Wednesday, January 31, 2007

While you are at it, check out Norman Shoaf's new book too!



A former writer for WCG publications including the Plain Truth, Norm Shoaf has also a post WCG experience. It has been a rocky one with the loss of his wife and to raise his kids alone but thankfully he is now writing for a southern California newspaper as "city editor". He also has a book out called "Random Epiphanies" a book about his various thoughts on faith. You can read the summary, review and you can purchase the book at http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=31966 .

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 8:57 PM | | Comments

Check out Grant Spong's website



What do I make of Grant Spong, former WCG minister? When I was in Niagara Falls, New York during the Feast of Tabernacles in 1994, me and a friend a got a kick out of him during his feast sermon, "10 Ways to Receive Your Reward" (I even still have the tape!). A good speaker, funny, humourous, even sarcastic (but hey he's an Aussie, they are supposed to be blunt and crass, so suck it in and take it!). My cyber-experience with Grant in the 2000's has been a very interesting one full and complete range of emotions and experience on any given topic we have discussed (oh yes, at times in a very intense manner let's say). Like myself, Grant's post-WCG experience has been also been a rugged journey so to speak but he will agree with me that this exile out of the WCG is completely worth it and wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world. I just found out that he has a website called IGS Ministries (standing for both his full name Ian Grant Spong and In God's Service) at http://www.igspong.com/ where he has 4 e-books: Christianity without the Crap (good Aussie title and this looks like a good one as I am glancing it, go here at http://www.igspong.com/Christianity_without_the_Crap.pdf for the PDF version), Preach (this one also looks good if you are interested in public speaking), House Churches Unlimited and a unique one called Good Manners for Australian Politicians (I guess the principle can apply to Canadian ones too!). I hope you like and enjoy from his e-books. May he have more stuff in the future.

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 7:59 PM | | Comments

FYI AGAIN DOES ANOTHER INTELLIGENT QUOTE OF THE DAY!


Of all the contradictions in WCG the biggest was their take on "free moral agency" vs. their tendency to produce automatons. HWA frequently harped on how God created mankind to be "free moral agents", and that we must have free will in order to "develop Godly character". And yet here was "God's College" churning out robots... BY DESIGN!! And whenever one of the robots started thinking for itself it was drop kicked off the assembly line.



---FYI Again, making another point on Worldwide Church of God Alumni about HWA and his minions talking a cool game about "free moral agency", "freewill" while taking delight in human beings acting like automatons.

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 7:39 AM | | Comments

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Another Intelligent Quote of the Day from Neotherm



End time prophecy is a marketing vehicle for the COGs. It is a means of bringing more anxiety into the lives of people who are already anxiety inundated. The hope is that they will be frightened into joining a COG and becoming a part of the tithe base. Evangelicals are little better. (I am not an evangelical.) They look into such books as Revelation to find support for the agenda of the Republican Party. It is almost as if morality for them is not defined by the Bible but by Republican dogma.They harp on God's promise to Abraham to support the Iraq War. They cite that "those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed." At the same time they ignore the unrelenting warfare between the Arabs and the descendants of Israel. They conceal that fact that Biblical prophecy describes the Middle East as a seething cauldron right up to Armageddon. John Hagee, whom I have only watched a little on television, strongly supports the President's War in Iraq based on basis of the Abrahamic "blessing scripture" but says nothing about the rest. So the evangelicals proof-text support for the War in Iraq. If we wanted to bless Israel, it would make sense for us to use our 150,000 troops to secure Israel's borders. Instead, we are trying to turn Iraq into a democratic republic. History demonstrates from the Crusasdes onward, that Iraq will never become the 51st State of the Union.I was amazed to hear a kid from Wheaton College a few weeks back say on ABC Evening News that God's creation is something that we should respect and take care of. He knew this was an unpopular statement with evangelicals. Evangelicals believe in environmental policies that favor corporations because that is the Republican agenda. Somehow evangelicals can become almost witheringly angry over abortion (I am firmly against abortion), but have no problem with sending young men and women to their deaths in the Iraq War. Both involve expending human life for no reasonable purpose. Evangelicals adopt this paradoxical position not because it is Biblical but because it is a part of the Republican agenda. Throughout, I should have said neo-conservative Republicans because there are some centrist Replublicans that I respect.This is one reason why I am a mainstream Christian rather than an evangelical.



---More of Neotherm's criticisms (and rightly so) of evangelical Christians and their approach to prophecy and their faith in public policy isssues on Gavin Rumney's Ambassador Watch blog

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Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 9:09 PM | | Comments

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Now here's some good preaching




After watching the "dirt" below, here's something that will clean you. This night I was surfing the net and found something from Covenant Seminary, a theological seminary based in St.Louis, Missouri. They had a section of Ministry Resources at http://www.covenantseminary.edu/resource/ResultListDetail.asp?slType=Title&rPage=L where you can hear some of the sermons that were preached and I was delighted to hear two of them so far. They are:

Dealing With Our Inappropriate Conservatism Zack EswineGalatians 1-2 Download MP3 Audio

I Remember Yom Kippur Robert Vasholz Download MP3 Audio

I hope you will enjoy both messages, be inspired and uplifted as a result. Enjoy!

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 9:59 PM | | Comments

Thursday, January 18, 2007

This is NOT the way to preach!!!

Christian televangelists come in strange shapes and sizes and here is one of those you can add to the "Real Wacko" and proud of it. This stange man quotes Bible scriptures and at the same time cusses like a gang leader. I don't mind the odd cuss word to strike a stern rebuking point but this "toilet mouth" is just seeming to do it for show. On top that, there is no coherence and central point he's trying to say. This guy is NOT the late greate Gene Scott by any stretch of the imagination. The guys's haircut is bad, the studio and background is so cheap. I don't know much about this man. It has been rumoured (and I don't know for sure) that he committed suicide a couple of years ago which if true is very sad. I don't think you need to be a toilet mouth in order to communicate to inner city gangs. This is bad preaching at its worse and I want to do my best to have a clean blog but I will put this warning that viewer's discretion about this segment here only is strongly advised!



Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 9:24 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Intelligent quote of the day


Religion alone isn't the problem


It's when religion and *power* mix that it becomes truly toxic. Note that I said power and not politics. Any time religion seeks to control people, whether it's for political purposes or simply to gain power and wealth (as HWA did) it becomes corrupted and disaster will surely follow.Religion of and by itself can be benign. But once it starts trying to force itself on others - for whatever reason - it becomes pure poison. Islam was *FOUNDED* on the principle of forced conversion, and as such it has been poison from the very start.Unfortunately, the nations of the west - because of their tradition of religious tolerance - have no defense against the kind of agitation the Muslims in their midst are doing. In order to survive, they will ultimately have no choice but to curtail the religious freedoms their societies have become accustomed to. In the final analysis, Islam will have to be outlawed in these countries because it will never change and it will never go quietly. A new "crusade" is brewing and there's not much anyone can do to stop it. Our societies have only 2 choices: stop Islam by any means necessary, or submit to forced conversion.Islam is not a religion. It is a political ideology, like Communism or Fascism.


---FYI of Worldwide Church of God Alumni message board discussing his views on twisted religion and the West's limited choices in fighting Islamofacism

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Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 6:57 PM | | Comments

Monday, January 15, 2007

Life After The WCG Proven!




Remember being in the Worldwide Church of God being told if you leave that "bad things will happen to you". You will no longer be blessed, you are in the bonds of Satan, forfeited your salvation, blah,blah,blah! Again it is has been proven over and over again (may there be more examples to come when people have the good sense to leave what is left of the WCG and it's ever fragmenting splinters) that there is LIFE after the Worldwide Church of God and other off-shoots. George T. Geis was a minister in the Worldwide Church of God was ousted in the mid 1980's. The Ambasador Report by the late John Trechak (not Gavin's Ambassador Watch) explains:
At the end of 1984 there appeared on the shelves of Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena a new book of major interest to some in the WCG hierarchy. The Firm Bond (Linking Meaning and Mission in Business and Religion) by Robert L. Kuhn and George T. Geis, and published by Praeger, explores "the ways in which business could adopt the techniques and outlooks that enable some religious groups to obtain an unparalleled degree of commitment from their adherents." (Quotes are from their book and book jacket.)
The authors analyze the problem of commitment - both corporate and personal - and suggest ways in which commitment is either built or broken. To buttress their arguments they rely heavily on anecdotes. It was these anecdotes, apparently, that caused rumblings at WCG headquarters in Pasadena. For while the book nowhere mentions the WCG by name, both Kuhn and Geis have had a long relationship with the Armstrong organization, and many saw in their pseudonymous examples the WCG with all its corporate and human failings.
Within a few weeks of the book's appearance Geis was forced to resign from his Ambassador College position and the WCG ministry. It was the WCG's loss. Geis was one of the few Ambassador College faculty members possessing truly outstanding academic credentials.
Besides a B.A. in theology from Ambassador College, Geis received a B.S. in mathematics (summa cum laude) from Purdue University, a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Management at UCLA, where he is also a Postdoctoral Scholar. He is currently "Research Coordinator at the Center for Human Research Management, Institute of Industrial Relations, the University of California at Los Angeles."
Kuhn's credentials are equally impressive. Besides a B.A. in theology from Ambassador College, Kuhn holds a B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa) in human biology from Johns Hopkins University; a Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the Department of Anatomy and Brain Research Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles; and an M.S. (Sloan Fellow) in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was also a research affiliate in psychology. He is the author of a number of books on management and currently holds positions with the University of Texas and New York University. He has been disassociated from the WCG and Ambassador College since the late seventies.
Over the years, the WCG and Ambassador College have been able to draw many men of intellect and talent. Unfortunately, the Armstrong organization has rarely been able to hold on to those same individuals. It would be difficult to find another organization with such a pronounced "brain drain" problem. Those running the Armstrong organization might do well to ponder the lessons found in The Firm Bond.
The brain drain continues right 'til this day in the 2000's even with the new evangelical Worldwide Church of God and it's recent cultic splinters. Where's Dr. Geis today? Well he's at UCLA Anderson School of Management as an Adjunct Professor. Here is the link at
http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x1962.xml explaining this man's curriculum vitae. Still impressive, isn't it? For those in the XCG's who want to be free, do not let the threats and lies of leaving the totalitarian group conquer you. It is time to be victorous and make a bold move. There is LIFE after the Worldwide Church of God and/or it's splinters. This is one more case and many more to come!

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Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 6:28 PM | | Comments

Saturday, January 13, 2007

This guy also needs a check up from the neck up






...and a physical check-up from one sexy nurse! Hey he's a widower, he needs some kind of adult entertainment! That would probably calm him down and make a lot less sillier predictions. Wouldn't all of us former XCGers like that?! You bet! But we all know that's a fantasy and Gerald Flurry, like The Energizer Bunny will keep going and going, you know the idea. As all Armstrongite XCG preachers of doom and gloom is that they have silly minded predictions when the Democrats in the U.S. take over the White House or Congress, IT'S THE END OF THE AGE!!! When the Republicans in the U.S. take over the White House or Congress, "God is giving us more time to do The Work! So behave yourselves!!!" Latest of this mind control sheninagans (as pictured in the Phildelphia [S]trumpet, thanks Gavin for pointing this out) should tire some people. Maybe it has but others take this as gospel, suck it in and give it no thought. Here is a reality check: The Democrats that have been elected and recently sworn in Congress are CONSERVATIVE AND MODERATE DEMOCRATS! Yes, the liberal Democrats are in charged of Congressional Committees but believe you me, it would be a stupid thing for the liberal Democrats to automaticaly crack the whip to mold their conservative and moderate counterparts into their point of view. With the new Democratic elected Congress, things are a lot more complicated than Flurry imagines. British-American columnist Andrew Sullivan believes that this is a good thing for America because you have a check on power on the Bush administration. I know my fellow conservative Republican friends south of my border may disagree on that point but it is a better point than Fantasy Flurry's anyday.

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 5:13 PM | | Comments

First Idiot Awards of 2007 go to: David Ben-Ariel


"Okay Felix! What is DBA bothering you about this time???" Really it is Pasedena Guy10 of WCG Alumni Message board discovered this crazy idea on DBA's blog. I could remember a then-WCG friend back in the '90's was imagining a Left-Behind-type movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Beast. That was a fantasy, now David Ben Ariel's hoping that this is a reality! Read on for an explanation:
Nazis Laying Foundation for Return Through CA Governor
David Bent Ariel has went bonkers! As if Arnold is going to run to be president of the EU! Oh wait, he is a closet Nazi who will be leading the European Union with Germany at the helm as they come and take the U S captive and put us all in concentration camps! Well, all except for the chosen remnant who will be in Petra digging holes for MerryDeath and Flurry's sacred waste. What an idiot! Bent Ariel Blog
Quote:
Will Arnold Schwarzenegger, frustrated by failures to run for the highest office in the United States, return home to Europe and triumph in the elections as the "born leader" of the pan-European movement's party? Will the EU's strong man then vent his anger against the United States and wreak havoc on the world?When I called Governor Schwarzenegger's office the first time to inquire "Has Governor Schwarzenegger ever considered running for president of the European Union or would he consider it?" (Presently only possible when Austria has the EU presidency but the winds of change are blowing). The fellow said he was pretty sure he wouldn't. When I asked, "Is that a yes or a no," he said he hadn't heard him say anything about it. That's not what I asked. I wanted a concrete yes or no answer. Not a guess.He then put me through to Lee in the Press Office who graciously took note of my questions and said if she found out anything she'd give me a call. I called again to leave my email, rather than just my phone number. Still didn't hear anything after some time, so I just called and she said they had no comment.When pressed as to does that means Mr. Schwarzenegger doesn't plan to run for European office, or doesn't want to discuss it, for whatever reasons, she simply said "We don't have any comment for your book." When I said what should I say when I write about Arnold's refusal to answer a simple question, she said say the "Press office declines to comment." WHY?Nothing against Arnold Schwarzenegger personally, but my first thought and concern as an American born and raised here in our Promised Land, is why would we want a German (he was born in Austria, hence Germanic) in control of California on our strategic West Coast? Especially when, as Herbert W. Armstrong so correctly warned through the pages of The Plain Truth magazine and World Tomorrow broadcast (formerly headquartered in Pasadena, California), the Nazi movement only went underground and began to lay the foundation for their return. Germany's Fourth ReichNow that Herr Schwarzenegger is in control of California, he undoubtedly craves the presidency of the United States, especially since he's convinced he was "born to rule" and has more than an admiration for historical dictators, swaying millions. If he is unable to claim that coveted prize, would he, in fierce frustration, return to Europe and go after its reigns and ride the EU bull with the Bavarian pope's blessings?
Is it any wonder why the Governor will not respond to this Armstrongite worshipping idiot!
NOTE FROM FELIX:
IT IS MY BELIEF THAT IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE RISE UP AND CHANGE THE U.S. CONSTITUTION TO LET THOSE WHO WERE FOREIGN BORN AMERICAN CITIZENS TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS THE BELIEF OF POST WCG LIFE AND THEOLOGY THAT GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA, THE HONOURABLE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IS THE AMERICAN MESSIAH OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TO BATTLE THE NEO PHARISEES OF OUR TIME, THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT! MAY THAT GREAT DAY DRAW NEAR!!!

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 3:32 PM | | Comments

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Another Intelligent Quote of the Day by Desertwench on Joe Jr.


For the most part, I consider Dr. Tkach to be a well-educated, well-informed man of high intellect, and I think it is great that he carried on this email dialogue with you (....having had several email exchanges with him over the years, myself). I am wondering if maybe he already knew you from WCG HQ employment or elsewhere?
While your part of the email dialogue seems (to me) to be gracious and respectful, I am not at all surprised that Joe's responses had undertones of defensiveness. Let's face it, criticism in any form whatsover, just never sets well with MOST church pastors/overseers.....not just in WCG, but most other churches/denominations at least from what I've observed. And so, what happens for some church members (the first time or two they criticise the pastor's leadership or some aspect about the church and get an unfavorable reaction....) is that they quickly see the pastor as "unapproachable" and out of touch with reality. And, it's no wonder that so many church pastors/overseers today, have complained about how lonely and unappreciated they feel, to the point that many of them leave the ministry completely.
I too would challenge Dr. Tkach on his belief that "HWA died penniless." LOL, that's baloney! I also have good reason to believe that Dr. Tkach (just like his mother & so many others...) is also STILL (in 2007) among the "walking wounded" and operates much of the time from a subtle, passive-aggressive mindset.
And while I have many other opinions/perspectives on the "new" WCG's governance and its appointed (not elected) "pope"-style leadership and hand-picked board of elders, I still say that the most gracious, merciful thing Joe could have done (once he inherited his "papacy" position & began to dismantel Armstrongism & "old" WCG piece by piece, inch by inch....like a long, slow torture) was to either:
1) Step out on faith in his newly-found freedom in Christ, along with his buddies (Mike, Bernie, Greg & whoever else...), and plant a new denomination or church elsewhere.....leaving "old" WCG in-tact....and not try to "bully" or get people to conform to their agendas. Or:
2) Announce that WCG will close its doors on such & such a date, and provide WCGers with information on how to find a healthy church home elsewhere. THEN...(and this is very important & obviously impossible for WCG leaders to accomplish, given their past track record...) have the self-discipline and integrity to follow through with the plan by SAYING/DOING what they mean, and MEANING what they say (& do).
The main reason why I believe that WCG leadership can never truly "help" those it hurt -- and can never preach the fullness of the Gospel of Christ & Him crucified -- is because the Armstrongism baggage always gets in the way. WCG is so busy trying to justify its existance, trying to find a new purpose & place in the Christian community & trying to "stomp out" the demons of its sordid, abusive past that there just isn't much room "in the inn" for Christ. It seems that so much of the time (just like the "old" WCG), He must take a backseat to the denominational drama (the latest being their decision to ordain women into pastor/elder positions). And, just like "old" WCG, the denominational drama in "new" WCG is humanistic and detracts from the Gospel.
And finally, one of the key things I believe about Dr. Tkach is that he is just biding his time until he sees fit to take the "treasure" he has laid up for himself (as the CEO of WCG) to retire & break away not just from the WCG, but from organized religion, in general. He's in his mid-50's now and so, where else is he going to find gainful employment? I realize (as he has told me...) that he has received offers for positions in other churches/denominations that he has declined. And I don't blame him for that - he's got a cushy job right where he is, and besides, most people get more set in their ways as they get older and don't have much desire to start a new career in a different company, in their 50's. Anyway, I have good reason to believe that he is just going through the motions of his position and "playing church" like a good pastor-general should, while jetting all over the world attending various conferences, and thriving on the adulation and good feelings that come from those experiences of being with the brethren for those brief blocks of time.
What a lifestyle! Think about it.... I must admit I do admire Joe for his ability to keep playing the game and still have enough sheeple to keep the family business afloat even if only "just barely." He's pretty brilliant, if you ask me. Almost as brilliant as HWA.


---JLF's Desertwench still suspicious (and rightly so) of WCG Pastor General Joseph Tkach Jr.

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 10:40 PM | | Comments

Brass balls, hard ass statement of the day by Koey Koala





Here we go around the mulberry bush again. Nowhere, not once, not any single place, not one scripture, not one command, not one whisper, not even a whimper or a hint by Jesus or any of the apostles tells us to keep Saturday sabbath, or Sunday sabbath for that matter. Yet, you sabbatarians (Sunday and Saturday) keep focusing on the non-essential, the silence, the non-commands, looking in all the little corners for even just a hint, that might support your Galatanism.
Is taking a Sabbath rest a principle like circumcision? Yes. Is it a command? No. Is there ANY mandate ANYWHERE for Christians to keep Saturday or Sunday? No.
The Gospel is not about any days, or food and drink, or any other physical things. Catholics focus on the physical bread and wine and a physical office of one man, Eastern Orthodox focus on their physical traditions, liberal Protestants focus on their physical social gospel, conservative Protestants focus on their physical touch-not taste-not rules, Pentecostals focus on their physical health-wealth/tongues junk, and Sabbatarians focus on a physical day. All of these things are supposedly Bible based, but way off base.
You are not better, no worse than the rest of the whole Christian church. You distract us from Jesus and HIS commands with silly rules of secondary, no not even tertiary importance.
Instead of wasting your time and mine with arguments about Sabbathing, why not focus on what Jesus actually taught! The disciples were commanded to teach what Jesus taught and so are we. When you command Sabbathing, you actually disobey Jesus, by commanding something he never taught. Yet you accuse the rest of the Church of disobedience for not keeping something that Jesus never taught. Hypocrisy! Blindness! Arrogance! Stupidity! Wake up to yourself man! I wish somebody had told me that 30 years ago! Then maybe I would not have wasted so much time on FRUITLESS legalism.


---Koey Koala bluntly telling telling fellow poster Insights to stop treating the seventh day Sabbath as an essential of Christian faith

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 10:30 PM | | Comments

Intelligent quote of the day



My view of evangelicalism is empirical -- another way of saying that it is a pesonal opinion based on personal experience. I find evangelicals stay on the surface of the Bible. They really never delve into theology -- when they do they quickly become lost. (Here I am speaking of evangelicals, in general. Not some of their theologians like Grudem and Geisler.)
They do a lot of sloganeering and use lots of very sanctimonious sounding jargon. In the USA they tend to support the Republican Party without much deep thought. Some of their preachers seem to have borrowed from televangelists in their approach to sermonizing.
Some of the more zealous evangelicals remind me of Armstrongites and seem to be teetering on the verge of falling into legalism and works righteousness.
I like evangelicals as people. I just do not like their approach to understanding Christianity. I have never met a person who asked me the question "Are you saved?" who wasn't weird in some way.
---Neotherm brilliantly discussing the concerns of the "scandal of the evangelical mind "on Mark Tabladillo's Jesus Loves Fellowship message board in 2004

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 10:25 PM | | Comments

The Wisdom of Hannah

I am delighted and pleased that many were delighted themselves of an article on the internet I spreaded around. It was the Greek Orthodox view on Heaven and Hell. While the article had many fine points, my main impression that the Greek Orthodox view on the afterlife for believer and non-believer alike puts a very humane face of God Almighty. That He is truly a "nice guy" than the Armstrongites and the rest of the fundamentalists (and sadly some evangelicals) make him out to be. Read and enjoy this essay at http://aggreen.net/beliefs/heaven_hell.html . The people at the message board at Worldwide Church of God Alumni like BykerBob, Stingerski and others enjoyed it! Below here is the response from a person on the same message board, named Hannah (but it's not Anne Hana as I was told) who intelligently gives here cents. Everyone else, enjoy!
----Felix

Felix, thanks for the link
There are some things in the link I question, but most of it has served to explain what I have not been able to put in words myself.For me, “Shechinah glory” explains God as the divine spirit, of energy, power, and might that embodies love and mercy.In case any one reads this, I hesitated to enter this thread. I’m not doing it to condemn or defend any ones point ofview.Certain situations in my life has compelled me to give a viewpoint of God I find missing in some posts I’ve read.
The God I have experienced during these unpredictable changes in my life is a patient, merciful, concerned, kind and loving Father who I am learning about more and more.Even as I write this, I am aware that my knowledge of God and why mankind is here on earth must grow in understanding. Mankind has a tendency to look upon God and His attributes and analogue them with what we only understand in this physical world.But that limits the full embodiment of this mighty, glorious Being.How can a mere physical person comprehend God's “Shechinah glory” ?
We have the knowledge and teaching of Jesus Christ to look to.He said when we see Him we see the Father.Yes, Christ did get angry at the Pharisee’s and threw over the money changers table in the temple and with good reason.But the whole context of His message was of love and forgiveness.“ Come unto me ye that are heavy leaden and I will give you rest ““ Father forgive them for they know not what they do”I’ve only encountered a loving, patient, kind and merciful Creator, who has allowed my exploration and knowledge of Him to unfold at a pace that is programmed for me to deal with.
Sometimes I go off the program when I allow the cares of life to overpower me. But this wonderful Heavenly Father has not let me down, even when I’ve faltered.It grieves me when I read someone posting a picture of a vengeful, angry God who is ready to torment someone for eternity.That’s not the loving Father I’ve come to know.Not being a scholar I will have to quote from the link

Quote:

This Energy is the "consuming fire", the Shechinah glory, the fire that burns gold to purify it, as St. Paul writes. It is the fire that burns the weeds left in the field, the fire that burns the pruned branches, it is the lake of divine fire, and the thirst and burning thattorments the Rich Man, is this same Uncreated Energy. Yet, the same fire that torments the impure gives warmth and comfort to the pure of heart.This is the Transforming Light that "makes all things new". Salvation is, in fact, this Energy, assimilating us to God, "divinizing" the believers, making us "Christ-like", through the Energization of the Power of God. When we are in perfect harmony with God, the HolySpirit energizes within us, and we too radiate this Uncreated Light.

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 9:42 PM | | Comments

The Three Worst Errors of Armstrongism





Happy New Year ALL!!! May 2007 be a prosperous year in all aspects of your life! Here's an old post written in the previous version of Mark Tabladillo's Jesus Loves Fellowship in 2000 where Mark's friend discusses the three worst errors of Armstrongism in a brief essay. Enjoy your read!

---Felix

Jesus Loves Fellowship (Heb. 10:24-25)

The Three Worst Errors of Armstrongism
Thursday, 24-Aug-2000 02:00:05

207.69.49.22 writes:

(Introduction by MarkTab: Ed Strickland is an old friend from WCGNET and WCGFORUM, maybe XFORUM too -- and he recently circulated this posting about his being more involved in his evangelical church -- I believe he would appreciate your feedback if you want to send him email, and it may make good discussion here because it is a response to a church as part of an evaluation for his teaching ability. If I remember correctly, I believe he got a Master's degree in a seminary in the Orlando or Tampa area.)



Hi all,

The other day I had a meeting with a one of the pastors at Northland Community Church, the church my wife, Mary, and I joined in May. The meeting was to discuss opportunities for ministry there at Northland. It looks like the Lord may open a way for me to be involved in teaching and writing there. I'd appreciate your prayers in that regard.

One thing the pastor asked me to do was to write an essay on what I considered to be three to five of the most dangerous errors of Armstrongism. The purpose was to show him my writing skills and my theological understanding.

I thought some might like to read the essay I wrote for him. So here it is below.




The Three Worst Errors of Armstrongism



Of the many false teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA), the most dangerous errors would have to be those teachings that either contradicts or seriously compromise the essential truths of the Christian faith, which could effect one's eternal destiny. These most basic truths involve the nature of God, the person and work of Christ, and the means of salvation.

The following three errors are in these areas, and are at the heart of HWA's false "gospel". In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul warned of those who would come with a different gospel, a different Jesus, and a different spirit. This fits the theology of the old Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong. It's been said that just about every heresy or false teaching begins with a misconception of the nature of God. This is demonstrated in Armstrong's theology. HWA flatly denied the Trinity and taught that God is a family, currently composed of two beings, the Father and the Son. He taught that the Holy Spirit was not the third Person in the Godhead, but rather only the impersonal power of God. He did teach that Christ always existed, but then it gets a
little muddled. When his teaching about God is analyzed, his confusion on this doctrine is shown. At times it sounded like Binitarianism (two persons in one) and sometimes Ditheism (two totally separate gods, a form of polytheism),But the point is that HWA rejected the true Triune God of the Bible. This is a dangerous error, because 1) it is idolatry to have an unbiblical view of God, and 2) to be in error about God's revelation of himself leads to other serious doctrinal errors.

A second major error of Armstrongism is his "gospel". Armstrong claimed that the WCG was the only true church,the only church that knew who and what God is, and the only church that preached the true Gospel. That gospel was what he called "the Good News of the coming kingdom of God". But what he meant by "kingdom of God" was different from what Jesus and the apostles meant. Often biblical terms would be used but with HWA's own meaning.
His "kingdom of God" was the ruling God family into which Christians (WCG members) can be born. He gave thenew birth his own twist. In the gospel according to Armstrong, nobody is born again now, except Jesus. At conversion, the Christian is only begotten as a embryo in the womb of the church, where he grows, finally to be born again at the resurrection. This meant that the kingdom for us is only in the future at Christ's return, and not a present reality. HWA taught that at the second coming of Christ, those resurrected would become literal members of the God family, actually becoming God.

This "gospel" focused on the future time when the enlarged God family would rule the earth during the millennium,and then the universe. The focus of Armstrong's gospel was not the person of Christ, his life, death and resurrection.. He called that a false gospel that all the other churches preached. HWA did believe and teach these things about Christ, but that was not what he said the gospel was. The Armstrong gospel is a dangerous error because 1) minimizes the importance of Jesus Christ and his redemptive work as the center of the Gospel, 2) it elevates man presenting man's ultimate state as being God, which is utterly blasphemous, and 3) since it is a false gospel, it cannot save. Only the true Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.

A third major error of Armstrongism is its answer to the important question of what must I do to be saved. Although HWA tried many times to sound orthodox by quoting passages like Eph. 2:8 and saying one is saved by grace through faith, he went on to add the law and works as identifying signs of a true Christian. This was a kind of a "covenantal nomism", the idea that keeping certain laws are a sign of being a part of the true covenant people of God. It was Christ plus Moses. Armstrong confused the old and new covenants by bringing over laws God gave to
Israel and making them binding on Christians. Specifically, he taught that observing the seventh-day Sabbath, the annual feast days and the dietary laws are still required, He also implemented a triple tithing system in the WCG. This addition of the Old Covenant laws to Christ for salvation has been called "A New Galatianism". The Christians at Galatia had been taught the Gospel of grace by Paul. But later some Jewish missionaries came along and told them that it's great that they had received Christ as Savior and Lord, but that wasn't enough. They needed to add the law to Christ. This is what Armstrong did.

The reason this error is so dangerous is that it presents a false way of salvation. When we add to Christ and his work on the cross, we really subtract Christ himself and his grace. Even though HWA would give lip service to salvation by grace through faith, his brand of covenantal nomism easily degenerated into a crass legalism, with the idea of having to "qualify" for one's salvation through law-keeping and building character. There is only one way to be saved. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ and his righteousness alone imputed to us.

These are only some of the errors of Armstrongism, but I believe they are the worst ones because they substitute a false God and a false gospel for the truth of scripture, thereby perverting the Word of God and failing to give the right answer to man's greatest need, that of eternal salvation.

Ed Strickland
edstrick@gate.net
Orlando, Florida






Ed Srickland (posted by MarkTab)

Posted by Felix Taylor, Jr. at 7:27 PM | | Comments

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