Norman Edwards has been a high-profile figure among the independent Churches of God, those post-WCG folk who have - wisely in my view - steered clear of the larger sects of Armstrongism which so delight in micro-managing. On the plus side the independents gain a lot of autonomy but on the negative side, it's hard to get much traction without working together. In updating AW I discovered that Norm is currently involved in a media project called
Shepherd's Voice Magazine. That may not be news to you, but it was to me. Also involved is COG Big Sandy pastor
Dave Havir. (Great Scott, there's even a letter in the most recent issue from Aucklander
Graeme McChesney!) The magazine is produced under the aegis of the
Chicagoland Church of God, a group I hadn't heard of before, on an occasional basis (5 issues since the first in 2012).
Another high-profile name over the years has been that of
Pam Dewey. Pam has been involved in a number of projects and has always been a voice of reason and balance. While Pam appears to have closed most of her earlier websites, her
Meet MythAmerica blog is active and well worth checking out. There is some COG-related content (see
1965: The Eve of ... the Zombie Apocalypse), but this isn't a COG-promoting blog, or particularly directed at that demographic. It includes some fascinating social history and commentary on things like race relations. A feature of the blog is the amazing visual content; photographs, magazine covers and more. Pam states:
I most assuredly do not reminisce about the Good Old Days. In fact I spend some of my time writing articles debunking the idea that any of the Old Days were all that good. Including the Fabulous Fifties when I grew up… they were anything but fabulous much of the time, except on sitcoms on TV. Mankind has been a mess for all of recorded history, and every generation has been a mixture of good and bad. I don’t waste time on nostalgia … I live in the now, and hope and work towards better things for the future.
The goal of my websites, and my blogs… including this Meet MythAmerica blog … is to offer some insight from my 69 years of experience, study, research, thinking, and dreaming into how mankind has gotten into the messes he’s created throughout history, and share what I am convinced is the path to a Better Way, in every aspect of life, individually and collectively.
For my money, one of the best blogs out there.
Pam Dewey has been busy producing a short (20 minute) "docucommentary", The Best of Times, part of her ongoing MythAmerica project. Here's the link where Pam introduces her work (which she also narrates) and where you can access it. Just hit play and don't forget the set it for full screen.
