The Great Reconciliation Between Jew and Gentile in the New Testament

If there is one subject that the COG's have absolutely failed to teach their congregants properly is the great reconciliation that shocked the Church in the New Testament in the book of Acts.

Of course, it was the Church's beliefs on the differences between Jew vs. Gentile and who compromised "Spiritual Jews" or "Spiritual Israelites" that literally muddied the waters when it came to just how huge of a big deal it was back in the days of the beginning of the Christian Church at and shortly after Pentecost.

In the Worldwide Church of God's alternative facts, the story-line was completely different. Jesus came not for the world, but for a select few called "the Church". The "Gentile" line went off the deep end, ignored the "true" Gospel, which, according to Armstrongism, laid dormant and powerless for centuries - save for an infinitesimally small group of observant Christians who kept the Jewish Law throughout six different eras - up to the "Philadelphia" era which, of course, was started, and ended, with Herbert Armstrong.

What this different chronology does is shocking to the standards of orthodox Christianity, the work of the Spirit, the inclusion of the Gentiles, the lessons of Acts, the epistles of Paul, and actually, the entire framework and network of the New Testament. That framework being the freedom in Christ with the inclusion of the Gentiles into the Church that came with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

We pick up the story at Acts 15: (NIV) (emphasis in bold mine) (my inserted comment in brown)

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute (AHA! Well, this wasn't expected at all, was it?) and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

Let me interject here what it must have been like at this point. Paul and Barnabas were at "Sharp Dispute". I bet you hands were flying and spit was being spat, and they obviously did not come to a solution or a conclusion - both held their ground. The only thing to do was for them both to be sent up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and the elders to talk about what to do. I can imagine that both were absolutely and completely set in their ways (What else is new?? This was a prospect of huge change, great for Paul, nightmarish for Barnabas!) BUT - they both could not deny the fact that the Gentiles had been converted. And for them, this was a Game-Changer - a Very Big Deal.

³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Until a section of believers felt that the Gentiles must now become Jews in practice: 

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, (something tells me that this was a major understatement!!) Peter (NOT Paul, NOT Barnabas, but Peter!!!) got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Shocking words!! Just look at the first four words in the next verse: 

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶ “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’^[b]—
¹⁸     things known from long ago.^[c]

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

I think it's good to point out here that you can definitely see the difference of opinions that are existing within the different personalities at this point. We have Paul, who is championing Grace and Freedom for the Gentiles. We have Peter, who is adamant that placing the Law of the Gentiles would be too much for them to bear and that salvation is by Grace through Faith.  We have Barnabas, who is championing the Law of Moses and Circumcision for the Gentiles. We also have James, who seems to be thinking that eventually, they'll come around to the law of Moses. Oh no, it's a split decision! It's sometimes difficult to see the human reasoning within scripture, but we have to remember, these were humans - men - just like us - with thought and reason and rationale just like what happens when a group of us get together.  What then was the end result? We read it in verse 22.

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

²⁴ We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ²⁵ So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul (THIS IS SIGNIFICANT, since both had very divergent opinions!!) — ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹ You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

³⁰ So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹ The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³² Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. ^{[34] [d] 35} But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

That wasn't the end of the disagreements between Paul and Barnabas - two totally different opinions on Law and Grace and Church Administration, the Law of Moses and the Gentiles. Look what happened in verse 36:

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

It doesn't take a lot to see that there were hard feelings between the two who had completely different opinions on the path that they thought the two were supposed to take. Doesn't this all sound familiar? A huge shift had just happened within the Church. The Gentiles were included as believers without the inclusions of circumcision and the observances of the Law of Moses.

It is with this perspective that one must read the Pauline Epistles, as Paul went from church to church writing the congregations trying to explain to those who sided with Barnabas' opinion about Law about why the Law existed, what it was for, what it did, and the new way of faith in Christ and Christ in you in such books as Galatians. It is with this background that one can understand why Paul wrote exactly what he wrote, and went into such lengths and details about such issues - because he was dealing with people who could not accept the decisions of the Jerusalem Council, and that the Gentiles were not subject to the same yoke that they spent their whole lives observing. This did not change the fact that the decision was done and the Gentile Church WAS the Church - even though they did things and observed things differently. 

And here is where Herbert Armstrong could not reconcile that the Gentile Church was as much a part of the Church as the Jewish Christians were, 1900 and some years later. Instead, Herbert Armstrong condemned the Gentile Church as a wayward, backwards, pagan people who did not operate on faith but had become absorbed in apostasy. His mindframe was that the Gentile Church must act as the Jewish Church acted in the first Century - as the earliest Christians had to act. His mindframe was that the Gentile Church had to be subject to the Law of Moses. In short, Herbert Armstrong defied the authority and judgement of the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 and made the unilateral decision that the Gentile Church WAS bound to observe the Law of Moses and even circumcision. Herbert Armstrong was in rebellion to Paul, to Peter, and to the entire Jerusalem Council. Herbert Armstrong sided with Barnabas, and put a yoke on Gentile Christians that was too hard of a yoke to bear and distracted them from grace and faith in Christ. THIS is the reality of what happened, and this is the reality of where Herbert stood in relation to the authority of which the Council's decision was made.

In fact, Herbert Armstrong was rebellious to anybody who made a decision that was different than he thought. It didn't matter if it was Peter, or Paul, or Herb's own ministers, or Herb's church before he started his own. Herb had no respect for the Church, for the Decisions of the Council, for the Gentiles, and the list goes on and on. The reality is that what was in Herb's mind was a methodology to use religion - specifically taking the position of Barnabas - to attempt to revive the inclusions that had been outlawed by the council upon the Gentiles for his own personal benefit and gain. Such actions were mutinous, disrespectful, and against the very Spirit who inspired the decisions of the council in the first place.

Just because the Gentiles did things differently did not eliminate, and does not eliminate their faith and their belief in Jesus Christ and does not eliminate their prospects for salvation nor their inclusion into the Church of God. This is the hardest pill for the Churches of God to swallow - and it all stems from the great reconciliation and acceptance of the Gentiles by God in the Spirit at the day of Pentecost.

Will the Church of God recognize the decisions of the Church of God made at the Jerusalem Council? Will the Church of God accept the decisions of Peter, Paul, and all the Apostles? Will the Church of God stop trying to imposing yokes and burdens on the Gentiles that are too hard and cumbersome for them? Will Thiel and Malm and others take the decisions of the Jerusalem council and humble themselves and obey their spiritual authorities and stop imposing Jewish Law on Gentile Christians and creating more hardship than they can bear distracting them from CHRIST? 

The Voice

A Few of my very earliest memories was that of what transpired at the Feast of Tabernacles - when I, as a toddler, had my very own luxurious space during the Feast of Tabernacles - on a cold, cement floor surrounded by legs, shoes, and the bottom elements of grey folding metal chairs. Yet these physical elements were not the substance of my memories. The substance of the memories was a booming, authoritative, and strongly echoing voice that filled not only the Tabernacle - or metal warehouse - that I, along with 14,000 others, were inhabiting for hours per day for eight total days in that Fall. It was that voice that I remember most clearly.

It was that voice - the live, and deep bass voice - of Herbert W. Armstrong - that penetrated my head with the force of a clap of thunder and the peal of an angry drill sergeant. Sleeping was a necessity for a person of my age at that time - two, three, or even four years of age. Sleep, however, in the audio presence of a certain Herb was not as the effect of Chamomile. No, sleep was not to be had when you were a baby in the Worldwide Church of God when Herbert Armstrong was speaking. For the very moment that you began to be lulled by a more distant rumble - a strike of lightning would punctuate the Arena - activating the emergency wails of miniature alarms no greater than 20 pounds in weight and 2 feet in height. Also activated were the transporter units of mothers who would take these tiny alarms and rush them to the silencing room, as distractions were frowned upon - and that's putting it mildly.

Herbert Armstrong to the youngest of the Armstrong Era alive to remember it was not the Apostle. He was not the gentle grandfather. He wasn't even "nice" in the memories of us. Herbert was a force. A power - not benevolent in appearance, but violent and fierce. A malevolent being that could change from light to dark in the flash of a heartbeat.

I remember as a child looking up at Herbert on the Big Screen at those Feast of Tabernacles. Literally - I had to look up and between heads and shoulders when I was standing up on a seat and not trying to sleep on blankets, cradled with an Etch-A-Sketch and a "Little Professor". I remember his animatd motions. His lean in the chair. And the one time I did what I wasn't supposed to do - I laughed at him when he knocked a lamp over with his dramatic and far flung hand gestures. I didn't look up to him - now in a more emotional sense - as a religious figure. I looked up to Herbert Armstrong as someone to be very, very afraid of.

That element of fear - a pervasive, far-reaching element - was an emotion that Herbert Armstrong crafted to a science for not only those of us who were babies within the Church, but for all who were a part of the brief, yet powerful, movement - for those of us who were seduced into it. That element of fear was in the single man and woman being told how their marriage would be arranged. That element was in the baptized member afraid to upset the minister for fear he or she would be disfellowshipped for trivial mutiny. That element was in the father and husband who was just told to quit his job because it violated either Church rules or the minister's order. That element was in the wife who was told to submit to the husband, the minister, and every command of the Church. That element of fear was something that we simply called "Submission to Government". It was a part of our culture, ingrained into us from day one of Herbert's regime pounded into our psychological crevices, cemented by threats of eternal damnation should we rebel, and use common sense or critical thinking. That element of fear was called "Unity". That element of fear was called "order". Those not submissive to such unity and order were the "World" - and the "World" was what you did not want to be a part of, because then you were, you were told, subject to great loss - and great affliction from physical and spiritual forces. The element of fear is what held you in. It encapsulated, suffocated, and paralyzed you - yet was calming and familiar enough to lull you into a sense of security. Reality became unknown, traded for the narrow and false visions of lies and deceit from one man who convinced you he was sent by God to take you where no man had gone in 1900 years - to truth. Except every aspect of Herbert's ministry was founded on lie, after lie, after lie.

It has been a long time since those days of sitting on the cold, gray, unfeeling cement floors of those warehouse buildings used as Tabernacles. A few of those buildings still exist, such as at Wisconsin Dells, Lake of the Ozarks, and Big Sandy. Time, however has changed those buildings, and time has changed those who used to fill it's cavernous coldness (in some cases, literal coldness!). The Ozarks building only houses boats now. The Wisconsin Dells building belongs to another group altogether, as does the Big Sandy Tabernacle. And for most of us who grew up under the shadow of an abusive, dominating, greed-filled bully - there is no longer any reason to fear him or Armstrongism in general. For the movement that created such fear has fizzled out in a most spectacular dud you could ever imagine.

That voice? That resonant, powerful voice? Silent. Yet the voice that continues to persist and penetrate - that Voice - the voice that says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life". That Voice that says "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." That Voice that says  "I am the Resurrection and the Life." That Voice that is gentle as a whisper and timeless as the Alpha and Omega. That Voice that searches our hearts and minds. That voice of Truth - yes, that Voice remains, and has remained from the Time of His Birth, to now, and to forevermore. He was never silenced. He was always there. That's the Voice. That's the One. That's the Truth. He's the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father. And HE - Jesus - is far more powerful than that other voice of lies that came, spoke, and has been silenced so we could finally hear and know The Voice of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

What Is it that makes Armstrongism SO appealing to those who support it?

It's a valid question.

What is it exactly, that makes Armstrongism SO appealing to those who fully embrace it's completely flawed ideologies? What is it about Armstrongism that has caused people to completely deny reality in their quest for truth and understanding?

Despite the full brunt of historical evidence which is a free and open library for the browsing, Armstrongist supporters wear blindfolds and earplugs in the face of such dramatic affronts to their concepts and mindless imaginations. Despite the full brunt of hardships and assaults on rightful living, and despite the full brunt of even half-ways intelligent rebuttals to some of their most easily dis-proven theological embarrassments, they continue to relish in the madness of constant deceptions and continual delusion. They do not believe it is deception, nor do they believe it is delusion. To them, it's reality - even though clearly, and without any legitimate dispute, it is anything but reality. It is clearly, and unarguably, complete non-sense - made up by one man, with one vision, and one dream, fueled by vanity, ego, conceit, and power.

With that framework clear - what is it, then, that makes Armstrongism SO appealing to those who support it? It is the clear embracing of the concepts and imaginative dreaming of exactly the mindsets of the one who started it all. Namely, vanity, ego, conceit, and power.

Armstrongism is a fairy tale land of make-believe for many who did not, in real life, achieve, attain, or grasp the lifelong dreams of authority they may have wanted in their human lives to that point. For others, it was an avenue to create within that very structure the very embodiment of real power, using ego, and vanity, and conceit to achieve just such.

For others, traditional religion had, for one reason, or another, burnt them severely - whether it was Catholicism, or Protestantism, or any other form of organized religion which had shown itself, to them, as a fully evident fraudulent system - Armstrongism provided bucketfuls of theories as to why Corporate Christianity was as untruthful as they had observed it to be. With stories of abuse and freshly laid paths that all led to evil and paganism from within their horror stories of Corporate Christianity past, they were more than eager to embrace a different, seemingly refreshing concept of what they took to be a new light of truth.

This new light of truth, in fact - was the spark that all of these people began to fully indoctrinate within themselves, regardless of what exactly their specific reason was. Their leader, Herbert Armstrong, or whichever splinter leader they bought into later on down the road - spoke with enough convincing argument and authority that - when juxtaposed against the lies they had bought in the past, simply seemed to make sense and were appealing to minds that rejected what they thought was correct in the first place. Perhaps, in previous experiences, they experienced the abusive Southern Baptist Pastor, or the deviant Catholic Priest. Perhaps, in previous experiences, they remember the commercialism of secular Christmases, or the perceived emptiness they may have felt chasing Easter eggs on Easter morning. Or, perhaps, they simply were not taught the tenets of actual, authentic, Christianity - instead trapped in a televangelist-oriented, money-abusing system bent on money, authority, and power - and fled it, only to be attracted to the exact same system by someone else who told them they, well, were not after their money, and were not, initially, believing the system was about money, authority, and power. In short - they were duped once, then were duped again.

In a majority of so many of these cases was one common characteristic that was embraced. The idea that what was before was wrong - so what is now must be right.

And you have to admit, from the surface - in the worldview that it was in the 20th Century - it seemed right. It certainly did seem right! Technology - the space age - in fact, the nuclear age - made a convincing argument to Herbert's theories. The rapid rise of Armstrongism and growth led a sense of credibility to the argument. It's hard to argue when your emotions are completely overtaxed with 14,000 other people who are believing what you believe, and are of the same mindset! If they are right, and you are right - well then, it must be right, and that's that, right?

And that - right there - was the seed and the trap that made it all appealing. Here's a new and different way of living and thinking that opened up new doors to a whole new world of opportunity. But with all of the available opportunities and traditions were the acceptance of unquestioned and unchecked power from those in charge of the system they were embracing. The kicker that said "I'm in" The belief that down the road, in just a few years - is the absolute assurance that Herbert's ideas were true - including you being a part of a World Rulership where you, yourself, would be one of those in the King's Inner Circle, ruling and governing in - you guessed it - authority, luxury - and power - right back to square one.

The only thing is?

Herbert's ideas were not true. They were lies. They were built on financial greed and empirical lust. They were built on irrational concepts of racism and superiority. They were built on worldly business models, with the capstone worldly treasures that would make the top rich and powerful in their world, and the poor impoverished and shackled. The promises of a Utopian government in 3 to 5 years were false. The promises of interpretations of prophecies were also just as false. The ideas of the majority of the ministers were - you guessed it - false. In fact, Herbert's empire was just as scandalous, just as abusive, just as divisive, and just as greedy as anything you'd find in what they came from in the first place. The end result was disappointment, disillusionment, and a deep hunger for facts without the emotional and/or spiritual concepts that hurt them so much in the first place. And what was created? Dysfunction, Distrust - and in many cases, agnosticism and atheism. And in most cases? Anxiety, depression, trauma - to name just a few behavioral issues that were born from the cesspool of Armstrong's Atrocities.

Bringing it back around to the original question. What is it then, NOW, that makes Armstrongism SO appealing to those who support it - despite all of the above, or the reasons, and what not?

It can only be one thing. And it's best described summarily in just five words.

It is, what it is.

Their entire lives, full extended families, decades of memories, and a host of other entrenched webs are simply worth more than what it would be to start new. So, even though there are other more appealing options that look available despite the disgust of the deceit they plainly see, not changing anything would be, to them - a greater risk of collapsing their entire life's structure than it would be to leave the structure and build new. In other words - they fear it would all collapse on them before they get out to start new.

Thus, the appeal the remains, honestly - in totality -  is for many - rooted in just ONE word.

Survival.

1 John 4 -5: Armstrongism Revised Version

                                

1 John 4/5: What Armstrongism REALLY is trying to get the scriptures to say they mean.
Actual scriptures crossed out. What Armstrongism actually says in their doctrines in pink.
Not official, my interpretation.

*****


Dear friends, let us love one another keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, for love Sabbath and Holy Day keeping comes from God. Everyone who loves keeps the Sabbath Day has will be been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days does not know God, because God is love has given the Church the sign of the Sabbath. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. He gave his Church the Sabbath and the Holy Days as a sign to those He has called as His people. ¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. so that we may be begotten by God's Spirit and someday might have a chance at eternal life. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another by Showing God we love him by being obedient to God's commands of Sabbath and Holy Day keeping. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
¹³ This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: We keep ths Sabbath by He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to someday be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone God calls acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love The sign of the Church is Sabbath keeping. Whoever lives in love keeps the Sabbath lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus set ourselves apart by keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love Sabbath Keeping. But perfect love Sabbath Keeping drives out fear, because fear Sunday Keeping has to do with punishment. The one who keeps Sunday is not made perfect in love.
¹⁹ We love keep the Sabbath because he first loved us kept the Sabbath. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet does not keep the Sabbath hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, Keep the Sabbath physically whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen, if they keep Sunday. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. keep the Sabbath, and the Holy Days, and Tithe, and go to Church, and obey the minister without question.


Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born begotten of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands of Sabbath and Holy Day keeping and the Law. ³ In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands of Sabbath and Holy Day keeping. And his commands to observe the Sabbath are not burdensome, ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the worldly attempts to stop you from Sabbath keeping. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God keeps the Sabbath and the Holy Days and obeys the Law.
⁶ This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three two that testify: ⁸ the^[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three two are in agreement. ⁹ We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. obedience to the Law. ¹⁰ Whoever believes obeys the Sabbath in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God keep the Sabbath has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. kept the Sabbath.  ¹¹ And this is the testimony: God has may given us eternal life if we qualify, and this life is in his Son. ¹² Whoever keeps the Sabbath has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God keep the Sabbath does not have life.

The Legacy of Church of God "Ministers" and Deception.

Power.

It's quite the word in the Churches of God, because those in charge have had a lot of it.

Add money in, and you've got a narcisist's dream job.

Then add supposed divine authority - and you are a god.

That's the long and short of the story of the ministers in the Churches of God, who for over 70 years have convinced good-hearted and well meaning people that they are the inheritors of supreme authority on the basis of a supposition of the inheritance of diving power through top-down ordination. And when people buy into that belief, there's little - if anything - that you can say, or do, that they won't believe is right.

That has been the story in the Churches of God ever since Herbert Armstrong began his vain, narcissistic scheme of self-interpretation of religion for the furtherance of his financial empire and worldly success. It has been a story that Herbert's hirelings have written over and over again - with tragic mental and physical results.

Not every one of these people - named "Ministers" of varying rank and title - have taken advantage of members in various ways as many have. But those that have taken advantage of members for their own benefit, either personally or corporately - have done so vigorously, unashamedly, and forcefully, as they personally have benefited from their perceived deceptive power plays. From the beginning, it has been the minister who has been served by those they have been entrusted to serve. It has been a culture of privilege, superiority, arrogance, pomposity, and hubris that had encompassed their entire lives - all enabled and created by the headquarters corporate who developed a system that rewarded them for their heavy-handedness towards those who they were entrusted to spiritually develop.

From the beginning, the "ministers" who were ordained into full-time ministry into the Church were given "the Good Life". At the peak of their financial prosperity, due to conning the members to believe they were required to give 30 percent or more of their income to the Church, they were given handsome salaries, expense accounts, for a time utility expense, parsonage credit, a fleet car - and that's just financially. They also - well, many of them - used the members of the Church as personal slaves - car washers, lawn mowers, movers, or anything else that the members were willing to do. And their "work"? Many of them in some areas really did not have much to "do" during the week! Prospective member visits were low, visitations were not always required, the occasional wedding and/or funeral, and a whole week to write a sermon or sermonette. Those who did have large congregations and were constantly busy had high expectations - and were sometimes the most brutal with their unrealistic and supposed authority that they pounded home was, according to them, from God.

They also had the full backing of their boss, Herbert Armstrong, when it came to disputes or claims of malpractice. Herbert Armstrong had a policy of always believing the minister's word over the members' claim - and let that be known specifically - if there was no specific evidence against the minister. The weight of that kind of backing was something the ministers knew and wielded well, in many cases.

And then there was the belief of absolute divine authority, which many ministers claimed they inherited via ordination - and the belief that their every decision was through the guiding ministry of a higher portion of the Spirit of God within them. From the very smallest to the very largest decisions, such a mindset and belief caused a co-dependency from member to minister that was just as powerful as the dependency from a son or daughter to a parent. The difference between this child to parent relationship and a member to minister relationship? The parent-child relationship was temporary until adulthood. The member-minister relationship was eternal. In short, the members were never permitted to grow up.

The ministerial dominance of supposed authority extended well into the realms of discipline, as any rebellion, slacking, without full support, or disobedience in any way shape or form could result in not only extreme physical consequences (losing friends, even family, isolation and rejection, as well as separation from Church, either temporarily or permanently) but also spiritual consequences (loss of salvation, condemnation, rejection from the Kingdom, and being thrown into eternal cessation via being burned in the Lake of Fire). Some of these "ministers" fully abused such a belief that they had such supernatural, God-ordained powers to the order of complete oppression of their members, and fully hijacking every decision that members ever made in their lives in many cases. This was not the case with all of them, or all of the members. But it did happen. And it did happen often.

All of this of course created an atmosphere of excessive pride and arrogance within the ministry that they created their own super-culture that was far and above beyond the normal clique. It was a culture that created special seating, and roped-off areas. It was a culture of higher living that in many cases the regular member was not invited to nor ever could know. It was a culture of "We are better than you,and you well better know it." It was a culture of posh, arrogant hubris and superiority. It was a culture of superiority based on rank and position and power. They were them, you were you, and you better follow the rules, or you, who were next to nothing, will be nothing. This was the message sent and widely received by many.

Your expectations, spiritually and physically, within the dominant sphere of the minister's supposed authority, were both excessive and exhaustive. Submission to not only the rules and regulations required by the doctrines and dogmas of the Church's spiritual interpretations, and the rules and regulations of the local Church as interpreted and enforced by the pastor, dominated every aspect of the life of the member, the member's family, and all areas within. Personal decisions were expected to be ran by the pastor in cases of job, marriage, dating, finance, personal issues, sex, school, friendships, Church attendance, Church social lives, and all issues related to "the world" as to what was proper and what was not, including birthdays, holidays, events, gatherings, sports, and overall life, including what to wear, music, child-rearing, child discipline, and a host of other subjects that you were not "smart enough" to know on your own what was or what was not appropriate or expected of you. Your adherence to expectations was constantly analyzed, judged, disciplined, and reported to superiors on a constant basis. You were judged on your masculinity, your femininity, your handshake, your hair length, your dress, your suit, your communicative style, your personality, your macho or manliness, or your ability as a homemaker or wife. The minister's power within the marriage was nearly absolute when it came to marriage counsel - and for some decades, broke up or dissolved marriages based on their own interpretive judgements of what defined adultery. Make no mistake - lives were under, in many cases, the complete dominance and power and authority of the Minister, the one whom was Greatly to Be Feared.

This was the power they had - the power of deception. This deception was enabled by fear, first and foremost. Fear of God's Punishing Power. Fear of the Minister. Fear of the Church. Fear of Disobeying, and lastly but certainly not least - the Fear of Discipline up to and including dis-fellowshipment.

Once you had invested your whole life into the controlling powers of the system - who controlled your life in every way - who could ruin your entire life in one letter of disfellowshipment - or one order to quit your job - or one order to leave your spouse - or to reject a family member in some recent cases - you resigned yourself to their will. You resigned yourself to just obey them, because the consequences would be rougher than if you lose your entire social system. That power over the social system that the Church wielded was, and is, the biggest shackle and chains that grab onto and hold a member under their thumbs. The minister sits on them with that power with the full weight of a 400-lb tablet of stone. If they leave, they lose. If they leave, they fear. They believe it's the end.

Tragically, because of that belief, many have simply given up, fallen into depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and some have committed suicide according to many reports. This is the tragic results of drunk on power charlatans who have abused members emotionally and spiritually for far, far too long.

Those who have been abused sometimes do not think it's really that bad because they're used to it. They believe what's out there is far worse than what's "in there". They believe that what they have experienced for decades, is normal. They believe this because that's what they've been told to believe. They have been lied to, deceived, and had have their minds stolen, and many have lost the capacity to live on their own or even make the most basic decisions without help. All the while, their pastor and corporate church rake in their income, their assets, their estates, and their lives because of the love of sordid gain and the lust of mammon and riches. Their cold, calloused assault on the well being of their members is excused and rationalized away with the belief and statements that "Their donations and acceptance of the doctrines is voluntary" and no one is forced to do anything.

Of course, that's a lie.

When you threaten their eternal salvation because they aren't doing what you tell them to do. When you threaten their eternal salvation because they don't submit to your authority or every order. When you threaten their eternal salvation because they are not giving you the required donation. When you threaten their eternal salvation because they have failed in every expectation handed down from on high. And not just their eternal salvation, but their family's well being? Their jobs? Their social lives? Their marriage? Their everything? And you make the dastardly excuse that it's "voluntary"? There's nothing voluntary about it. You've deceived yourself into thinking you are doing nothing wrong.

And the well-intended, good hearted members who simply just want to do what they believe God has said for them to do end up in  system of bondage and chains - thinking in full belief right is wrong, and wrong is right. The results are tragic.

The entire concept of ministry is to serve. The entire concept of ministry is to help those who are Christ's as a supporter, an encourager, a defender, and a protector - not an abuser, a parent, a fraudster, a charlatan, a scammer, a conner, or a robber. The entire concept of ministry is humility, not pride. The entire concept of ministry is not based on money or assets or estate, but on the spiritual health and well-being of the member. The entire concept of ministry is growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ - not the wallet, not mammon, not money, not corporate. The entire concept of ministry is not rooted in wickedness, or pride - and most of all, the entire concept of ministry is not rooted in abuse of a member. Whether that abuse is emotional, mental, physical, or developmental - abuse is abuse. And the truth is, the COG's have miserably failed as a whole in not only failing to stop abuse within the churches - but enable it, in the name of greed and presumptuous gain.

Those ministers who truly are ministering are out there - the few, and the faithful. The other ministers? The so-called ministers who have trashed everything Jesus Christ stands for - who puke and vomit on God's Word? The ones who got rich by making the poor poorer? The ones who idiotically stand in their pulpits enthralled in the stink and filth of their vomit-stained words, nauseating those who are shackled with their putrid arrogance? They aren't ministers.

They're a disgrace.

The members who are in bondage can regain control. They can regain their lives. They can be set free. They can live again. They can recover. But they can only do it through and by the power of the Living Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that through prayer, they can live again, and be set free.

Ramblings

Today, I just thought I'd ramble a little bit. It's been a little bit of a difficult day, in some respects, as certain things shift and move in the waves of life. But it all is a matter of perspective in the way one deals with the way the winds change, isn't it.

I've been watching with interest a few things in the Church of God Universe i wish to talk about. Again, it's more of a rambling sequence of thoughts in the form of print. I have not taken the effort to outline this particular thread in any consistent dialogue. Keep that in mind as I write this posting.

On Depression

At the Banned Site, there has been some reporting on PCG's stance, according to an article published by their group, on depression. Apparently, the PCG seems to think they have the scholastic and psychiatric training and ability to interpret and diagnose clinical causes of depression and mental health issues. Anyone mind if I take a moment to step out, laugh my head off, and run back in? You don't mind? Fine then!

HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA.

Now I'm not an expert on the issue in it's clinical study, but I know enough about it - both from those who do know a little bit about it, and from personal experience - to talk about what depression is, and isn't.

Depression IS, in many cases, a bio-chemical imbalance in the brain, and may or may not be rooted in actual issues of life. Depression CAN be "enhanced", or even develop, or become chronic due to life's stresses and issues. And I can tell you, based on much evidence I have read over the years of PCG's Direct Influence on Life, that their doctrines and policies can be a direct initiator or enhancer of MAJOR depressive disorders.

For them to get on there, and act like they are the ones who can cure depression when they have directly caused so much for so many people is one of the most laughable and nearly ironic things that could be written in print.

Regardless of what they say the causes are, depression is extremely serious, and it is critical that those who suffer from depressive disorder get help to know what steps to take to isolate and proactively resolve any issues that are severely impacting and destroying their well-being.

On Certain "Ministers" 

It is irking to watch certain self-appointed "ministers" attempt to assert themselves as some sort of "authority" to those who subscribe to their splinter or "church" body. One of the most irking - yet, strangely - amusing - ones that is setting themselves up as such an authority is the leader of the Continuing Church of God, Bob Thiel, who has to call himself an "overseer".

I have consistently said that many of those COG-types who attempt to present themselves as authorities set themselves up as some sort of spiritual "parents" who rob and steal the intellectual and adult abilities of those who "submit" to their ideas and claims. Calling ones self an "overseer" is certainly not subtle about it.

Then, there's the time-old lies that leaving their church body corporate is a spiritual death sentence. That is absolute rubbish and a lie from the pits of darkness. The CCOG is, in no way, shape, or form, any kind of "One True Church", and it's leader is not even - despite their claims to the contrary - ordained or appointed to any ministry. The arrogance and hubris is appalling. As in every movement no matter how insignificant, there are always a few who get sucked into the thinking of the leader of the subgroup. And let there be no doubt about this: The only "overseeing" power that Bob has is only the power that any individual person gives him. The only power any COG minister has over anyone is the power to deceive and make people believe their claims. When those claims do not pan out, then the evidence is clear they are not who they say they are. Sadly, many decide to stay with the lies then to pull themselves out into the light of truth.

On LCG

It appears, according to some LCG insiders, that a certain LCG minister is "recycling" "inspirational" messages each Saturday to their congregants, using the same material on repeated cycles.

Look, I don't see how this is any different, if true, then the same sermons being recycled over and over again! We all know this goes on in COG services. The same subjects, the same sermons, the same messages, the same material recycled over, and over, and over again. I don't honestly know how people - no matter what COG they go to - can sit there, and take the same dull and repeated and boring, lifeless messages time and time again - especially when given by ministers who have no clue how to give a sermon if their life depended on it!

I remember very well with my time in the COG's how I would have to endure a hopelessly borin speaker. It was much like listening to National Public Radio (No offense to NPR) when they introduce classical music. Anyone who has listened to NPR knows exactly what I am talking about! How is it that people put up with it?

Because they feel they HAVE to.

For the same reasons they feel they HAVE to keep the Sabbath, and they HAVE to keep the Holy Days, and they HAVE to do this, and HAVE to do this, "Or else". In the COG life, it's all about obeying commands militarily, instead of wanting to do things because they have the freedom and the ability to do so from the heart.

The Church was never supposed to be a military camp. But with the COG's, that's what people have voluntarily surrendered themselves to be - financial and spiritual slaves to their "masters".

And again - it's ALL about the money!

More interesting tidbits I'm not really commenting on at Banned about the big fiasco going on with CEM and the RLDEA people. I'm just going to say this:

How much evidence does one possibly need to conclude to the obvious answer as to what's in the heart and the minds of certain COG people? What in the world is it going to take?

A lavish expensive auditorium didn't do it.
The juxtaposition of the End of the World with the building of the auditorium didn't do it.
The threats of loss of eternal salvation because of lack of tithing didn't do it.
RCG's compound didn't do it.
Weinland's conviction didn't do it.
PCG's extravagance and jet airplane didn't do it.
The poverty lives of some COG members for the cause that turned out empty didn't do it.
The good life of pastors while the poor suffer didn't do it.
The evidence in co-worker letters 50 years back didn't do it.

What in the world will do it?

I say nothing is going to do it. They are willing to give up everything for the contemptuous sordid gain of a few bullies who capitalize on whoever they can devour. They attach like a leach and through lies and threats and shackles and chains pull the life out of whoever they can. And it's all deception. It's all lies.

It's a financial SCAM.

It's not like the evidence isn't there. It's literally everywhere. It's getting to the point where they just don't seem to care anymore. How is accepting lies in the face of truth any different than what they've been railing against in their own minds for generations???

That's it for now.

If You are Traumatized, You Can't Just Let it Go.

One of the admins over on Banned posted a post on the blog over there called "2019, rise above your darkness, let it go". Though the essential message was well-meaning, and some of the elements had good intentions, the three words that are the most ineffective and invalidating to a survivor of a traumatic experience, whether emotional or physical, are "Let It Go".

Even for Christians.

Perhaps many remember the namesake song from the movie "Frozen". It's a nice concept. It's a beautiful concept. It seems so easy, doesn't it? Now I'm not saying that Jesus doesn't have the power, or his followers don't have the faith for a supernatural miracle of deliverance from all of the effects of trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, negative thoughts, and all of the associated emotional damage which is associated with the deep indoctrinations and damage from a severe cult experience. Yet this path may in fact, be detrimental for those who could gain much needed life-skills, coping skills, thought-skills, and life management skills for those who have been victimized by the charlatans and greedy wolves who take advantage and emotionally molest those who put their trust within them. These skills are best obtained by doing the one thing that cults hate their victims to do: Seek the help of professional counselors and services.

The skills that I have learned through over four years of professional therapy have taught me things that I never, ever were taught or understood within the confined, walled-in kingdom of Herbert-Armstrong. I never understood how cults damage and rewire the brain the way they do. I never understood the massive effects that their brainwashing, indoctrination, propaganda, and negativity caused in upsetting the logic vs. emotional balance of the mind. I never learned the concept of mindfulness, or the meaningful brain-healing of meditation and loving-kindness. I consider the things I have learned, and have been taught as absolutely life-saving and priceless beyond words.I am learning the skills to handle major depression and severe anxiety. It is an ongoing, critical process - especially when balancing these issues with a severe heart condition (which, by the way, could have been managed much, much earlier had Herbert Armstrong not got his nose into other people's lives due to greed and the love of money and power). It is a process that would not have been possible had I not received professional help. The truth is, if I had not received professional help, I would not have known HOW to BEGIN the process of overcoming, and managing the effects of Armstrongism in my life. The truth is, at this time, I would have been dead.

It would be easy for Jesus to supernaturally wave his Hands and "Poof"! Everything's gone and healed and it's all okay now, and life goes on. It would be a miracle, absolutely! It would be spectacular! Until the person - who has not learned any new life skills - or gained new insights or knowledge - gets - through his or her own deficiencies - into situations - has a whole new set of problems and begs for healing again. And what has truly, in the long run, been accomplished? Jesus can do things miraculously. Yet often, he brings us to a path to take advantage of learning, of growing - to eliminate the root causes that cause the peripheral issues in the first place.

It reminds me of all of the Christians who seek a sign, or a miraculous intervention, or a powerful healing - and then don't receive it - and miss out on a God-ordained way that is better and wiser than some miraculous intervention. See, God COULD have abruptly healed me. He could have taken away my heart condition before it nearly led to my early death. He could have fixed my anxiety issues without any problem! Sure, He could have - in a second! Yet, if he did - I would not have learned. I would not have grown. I would not have built character, or learned skills never taught to most until they "have" to know them. I would never have been given the incredible network of heart doctors and cult-recovery professionals I have now.

Because of the path Jesus led me on beyond a supernatural manifestation of electrifying power from the Higher Dimensions, I am alive, and I am growing. Jesus' ways are higher in so many ways than ours. There are sometimes better ways, in the long run, then "Poof, You're healed". Many times, the higher way is in wisdom and in understanding and experience.

No, for many, you can't just "let it go". There is a class of people who think they've let it go - but have not dealt with the underlying issues that are the more serious problems from trauma and pain, and hurt. These people think they've let it go - but haven't. They've buried their pain deep within, unwilling to bring it out, to work it out, and to learn and to grow. They're hurting themselves by their lack of getting help.

For those who truly have "let it go", consider it a blessing, and perhaps a miracle, and be thankful you have the strength to do so. For those who think they have, but deep down know they haven't - or those who KNOW they haven't. Get help. It's okay to admit you need help, and to get help. You will learn invaluable things, you will grow - and maybe, just maybe - that could be God's will for your life.

So if you're a Christian, and these words have touched you somehow, may I make a recommendation?

Please pray about it. Seek the will of the Father. Ask Jesus to take control and if it is his will for you to go the path of seeking help - that He would guide and lead and take control and charge of your life. And trust Him. The path may be long, and the journey may he hard. But you will be forever grafeful for the lifelong benefits - and wisdom - you will have attained.

May your journey to recovery be full of grace and healing.

Materialism and Rest. Thoughts.

I've been reading but not really participating in great detail on the lengthy thread over at Banned by HWA on an estate fight going on over a late minister's estate.

I'm not going to get into it here. I'm not one to cast judgement, because I was not there, I don't know the details, it's all hearsay to me. But from the little I do know about what I am seeing, can I just say that I'm disgusted by the whole thing? Well, I am. Materialism is here today, and is gone tomorrow. And yet, what is consuming the attention of two supposed religious entities at this point? Materialism. Back and forth. He said, she said. Over what? Over property. Over money. Disputes. It's sad to watch this mess.

During the course of one or the other discussions over there at Banned, a subject came up regarding the Rest that Christians enter into. I'll just copy how the conversation started.

The original poster was a "c f ben yochanan":

yeah, afraid ur right: once they see the ancient writings of the Word of God fulfilled, particularly Luke 13:25 Spoken by Jesus, whom, ironically, the writers of this blog like to accuse the cogers of rejecting, then they will understand that they will simply not be entering into His Rest, and will go the way of every doubter and scoffer in the bible that has preceded them...

woe unto them, there will be wailing and weeping at missed opportunity to merely stay the course of the simplicity that is in Christ and receive Praise from the Son of David, son of judah...

c f ben yochanan  

Here, CF clearly states that the "writers of this blog", obviously including myself, "will simply not be entering into His Rest" - and then, in judgement, blasts them as doubters and scoffers, who will be weeping and wailing because of rejecting "the simplicity that is in Christ".

Pretty crazy stuff right there.

This commentator seems to know for a fact the spiritual condition and salvation status of each of the writers at the Banned Site. More than this, he has already judged that "they will simply not be entering into His Rest". In other words, he has judged me as a non-Christian. Pretty bold stuff, there, isn't it? Quite a convincing, judgemental statement, isn't it? I know for an absolute fact that such a judgement is absolutely incorrect - categorically incorrect. I know this because Jesus Himself saved my life, and Jesus Himself has guided and led my path. I know this because I acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. This, and for a thousand other reasons I'm not going to get into here. Suffice it to say, YES, Jesus is Lord, YES, I obey and serve Him to the best of my abilities. NO, I am not perfect. But for someone to come on a blog, to a complete stranger, and state to them the judgement they have cast? Only believable in a religion such as Armstrongism.

Anyway, I digress. I responded in this manner;

Christians have already entered into His Rest. The opportunity is not missed. It's here. Christians do not have to wait for a future event to experience Christ. Sorry to say it, your words and predictions are empty and without authority. Jesus is alive and well within His people. 

I thought it was short, and to the point. I did not feel the need to go on and on about it. Armstrong followers have their minds closed, shut, locked and sealed. I don't want to waste my time or get my anxiety all up in an knot over this. It's not worth it for my health, it's not worth it - well, simply, period.  But then, I get THIS response from an anonymous commentator:

"Christians have already entered into His Rest."


you can't be serious, have you looked around you lately? have you not noticed the condition of the world???

the only rest Christians have right now is the Sabbath each week (Heb.4)

What?  Really? You have GOT to be kidding ME.

What were the words of Jesus? What did Jesus say? Any Christian should know the phrase and scripture by heart. Jesus said, "Come to ME, all you who are weary and heavy [burdened], and I will give YOU REST." And this writer really comes on and says that the only rest Christians have right now is the Sabbath each week? Really? Seriously?

Have I not noticed the condition of the world? Sure I have! I responded in this manner;

Did I say I was talking about the world? Did I say every liar, stealer, assaulter, and abuser is a Christian? Did I say that those who are on the "will not inherit the Kingdom" list are Christians? Did I allude to anything about that? What then is your definition of a Christian?

a Christian is one who has the Holy Spirit, Christ in them, and is known by the fruits they exhibit. The fruits they exhibit are directly correlated with Christ's Rest.

The rest is not physical. The rest is spiritual. It's emotional. It's relationship. All those with the Spirit of God, Christ in You, are inheritors of the Promise. They are confident in their future because they have been sealed by the Spirit. What you are doing is confusing Christianity as a corporate, which it isn't. Christianity is personal. It is a relationship. Those who have Christ exhibit Christ and exhibit through their fruits the evidence of His Rest.

Why is this so hard for Armstrong followers to understand?

It's just inconceivable that a Christian would possibly say that the only rest a Christian has is the Sabbath Day. This is exactly the evidence of what I was talking about when I say how Armstrong followers deny what Jesus Christ accomplishes and freely gives to those who seek Him, and receive His Holy Spirit. This is the evidence of why I have often called Armstrongism non-Christian. Because so many of them wholly deny that Jesus Christ gives Christians rest through the Spirit of God within them! And through that Rest, by Christ, one exhibits righteousness. One exhibits peace. One exhibits joy. Patience. Lovingkindness. Gentleness. Mercy. Self Control. And of course, LOVE. These are the fruits of a spiritually rested person. These are the fruits of a Christian. "Come to ME, all you who are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you REST".

Sure, people can take a day of rest on the Sabbath Day. It certainly doesn't mean they're RESTING. It certainly doesn't eliminate the attitudes and carnality so freely evident even on the Sabbath in so many Armstrong related movements. Just because one is working without pay certainly doesn't mean they're RESTING! God is Spirit, and His worshippers worship in Spirit. It should go without saying that His followers also rest in Spirit.

You can keep the Sabbath. You can keep the Holy Days. You can tithe. You can serve the Church. You can be a pillar in the Church, and still not be in His Rest. This is evidenced by the fruits of a non-spiritually rested person. And we all know in Armstrongism there is an abundance of this out there, carnality and wickedness in all of it's ugly nature, whether it's on the Sabbath or not on the Sabbath. Whether it's on the Job or at the Feast. Keeping a day or a festival does not change the heart and soul anymore than wearing a suit cleans you up if you haven't been able to shower for a long time. You're still dirty. And if Jesus has not changed your heart and your mind, no matter how often you keep a DAY of rest, you still have not entered into HIS Rest.

There are many, many Armstrong believers out there who hold to the belief that because they keep the Sabbath and the Holy Days, that that's the sign they are Christians. Jesus had something different to say. Jesus said:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (NIV)

I can just hear Armstrongites say just as easily, "Lord, did we not keep your Sabbath? Did we not keep the Feast of Tabernacles and did we not tithe and follow Herbert Armstrong"? If Jesus was so strong about people who actually prophesied in the name of Jesus, or people who literally drove out demons in the name of Jesus - or even performed many miracles in the name of Jesus - what about those who believe they know Jesus just because of the days they keep or the festivals they keep? What makes them even greater than those who did not know Jesus who were able to use His power and His name? Their hearts were not in the right place. Their fruits were not evident. They were not in his REST. They did not have a relationship with Jesus. Jesus never KNEW them. And he even called those who used his name and his power evildoers - because they did not know the one who was the Source of that power.  

Earlier in the chapter Jesus said: 

 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

For those who easily like to judge others who think a little differently then them - especially those who are Christian - this would be certainly some advice that might be worth a little bit of extra thought. 

It is Jesus - Christ in You - the Spirit of God - that gives you rest - as you yield yourself to Him. As you turn from the things that are not of the Spirit - the things of wickedness and sinfulness at heart - like idolatry, greed, covetousness, immorality, abuse, heavy-handedness, sordid gain, and the love of money - things disrespectful to God and to others - things not done out of love but out of power and greed and lust - you enter into that Rest and peace through obedience, and by following the will of the Father - to LOVE God, and to LOVE your neighbor. When you love God, your neighbor, and do right - that's a peace and rest beyond all understanding. And that - in this crazy, selfish world - is a virtuous, and treasured gift to be valued and held dear. 

 

Will Armstrong Apologists Ever Accept Reality?

The easy answer is no. 

To the fundamentalist Armstrongite - the serious, hardcore, fully-indoctrinated believer in the methodologies of Herbert Armstrong - looks at reality in an augmented way. A good way to call their worldview is "Augmented Armstong- Based Reality."

Augmented means simply - to make greater than it really is. Which is their view of their role in the world, their vision, their reality, and their God, to be point blank. They have a distorted position from what reality really is. This is very provable - irrefutably provable - based on the track record of their claims vs. what really happened. Their realities, as  claimed, never, not even once, have happened. Every last one of them has been humiliated by the extreme reality of the epic proportions of their failures. Yet, the cling on, in divisive, arrogant, unsubstantiated, ignorant, and uneducated blindness as to the reality of what they are proclaiming as irrefutably false.

It is not just one lone, isolated, rogue case among Armstrongites. This lies at the very core of their ideology. Every speculation. Every prophetic utterance. Every promise. Every prediction. Every claim, and every date has been proven - yes, proven - to be a lie. A misjudgement. An error. A presumption. They just call it "overzealous" behavior. Or, mistiming. Or, just a "partial revealing", only when fully revealed to be twice as false as the first revealing. They lead their believers on a wild roller coaster that always gets bumpier, and never has an end, an infinite loop of chaos and confusion, while running the meter the full trip. And yet, the hardcore believers seem just fine with it.

Ignored - willfully - is the abuse. Ignored, willfully - is the condemnation. Ignored is the dissonance, the abhorrent behaviors, the greed and the love of money and mammon, the harm it has done to themselves and their families, their income and their well-being. Ignored is the blatant untruths preached from the pulpit - and most ignored, and most obvious - the mind-numbing, unintelligent, theological bull which comes from the pulpit. Rinse and repeat, and settle for it all, like a failed and abusive relationship - which is really, what it is. 

What's behind this? What's the real story? Why, or how - could anyone staunchly defend the indefensible? Why- or how - could anyone be involved in this level of emotional and psychological - and sometimes, physical abuse? How can anyone be duped into literally handing over so much of their income to be mismanaged by Pharisaical idiots whose greatest skill is how to bully, to lie, and to deceive? How does this happen?

It happens because of one word: Fear.

The Pharisaical Idiots have successfully deceived their congregants to believe that their physical organization is the way, the truth, and the life - not Jesus. The Pharisaical Idiots have convinced them that apart from them - whichever organization it is - or Armstrongism as a whole - they are lost. Doomed. Gone. Forsaken. Abandoned. Hopeless. and the dreaded A-Word - "Apostate". The believers believe these Pharisaical Idiots - because of years, upon years of mind-conditioning which is piled on layer after layer after later of the Paint of Fear on the fortress of the mind. They have grown to love the darkness, and have blinded themselves from the light.

Fortunately, this is not the case for everyone.

There is a continuing group of those who drank the Kool-Aid who are slowly coming around and waking up to the reality of what really has happened in their lifetimes. They are slowly awakening to fact, to reason, to reality, and many to the love of Jesus that Armstrongism has robbed them of for so long. They are slowly seeing what was the true story all along. These people - once they see - some, for the first time - are shocked, traumatized, stumbling babes - many of whom have been conditioned to believe the antithesis of reality in so many cases and situations. It's overwhelming. But evidence has shown they are coming to grips of the reality based on three words - Herbert was wrong.

I guess the answer to the question is yes - for some. Regardless of how great or strong the "awakening" may be - there will always be a subset of Armstrongism in the world. My prediction is , however - and this is becoming more sure - that in very little time, it will be as insignificant and unknown as the little church on the corner of your small town that no one's ever heard of but the locals. You all know what that church is in your town - and every town has one.

For those who refuse to accept reality? For those who staunchly defend the indefensible, and excuse the inexcusable? The power of belief is their reality. They have defined their hope, their dreams, and their futures based on their personal faiths. Their personal story will be based on their foundation. What that foundation is? That's only personal to them. My hope is it is built on Jesus Christ. Because any other foundation - according to the very Gospel they claim to know - is sinking sand.

There is a Boat, and his name is Jesus. His nets are drawn. His hands reach out. He urges them to come to Him. He pleads with them with love in his eyes and heart.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy ladened, and I will give you rest."

You Have a Voice, and You Have a Right and a Freedom to Exercise Your Responsibility in Your Community.

Herbert Armstrong continually railed against the member's right - their constitutional right - to vote.

I know I said that I would not talk politics in this blog - and I won't. No politicians will be mentioned in this post. It cannot be ignored, however, that one of the long-standing dogmas of the Church in Armstrongism was that the right to vote. It was forbidden. It was said to be "involvement with the World" - because, we were supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. It was a method of control and the assertion of the strong belief that the Government of God was not democratic - it was autocratic - from the top, down. Any involvement with the world such as the right to vote was squelched by Herbert and Company.

There are many reasons why this was the case. One, Herbert didn't want people to get used to the idea that they could have a "say" in anything. Once one starts to get the mind set that he has a voice, then he might get the idea he could use it in the Church. This was not to be with Herbert. He despised people doing "their own thing", or not in agreement with his doctrines or principles, seemingly believing that they came from God and not himself.

Yet I think there was an even bigger reason. If a member began to get "involved" with the policies of the world - the government, the issues, the proposals - then they might actually begin to learn the methods that Herbert used on his church.

Herbert used a specific psychology in his methods of control on the members of the Church. This psychology was a combination of advertising finesse, sales tactics, and mind control. The last thing he ever wanted, or needed, was for a member to learn of those tactics or how they worked. This would make one intellectually smart as to his tactics and what he was doing. If someone was privy to sales tactics and influential - then the best thing to do was to absorb them into the collective - make them an ordained minister so they're on "his side". If someone was not, keep them away from any influence that could show them what was going on. Even those "absorbed into the collective" may not have been consciously aware of what was going on - but certainly some were. Garner Ted Armstrong was not shy about telling pastors about the "mind conditioning" and "psychology" used in publications about issues on religion, sex, and the like. This is one reason why he railed so hard against the world's "psychology" or psychologists. He wanted no one to learn the secrets of mind conditioning they used on the membership to assume mind control and full brainwashing.

Voting was just one small part of this piece of the puzzle. The main message of Armstrongism was obedience, submission, respect of authority and the government of God - and how well and how into serving the Church and supporting the "apostle" you were. Any involvement with the community - be it rotary clubs, community service, or anything of the "world" put you in danger of the "leaven of intellectualism", as he called it. It plugged up his control over the member, both of information, and of ministerial authority and his teachings. Which of course, directly affected the "bottom line".

This tactic of oppression - one of many - led to an isolationist, exclusive culture within the Church that caused one to completely lack any care or concern to their community, the issues of their community, or the people around them. They became, unintentionally, aloof, superior, and ignorant. They cast a blind eye to the concerns of the world around them because they were in it, but not "of it". They were commanded to be "separate". In other words, to not give a flying fig about anybody or anything around them. After all, to the average member, these were people under Satan's rule, and they weren't worthy of your attention to their issues because they were not called. We simply turned a blind eye and regarded them as uncalled, unsaved, blind and wretched inferiors to us, the royal kings and queens about to rule over them in the World Tomorrow. As such, we looked like arrogant and stuck-up, snotty rear ends of a donkey. If you get my drift.

One of the things that I have learned in my years in cult-recovery is the importance of being a part of the community. One of the individuals who I talk to told me something I would never forget. This person said:

"You are a part of the community. Everyone helps each other out, and watches over each other. Everyone takes part in the issues that concern them."

This concept struck me like a bolt out of thin air, because it was contrary to everything I ever was taught about community. I was taught to avoid the community. To avoid others. To avoid involvement with anything. To not care. To literally stick my nose up in disgust to the world, because the world was ruthless. It was an un-loving, un-caring attitude of total jerk-hood.

But what about this "be in it but not of it" that I was taught?

The answer is so simple. It means don't get involved in the sinful ways around you.

Galatians 5:19-21

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 This is being "of" the world, I believe. But when it comes to community involvement? Standing up for your beliefs and your principles? Exercising your right to vote? That's a personal right and a constitutional guarantee. No man has the right or the authority to tell you you cannot do what your principles tell you to do. This is the world you live in. And no matter what some spiritual arrogant know-it-all might try to make you believe, you do have a voice, and you do have a say. 

Today is a day when those in the United States of America have a chance to make their voice heard. Do not let anyone tell you you do not have the right to have a voice, and to have your say in the world that you live in every day. If you feel you want to express your freedom - get out there and express your freedom and make your opinion count. If not this opportunity, next time.

Because no matter what the ministers of Armstrongism say. You matter.  Your voice matters. Your mind matters. And you have the right to get out there and be heard. 

Don't ever let anyone tell you any differently. 

Dating In Armstrongism

Dating was one of the most complicated and most watched activities within the church, as the church was attempting to control the morality of it's members (and, it could be argued, maintain massive immorality in it's ministers at the same time, though this was not always the case with all ministers.) There were many very complex do's and dont's among the single and teen dating scenes that dictated exactly what you were going to do, with who, and how it was to be done. Along with these were a strong list of exactly what you were NOT going to do – that is – if you wanted a good chance of staying in the church, for those who cared.

Take kissing, for example. 

Was this even acceptable when dating within the Church?

 

Kissing was considered something to wait for until marriage vows were traded among a couple. Many did not, but there were just as many rebels as there were followers. Physical contact while dating was considered completely tabboo, and kissing was a small part of this. The fear was that if a couple started kissing, it could lead to uncontrollable attraction, foreplay, and ultimately pre-marital intercourse. Therefore, to attempt to stop this from happening, kissing itself was forbidden among dating couples. How often this was ignored by dating couples, outside of prying eyes of watching ministers and parents, however, was anyone's guess. 

If the Churches of God had this back in the Armstrong Era...

 

Speaking of “Prying Eyes”, it wasn't uncommon for the ministers to either spy themselves, or set up spies in the church for the purpose of trying to catch somebody “in the act” of breaking one of the church's laws on morality and infidelity. Even so, there were those who were just plain unliked in the church, and it wouldn't be a stretch to report a complete fib just to get someone in trouble – especially if they were trying to break up a couple they thought should not be a couple, or a friendship, or anybody they didn't agree with should be talking with each other. This was commonly done in the church. 

This happened more often then Kermit Nelson wanted to know at SEP.

 

There were usually two groups of teenage kids in my local congregation: I called them The Rebels, and the Losers. Since I was undoubtedly a part of the “losers”, partly because I wanted to follow the Church's version of what was right, this was not an issue for me. However, I did walk in on a few of the “rebels” - and of all places, this was at the Summer Educational Program. You either were against the church's teachings due to hormones, and indulged in “rebellious” behavior, or you were for the church, and relegated a “loser” no matter how innocent and naïve you were. Regardless of either class you were in, you were an outcast to the world through and through – unless you completely “rebelled” and became a part of what was termed “The New Morality”. 

This would get you kicked out of everything!!!

Petting and Necking – admittedly a stage beyond just “kissing” - in the church, was considered sexual foreplay and was forbidden among dating single individuals. Couples were supposed to wait until marriage to perform forbidden acts such as listed here. Dating was strictly controlled and in some cases, date results were to be reported to the minister to see how it went. Just like with kissing, Once petting and necking began, it was thought that they were already well on their way toward pre-marital intercourse. This was, after all, considered fornication. If dating included petting and necking while the members were in the church, that couple was separated by the ministry – at the LEAST. At most, you were told you were setting a bad example, and couldn't return until you 'repented'. 

Another thing – interracial dating of any kind was forbidden in the church. If you were white, you dated a white person – not olive, not hispanic – not latino – white, and the same exact policy with other races in the church. You didn't do it. Racism was rampant in the church based on their interpretation of scriptures and bible prophecy. Whole congregations at one time of color were segregated. This is just the way it was.

The acceptable space between dating couples: "Let There Be Light!"

Who you dated was controlled by the minister or your parents – and you did what they told you to do. If they wanted you with a person, you obeyed. If you were a teenager, if they wanted you to double-date for a period of time, you did. If they did not want you with a person, you broke up. You did, again, what you were told. If they thought you were compatible, you were compatible – even if you were most obviously not compatible. You simply accepted and “worked through” the trial that was to last your whole life, because this was “God's will”. Regardless of the strange pool of “weirdness” in the church that made dating extremely unattractive for many, you didn't think of dating someone outside of the church – they were unconverted, it was told, and could well become a bad influence in your life. Therefore, if you “liked” someone who was out of the church, you were to – well, “un-like” them – they wouldn't understand you, and you would be too tempted by them. It was called, in church speak, being “unequally yoked” - just like a married couple where one is in the church, and one is out of the church.

With that said, The thought of dating outside of the church – to those who wanted to follow the church's teachings, and were old enough – was unheard of. Any potential mate was only, and I mean ONLY – found within the church. The problem with this is that those within the church were, unwittingly and unknowingly, just as messed up as you were, and any prospective suitor knew you were messed up too. Yet dating outside of the church was not an option, so, regardless of what a couple might say, most church couples, anxious to get married to escape the soon coming Tribulation, they thought, married anyway and settled with what they got.

The thought of dating outside of the church – to those who wanted to follow the church's teachings – was unheard of. Any potential mate was only, and I mean ONLY – found within the church. The problem with this is that those within the church were, unwittingly and unknowingly, just as messed up as you were, and any prospective suitor knew you were messed up too. Yet dating outside of the church was not an option, so, regardless of what a couple might say, most church couples, anxious to get married to escape the soon coming Tribulation, they thought, married anyway and settled with what they got. A truly tragic thing for many of the couples who were entangled in the dating snare of Armstrongism.

And don't hold hands.