Ah, good afternoon brethren, welcome to services today. As many of you may be aware, this has been something of a rough week for those of us in God's church. Well, maybe more of a rough month (chuckle), but even so, here we all are again, well those of us who are here anyway, and our prayers brethren, and I'm sure you'll all agree, are that those who are no longer with us will realise that the door is always open for their, uh, return.
This afternoon I regret to announce that your pastor, who resigned last Sabbath, has been joined by both of the local elders who are, as I'm sure you know, both fine men, but Satan goes about as a roaring lion, brethren, as I'm sure you also know, and now we all need to be focused on the great future God has in store for us rather than looking behind which, as you'll remember, is what Lot's wife did. (Clears throat.)
So last night Home Office contacted me and asked if I'd come down here today and lead services, which, of course, it was my privilege to do, despite the four hour drive. I bring you warm greetings from everyone at Home Office, and in particular those who are still with us. Let's not let Satan distract us from the great Work we have in front of us, or cause us to lose our salvation by being caught up in rumor and a root of bitterness. As I'll explain in some detail in today's sermon, brethren, there is truly good news in the midst of all that has happened: Despite any appearances and rumors to the contrary, as Mr. Armstrong used to say, God is still on His throne!
[Pause to allow for scattered applause]
Now before we ask Mr., ah, one of the deacons, um, do we have any deacons left? Oh yes. Before the opening prayer, let's open our hymnals and turn to number 76... Now I believe our pianist is now meeting elsewhere, and of course we harbor no ill will toward her, but I don't think it matters as we can do a magnificent job of this unaccompanied. All together now...
Un-less the Lord shall build the house, the wea-ry build-ers toil in vain;
Un-less the Lord the cit-y shields, the guards main-tain a use-less watch.
In vain your rise ere morn-ing break, and late your night-ly vig-ils keep,
And bread of anx-ious care par-take; God gives to His be-lov-ed sleep.
A nod of acknowledgement to the Shadows of WCG blog and its post which quotes the first line of this Dwight Armstrong hymn - number 96 in the old purple hymnal, no.76 in the UCG hymnal.
Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWell, it's not only satire, but also probably a very realistic depiction! Gamaliel's prophecy coming alive, as it were.
ReplyDeleteI do worry about one aspect of this sordid meltdown, though. On the Google docs site are the personal or business addresses of the people incorporating the new COGWA splinter. I wonder about the wisdom of publishing them. There are any number of unstable people who have been part of the Armstrong movement throughout the past. Though I take strong umbrage with the beliefs of Armstrongists, I think that as fellow human beings we should be respectful of their need for safety. Today's Armstrongite could be tomorrow's freed slave. It'd be nice for them to survive to enjoy all of that.
BB
Bob, I'm sure all the unstable people on the 'Net have Google Docs bookmarked. After all, we are talking public domain here.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, like the Missouri Synods, the splinters are now splintering, and will continue to do so until every one of the egotistical bastards from the original mother splinter (WWCG) are dead or drooling.
Is anyone even remotely surprised?
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ReplyDeleteFunny.
ReplyDeleteThe Radio Church of God should never have existed.
The Worldwide Church of God should never have existed.
The United Church of God an International Association (as it is on the new songbooks: UC Gaia) should never have existed.
Armstrongism is based on British Israelism. For that reason alone, along with a whole host of other reasons, should never have existed: It is completely wrong. There is no possible proof for any of it.
Logicially, there is absolutely no loss if this particular cult disappears from the earth because it shouldn't even be considered a viable religion.
It's just one man's fantasies -- stolen from others -- and completely false.
It's stupid to even begin to worry about any part of it disappearing: There's no loss in its fading away.
It's official. Douglas Becker wins the Post of the Month award!
ReplyDeleteThis is posted on behalf of Dennis Diehl. "Technical difficulties" meant it couldn't be posted directly - Gavin
ReplyDeleteWhile I totally understand Douglas' hindsight sentiments, believe me I do, it seemed very right to me when younger. I grew up Presbyterian where I never learned as much of what was in the Bible compared to WCG lit etc. I don't say they had it right as they were, in hindsight, mere Bible readers. Baptists here in the South are mere Bible readers and just as wrong. The Baptist church should not exist either based on what it is they believe that is emotional but not real or accurate.
For all my regrets, I KNOW I had to be there in WCG until I knew I could not. No one could have talked me out of it and to do so would have proved to me I was right. Of course, this is BS, but it was how I thought. I don't know anyone in all I met who, back then, felt the church was all that far off on what the Bible said.
What we did not have, and most denominations suffer from this, is genuine and historically true information. The entire Catholic Church is paganized BS, but its size and sheer numbers of many striped adherents keep it going. They survive due to their influence.
Mormonism is pure BS, but works great and they are here to stay. They also should not exist, but they do.
There is a seat for every butt!
I can only speak for me but I would not know now, what I wish I knew then without having experienced then so I can have a more clear picture of now. That's just how it works.
No matter where one ends up after all this experience, few ever understand that the Book itself is the culprit and is not what it appears to be, IMHO. As a result, it breeds contention, cults, adherents, followers and both the sincere and the hucksters. Once you write down a religious/inspired view, it breeds all this over and over. It's the nature of the beast
But the bottom line is that I had to be there back then I suppose as a way of learning what was yet to come in life was more real.
PS Gamalial may have made an accurate statement as to how things work with ideas, but I can almost guarantee the Apostle Paul was no student of his. If Paul was a Pharisee at all, he was like no Pharisee of his time. Actually, Paul was just as much a liar as any modern religious wanna be.
I suspect Paul was the false Apostle booted out by the Ephesians in Revelation for which "Jesus" commended them. I suspect when Paul said, "all those in Asia have forsaken me..." (never saying why or how he ends up being right and the majority so wrong), he was talking about his brutal Ephesian rejection by Jewish Christians
May God's Mercy and Grace flow out to all those who are still hurting in the WCG, GCI, and all its offshoost..., whom I still love and feel a bond with regarding our common journey...
ReplyDeleteAs a former pastor in WCG, I had to give up supporting this madness when I was personally conflicted by the hierarchical system, and the principalities and powers behind the fallen organization.....
We are all fallen, to some extent or the other, but I can testify, that before I resigned, the Holy Spirit urged me to believe that our congregation would be better served in more healthy church...
I attend a nondenominational church now, Grace Church, in Tuscaloosa, AL, and realize it also is partially fallen, not perfect, but, at least, it espouses the Grace and Mercy of God...
John Cooper
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ReplyDeleteDennis said: "For all my regrets, I KNOW I had to be there in WCG until I knew I could not."...
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice luxury for you. As a child growing up in the church I wasn't afforded such choices. Indoctrination from a young age is a much different thing to get over compared to an adult choice to join.