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
We all knew this was coming when Sheldon Monson was kicked out of the Living Church of God and had a broadcast the following week.
Now, we have a new Church of God thanks to Sheldon who now wants your tithe money and offerings.
Welcome to Church of God Assembly, Gerald Weston's new nemesis.
Special News Delivery: During the live streaming of services, September 5th at 2:00pm EDT, for the "COG Broadcast YouTube Channel." Sheldon Monson officially announced the formation of the newest Church of God group to hit the world scene. After some time of discussion and because of their origin, they decided the best title for their new group should be "Church of God Assembly." This was quite predictable considering the hint dropping every week during Sheldon's personal services on YouTube. Or at least that's what it seemed like. Personally, In a way I'm kind of glad he formed his own group. In a way though, I can't make that more abundantly clear. Why am I sort of glad? Well.. because honestly I'd like to see LCG's reaction. A competitor has arisen in their mist. I wonder what their next action will be? Something typical.. probably.. sigh. I wonder if LCG's membership is dropping? I'm sure Sheldon can take away quite a few more. I mean he already has. Best regards, NDA
I never realized that the purpose of Jesus being on earth was for him to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, be crucified for our sins, then resurrected so that he could come back and work with one little group (like, in Charlotte)! Who knew???????????????? This "Jesus" sure has to be one busy dude since he has to be in so many different COG headqurters working. How can he be in Charlotte when he is in Gover Beach? Or, Edmond, OK? Or, Wadsworth, OH? But then, COG leaders need to make their followers feel special in order for them to give more money. The more special and set apart you are with "hidden knowledge" the more special people will feel and think they need to support this so-called truth.
Weston also reminds his faithful few that their goal is to be rulers of cities and worlds. Everyone gets a new planet! Woo Hoo!
What are those “many things” that we are to rule over? The Parable of the Minas reveals that those who are called, chosen, and faithful during this life, are given the opportunity to rule over cities when Jesus comes back to straighten out the mess that we humans have gotten ourselves into (Luke 19:16-19). Yes, the message Jesus brought was a message about righteous government—something sorely missing today.
That may surprise some of you who are newer, but that is what the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is all about (Mark 1:14-15). That is the message Jesus taught for three-and-a-half years prior to the time when He paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood and dying on our behalf (1 John 1:5-7). He was resurrected and now works in a small group of people through the power of His Spirit, transforming us to think and act as He thinks and acts (Romans 8:6-9; Galatians 2:20). This same Jesus will return in power and glory to rule over the earth (Zechariah 14:9), and at that time, He will resurrect His servants to rule with Him on the earth for one thousand years (Revelation 20:4).
Let me get this straight...LCG leaders, ministers, and some privileged members have been transformed into thinking and acting like Jesus acted? Lord have mercy! If that's the case then Jesus PLEASE save us from your followers!
If Weston and LCG leadership are the "transformed life" we have to look forward to, then the licking flames of the lake of fire would be a better alternative.
This is the same message given to the prophet Daniel. Notice what is revealed regarding this Kingdom to come: “The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27). The term saint has been greatly corrupted over the centuries and merely refers to faithful followers of God, not someone set up on a pedestal in the way many mistakenly believe. See 2 Corinthians 1:1 and Ephesians 1:1. Few Christians realize how far removed their denominational teachings are from original Christianity.
Few LCG members realize how far removed LCG is from the original Christianity.
This is precious knowledge you are being given. It is knowledge not generally understood in the professing Christian world. It may be knowledge that some of you who are newer have not yet fully realized, but our booklet Do You Believe the True Gospel? explains this truth in greater detail and will unlock the scriptures that have been right there in the Bible all this time, ever since they were first written millennia ago. They are not difficult to understand and if God is opening your mind, all you need to do is read and believe what the Bible clearly says.
No silly! All you need to do is read OUR literature and THEN you will understand things. According to COG ministers, Christians down through the centuries have been too stupid or blinded to understand what Jesus taught. Only those in the COG know that truth. That bullshit meter in the Church of God is constantly peaked off the end of the chart when they say this!
Hundreds of millions of Christians through the centuries have understood what Jesus did and accomplished. Many of them have died for that, something none of the wimpy-ass COG leaders in the last 80 some years have ever had to do, regardless of how loud they screech PERSECUTION these days.
The Christian faith has always evolved with each generation as it applied those truths to their own lives and living circumstances. Thank goodness no one in 2020 is like those "original" Christians! Our calling demands us NOT to be!
Any COG minister that claims they are practicing original Christianity is a liar.
The boys in Cincinnati want you to know that they are socially distancing during the live filming of their podcasts...though inquiring minds want to know - where are the masks?
They seem pleased at the topics of their recent episodes, though it looks like the same tired worn out crap that has been preached about for decades. It is almost 2021 and one would think they could come up with new material.
Yesterday we recorded three more Beyond Today television programs with a studio audience consisting of our Ambassador Bible College class. The programs were "Human Identity and the Family of God" by Darris McNeely, "Why Do Good People Suffer?" by Steve Myers and "Beware the Mark of the Beast" by Gary Petty.
Their "faith" is also being challenged by the COVID restrictions that limit the Feast of Tabernacles' locations, attendance, and procedures this year. All first-world problems for an elitist COG group. Especially, while they have members in Africa who may walk half or full-day journey's to be at a Feast location (like they have bragged about happening in the past). Yet, the boys whine about U.S. restrictions.
Never fear though, UCG's CORRECT version of prophecy has all of this under control. Bob Thiel, be damned, we have it right!
We live in an era of fear, anxiety and uncertainty. But we in the Church of God are blessed with understanding—especially prophetic understanding—that brings peace and calmness. We can withstand and overcome trials in part because we confidently know that whatever season of life we are in, we will come out of it, We will win.
In a recent posting on COGWRITER, "Are Women to Give Sermons?", Bob Thiel says...
"Let me make a few points.
First, while Tina Engelbart is entitled to her opinion about what she thinks the Greek means, the reality is that there is no record of Christian women preaching in either the New Testament nor in early Christian writings. While it is possible that the apostateSimon Magusmay have had a female preach, and maybe some of the other apostates did, people who understoodkoineGreek at the time apparently did not feel that the Apostle Paul was allowing women to preach.
Second, UCG is correct that women should not be preaching. This is confirmed by the following passage that is in the Bible (hence, even allowing for a different translation of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, this is not something only to be derived from the Talmud as Tina Engelbart indicates):
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:11-12).
It is also a historically accurate position as the early COG did not have women preaching in services."
I would suggest that Dr Thiel keep reading to fully understand Paul's reasons for his opinions. And that this is just Paul's opinion.
Let me make a few points as well...
I Timothy 2:
11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet....KEEP READING BOB 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
First of all, Paul says it is his rule. He does not permit it. It's his opinion and he has nothing from his hallucinatory Jesus to quote about the issue. Neither would he find anything in the Gospels which came long after his death.
Secondly, His opinion is based on the mythic story of Adam and Eve as to how men were first created and then women, (from the rib no less) of the first man Adam. The story is not literally true.
Paul makes Adam being created first a significant pecking order issue as to the differences between a man's authority and a woman's. The story of Adam and Eve is simply that, a story. You cannot take a myth, no matter what the context, to make up literally true rules.
The purpose of the story was to establish the fault of women for just about everything since time began and debunking goddess worship in the nations around Israel. The story is to promote Patriarchy in the form of Priests, Temples and Animal sacrifices as the way of Israel. The way of Matriarchy, as in the pagan nations worshipping fertility. agricultural phenomenon and the goddess was not going to be the way of Israel. This is the mentality of the Bronze and Iron Age and not the Computer and Space Age.
Thirdly, Paul makes the point that in his view and in the tale, Adam was not deceived. He was a total non-player, even in the story. The story actually reminds us that Adam was right there with Eve, but this is conveniently overlooked by Paul to make his opinion on the matter more valid and credible.
In reality, Adam evidently had a problem speaking up. At best, Adam was not in charge of the situation in the least. At worst, he was deceived equally "and did eat." They are both "transgressors" in this and equally. Paul downplays that reality so he can make his point and defend his position that woman are not to speak in church or sermonize. Paul had a personal problem with women in his life I suspect.
Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it."
Paul graciously lets women off the hook of being at fault for everything by allowing them to be "saved" by having babies. He did not evidently find it to be helpful or encouraging to quote the actual verse outlining this process of salvation by baby bearing.
Genesis 3:1616To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
How close women almost came to having painless and pleasurable childbirth! Thanks a lot Eve!
How convenient and ludicrous. In the story, Eve or no woman had yet given birth to another human, so it was evidently a convenient time to tell women that it would be painful and this is part of her punishment. I would like to suggest that had this story never been told, childbirth would probably still be painful but the reason would be simply because this kind of experience for a woman is painful.
It's kind of like the Jesuits showing up at an Indian village and announcing that if they did not turn over their land, they would make the Sun or the moon go dark. Knowing the timing of solar and lunar eclipses no doubt helped them along in this trickery. I would have loved to seen a knowledgeable tribe member tell them, "Ok, do it right now and we will, but if you fail, we'll burn you at the stake." "Yeah no...we gotta go"
Like Paul, Bob, that is merely your opinion, and have failed to tell the whole story.
So Women of the Church, If you would like to hear an hour and half of what Bob admits "might be a little controversial" and give the impression he's not quite sure himself about the topic, you will enjoy what your true "role" is.
Bob makes the poetic point that women "were not taken from the head of man to be over him nor from the feet to be trampled underfoot" as the nice quote goes, but from the rib as his equal, etc. The real reason women come from the rib of man is that men have lots of ribs and losing one is more because there are lots of them and won't be missed. Women weren't taken from fingers as one might need all ten along the way. Fingers are more significant than one of 24 ribs. So are men more than women.
When teaching anatomy in massage schools, I'd get to the anatomy of the rib cage and how breathing works and say "First of all we have 24 ribs...." Then I would wait. It was always a female student. Up goes the hand. "But men have one less right?" I'd say no but I understand where you get that from. They'd get upset because in church they were told the tale. My answer was that if I cut off your finger, your children would still have ten fingers at birth. And just counting modern-day man's ribs pretty much took care of the question. One said she was telling her dad what I said and I told her to have him call me if he'd like. (The "call me, let's reason together" is ever with me.) Dad must have chickened out. I admit I should not have said: "...and have him explain Santa to you too." It just slipped out.
The boys in Charlotte are scrambling to keep their members in line and that necessary money stream coming in. It seems that the Sheldon Monson fiasco is having a huge impact upon LCG as members flock to Monson and his webcast. Many in LCG are now switching feast sites in order to attend Monson's site.
The mask fiasco that Weston created has now led LCG to draw up 3 "study guides" for the few remaining faithful to examine as they try to recover from the "present distress" the church is now going through.
We have seen a lot of COG's do a lot of stupid things over the years, but this one makes LCG look absolutely ridiculous.
It's like watching a high school girl get all pissy when her boyfriend dumps her for someone better.
The longer COG's exist the more immature they act.
Church Administration Online Study Resources for Brethren
During this difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church is faced with the challenge of making decisions about services and our weekly and Festival practices. As always, Church leadership looks to the inspiration of Jesus Christ and the laws and statutes of God to guide these decisions, not to mention a “multitude of counsel,” which has included the Council of Elders, Feast of Tabernacles Site Coordinators, and numerous field ministers. And the Church Headquarters leadership frequently revisits these decisions, looking for opportunities to move past this “present distress” and back to the normal services we all love.
As we move through this unprecedented time together, we want to make all brethren aware of study resources that may be helpful in light of the issues the Church is facing today.
The following study guides are available on the lcg.org website, by clicking on the “Bible Study” link:
