Wise words from KMS: The pathetic state of existence of the XCG's
I spent some time today wandering around some of the various COG websites. Most of the sites I visited were part of UCG, but there were several others. I won't bore you with the alphabet soup, and after all, isn't all the same formula no matter which group it is?
You need a descriptive word that implies a church with a reach around the world. You need the term Church of God. You need a fearless leader. Fearless Leader must follow in Harmstrongs footsteps, slavishly. (Indeed, we now see splinters from splinters because the initial Fearless Leader does not really follow the truth as once delivered by Harmstrong enough).
You need a ministry composed of Ambassador College graduates. There needs to be a work that includes a magazine and a radio or TV program. Internet broadcasting is a possible alternative. You meet largely in rented halls, have youth programs, singles programs, prayer lists, deacons, elders, or just plain "hosts" to play tapes for the 8 people that comprise the church in a local burg.
In short, over the last 12 years nothing has changed. The names may be slightly different, but only to avoid copyright lawsuits. Where has the growth been since all these splinters erupted to do the work that Harmstrong started?
I ran across a site for UCG singles. A more dismal and discouraging place would be hard to find. Articles on enduring - one written by a woman that was single for 50 years, now married to an older man and has a hypenated last name. I'll bet she had to get permission for that hyphen. (I'll also bet that Sue Blumel-Berg has a bit of satisfaction from being an elders wife and dealing with people that looked down their long noses at her while she was single).
A couple of articles on how life can be hell by dating and marrying outside the church. Recommended reading lists for singles that start with "King James Bible". Singles activities that include the ubiquitous Singles Bible Study. If people should get to know each other they need to be engaged in some sort of activity. Movies and bible studies are useless towards that end. Articles on how to get a mate by works (self improvement, bible study, prayer, patience, etc.) Any of you married people here really believe that your spouse married you because of your works? Is not love that leads people to marry truly grace as best as the flesh can live it?
And BTW, the idea that these COG's exist to "do the work" is a lie. The doing of "the work" is nothing more than a smokescreen for the existence of each little splinter. If the "work" was so important, why don't these scruffy little COGs unite so that they can pool all their resources and really do a work? Selfish David Hulme set the tone when he bolted - it was more important to do things his way than to stay "united". Meredth sank Global and started Living when other ministers actually used the bylaws to bag him. More important for Rod to be in charge than to be one group.
Now ministers are leaving Rod because he doesn't have a strong enough strain of Harmstrongism - or maybe they see that THEY are not the annointed successor to Lord Merrydeth and see Living coming apart in the near future.
Then there's Flurry in Oklahoma with his collection of Armstrong lucky charms.
The push to distinguish oneself has reached absurdity. Flurry is "that prophet". Weinland is one of the two witnesses. We have pastors general by the bucketful, along with some presiding evangelists - yet everyone of these fearless leaders is afraid to break the Harmstrong mold. Elisha didn't introduce himself as the best follower of Elijah, he let the works and miracles he did speak for themselves. Yet these would be Elisha's have no credibility or authority except they claim it as a direct baton in the hand from old Herb himself.
Even WCG after a promising start has calcified itself into a Harmstrong church with Protestant doctrines. We're evangelical, they claim, we live by grace, they claim - yet how the church is run is none of your business. (Thank you for not asking). Flagship publication Plain Truth magazine outsourced to Greg Albrecht and pretty much irrelevant today. What evangelical work is WCG doing? Lots of seminars, lots of "retreats" - but where is the outward directed evengelism? I couldn't find anything like that.
I believe that I've seen more real growth in people here on JLF than in any of the COG's - due primarily to being open about learning and living the truth than being hidebound to some idea of hierarchy or authority of some fearless leader. Jesus said that the Comforter would lead us into all truth - but that requires that we live by faith, not by sight, nor by men.
What a shabby, grubby little bunch of self serving, self preserving organizations the COG's have become. They've morphed into little groups that preserve the status quo so that they and their members can be comforted every saturday that they are continuing on with some great work. Patrick O'Brian wrote several books on life aboard English naval vessels. Several times he mentions that the sailors looked forward to something because they were used to it, and they liked what they were used to.
It's a fitting description of these miserable little COGs.
You need a descriptive word that implies a church with a reach around the world. You need the term Church of God. You need a fearless leader. Fearless Leader must follow in Harmstrongs footsteps, slavishly. (Indeed, we now see splinters from splinters because the initial Fearless Leader does not really follow the truth as once delivered by Harmstrong enough).
You need a ministry composed of Ambassador College graduates. There needs to be a work that includes a magazine and a radio or TV program. Internet broadcasting is a possible alternative. You meet largely in rented halls, have youth programs, singles programs, prayer lists, deacons, elders, or just plain "hosts" to play tapes for the 8 people that comprise the church in a local burg.
In short, over the last 12 years nothing has changed. The names may be slightly different, but only to avoid copyright lawsuits. Where has the growth been since all these splinters erupted to do the work that Harmstrong started?
I ran across a site for UCG singles. A more dismal and discouraging place would be hard to find. Articles on enduring - one written by a woman that was single for 50 years, now married to an older man and has a hypenated last name. I'll bet she had to get permission for that hyphen. (I'll also bet that Sue Blumel-Berg has a bit of satisfaction from being an elders wife and dealing with people that looked down their long noses at her while she was single).
A couple of articles on how life can be hell by dating and marrying outside the church. Recommended reading lists for singles that start with "King James Bible". Singles activities that include the ubiquitous Singles Bible Study. If people should get to know each other they need to be engaged in some sort of activity. Movies and bible studies are useless towards that end. Articles on how to get a mate by works (self improvement, bible study, prayer, patience, etc.) Any of you married people here really believe that your spouse married you because of your works? Is not love that leads people to marry truly grace as best as the flesh can live it?
And BTW, the idea that these COG's exist to "do the work" is a lie. The doing of "the work" is nothing more than a smokescreen for the existence of each little splinter. If the "work" was so important, why don't these scruffy little COGs unite so that they can pool all their resources and really do a work? Selfish David Hulme set the tone when he bolted - it was more important to do things his way than to stay "united". Meredth sank Global and started Living when other ministers actually used the bylaws to bag him. More important for Rod to be in charge than to be one group.
Now ministers are leaving Rod because he doesn't have a strong enough strain of Harmstrongism - or maybe they see that THEY are not the annointed successor to Lord Merrydeth and see Living coming apart in the near future.
Then there's Flurry in Oklahoma with his collection of Armstrong lucky charms.
The push to distinguish oneself has reached absurdity. Flurry is "that prophet". Weinland is one of the two witnesses. We have pastors general by the bucketful, along with some presiding evangelists - yet everyone of these fearless leaders is afraid to break the Harmstrong mold. Elisha didn't introduce himself as the best follower of Elijah, he let the works and miracles he did speak for themselves. Yet these would be Elisha's have no credibility or authority except they claim it as a direct baton in the hand from old Herb himself.
Even WCG after a promising start has calcified itself into a Harmstrong church with Protestant doctrines. We're evangelical, they claim, we live by grace, they claim - yet how the church is run is none of your business. (Thank you for not asking). Flagship publication Plain Truth magazine outsourced to Greg Albrecht and pretty much irrelevant today. What evangelical work is WCG doing? Lots of seminars, lots of "retreats" - but where is the outward directed evengelism? I couldn't find anything like that.
I believe that I've seen more real growth in people here on JLF than in any of the COG's - due primarily to being open about learning and living the truth than being hidebound to some idea of hierarchy or authority of some fearless leader. Jesus said that the Comforter would lead us into all truth - but that requires that we live by faith, not by sight, nor by men.
What a shabby, grubby little bunch of self serving, self preserving organizations the COG's have become. They've morphed into little groups that preserve the status quo so that they and their members can be comforted every saturday that they are continuing on with some great work. Patrick O'Brian wrote several books on life aboard English naval vessels. Several times he mentions that the sailors looked forward to something because they were used to it, and they liked what they were used to.
It's a fitting description of these miserable little COGs.
---KMS comments on the sorry state of Armstrongist splinters from Mark Tabladillo's Jesus Loves Fellowship message board
Labels: KMS, Wise Words
Idolatry always stands in the way of unity.
Not to mention that the CoGs are at war with one another.
Posted by
Douglas Becker |
Friday, March 23, 2007