe really differently than we do in the Sabbath-keeping churches of God.   Reading things that don’t match up with our religious dogma doesn’t scare me. 

Even when I was a student at Ambassador College in the 1970s, I used to read this magazine called Ambassador Watch.   It was published by dissident students who had left AC because they were…  Well, they were dissidents.  So they left.

It’s now 40 years later and I don’t regret reading those issues.  Sure, they wrote a lot of doctrinal stuff that I didn’t agree with back then… and I still don’t agree with it today.  But they had their facts right regarding things that were going on at the college.  When you look back at all those old issues, you see that they were telling the truth about what was going on at AC. 

Today, there’s a blog site out there called Banned.  It’s run by former members of the Sabbath-keeping churches of God.  Now, do I agree with their new doctrinal positions? No.  I disagree with a lot of their stuff. 

But they do report on things going on in the Sabbath-keeping COGs – things that it doesn’t hurt for us to know about.   Let me elaborate. 

Weeks ago, I saw that Nancy was going to have to cancel the Women’s Conference.  At first, Nancy resisted me on this.  She didn’t want to cancel.  But finally, I put my foot down and said, “Sweetheart, you’re going to have to postpone this thing to later – after this coronavirus passes.”  She did.

And we were ahead of the curve on this.  No, I’m not a prophet.  I was only following Proverbs 22:3.

Then, after Nancy canceled, most of the Sabbath-keeping churches of God started doing either mandatory canceling or voluntary canceling of their Sabbath services.  

But not all of them did this. 

Months ago – long before this coronavirus pandemic -- the Living Church of God scheduled their ministerial conference where 300 of their ministers and their wives were going to have a big meeting covering several days in Charlotte NC.

Now, what do you think the average age is of the ministers in Living?  It’s high.  Like 60 or 70.   Guys who are really going to be in danger if they get exposed to the coronavirus. 

Well, the blog site called Banned kept asking questions about this conference in their postings.  They said, “When is Living going to cancel this thing?  If they don’t, some of their old ministers are going to catch this thing and die.”

And I mean, Banned kept up the drumbeat day after day.  They were like a dog on a bone because they were alarmed by the lack of foresight on the part of Living’s leaders.

Then, the members of Living started taking note of what was being posted on Banned.  And these members of Living would write Comments on Banned.  The members were saying that they were having to find out what was going on in Living… by reading the Banned blog site.  Because they weren’t getting any information from their own church. 

Then, these members started putting pressure on Living to cancel this conference.   Like the writers on Banned, the members didn’t want any of these old guys in the ministry to die.  

The good news is that Living finally – after a lot of pressure – canceled their ministerial conference. 

Because of all this, I believe the following.  And I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me.  But I really believe -- that we owe a debt of gratitude to Banned for exposing LCGs refusal to cancel their ministerial conference.  

I believe that Banned has probably saved the lives of a lot of Living’s ministers -- by causing this groundswell to cancel the conference.

I believe that – while Banned does not agree with the way the leaders of Living are operating that church organization – the people at Banned certainly don’t want to see a bunch of old guys die because of incompetent management at the top of their church organization. 

You may not like hearing me say nice things about Banned.  I’m sure the ministers in your church do everything that can to keep you from reading Banned.      After all, Banned operates in the spirit of the old Ambassador Report.  Banned also operates in the spirit of the now-defunct Journal, but to a much higher degree of effectiveness than the Journal.

I say this because – if you want to know what’s going on in the COGs today – the number one place to go is Banned.  Again, I don’t let my doctrinal disagreements with Banned bother me because Banned is a really good source for information regarding the state of the COGs. 

Banned is exposing the mismanagement, the sins, and the hypocrisies of the Sabbath-keeping COG leadership. 

And I’m telling you:  As Christians -- if we are going to really conduct our lives under the pinciple mentioned in Proverbs 22:3 -- we must look to other sources for information.  I’m sorry to tell you that you cannot rely only on your church organization to tell you what’s going on within your group.  Your church is NOT going to tell you everything that’s happening.  And I’m telling you that this rule applies to every COG group out there. 

This principle of looking to other sources also applies to politics.  Most of the people I know only watch or listen to political programs that agree with their political position.  And this is stupid.  This action is willful ignorance.   If you really want to think of yourself as being an educated person, you must listen to sources with whom you disagree!  Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time yelling into an echo chamber. 

Contact Wes White here

Note from Banned blog author

The entire purpose of this blog has always been to expose the blatant hypocrisy of the Church of God leaders who think they are above reproach and cannot be held accountable for their actions. Those days are long gone with the rise of the internet. Blogs, newsgroups, chain letters, and other devices of communication are what helped break up the old Worldwide Church of God when they were speaking out of both sides of their mouth while making major doctrinal changes and simultaneously denying they were.

After the church imploded and various former ministers of the church set themselves up as new potentates of their new money-making empires, they all had the chance to reinvent the church into something meaningful that truly pointed toward the God they all claim to follow. As we have sadly seen over the last 30 some years, that has never been the case. These men reverted back to the old ways of leadership and never made any attempt to undo the abuses of the past while moving forward with conviction and faith in a unified goal. Money and keeping their lifestyle intact was the primary goal of every one of these groups. Now have well over 400 different splinter groups all claiming they are the "one true way" and that "God speaks exclusively through them and their group." Sadly, every single reader here knows this is not true. Even those in LCG, UCG and other groups that regularly read here know that this is not true of their own groups. That is why so many come here to find out what is going on in their group.

The Church of God is filled with many sincere and dedicated Christians who truly are trying to make a difference in their lives and the world around them. I have never had any problem with that. It is the church leaders, the self-appointed lying hypocrites that continue to abuse and destroy members' lives, these are the ones I find offense at.

Now that the world and the Churches of God are dealing with a major crisis it has been appaling to watch the reaction of some of these church leaders. Instead of following wise decisions of Health Department offices, City and National leaders, these know-it-alls do not have the wherewithal to make a real decision and cancel services, cancel Passover, Bible Studies, and other church events coming up over the coming months. Every single one of these men looks at the closing of services as a means of cutting off income. That is their top priority and nothing more. It is certainly has NOTHING to do with the safety and welfare of their members. All of their pontificating and the "we love you brethren" comments are empty and heartless.

I never had an idea this blog would go on as long as it has or touch so many people. We are close to 7.5 million hits and they keep coming to see what is happening in the church. The sad thing is that there should be NO NEED for this blog if the church leaders were actually men of faith and actually followed Jesus. Imagine what a grand thing that would be! Who will step up to the plate and do that? Bob Thiel? Dave Pack? Gerald Weston? James Malm? Mark Armstrong? Gerald Flurry? Jim Franks? Ron Weinland? Who?  How long do we have to wait?

Grace Communion International Day of Prayer and Fasting Concerning Coronavirus

One thing I have to hand to GCI is that they are doing this for the better good of humanity and not just focusing upon themselves and their own church group as most of the Church of God leaders are doing now.  I have yet to hear of any COG leader asking their followers to pray for researchers, civic and health officials, or those whose income is being hit.  Instead, we see the obscene demands for members to still gather in group meetings and to keep sending in their tithe money and extra offerings.


Dear Church Family,

It is an historic time for our collective nations around the world. A shared crisis has each country, state, city, village, and family managing through this challenge in similar ways. The effort to slow the virus and to protect those most susceptible is being practiced by almost everybody around the globe.

I am very proud of our church family and how church leaders and pastors have united to thoughtfully and carefully serve the membership. It is impressive how so many of the pastors are utilizing technology to stay in touch with members and to stream sermons online so that we are able to gather in our homes (this Sunday, my wife and I were so glad to gather with our children and hear an inspirational message online from a GCI pastor).

As we collectively process through the weeks, and possibly months ahead, I believe it is appropriate that we go before the Lord as a denomination in a day of prayer and fasting. In order to include our members spread across the world, I am recommending that either Sunday March 22nd or Sunday March 29th be your day to join the Grace Communion “International Family” in our time of special focus toward our amazing Triune God. (For those with health challenges please be mindful that a fast does not have to be a strict 24 hour period without water or food.)

Paul’s encouragement to the church at Philippi frames our mindset:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4–7 NRSVA)

As we spend time in prayer and fasting, certain thoughts come to mind:

• Jesus is our foundation, and the personification of our hope;
• Jesus is near, and promises to never leave nor forsake us;
• God is Healer, and we pray for his intervention for those who are sick throughout the world;
• God strengthens those who are weak, ask for his strength for the medical personnel serving tirelessly;
• God provides wisdom from above, pray for insight to be given to researchers seeking solutions;
• God tells us to pray for our leaders, may his guidance encircle the civic leaders and health officials;
• God is Provider, seek his provision for those whose income and economic standing have been greatly impacted by this crisis;
• Holy Spirit guard us from fear or anxiety, and give us your divine peace which is beyond our human understanding;
• Holy Spirit open hearts and minds to the glorious light and saving power of Jesus which lifts us above any human crisis.

Thy will be done in the powerful name of Jesus. And let the church around the world say – Amen!


Greg WilliamsPresident Grace Communion International

Prophet Bob Fudges and Refuses to Bend His Knees to Common Sense and Good Judgment

.....and never mentions

https://www.cogwriter.com/news/cog-news/ccog-services-announcement/

While you should take reasonable precautions, you do not need to fear.

Perhaps I should mention that our elder in Serbia, Aleksandar ‘Sasha’ Veljic told me that a bank basically told him that because of COVID-19 he should use digital forms of payment instead of cash. He related that to the warnings we gave in our video COVID-19 Leading to 666?

As far as physical things associated with COVID-19 go, the following link has information on that as well as other links some may find helpful: CDC: COVID-19 spreading; How to tell if you have the coronavirus, cold, or allergies; Symptoms and preparation recommendations.

Now, with all the quarantines and travel restrictions being imposed, what about attendance at weekly Sabbath services?

Our policy has always been, and still remains, if you have a contagious disease, you should not attend church services.

In this time of COVID-19, if you think you may have a fever, you should not attend services. If you are not feeling well, please stay home.

As far as ‘social distancing’ goes, church leaders in their respective countries and local groups need to decide the relative safety of holding Sabbath services (though in some places landlords and/or government officials may be placing their own limits–the early Christian church met in houses and that is one thing that can be done when meeting halls are not around and/or there are governmental restrictions) as not only are they closer to their situation, they can react to local conditions in a timely way.

(Fudge factor)

If any person is not comfortable being in a group at this time, they may wish to stay home. And, of course, we do have services available online which is what most native English speakers we have are doing already.

(Fudge factor)

Tuesday, the BBC reported that German, “Chancellor Angela Merkel has banned religious services and told people to cancel any domestic or foreign holiday travel” (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51918596 03/17/20).

While we cooperate with government authorities when we can, we do not believe that government authorities should interfere with the ability to hold holy convocations or other biblical observances.

(Wrong-This is for the public good and should not be likened to persecution of beliefs)

As the Apostles said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
(Note: The context of this is the Apostle being told not to teach. It is not about public safety and resisting obedience to the powers that be in an emergency situation in the community or in this case, the planet)

Hence, yes, we believe that true Christians should, for example, keep Passover next month. Though in some areas, it may be wise to have only very small groups meeting together."

(At home if necessary and if required by government agents "appointed by God")

Wrong Bob. You are endangering your congregants AND the public with whom they will come in contact with.

Bad Bob...bad

Love your neighbor, not just your groupies, as yourself remember? 

...and too Bob, may as well throw this in...

I Corinthians 13

 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, (Which you don't) but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (Which you already are)2 If I have the gift of prophecy (Which you don't) and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, (Which you can't) and if I have a faith that can move mountains, (Which you will never do)but do not have love, I am nothing. (Which you are) 3 If I give all I possess to the poor (Which you won't)and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, (Which you would if you could but won't)[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.(And you still do) When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (double portions, pork and Sabbaths)

Here's all you had to say

"Greetings Brethren.  Due to the present distress with the spreading Covid-19 virus and as a medical professional and scientist, I am asking that all government directives be followed until further notice. This applies to Bible studies, Sabbath Services and the upcoming Holydays if necessary. While not what we would wish to be, it is the the right thing, out of an abundance of caution, to do at this time."

Commercial Break: A Moment of Encouragement Through Times Such as These

Whatever your circumstances or concerns, needs and even fears,  whatever our differences, affiliations or lack of them, I believe we here on Banned can all take a moment to wish each other kind words of support as events unfold during these difficult times. 

In lieu of simple "thoughts and prayers", an offering of encouragement done well in song.

Celtic Woman

When You Walk Through a Storm

This too shall pass...

A reminder to the Churches
It's better to encourage and love your neighbor than to warn them.
A hug is only 18 inches from a kick in the ass.

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled postings...

Narcissists Ruin Everything: Part 3 Narcissists, Sycophants and Victims: The First Pyramid Scheme

Jesus was well aware of narcissists and psychopaths. He knew there were conniving liars who would play act their ways into positions of power and control over others. He argued with them regularly, calling them vipers and white-washed tombs. A large portion of Paul's warnings have to do with religious leaders whoring for money. The surest way to get into someone's pockets is to first convince them that they are beneath the leader and they need the leader for salvation. The trap is the ancient hierarchy, the first pyramid scheme.

So Jesus actually meant what He said in Matthew 20:20-28. Let's take a closer look.

A few years ago, Rod McNair gave a masterful example of eisegesis in a sermon titled, "Peter and the Key-Man Principle". It was a truly embarrassing attempt to try to prove Peter was the Chief Apostle who had 'final say' in decision-making for the church. I may post my evisceration of the whole sermon at another time. For our purpose here, I will just address what he said concerning Matthew 20:25-27. Here is the exact quote from his sermon:

“This is about attitude, not structure. (pause...confused look...furrowed brow) Actually, it does confirm the fact that there is structure because He is saying that the chief shall act like a servant. Those who are greatest among you shall serve. Sometimes, this is used to negate any structure of top-down and it’s just not there.”

I literally think he tripped himself up as he read it and tried to understand it the way he was trained to but the obvious nature and intent of the scripture dumbfounded him. Rod almost forgot to defend the structure, then he caught himself. So the teaching is that the structure is not in question, only the attitude of those in the structure. The church redefines servitude and slavery to mean the burden of feeding the flock and preaching the gospel as an authoritative duty over the people of God (Glad to articulate your doctrine for you, Rod). He was using the NKJV so I will quote it:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them."

I don't see where 'attitude' comes into play. What I do see is Jesus describing a multi-tiered power structure. The "rulers" make up the bureaucrats that administer government policies at the local levels among the citizens. They "lord" their power over the masses. Then you have those who are "great". This must be the senators and the Caesar, himself. These are the lawmakers and they exercise authority over the bureaucrats.

This is exactly how the churches of God function. "You know the pastors of the church oversee the laity and those who are at HQ exercise authority over the pastors."

Here are two more translations we can tease more meaning out of:

"You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them." (ISV)

This is interesting when you plug in the church's governments. HQ acts like tyrants over the ministry. I already know from my own research that many minister's lives were ruined by the heavy hand of Pasadena. These were often young kids coming out of AC at the age of 22 and expected to do much of the boots-on-the-ground dirty work of what headquarters wanted. How embarrassing it must have been for a kind-hearted minister to be told to show up at people's homes unannounced and raid their kitchens and medicine cabinets. Examples could get long here and much worse but I digress.

"You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them and the leaders have complete authority." (GNT)

Again, there's no question the structure is exact. There is power in the ministry over members but "complete authority" resides at headquarters.

This has nothing to do with attitude because that wasn't the original question asked of Jesus. The concern was being 2nd in rank under Christ. They were assuming a hierarchical structure and Jesus responded by admitting that indeed, among the Gentiles, hierarchy is how things are governed but Jesus had a "however".

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”

Jesus juxtaposes two opposing ideas against one another to make his point very clear and He does so by doing it twice. He compares exercising lordship to being a servant and exercising authority to being a slave. These opposing concepts cannot exist as one in the same. A lord cannot be a servant and an authoritarian cannot be a slave. Servants and slaves take orders, they never give orders. What Jesus is showing is that there is no place to be a lord in the body and there is no position of chief in the body. The only chief or head that exists in the body is Jesus. Hierarchical control over men does not exist in the governance of the church.

Jesus offers Himself as an example in verse 28. He truly did not come to be served. He was not there as King of kings and Lord of lords. That will be at His second coming. He was there among them in the flesh as a teacher. Yes, He chose his students but none of them followed him out of compulsion. Many disciples stopped following after him when he spoke hard sayings that offended them. Anyone that followed Him was free to abandon Him without repercussions. He could have killed Judas but then that wouldn't have been acting as a servant.

So what is Jesus saying? He didn't say there was no way to be great or to be first. He said if you do want to be great or to be first, you must abide by the formula. What is the formula? The answer is timing.

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” -Matt. 23:12

You have to go back to the beginning of the exchange. It all started when two among them were seeking high rank in the Kingdom of God. Jesus answer to them in a nutshell was if you want to rank high in the Kingdom of God (in the future), you must BE servants and slaves in the church body now! The warning above is clear: if you choose to exalt yourself among God's people now, you will be humbled. And how would one exalt himself among God's people now? It's right in the context. Follow the pattern of Rome!

Matthew 23 is a scathing chapter excoriating the existing religious authority among the people. As you read through the behaviors and actions of the religious leaders described by Jesus, it is clear they are a class set above the laity in Jewish society. They have a top-down structure with the high priest. The Sanhedrin was a mutated and illegitimate continuation of their distant past. This chapter is a laundry list of horrible fruits that result from an oppression and compulsory control mechanism—a top-down government reliant on fear to maintain its relevance and existence.

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” -I Corinth. 7:23

Jesus had already told them you are not to expect to be organized and function like the gentile world. He now gives them an ecclesiastical example with the same Roman model that they are not to seek as a template for the church in Matthew 23. It is clear Jesus is specifically dealing with governance because He turns His attention to His disciples in the middle of this attack on Rabbinical Judaism.

Christ tells His disciples that they are not to take on titles of Rabbi, Father and Master because they have One Rabbi, One Father and One Master in heaven.

Clarke’s Commentary says this about being called Father:

“Call no man your Father - Our Lord probably alludes to the Ab, or father of the Sanhedrin, who was the next after the nasi, or president. See on Matthew 20:21 (note). By which he gives his disciples to understand that he would have no Second, after himself, established in his Church, of which he alone was the head; and that perfect equality must subsist among them.”

Notice Clarke directs the reader back to Matthew 20:21 where James and John sought 2nd rank under Christ. Clarke goes on to say that these three titles are likely taken from the Hebrew titles of “Abbi, Rabbi and Mori” meaning “Father, Rabbi, Master.” They may very well have a relation to what we call, “Bachelor, Master and Doctor” in titled degrees or ranks today.

Clarke continues:

"...no man is implicitly to receive the sayings, doctrines, and decisions of any man, or number of men, in the things which concern the interests of his immortal soul. Christ, his Spirit, and his word, are the only infallible teachers. Every man who wishes to save his soul must search the Scriptures, by prayer and faith. Reader, take counsel with the pious; hear the discourses of the wise and holy: but let the book of God ultimately fix thy creed”

Jesus links what He is saying here right back to Matthew 20:20-28 when He concludes His comments directed to His disciples with,

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Scriptures below are probably the most powerful witness to the fact that hierarchy and tithing are not any part of the New Testament church.

"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world right up to this moment.” --I Corinthians 4:9-13

Now I ask you: Would anyone in authority over others with a right to their money say this and not be laughed to scorn? Here is another question: would a narcissist or a psychopath, in a million years, ever be inspired to seek such a lowly state? To be honest, the average Christian would not want Paul's role. That was the point. Congregational government led by the Holy Spirit and not a man or a group of elites is the safest and growth-inspiring environment for brethren. If people truly understood what it meant to serve Christ as a servant and slave to His people, there would be very few indeed. In fact, it makes you wonder if you ever knew one in your life at all.

Stoned Stephen Society