Discern is the magazine you're having without having a magazine. Subscribing means downloading what looks like yet another 30 year-old Plain Truth clone in PDF format. So, without further ado, knock yourself out on the latest issue.Considering the fiasco that precipitated the formation of Discern's sponsoring church body, it seems somewhat amusing that there's a feature article on "Dealing With Difficult People." Dear old Paul Luecke has an article addressing the all important question of how you keep your kids safely dumb and ignorant on the subject of evolution. There's a slap-back piece on an upcoming Left Behind movie, and Neal Hogberg bemoans secularisation in Britain with a rant entitled "The Island That Forgot God."
But wait, there's more! Jim Franks has a major rehash on the Holy Days and what they mean according to the standard Church of God interpretation which, while hardly credible, can at least be described as imaginative.
The layout is good, the graphics are nice. But is anyone paying attention? Discern is The Trumpet lite.
The Philadelphia Trumpet - affectionately known by many as "The Strumpet" - is the banshee-mad monthly mag of the seriously worrisome Philadelphia Church of God.
Wow, the fundamentalist COGWA is in Dallas, the buckle of the Bible Belt, where they belong.
ReplyDeleteTheir piece on Britain is a real hoot. They don't like the Church of England apologizing its for past dogmatic Christianity.
They have a reading list on Creation apologetics led by layman Lee Strobel but no booklist on Evolution for balanced debate?
They emphasize the importance of early inculcation of Creation. Translation: Mental programming is the only hope for future Christian soldiers.
CoGWA attendees have been leaving the fold to return to United: They can't figure out why the CoGWA split in the first place, Dennis Luker is gone from the UCG (the source of many defections), don't like sermons on homosexuality with small children present and are disturbed by ministers that are divorced and remarried to women who were divorced and remarried. (And it should be pointed out that the CoGWA left because of the situation in South America -- they supported the couple who didn't close their daycare right on sundown for Sabbath and holydays: Consider this, today, they would put the couple out themselves; it's rank hypocrisy and if you want an excuse, any excuse will do.)
ReplyDeleteThey are still pushing British Israelism, which is kicking a dead horse. They are as wrong headed as the rest of the groups and certainly would have their place advertising in The Journal -- the yellow sheet rag with weirdoes disseminating their nutty rubbish ideas. They still push the lies of false church history and the bogus idea of eras. The Good News is that they are being left behind.
And "WILL WE EVER SEE PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TOWARD MEN?"
Hey, Clyde, not as long as you are the leader of the CoGWA. And you could stand to lose a few pounds. By the way, Ezekiel 37 doesn't mean what say it does: Check the commentaries. You can download them from e-sword if you don't have them. These days the greatest story ever told is the fragmentation of a sect.
Yes, we know how to deal with difficult people. After all, we once attended that evil cult started by Herbert Armstrong. We've read Dr. Phil's "Life Code" and it's eerie how on the mark it is with dealing with the Cult of Herbert Armstrong Mafia. Still... it's hard to know how to deal with people who don't listen, lie, take your money and refuse to acknowledge the truth. I guess we warn them and then stand back and let them burn.