If the United Church of God wants to live on in the 2020's, 2030's, 2040's and beyond...
On Gavin Rumney's Ambassador Watch blog, it is come to some kind of informal consensus that the United Church of God will live on while the PCG, RCG, David Hulme's Church of God, and all the other insignificant splinters will finally die (good riddance!). If the United Church of God really wants to be a successful church and have countless opportunities at their finger tips, they need to listen to this:
1) Time to have a deeper meaning of grace. It is not merely God forgiving us in doing a sin, it is a much more complex dynamic. It is not license to sin, rather an active agent of God that cancels sin and is greater than sin. At least the Church of God (Seventh Day) unserstands this. It is time for the United Church of God, like the Christian Reformed Church believe that "the law" is used for "sanctification", not "justification". So if anyone thinks I am preaching antinomianism, really simply does not know what I am talking about.
2) Accept the triune nature of God. Read Robert M. Bowman Jr.'s book Why Should You Believe in The Trinity and James R. White's The Forgotten Trinity. These are two men who are great scholars who spent a heck of a lot of time in their research and committed to the best of their knowledge to biblical truth. To say they are "Satan's scholars" is just plain childishness. If you are bold and if you dare go to open your mind for once go to http://www.amazon.ca/Forgotten-Trinity-James-White/dp/1556617259/ref=sr_1_1/701-2583050-6300326?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174769766&sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_ss_b/701-2583050-6300326?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=why+should+you+believe+in+the+trinity . On top that, a possible alternative to the God Family doctrine is "theosis" which the Greek Orthodox Church believes. "Children of God" will not suffice for the members. Read more about theosis at OrthodoxWiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs .
3) Log on to http://www.goodnewsunlimited.org/ . I actually attend this fellowship (though it's not really a church, but that's another story for next time) in Toronto. It is probably high time that the leaders in the UCG study this site too. You can have a grace-based Sabbatarian denomination. Don't let those who are overzealous in their New Covenant Theology argue with you and assert otherwise.
4) Keep it's Hebraic-heritage! Let the UCG celebrate the Sabbath and the Holy Days. There is absolutely no need to change it to please anybody (like evangelicals who ignorant about them)--but here is the deal, don't tell people that they have to give up their jobs and become seasonally or pemanantely unemployed or end up in a poverty cycle if they can't keep it in its entirety. This nonsense that has happened and is happening in the splinters needs to stop!
5) If the UCG choose to be a Sabbatarian evangelical denomination, the next generation of ministers need to go to Andrews University in Michigan. Ditch this Ambassador Bible Center nonsense and get your education from some more detailed meticulous research that has been around a heck of a long time than the WCG and it's splinters combined. Hey, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi has written two scholary books on the Holy Days (I even have one of them about the fall feasts!). Having Andrews support your theology will bring a long way and a more reputable one. Oh yea, Andrews is just a start, how about Fuller, or even Princeton to add on a full-time minister's study?
5) To officially renounce that the United Church of God is a continuation of a movement started in the historic WCG and boldly declare the United Church of God is a movement soley and entirely on Jesus Christ. UCG's answer to Steve Colbert, Richard Burkard may say, "Isn't that has always been that way for the UCG, Felix???" C'mon, who are you kidding??? It doesn't take an Einstein to conclude that in practice, no. The UCG has been dedicated to the so-called "18 truths" founded by Herbert W. Armstrong, most which were proven in serious doctrinal error. If UCG is serious basing itself totally on Jesus Christ, it is time to be practical, to be bold and remove the wool over people's eyes and the time to do it is NOW!
6) It is time involve ministers and members in the organization. Scrap this insane notion of a division of the clergy and the laity. The UCG should never have hierarchy like the WCG nor a totally congregational governance. A Presbyterian-Congregational model which is a compromise between both extremes is probably the best fit. The UCG member who takes pride in being "intellectually lazy" and takes joy in being spoonfed everything should be considered an annoying dinosaur.
7) Oh yes, some more radical stuff!!! Reconsider your tithing practices. Oh yes, if you guys believe in the triple tithe---it is time to END IT! Of course like a country, a church needs revenue to survive as an organism. Fine! Why don't you consider ONE single tithe with three different uses. You think church revenue will decline? If you guys like conservative ideology, it's time you practice some of their concepts! You believe that tax cuts help? Well, tithe cuts WILL WORK!!! Revenues will go up! Read Restoration Foundation's magazine article on How God Sees Tithing at http://www.restorationfoundation.org/volume_2/2118.htm . OR if you want REALLY, REALLY RADICAL stuff somebody was nice enough to give excerpts from a book on Mark Tabladillo's message board, Jesus Loves Fellowship, from the late Ernest Martin on tithing and I will bring it here:
Ernest L.Martin's website (remember him?) had a booklet out, The Tithing Dilemma.
Extracts from booklet (part one of three):
The bottom line was "It is a sin ('missed the mark') against biblical teaching for preachers, priests, evangelists, rabbis and theologians to receive and spend the tithe God ordained for Israel even if the tithe is used to teach the truth."
"It is equally a sin for the laity to give the tithe..."
The Israelites were strictly ordered by God to pay the tithe (the tenth)...to one group only...the Levites who (among other things) ministered in the Temple (Nu. 18:21)"
The Levites in turn were to give one tenth of that tithe to the priests (Nu. 18:25-28) who did not tithe at all...With no Temple, the major factor for tithing does not exist..."
JEWS DO NOT TITHE TODAY
ELM said he had concerns about tithing 35 years ago. He stated, "I telephoned three rabbis in the Los Angeles area for their explanation. Much to my dismay, all three independently of each other informed me that no religious Jew should tithe today." One rabbi said, "If any member of my synagogue paid tithe in the scriptural manner, he would be disobeying the law of God--he would be sinning against God."
The rabbi explained that though he was the chief rabbi of his synagogue, he was not a Levite...he was descended from the tribe of Judah and was therefore not eligible to recieve tithe.
A HISTORY OF TITHING
The initial illustration is the account of Abraham and Melchizedek. Moses required that the tithe be paid ony on the increase from land and animals. Abraham did not work to produce any of the spoils...spoil does not represent increase. There was no biblical teaching which showed that Abraham was required to give a tenth. For hundred years later Moses legislated what should be done with any spoil (Nu. 31:9, 27-29).
Moses and Tithing
At Mt. Sinai the Old Covenant with the ten commandments and many other laws was given to the Israelites. "Remarkably, there is not one hint of tithing..."
I can think of more suggestions (and if anyone else has more, I would like to hear from you) but I will stop here. The question remains: will the United Church of God look at my proposals? I am under NO illusion that the harsh answer is "DEFINATELY NO!" As a result, the UCG will just be another Armstrongite organization that will be just surviving, not truly succeding in the 2010's, 20's, 30's until it shrivels up and dies sometime this century. It will probably gobble up already dead splinters. On the other hand, UCG's answer to Steve Colbert, Richard Burkard may remark, "If there is an apocalyptic event in this century, the UCG may grow." He may be right but if the UCG still wants to be a pretend "Mr.Rogers" Armstrongite cult, it does not deserve to grow and prosper in anyway. If they become an "Armstrongist Refusenik" denomination, they deserve to make their revolutionary mark in Christendom. If they are some Generation Xers (and even Yers) in the United Church of God, when their time is ready to enter the clergy, I can only pray to God that these guys make the intelligent, wise and noble choice!
United is not growing and has been losing membership to the CoG7 and other groups. In fact, entire congregations have booted out -- at least 40 so far since their founding.
There is no particularly good reason for them to survive. But they probably will anyway.
Posted by
Douglas Becker |
Thursday, March 29, 2007
((There is no particularly good reason for them to survive. But they probably will anyway. ))
I share your sentiments Douglas. Not be arrogant but I think if they looked at the ideas I proposed above, they can be a legitimate force to be reckoned with in Christendom but the UCG (and all XCG) clergy are notorious for not being good listeners and for this reason they do not deserve to survive. If they remain stubborn, I think by the year 2025 they will decline considerably. The choice is solely theirs.
Posted by
Felix Taylor, Jr. |
Friday, March 30, 2007
"the UCG (and all XCG) clergy are notorious for not being good listeners"... "they remain stubborn".
Felix, that about says everything -- good call.
Scripture says to "prove all things, hold fast to that which is good".
I am one who explores, researches and experiments. Someone challenged me about reversed speech, so I altered a tape recorder myself and performed my own experiments. Challenged on the lunar cycles, I got LunarPhase Pro 3.
People just don't put forth the effort to look at other's stuff and try the spirits, much to their detriment.
UCG and the other xCGs have a formula they follow, the problem is, nobody has checked to see if the formula actually does anything any more. Times have certainly changed and the success stories using the hyperbole of the past don't work any longer -- the cold war ended years ago, but the xCGs still want to use it to draw parishioners. It won't work. That world is long gone, completely irrelevant to anyone looking for spiritual guidance.
Posted by
Douglas Becker |
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Great suggestions, Felix! Here's one more: UCG should be more open to groups from Afica, Asia, and Latin America that desire to affiliate with them. Christians from those parts of the world are a source of vitality to many denominations. For example, most of COG7s members live in Mexico and Central and South America. People who have migrated to the US from those areas are giving COG7 new life in the US.
Posted by
Doug Ward |
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Is it just me, or is Felix calling out for me?
The UCG home page says it "traces its origins" to the first-century Church. That was a little while before WCG started.
But some UCG leaders would tell you that to declare it "solely and entirely" based on Jesus is just wrong -- because that denies the supremacy of the Father, they'd say. (Of course, if both the Father and Son are God.... ?)
Didn't you notice, by the way, there HAS been an "apocalyptic event in this century"? Or are you being like some U.S. Democrats, and forgetting September 11th?
P.S. Comparing me with Colbert is quite a statement -- and I'm not sure I'm worthy of that.
P.P.S. If Douglas Becker is reading this -- have you left UCG? (I'm led to believe that from some of your recent posts online.) If so, are you attending anywhere these days?
Posted by
Unknown |
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Richard,
I stepped away from United in 2003 and into something much, much worse, the Christian Churches of God -- which is wrong on three counts: It is not Christian, not a church and not of God.
God works in mysterious ways. As a result of interacting with the CCg and its psychpathic owner, a group of us got together and formed the coxcult project. The project was unique amongst the churches of God: for the first time, former attendees of a church actually brought it down: It has been diminished into oblivion and all that is left is a big web domain which isn't maintained very well and a cult owner who doesn't get much money these days and lost 80% of his membership in one year.
There has been another success as well, but it is so small that it is of no concern whatsoever.
I actually did attend the UCG on the last Sabbath of 2006 and talked briefly with Dennis Luker about an article I am preparing on alcoholism and its solution, asking him if he would like to participate with me. I haven't made much progress in writing it, but have all the materials researched and could complete it at nearly any time.
As for attending... well, certainly not with UCG, PCG, RCG, ICG, CGI, LCG or the rest of the unbelievable alphabet soup. I can find no one group either trustworthy or having anything that really looks like truth.
I think the problem has its roots in the fact that Jews created their own religion after their captivity and the only reason they survived until 70 AD was to fulfill the requirements needed to provide the environment for the Messiah. And yet today, we find the churches of God going to the Jews and asking them for advice when they not only killed Jesus, and refused to accept him as Messiah, but have screwed up their calendar with their religion, knowing they are wrong, even as they go through the motions of calculations based on the Spring Equinox being April 6/7. Let no man judge you in new moon, sabbaths or Holydays indeed! Oh, no, let the Jews do it. After Ezekiel 23 it makes no sense whatsoever: The Jews rejected God and started their own religion.
Frankly, I have a lot of spiritual problems and don't claim to have the truth, but I can tell you that I don't claim to be right, but I can figure out that the Churches of God are wrong. I suspect that they really do need to hearken to Scripture that Judgment begins first at the House of God and not with some pseudo house of Israel which is now spiritual gentiles.
Even as bad off as I am spiritually, I would prefer not to make it worse by participating in the idolatry of worshiping the Golden Calf of the UCG and the other church of Gods. I'm repentant and want to seek the Will of the Father, which is about the last thing the Yahoos at the church of gods who "trust in themselves and lean to their own understanding" want to do.
And I suspect that as they continue to push their own agenda, they will continue to decline, not unlike a King of Israel in his kingdom of times ancient.
Posted by
Douglas Becker |
Saturday, April 14, 2007