I'm old enough (sigh) to remember the buzz that surrounded other schisms in the past, with excited talk of "new beginnings" and an avalanche of supporting material hitting letter boxes quick smart. In contrast this breakaway group seems to elicit little more than a reluctant grunt. The website is completely uninspiring, and those who do run their own sites - Ken Treybig springs to mind - seem to have to little energy to update them. There are indications that some of the ministers who got caught up in the split are now ruing their decision. Let's face it, most of these blokes are too old for this sort of drama, happy to belly-ache, averse to innovate. History can only repeat itself so many times before ennui sets in.
So is CGWA viable? Probably, at least in the short term, but not as a significant player. As we used to say in less culturally sensitive times, "too many chiefs and not enough Indians." Some of these guys have egos as big as Texas, and I suspect the rest have substantial personality disorders... except for those who qualify for both.
Meanwhile the parent body seems to have staunched the hemorrhaging for now, and are pretending everything is rosy. They've even got their "literature" appearing on the Barnes and Noble website as e-book downloads. Uh, okay...
Viable to do what exactly?
ReplyDeleteThat question applies universally to all the Armstrongist churches of god.
And be careful with the pin at the top, because that's not a soda can: It's a hand grenade.
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ReplyDeleteYou have to wonder what some of the insiders are thinking of all of this. From the outside, it appears that the influence of more liberal types became so great that the conservatives felt compelled to secede. This lessens any collective voice they might have shared in evangelizing the public through the media.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that each side might be seeing their own action in terms of purification. The main body and structure probably feels relieved in shedding "those who just don't get it", while the exiting HWA preservationists see themselves as maintaining the purity of the faith once delivered.
And, both sides undoubtedly fantasize that God is on their side.
It does one's heart good to realize that nothing really depends on these groups. They are simply undergoing Gamalielization.
BB
As usual your comments are spot on.
ReplyDeleteBruce P
I wrote this elsewhere, but will repeat here: Time will well whether that acronym turns into Church of God Wrestling Alliance. :-)
ReplyDelete