The first time I asked someone what STP stood for I was told - with a straight face - "Stop Teenage Pregnancy." I was about 15, and the inquiry was about a motor oil sticker.
STP, as in the ill-fated Systematic Theology Project, was yet to rise - and fall. It might have been an uninspiring document, but had the potential to lead the WCG out of the cultic wilderness where doctrine was set by an old man's whim and a host of hooey was blathered from a thousand pulpits each Sabbath by Rod Meredith clones "winging it."
And now it's back again - or something very much like it. Toddle over to wcg.org and check the PDF document out for yourself.
The name is different, and Bob Kuhn has been replaced by Larry, Curly and Moe (a.k.a. the two Mikes and Joe Jr.), but Thirty Five Doctrines of the Worldwide Church of God is - all 174 tedious pages of it - the 2007 equivalent of 1978's unloved loose-leaf compendium.
Exactly who 35D is written for is unclear, the church is stressing that there's "nothing new." Maybe the intended audience is the wider evangelical community, another arrow in their PR quiver. Unlike the 1978 original, there's nothing here to move the church forward, and the section on church leadership ("our episcopal structure") is pathetically deficient.
If history was to repeat itself, 35D would be in circulation only briefly before the effluent hit the fan and the church tottered on the brink of disaster, drowning in scandal.
Ah, the good old days. We can but hope...
11 comments:
Question: Are those six blank pages at the end for taking notes or are they there because the document is unfinished?
It needed more time in the oven: It is half-baked.
The 35 WCG beliefs were 236 pages long when opened up in Wordperfect, but by employing the "Make It Fit" feature, the beliefs shrunk down to less than 99 pages.
Thach must be well acquainted with this "Make It Fit" feature!
These articles appear to be cobbled together from previous publication with a 2007 copyright slapped on the deal.
It says, "The indented material that begins each chapter is quoted from the Statement of Beliefs of the Worldwide Church of God published in 2001."
It doesn't explain the process by how the Statement of Beliefs came into existence, or the date adopted, or the way it was approved in 2001.
Tkach quotes his own articles as far back as 1997, but he doesn't dare quote anything ghost written by his father.
Having the authors credited with the articles someplace besides after an article would be helpful.
Likewise, there is no comprehensive list of external reference works cited.
No doubt these were handed out at the Indian Wells sales conference where the ministry was told what to believe.
STP=Still in Training Pants
"These articles appear to be cobbled together from previous publication with a 2007 copyright slapped on the deal."
Cobbled is the right word. CCG would be appropriate if they need a new name for the fellowship.
"It doesn't explain the process by how the Statement of Beliefs came into existence.."
That is because there would actually have to have been a process in the process.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if after all this drama and trauma, the NT story REALLY was an allegory based on the SUN's journey through the 12 signs of the Zodiac beginning with the Sun's baptism in January (the first 30 degrees or 'about age 30') by Aquarius, the Water Man and ending in December with the SUN's three day death in the grave and rebirth on Dec. 25th, complete with being brought forth by Virgo the Virgin? Oh mama!
I spare you...I spare me! :)
...And to think that for all these years I thought "STP" stood for "SUPER TOILET PAPER" !!
Thanks Gavin for clearing up the mystery!
Lussenheide
Cobbled is the right word. CCG would be appropriate if they need a new name for the fellowship.
So sorry Dennis, CCg is already taken.
Canadian Coast Guard.
So sorry again. The Canadian Coast Guard went to register ccg.org but found it was taken by the Cox's Cult Grandiosity.
You know, the WCG isn't very successful in finishing things. Weren't they going to change their name to something with "fellowship" in it? And now this: Something with 174 pages, six of which are blank which will format to 91 pages. That says the whole thing is overblown.
Stolen Tkach Plagiarism
Hmmm... 35 WCG beliefs: That's a pentagram 7 times!
It should be noted that while the WCG is piddling around with STP, the UCG
has a new initiative of their own called
Breaking Free, which promises freedom from gluttony. Well, mostly
alcoholism. United completely ignores Rational
Recovery in favor of keeping its own membership captive in its clutches to
provide the #1 ministerial priority, retirement, followed by #2, salary. The UCG would rather not hear one negative word about their programs with Alcoholism.
Which is worse, alcohol addiction, or STP spiritual addiction?
Notably, in its 1974 pages, STP contains not one word about tithing. Let's
help them out with the
additional 74 pages
in The Tithing Dilemma.
Of course, we all know that the WCG does talk about the tithing principle from time to time, but it's not tithing as we knew it, it is 9% or 6% or 3% or any other percentage the Lord might lay on your heart.
WCG or ASK? WCG or ASK?
Is there any real choice?
Tkach should have titled it "Tkach's List of 35 Restored Truths" so Bob Thiel could have a field day!
Tkach would have restored MORE truth than Armstrong's niggardly 18 Restored Truths! 35 truths restored beat 18 restored truths, any day!
It would take 35 redos to undo 18 restoreds, each day for a year.
It's in the Bible!
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