Sunday, July 10, 2022

LCG: In Seeking To Stop Members From Becoming Another Bob Thiel Ends Up Discouraging Intellectual Curiosity

Intellectual stimulation is vanity

It is well known by now how Bob Thiel thought he had great influence upon Rod Meredith, the Council of Elders, and many of LCG's top men. Thiel was constantly running to them with newly revealed knowledge he had supposedly discovered and therefore had to correct the LCG, its leadership, and its teachings to conform to his own interpretations. After being publicly humiliated by Rod Meredith from the stage, Thiel, filled with vanity, set off on his own to form his own personality cult, though the "personality" in this instance sure leaves a lot to be desired! Oy!

In a letter to the members of the Living Church of God, Paul Sena has written this, Beware of “Special Knowledge”. In this letter, he discusses how church members down through the decades have found themselves wrapped up in special knowledge gained from personal study, conspiracy theories, and other avenues of intellectual pursuit. Of course, when this involves questioning church leadership or beliefs then it creates an open can of worms.

A destructive pursuit has plagued the Church of God for centuries. Perhaps surprisingly, it often starts with pure motives—yet it frequently leads to pride, rebellion, and division. It did so in the first-century Church, and still does in God’s Church today. The pursuit of “special knowledge” is one of Satan’s most insidious and effective tools for attacking the people of God, and the problems it causes can be devastating. Let’s examine some of the effects of this pursuit, and then see what we can personally do to rein it in.

One avenue is intellectual curiosity, which ultimately is vanity:

Notice that Paul referred to the serpent deceiving Eve in the Garden of Eden. We find the account of this deception in Genesis 3:1–6...

The serpent, Satan, appealed to Eve’s intellectual vanity. In effect, he was offering her special knowledge. The appeal of having special information goes back to the very first humans, and Satan played on that desire—in fact, he still does.

Peter addressed the growing problem around 68 AD, 19 years after the letter to the Galatians:

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber (2 Peter 2:1–3). 
 
Notice that Peter uses the term “false prophets,” referring to people who claimed special insight. Such people, he says, are motivated by covetousness—whether they are coveting power, prestige, respect, or something else. Christ’s Apostles, on the other hand, clearly had the authority to preach as they did. 2 Peter 1:16–18 reminds us that, unlike those who claimed to have “new truth,” the Apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ Himself. What’s more, Peter says, “No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [origin], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (vv. 20–21). This has always been how God works to reveal the truth.

Intellectual curiosity breeds people like Bob Thiel...

The progression from innocent curiosity to arrogant rebellion usually goes something like this: First, a person notices something in a scripture that piques his interest—it’s something he hasn’t noticed before, but it seems to merit further study. Leaping to his mind as a result of this curiosity is a theory that, for one reason or another, is very attractive to him. 
 
This person then gathers all the scriptures and other documentation—lexicons, commentaries, Google search results, etc.—that seem to support his theory. But here is the danger: Does he honestly consider the evidence he finds that does not support his theory? Has he seriously studied what the Church teaches on the topic? Or is he studying to show his new idea correct, rather than to understand God’s word more fully? 
 
Because the Internet spreads almost every idea imaginable, it is easy to feel validated by finding others who share belief in his newfound theory. Once he feels validated, his theory becomes, in his mind, Truth—with a capital T. Believing he has discovered special knowledge, he begins to share it with people offline, including members of his Church congregation. If he receives positive reactions, he grows bolder in spreading his “Truth” and starts to look for further special knowledge that will gain him more positive attention.

But what does he do if he receives negative reactions? The humble Christian approach is to go to God in prayer and to ask God’s ministers to help him understand what he might be misunderstanding. Too often, however, pride was behind the “special knowledge” in the first place, and though he feels superior to those who do not share his knowledge, he retreats within his own mind, still privately believing his own ideas but unwilling to examine those ideas honestly in the light of God’s word. 
 
Either way, such a proud individual almost inevitably starts finding other points on which he believes the Church is wrong, and he repeats the above steps—either gaining an audience or internalizing his attitude of superior knowledge. His demeanor and attitude change, and his attendance at Sabbath services becomes sporadic. All along, he keeps up a dialogue with others who believe the same things he does. 

…which then brings into being the Bob Thiel’s of the church.

By the time he tells his minister about his new beliefs, he is no longer seeking to learn. He is seeking to teach, rejecting all explanations of Church teachings or refutations of his mistaken beliefs. He then leaves God’s Church. He might join another group, he might stay “solo” and rely on the Internet for his study and fellowship, or he might start a group of his own. Whatever he does, he is far from the humble place where he began; he now sees himself as a chosen vessel for special knowledge, and as such, he will eventually disagree with whomever he aligns himself, because he now has the delusion of knowing more than anyone else. If he goes far enough, he will become, in his own mind, the sole authority of God’s truth, ending up completely alone and disconnected from the Body of Christ—the Body that, tasked with doing the Work, now has at least one less person to help with doing that Work.

Of course, this all boils down to the tired and worn-out scapegoat, the most powerful god in Armstrongism Satan.

The only “winner” in this scenario is Satan, who has once again worked on someone in the same way he worked on Eve. In addition to appealing to people’s intellectual vanity, he also works on the ego, causing them to feel slighted. With Eve, he used, God is not fair—He is holding something back from you. 
 
And Satan uses the same tactic today. What’s interesting is that doctrine is rarely the true beginning of the journey: Many times, before the person “gains special knowledge,” he has already been offended by something or someone in the Church. Perhaps there is something that he doesn’t agree with, or his feelings were hurt by an “insensitive” statement or a slight (usually by someone in authority). The person allows a root of bitterness to spring up. Then, believing that he has “special knowledge” the Church lacks, he soon embraces the idea that those who disagree with him can’t be in “God’s true Church.”

This is a pretty good description of Bob Thiel. Is Satan behind his so-called work? 

Look at the tragic results: Another schism in the Body, thereby diminishing the Church’s effectiveness in performing its mission of preaching the Gospel. Another person is now without the nurture and protection of the Church, deluded that he, and he alone, is being used by God to reveal truth. 
 
The particular doctrines in dispute are actually beside the point, whether they involve calendar issues, “sacred names,” the true Gospel, or any one of a hundred other old, tired controversies. Once people start down this path, their argumentative and defiant attitudes become the issue. Paul told Timothy to “charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith” (1 Timothy 1:3–4).  
How sad that these people have forgotten the point of the Gospel: “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm” (vv. 5–7). 
 
Brethren, be on guard against Satan’s lies that play on our vanity. Beware of the danger of thinking you have special knowledge—God doesn’t work this way!

Amen to that! This is why Bob Thiel has been unable to draw the vast majority of COG members into his little group. People recognize there is a different "spirit" occupying Theil's mind.

Sena goes on to tell LCG members to remain humble so that they aren't drawn into this mess. Humbleness is not a factor that has ever played into Thiel's psyche.

God gave a warning to those who take upon themselves the prerogative of spreading “insight” that is not clearly supported by God’s inspired word. Deuteronomy 13:1–5 reveals that anyone who leads others away from God and the truth is guilty of an incredibly serious offense. But that warning is not only to the person claiming to have special knowledge. God says in verse 3 that He is testing those who listen to what the person says. 
 
Those claiming to have special knowledge will always be around, but part of the guilt of spreading it is on the listeners. Some people have “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3–4) and are looking for “new ideas.” We all need to judge the validity of any idea, comparing it with God’s word, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11, cf. 1 John 4:1).

Sadly, far too many in the LCG, and other COG's, will take this as an easy excuse never to question church leaders or beliefs. Intellectual curiosity is stifled yet again. LCG, like many other COG's remains fearful that members who actually study and examine doctrinal and church teach teaching, may actually discover many, if not most of them are wrong. It becomes dangerous territory when a church member actually started studying the New Covenant.

Sena makes sure to point out that the church encourages Bible Study...as long as it uses official church teachings to study it with.

Does this mean that we should avoid personal study and talking to others about the word of God? No—we are commanded to study to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), which requires study. But the attitude behind Bible study is all-important. Are we striving to become more like Jesus Christ or to become important in our own eyes (Proverbs 3:7)?

How can LCG members become Christ-like when the dude is never discussed most of the time? 

So, beware  of those who have special knowledge as they will try and seduce you:

The allure of “special knowledge” has seduced many since Eve was deceived in the Garden of Eden. It is one of Satan’s great deceptions and one of his most dangerous fiery darts—a deadly trap that leads to arrogance and eventual isolation from God’s plan and purpose. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), and as we read in Ephesians 4, He leads His people to the truth through the authority He has established in His Church. By allowing Him to lead us that way, we will remain steadfastly within the safety of the Body of Christ, now and until the end of the age. 
 
Remain humble, brethren, and watch out for those who claim to have special knowledge.

Debunking British Israelism

 

See Useful Charts for more excellent videos by Matt Baker (former WCG member) on the Bible, its history, and related subjects. There are also many other secular subjects covered too, like genealogies of nations, royalty, historical figures, and scores of other fascinating topics through chart timelines 

Baker effectively shuts down the childish high school-level research and teaching of Armstrongist Bob Thiel and his so-called historical and biblical "facts".


















For some added fun check out: 

Church of God International Turmoil: Civil War Over Its Messaging Continues


CGI’s Civil War Over Its Messaging Continues

The Church of God International’s Tony Buchert delivered a defiant message today to Bill Watson’s Medina, Ohio congregation about the right of that church’s conservatives to continue to preach a message centered on current events prophecy (as seen through the filter of British Israelism). Buchert openly chafed at attempts by Tyler, Texas (headquarters) to curtail messaging related to politics, conspiracy theories, and public health measures related to Covid-19. Buchert said that he and his fellow ministers had a moral obligation to warn their congregants and the nation about the consequences of current events and trends in the secular arena, and he rejected any suggestion that those topics should not be regarded as a part of Christ’s commission to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He also offered a full-throated denial that Bill and his allies have been operating outside of the church’s Statement of Beliefs or Systematic Theology Project.

Although he went on to acknowledge that as much as fifty percent of that organization’s ministry currently rejects the old Worldwide teaching on Anglo-Israelism, he insisted that he and his allies should not be silenced on the topic. Indeed, he went on to state a number of times that ministers should NOT be concerned about offending others – implying that they should be bold and in the face of those who oppose such messaging! Moreover, although Anglo-Israelism is not part of CGI’s Statement of Beliefs, he correctly pointed out that it is a part of that church’s Systematic Theology Project (which underscores that the church has always been of two minds on their messaging).

To support his claim, Buchert referenced the fourteenth page of the STP – where we read: “The modern identification of the ‘House of Israel’ as the United States and British Commonwealth is an important part of the Church’s prophetic understanding. While the United States is understood to be specifically represented as ‘Manasseh’ and the British Commonwealth as ‘Ephraim,’ the identity of the remainder of the original Israelite tribes is uncertain (though some evaluations have been made, such as equating France with Reuben.) The identification of the United States and British Commonwealth as the House of Israel leads to serious and momentous prophetic implications for the future. The time of the end is also called ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jer. 30:7), because the modern descendants of the House of Israel shall be taken captive by ‘strangers’ and severely oppressed. It will take the return of Jesus Christ to rescue and free the modern descendants of the patriarch Jacob from national humiliation and restore them to the knowledge of God. This event shall be of such enormous magnitude that Israel’s original exodus from Egypt shall be forgotten by comparison (Jeremiah 16:14-15, 23:7-8, Isa. 11:16, 27:12-13).”

Of course, those within that church who have rejected the doctrine of Anglo-Israelism realize that any prophetic interpretation which is premised on that teaching MUST also be wrong! Likewise, many of the folks who have reached the conclusion that this teaching has no basis in Scripture, history, archaeology, or genealogy also understand that this teaching appears as racist and highly offensive to the wider world.

What prompted this diatribe by Mr. Buchert? Well, it is clear that Bill Watson, Adrian Davis, and their allies in the ministry have felt for some time that they have been treated unfairly by the folks at headquarters. In short, they see absolutely NOTHING wrong with their messaging related to headline theology, conspiracy theories, and Covid-19. Indeed, they see themselves as God’s true servants – the faithful ones who are carrying God’s message of truth to their brethren and the world! They have bristled at the criticism of their messaging, and anything which they have perceived to be an attempt by others to censor God’s message! For Bill and his allies, they believe that their freedom of speech is under attack. They see the folks at headquarters as having fallen prey to the influences of this world and its political correctness. And, finally, I have it on good authority, that there are elements within CGI that would like to see Bill Watson and Adrian Davis fired! Moreover, Bill and his allies would have to be blind and deaf to be unaware of the fact that there is an element within that church which is relentlessly opposed to them and their messaging (people within his own congregation have complained about his partisanship and messaging).

What is the conclusion of the matter? Will the Church of God International continue to limp along with very divided messaging? Will one side triumph over the other? Will CGI split yet again, and one or two new ACOG splinters emerge from the trainwreck? Stay tuned!



Lonnie Hendrix

Saturday, July 9, 2022

Philadelphia Church of God, Edstone England, Financial Statements - "Where is the money actually going?"

 


From a Philadelphia Church of God source:

In the UK all charitable organizations must file a public document reporting their accounts for each year with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.  
This report only itemizes the income and accounts for the PCG UK (Registration #05314410]. The most current report is for the year ending Dec 31 2020 but it also lists all the financial information for the previous year 2019. While the entire 24 page report is intriguing and definitely worth a read, a few items jumped right off the page.


“Expenditures on Charitable Activities”  


On page 21 of this report is a list totaling the expenditures for the year. One line item dwarfs all the rest. One might assume it has something to do with giving or some charitable activity. But one would be WRONG!!! A whopping £473,520 ($565,735) in 2020 and £525,287 ($631,893) in 2019, this massive line item is titled Ministerial Travel!  They must have a large ministry to send all over Europe…… Nope, just 3 ministers! To boot there are approximately 7 tiny congregations one being Edstone! Wait it gets better…… How do 3 ministers spend £473,520 ($565,735)  on “traveling” when travel was completely restricted for most of 2020 due to COVID-19? This is a ludicrous amount even when they can travel!  Most European airfare, round trip can be purchased for £100. What type of ultra luxury accommodations are these “servants of Christ” staying in? Where and what are they dining on? 
While the PCG will probably claim that these exorbitant costs are associated with the “Flurry Jet” that simply doesn’t make sense.  Why would you infuse cash into the UK to balance the books to turn around and pay the PCG USA for a Jet that might have been used once in the UK for all of 2020?  

Publishing, advertising campaigns, and distribution of literature in ten languages. 

 

True to cult form The PCG tries to exaggerate their impact by using percentages instead of actual numbers. For instance under this section (see attached document) they boast “Literature requests in French were 9.5 times higher” “German literature request were four times as high and downloads increased by 25%” why, if they are having such an amazing growth and impact wouldn’t you produce actual numbers? One might ask 9.5 times higher then what? Four times more then??? 25% increase from what? If the PCG was having such an impact and reaching vast numbers of people through downloads and literature, the actual numbers would be published. Just as they did in the next sentence for the amount of propaganda articles they published FYI 983. This is because their people sit in their seats and are trained not to think or ask these questions, just blindly trust and believe the “government”

“Rendering of Charitable Works under  the Benevolence Program” 
 
This subsection is laughable! Here is where the cult can’t hide behinds words: Let’s just see how much benevolence is flowing out of the PCG! Under the financial review section the PCG UK claims to have a total income of £986,353 with a “charitable” expenditures of £897,517 leaving a surplus of £88,835. This is only possible with a infusion of cash from the PCG USA and PCG AUS of £333,425. With that background, now let’s go back to the “love” the PCG claims to show.


 
Page 21 and 22 have line items showing how much 3T Assistance AND FOT assistance was distributed (no where does it show how much was collected which is another interesting omission) the total for 2020 drumroll please ……. £2,845 and in 2019 it was £ 1,114!  I double checked, I didn’t for get a zero or two!  That’s it!  So now let’s use the percentages this cult loves to throw around, to determine the total amount of love that flowed out of the PCG to its membership .0028% in 2020 yep less the 3 hundred thousandth of a percent of the PCG UK income that flowed back to its people in true love! So they demand their people pay their 3T and they claim that it all goes to help those in the church in need. But when they have to open the books it shows a completely different picture. To summarise Ministerial travel (in a time of no travel) was £473,520 and total love distributed to help it’s membership  £ 2,845.   Where is the money actually going?

Littlest Prophet Buys New Set Decorations And Then Asks Us If He Is The 21st Century Elijah


 

The Church of God's littlest prophet, the Great Bwana to Africa and 150 Caucasians and the first Native American Germanic Gentile, has apparently taken the hints offered here and bought himself a new set decoration. No expense was spared! 

Let's just say the new decoration isn't much better than his faded-out curtains and crooked bookcases. The Great Bwana needs to ask the local high school theatre department and have them design him a halfway decent set. Buy a stretcher frame and stretch the banner on it so no one sees all the wrinkles and folds. Also, close the damn curtains so the sunlight doesn't bleed in highlighting the edge of the curtains that aren't draped properly.

A bigger chair would also work so that the little prophet would look bigger than he is. Seriously dude, when your shoulders and head are just a few inches above the window sill frame there is an issue! Would a real Elijah ever do such a thing? I do like the blue halo effect over your head, it gives the impression you are electrifying when you are not.

Anyway, the Great Bwana to Africa and the only Native American Germanic Gentile ever to lead the true church in human history, has a question for us to answer. Is he, the Bob, the 21st Century Elijah, and/or one of the two witless witnesses? I know it is a struggle to answer that, but could someone please help him! Bob won't listen to me.

21st Century Elijah
Was John the Baptist the prophesied Elijah or at least a type of Elijah? Is there an Elijah to come? Have Sabbatarians been teaching this a long time? What were 18 truths that Herbert W. Armstrong said God had him restore? Was anything to be restored in the last days, consistent with Daniel 12:4 and Matthew 17:11? Was God supposed to restore dreams and prophets in the last days? Did the Worldwide Church of God teach such would happen again? Have we seen signs of Acts 2:17-18 in the Continuing Church of God? Is Bob Thiel the final Elijah or one of the two witnesses? Why or why not? Has there been the restoration of important truths in the CCOG? Is the CCOG at least setting the foundation for the 21st century Elijah? Dr. Thiel gives information relating to all of that in this sermon.