No longer abiding (and other stuff)

The tiny Abiding Church of God is apparently no longer abiding, given that its website is down and its FB page hasn't been updated since last year. The group first came to public notice just last year as a splinter from Dave Pack's Restored Church of God (RCG). Maybe the webmaster just gave up, or perhaps the whole mini-sect has imploded. Does anyone care? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If you haven't already seen it on Gary's blog, there's an excellent interview with Dennis Diehl available on the Ra-Men YouTube channel. Gotta say it, Den does an exceptional job. The interviewer is "Amon-Ra", who recently took Pack's idiotic take on creationism apart (one largely shared by other COG bodies) one bleeding chunk at a time. Great questions, great responses. The presentation lasts just under an hour.

What's happened with the Painful Truth blog is a bit of mystery. There are only three current posts up, then everything seems missing till it starts again back with May 2011 posts. What happened to everything in between? Douglas?

Note: the Abiding website is up again. Whew, what a relief.

Rehashing Ernie

If you were around in the 1970s you'll remember the name Ernest L. Martin. Arguably Ernie was the greatest threat to the WCG at one stage, a former high-flying faculty member at Ambassador College with a disarming personal appeal. He was the Herman Hoeh of "the resistance" (like Hoeh his doctorate was unaccredited) and hugely influential as members started questioning things for themselves in the wake of the 1974 ministerial crisis. Martin talked and wrote openly about the New Covenant, the irrelevance of tithing and Sabbaths and something he termed "progressive revelation". He also adopted a form of "universal reconciliation" - inspired in part by Alfred. E. Knoch's Concordant Publishing Concern.

Not to say that Ernie was a "liberal" by non-COG standards. In many ways he continued to embrace a very wooden, literalist understanding of the Bible. Theologically tolerant he was not. I well remember a peevish letter he sent to Christianity Today making fun of an article on the Trinity. Many in the ex-WCG community however considered him a scholar without peer, especially as he churned out book after self-published book on everything from the Jerusalem temples to the star of Bethlehem. He died in 2002, and is modestly immortalized with a short Wikipedia entry.

Martin's magnum opus was supposed to be a fresh translation of the Bible putting the various books in what Martin considered their original order. After his death the task was passed on to James Tabor, from where it seems to have been slowly killed off.

In recent times Ernie's legacy has been faithfully promoted by David Sielaff. Sielaff continues to beat the prophecy drums, and to turn up to events like a recent "prophecy conference" in Colorado Springs. In his latest monthly newsletter to the dwindling faithful he explains how his views differ from the prophecy-obsessed evangelical fringe which he seems to freely mingle with. Sielaff also regurgitates a 1977 article on prophecy by his master.

The disciples of Ernie and his Foundation for Biblical Research (since morphed into Associates for Scriptural Knowledge) once made up the most radical wing of the WCG diaspora. Today what remains is looking very tired and shopworn. 

Oh good grief!

Another brilliant expositor of the Herbolatrous Truer than True Truth. Jacob Israel Cyrus. Ya reckon that's the name his mammy gave him? Regardless, ol' Jake is a big fan of not only the High & Herbal One ("God's Signet" no less) but Gerry "6-pack" Flurry as well. I only got so far through his website before the barfing reaction started to set in, but I'm assuming Herbaceous Jake is a rogue member of PCG, possibly from the Philippines, and blessed beyond measure with deeper than deepity dippity doo insight on prophecy that he feels compelled to share with anyone sufficiently lobotomized to pay heed.

For an extra dose of fun, check out this guy's bio. Gotta say, it takes delusion one step further than most of us have seen so far. He also seems to think that the movie Gods of Egypt was made for the PCG. Whoa, cutting insight there!

Surprising then that a quick web search finds him mentioned on no other websites other than his own "Light to the Gentiles".

Famous in his own lunchtime.

A Kenyan Connection

So many COGs, so little interest.

The Voice in the Wilderness Church of God is a bit different, seemingly based in Kenya. The ministry there seems to operate under the name Hands of Hope. Where it comes from... hard to tell, but the Kenyan contact is a guy called Haron Mokoro.

And yet, looking up the sermon list and other details, Haron seems to be fairly low if not invisible in the pecking order. The Great White Father is someone based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, called Bill Goff.

Who exactly is Bwana Bill? Is this a registered charity? Why are all the sermons by dudes with non-African names? Is there any affiliation with one of the larger American-based COG sects or is Goff running a stand-alone semi-philanthropic operation?

If the YouTube videos are anything to go by it seems Goff is trying to do some good of a practical nature, so kudos there. Selling Armstrongism - variety unknown - to the East Africans seems a high cost for the support, though.

Anyone able to provide some background on Bill Goff?

Donald Trump in Prophecy, or Here Come the Germans

It takes a Don to know a Don and Don Billingsley seems to think he has the prophetic 'real oil' on Donald Trump. You might even say that the latest issue of his Philadelphia Remnant mag is "the Trump issue". Trump is - according to Billingsley - playing into the winds of prophecy.

Yeah, right.

There's also a lot of huff and puff about those darn Germans coming to put your loved ones in concentration camps, with more of the same promised for the next issue. Can't wait. Don even writes of "the inherent nature of the average German".

German agents are currently active within the United States as they were before World War II! They are operating behind the scenes in many ways without anyone realizing their mission! Consider and seriously think about the recent massive riots in Chicago against Donald Trump with the foregoing writings of this book in mind; people used, such as George Soros a renegade Jew; instruments used by the unseen underground power players in Germany. 

With all this in mind, we would do well to remember the promise of Germany that is yet ongoing and will soon be realized: “One day we shall come back. Until then, A’ bientot (= goodbye A’ Soon)” (p. 41)

Looking at the cover you might think that you've seen it before. You have. Billingsley, one-time college chauffeur, keeps things simple by using the same cover art over and over again. Not a particularly smart strategy, but as you can see that's nothing compared to the contents.

Don has kindly provided access to his ravings in flipping book format (so that should render it almost completely unreadable to most folk.)  Dig around and you'll find you can download it as a PDF, but you'd be best advised - for sanity's sake - to avoid doing so. Be advised that there are formatting errors throughout the publication. Not a professional look.

As for "prophecy", all these years and Don has learned... nothing. What a waste. Just regurgitating nonsense he heard from Herb and swallowed whole back in the 1950s.

Isn't it a bit ironic that with all the inane drum beating over Germany and a return to Naziism, the real Nazis - authoritarian leaders in the "government of God"-type COGs - get a free ride. How many times was the CAD referred to as the Gestapo?

It's undoubtedly true that Don is an embarrassment to many good, thinking people involved in more moderate COG fellowships. And yet it's also true that such profoundly stupid extremist views were once mainline in Radio Church of God/WCG days, and that a bitter aftertaste remains even in the more respectable bodies. Would it be too much, for example, to expect that the more balanced COG groups should explicitly reject this perverse mixture of racism, cultural myopia, exceptionalism and twisted prophecy?

Apparently it is. If UCG or CGI (for example) were serious about presenting their message in a meaningful way, they'd long since have publically washed their hands - no weasel words - of this hogwash. The cost, though, would involve lost tithe-payers. The benefit? Some modicum of credibility.

The PDF is available to download

The FB format is available here

The Midnight Cringe

What happens when a branch of the Church of God, one that's been led by a single autocratic figure, suddenly loses its leader. That's what recently happened to the Church of God's Faithful, a South Carolina-based PCG splinter (see last month's article). Robert Ardis has gone to whatever eternal reward awaits him.

You'll be relieved to know that the sect magazine, The Midnight Cry, has continued to be published. There's obviously a new editor. Who can it be? One Jon Ardis. Could this be the anointed son? CGF apparently continues "all in the family". Gerry and Stephen over in PCG; Robert and Jon in CGF. Nepotism? Oh my goodness, gracious no. How could you even think it?

Prophetically (!) this issue's cover is emblazoned with the words, The Writing Is on the Wall. That could well be true, but possibly not in the intended sense. Ardis the Younger has penned a fairly bland editorial. Kiwi writer Wally Lawton draws on his vast knowledge of the Bible to pen an article on Iran/Persia and prophecy. Reuben Lister warns us all that national slavery awaits.

Sad to say, these prophecies are about to become a reality and it’s hard to accept that Great Britain, America, and the nation we call Israel will all be reduced to insignificance. All will go down together, ending in slavery and utter despair.

He's right about one thing, it is hard to accept. Impossible, in fact, fanciful misrepresentations of Deuteronomy 28:64-68 notwithstanding. Have these geniuses ever considered the logistics of such an undertaking?

So will the tithe-payers continue supporting CGF, or will there be a general wising up? It appears that Jon is paddling hard and the team is standing by with buckets ready to bail as necessary.

Whether that will be enough remains to be seen.

The PDF is available to download.

COGs - the road to extinction

With the probable demise of the late Robert Ardis' sect in the not-too-distant future  - see the previous post - it seemed opportune to identify a few that have recently headed down the highway to oblivion. In 2008 the blog-meister at Foresight of Hindsight set out to list as many active COGs, both in the States and beyond, as he could. He put together two lists, one for the US and another for the rest of the world.

Eight years later one thing is evident. A number of these groups have effectively disappeared.

Gone with no forwarding address:
Raymond McNair's Church of God 21st Century. (Didn't survive McNair's death).
John Allen's Destiny-Worldwide (Costa Rica). (Didn't survive Allen's death).
Church of God - Christianos (Canada).
Sabbatarians (Netherlands)
Church of God IIA (Philippines)
Fading from view:
Neville Steven's Zion Ministries (Australia). (Site seems to have been last updated in 2012)
Sprats swallowed by bigger fish:
Church of God, A Christian Fellowship, Canada. (Now refranchised as the Church of the Eternal God.)
Global Church of God UK. (Now refranchised as the Church of the Eternal God.)
Arlen Berkey's Stedfast Church of God. (Not so steadfast after all. Arlen reportedly jumped fences to Ronald Laughland's Wholeworld COG.)

Those are just the groups that FoH listed with a web link and so could be checked out. The actual number of inactive or deceased COGs since 2008 could easily be twice that number. Some of these groups - Zion Ministries in particular - were extremely vocal in their day.

The takeaway message is that once a sect's leader passes on, the group's days are numbered, unless there's someone groomed and waiting in the wings. Better yet, there's an enduring structure that draws on more than the ego of one self-anointed cult leader.

"Urgent Understanding"

The Midnight Cry calls itself "a magazine of urgent understanding". Not so urgent in that not a single issue appeared last year. But wait, 2016 has kicked off with an overdue reappearance.

Cry is published by the Church of God's Faithful, a breakaway from PCG, led by Robert Ardis. Though it has a low profile among the splinters, it manages to operate mailing addresses in England and New Zealand as well as its main office in South Carolina.

Ardis obviously believes that he is a key figure in the great scheme of things.

I have stated quite a few times that I believe we of the CGF have as much or even MORE faith than many of the righteous characters of the Old and New Testaments! (p.3)

I have not seen God or heard His voice. But I have, on many occasions, felt His presence and have been directly guided by His Spirit to certain verses of Scripture that He wanted me to apply in my life. The CGF is God’s true Church, and we use the Holy Bible, through which Christ speaks to us. (p.3)

 And wouldn't you know it, CGF is mentioned in Bible prophecy.

Gerald Flurry was raised up to lead the Laodicean work of Jesus Christ and to reveal the apostasy in the WCG. But, as predicted in Revelation 3:14-20, the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) became a lukewarm church doing Mr. Flurry’s work instead of the work of God.

However, God had reserved a few faithful brethren to carry on the Philadelphia work of the sixth candlestick of Revelation 3:7-13. And they were ready (although they did not know it) for the Day of the Lord and the secret coming of Jesus Christ as “a thief in the night” (II Pet. 3:10). This happened 12 years after Mr. Armstrong gave his final message to the WCG at the Feast of Trumpets 1985! The Gospel of the Kingdom of God had been successfully proclaimed to the world as a witness to all nations. Now it was time for the message, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” to go out in power!

On the Feast of Trumpets 1997, the Day of the Lord came as a thief in the night, and the living Christ came suddenly to His Temple (Mal. 3:1). A new 19-year time cycle also began on that date on the sacred Hebrew Calendar and we have now come to the 19[th] year of this time cycle. Has God given us this one 19-year period to get the bride of Christ ready for her Husband? If He has, we have much work to do. (p.3)

Yes, those 19-year time cycles are back.

This is a sure thing. Revelation 3:9 will be fulfilled, and I still wonder whether we have only a little less than two years to complete our work of preparing the bride! (p.4)

 Ardis relates a personal testimony to his faith.

I am a sick, old man and it is difficult even to write this article... I look forward to the healing that God is going to do for me soon, and for all of us in the CGF... I have been afflicted with cancer of the bone marrow for seven years. It has been a “thorn in my flesh”! (p.4)

So here's the reason for the blip in publishing. Yet Ardis' health issues don't seem to have led him to secure a smooth transition for his church. Nor has he taken the tough option of reconsidering the prophetic speculation that led him to create CGF. Once he passes from the scene, as we all must ultimately, his work will be forgotten. The hosts of heaven are not coming to his rescue at the end of any imaginary 19-year time cycle. "Urgent understanding" is required, but seems in limited supply.

 I wonder whether this will be one of the last issues - if not the very last - of The Midnight Cry.

Somehow it all seems a bit sad and pathetic.

The PDF is available for download.

Update: Robert Ardis passed away less than a week ago on St Patrick's Day, March 17, according to correspondence on the Exit & Support Network. He was aged 84. Thanks to Redfox for passing on the information.

Obscure COGs: COG, New World Ministries

Keeping track of the various sects that have risen out of the chaos of the Worldwide Church of God's dissolution is an almost impossible task. This is the first in a series featuring some of the groups that have a lower profile.

***

Down in Sevierville, Tennessee is a branch of the Church of God you may never have heard of. This isn't just some guy pounding away on his keyboard (ahem), but a real little group which claims up to seven small fellowships (6 in the US and 1 in Canada). As with most such groups, their website doesn't give much away about exactly where they popped up from, but it's a splinter from the Garner Ted Armstrong wing of movement (CGI or ICG) going back about ten years. Like most related churches they seem to serve a declining older demographic that remembers the halcyon days of Herb and Ted.

Some sections of their website seem to be poorly updated, but it is still active and they currently promote themselves with a small ad on Alan Ruth's biblestudy.org. George Trent is president and author of their Quarterly Letter. They will be holding their 2016 Feast of Tabernacles in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Their previous FOT in Lexington, Kentucky didn't appear in the list published by The Journal.

It seems pretty standard Armstrongism. Nice shield logo but nothing much to show in the way of printed materials, magazine or broadcast media. Not to be confused with COG Worldwide Ministries.