attracted
some controversy himself, however. The following thumbnail bio comes from Pam
Dewey's excellent site.
| The Missing Dimension: www.missingdimension.com | |||
| Home Page | Herbert Armstrong | Splinters | Mailbag |
| Editorial | Links | Update Page | Site Guide |
| Flurry's PCG Cult | Garner Ted Armstrong | Living Church of God | United Church of God |
| Previous Updates |
| Please note: Links may no longer be current |
| Archives: November 2001 - January 2002 |
January 28 Edition
Hanegraaf again: Hank
Hanegraaf has been a longstanding advocate for the Worldwide Church of God under
Joe Jr. The slick radio presenter has attracted
some controversy himself, however. The following thumbnail bio comes from Pam
Dewey's excellent site.
Hank Hanegraaf: Controversial successor to the late Walter Martin as the head of Martin's Christian Research Institute. Author of a number of books of research on modern religious movements. Member of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel. Martin's widow and family have challenged Hanegraaf's claims to have been Martin's hand-picked successor, and disagree with some of his decisions involving the ministry. Credentials as legitimate researcher have been challenged by admission of incidents of plagiarism, and by charges of former CRI employees that he took credit for research done by others.
The second "Bible Answer Man" broadcast featuring Thomas Lapacka aired January 25. Hanegraaf indulged in some major butt-kissing directed at Joe & co. Callers included a couple of current pastors in the WCG.
February WN: It'd be enough to drive old time hard liners to distraction. The February WN features articles recounting how different WCG congregations celebrated Christmas at the end of last year. And there's a photo of President-for-Life Tkach snapped at his surprise 50th birthday celebration. If that's not enough to get the holdouts spluttering, worse is to follow. An article on The End by Michael Morrison confirms that the WCG leadership no longer holds to any type of millennialist view: sorry folks, the World Tomorrow has been cancelled.
Revelation 20 speaks of a 1,000-year reign of Christ and the saints. Some Christians interpret this literally as a 1,000-year kingdom that Christ will set up when he returns. Other Christians view the 1,000-year period figuratively, symbolizing the rule of Christ in the church before his return.
For example, the number 1,000 may be used figuratively (Deut. 7:9; Ps. 50:10), and there is no way to prove that it must be taken literally in Revelation. Revelation is written in a highly figurative style. No other scriptures speak of a temporary kingdom to be set up when Christ returns. Indeed, verses such as Daniel 2:44 suggest that the kingdom will be eternal, without any crisis 1,000 years later.
If there is a millennial kingdom after Christ returns, then the wicked will be resurrected and judged 1,000 years after the righteous are (Rev. 20:5). But Jesus’ parables do not suggest any such interval (Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:28-29). The millennium was not part of Jesus’ gospel. Paul wrote that the righteous and the wicked will be resurrected on the same day (2 Thess. 1:6-10).
Do you agree with Michael? The latest poll asks if there will be a literal 1000 year millennium. The previous poll result is below.
| Church of God groups have traditionally discouraged members from political voting or standing for office. Do you: | |
| Agree Disagree Have no view |
24.66% 71.23% 04.11% |
| There were 73 responses to this poll | |
Regarding finances, Controller Kelly comments:
Income for 2001 was more than $29.6 million... Expenses for 2001 were just over $34.5 million. We used $4.8 million from the church reserve fund to meet expenses. That is not good news, but it was within the parameters we set at the beginning of the year.
We will need to continue budgeting funds from reserves until the close of escrow on the Pasadena campus.
Prophecy Scoreboard: Richard Burkard, creator of www.laughline.com, writes:
I posted this tonight at JLF, but thought your readers might be interested in this, too:
It's amazing the things that pass through your mind at a worship service. There I was this Sabbath, hearing my Pastor talk about the unusually warm January weather here in the U.S. South -- and it hit me. What if there was a place where predictions and "prophecies" of ministers could be posted for all to see -- to see if they really come true? This way we wouldn't debate back and forth about what the man said or if he really meant it. It would be there, and we'd find out the (ahem) plain truth.
After the service, it didn't take long to prepare it... You send in the prophecies and predictions of the ministers (PLEASE don't make any up; I don't want lawsuits), and we'll post them on the Big Board. We'll mark who has the prophetic gift (and who doesn't) as things come true -- or false!
This doesn't have to be limited to COG'ers, either. We all know plenty of other prophetic preachers are out there. This is an interactive scoreboard -- so report what you hear, and let's sort the wheat from the chaff together!
You can go direct to the prophecy scoreboard at http://www.laughline.com/prophecy.html. If only someone had come up with this idea years ago. Submissions for the scoreboard can be sent to rburkard@yahoo.com. While on the site why not check out Laughline's report of the Darryl Henson story.
January 26 Edition
Smooching up to the donors: Joe Tkach has written a thank you epistle to the members who have bankrolled his church in 2001. "It is", says Joe, "a privilege for all of us to work alongside people like you who have dedicated their lives to serving Jesus Christ." Yeah, big privilege. Just don’t expect a vote or a detailed financial statement.
Joey
goes on to list the accomplishments of the last 12 months
In the United States this year, more than 490 people were baptized, 9 new churches were started and 24 elders were ordained. Although we do not yet have final year-end international figures, we are delighted to report that around the world there were more than 750 baptisms, over 35 new congregations and 25 ordinations. The rate of baptisms is increasing. For instance, in Northern Luzon, Philippines, 94 people have been baptized in the last 8 weeks. Twenty-five new brethren were baptized in Togo in November alone, and another 30 in Zambia. I am most excited to report that for the first time we have full-time and part-time missionaries deployed in Asia. These include 4 full-time teams and 5 tentmaker teams. We have 3 teams working in China, 1 in Viet Nam, 1 in Japan, and 1 in Thailand, in addition to 5 teams working in the tribal Muslim areas of the Philippines. A good portion of these deployments were made possible by a grant that came from your generous donations.
You’d almost think business was booming. But even the most naïve WCG member must know that this is very selective reporting indeed. In the footsteps of the church’s glorious founding Apostle, Joey apparently believes in the "mushroom theory" (keep the members in the dark and shovel on the manure.) Contrast Joe’s oily PR with this recent assessment from a serving WCG minister:
I doubt very much whether the denomination will survive more than a few more years, attendance and income cannot keep going down and down and down… Our congregation's affiliation with the WCG is very superficial and most would be happy to cut the umbilical chord.
Lapacka on Hanegraaf: Thomas Lapacka, the WCG minister who morphed into a Missouri Lutheran reverend, appeared on Hank Hanegraaf's "The Bible Answer Man", January 24. He was scheduled to do a follow-up on the 25th. The broadcast can be heard in real audio format here.
Hanegraaf and Lapacka shovel the praise on the Tkaches liberally. Earl Williams is actually referred to once - but not by name. Lapacka's book, Out of the Shadows, is given the hard sell. The phrase "from cult to cross" occurs again and again. There are some interesting anecdotes (the "Xmas fern" for example), as long as you can control the gagging reflex each time Hank gushes with glib, one-eyed, self-promoting evangelical chutzpah. Neither man shows any awareness of the severely compromised nature of the present WCG, and its continuing cultic structure.
Buffie takes a bow, Spanky rewrites history: Raymond McNair's by-line has appeared for the first time in the Living Church News. The errant evangelist may now be sufficiently "rehabilitated" after bolting from the leadership of the sinking CGCF to throw himself on Rod Meredith's tender mercies.
As for Meredith, his lead article in the same issue is almost surreal.
In the early days, most brethren called Mr. Armstrong "Brother Armstrong," or they would address Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong as "Herbert and Loma." A closeness and friendship prevailed that partly faded out later on. As the Work grew, a sense of adulation crept into people's attitude toward Mr. Armstrong...
Also, the "setting of dates" began to creep in. Mr. Armstrong and a few of the older ministers began to set specific dates for the end of the Work, for Christ's coming and for a series of punishments to begin on our nations. Of course, that was unwise...
... many of us in the Church began to think of ourselves too much as God's "pet" people, took liberties we should not have done in setting dates, and looked down in a wrong way on "worldly" people...
The natural tendency is for people to follow a man whom they can see - not Christ... I do not want you "following Rod Meredith" or "following Herbert Armstrong" or following any man as such. You can and should follow us as we follow Christ...
... Mr. Armstrong was human - and at times did entertain praise and encouragement too much... (Are You an Armstrongite? Living Church News, January/February 2002)
At first blush you might imagine that Spanky had made a long overdue breakthrough here. Missing, however, is any personal admission that he himself set dates, adulated Herb or looked down on others "in a wrong way". And, wouldn't you know it, in another article in the same issue he makes the usual call for the flock to accept "reproof and correction" from God's "true ministers and servants" (i.e. obey or else!)
A Generation Is Passing: Brian Knowles' latest column is something of a tribute to two individuals who have recently passed from the Church of God scene, Bill McDowell and Ernest Martin. Knowles (a former Plain Truth editor) writes:
When the Lord takes into account the lives of Ernest and Bill, I hope he will consider the ways in which they have blessed others. Ernest had the courage to tell the truth about tithing, the identity of "Israel," and other subjects while others cringed from doing so. Though I did not agree with all of his theology, I do believe he was sincere in his motives. He genuinely sought understanding. He was willing to be a maverick, a loner and a pioneer. He loved history and he mined it for all the nuggets he could extract. He was passionate about his studies. Only time will tell whether he was right about the "Star of Bethlehem," or the location of the 2nd Temple. At least he was willing to explore. He sought to be an original thinker and to break new ground. He was willing to think outside of the box. I admire such people.
Ernest Martin was to be buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon on Friday, January 25.
Beware slobs and women in pants! One useful source of information on splinter groups is "the Plain Truth web site". The material there is current and reasonably comprehensive, particularly on the LCG and PCG. The anonymous web master seems sympathetic to the UCG, but has some definite opinions of his own.
Considering what goes on in some of the other Worldwide Church of God (WCG) splinter groups, the United Church of God (UCG) is probably still the best WCG splinter group around. It is not only the largest, but also the most open and honest of the "big three" splinter groups… Hopefully, the freedom in the UCG won't be misused and abused by too many people and just lead to a church full of guys who dress like slobs, and women who wear pants to church and have men's haircuts.
January 23 Edition
Play it again Herb: Here's a special treat for music lovers. By clicking on the link you can hear a recording of Maestro Herb tinkling the ivories with an arrangement of Fibich’s Poeme. The names of the supporting accompanists are not known. The WCG founder was proud of his musical talent and taste, part of the inspiration for the concerts once held in the Auditorium. The Apostle’s interpretation, however, seems a tad on the slow side at over 3 minutes. You’ll need the free Real Player program. Savoring the music along with a glass of Harveys Bristol Cream - another of Herb's passions - would be appropriate too!
An "idiot's guide" to second tithe: One of the abiding joys of belonging to an Armstrong Church of God sect is the privilege of tithing at least twice! The January issue of United News includes an article by Tony Wasilkoff which explains - as one would to a very small child (or a congenital moron) - what a very good idea this is. Wasilkoff calls second tithe "God's savings plan." He also reminds the fortunate constituency of UCG about "tithe of the tithe", where you turn in ten percent of the saved second tithe directly to UCG (which is seemingly accredited by God to receive cash and checks in His name)
Through the years we have heard of inspiring accounts of people in dire circumstances who found ways to save up for the Feast of Tabernacles. They collected pop bottles, picked berries, delivered newspapers and did various odd jobs... When the Feast arrived, these individuals had (with God's blessing) been able to save up a significant amount! ... God's ways are superior and they really do work. How wonderful are the Holy Days and how wonderful is the financial plan to observe them! (The Better Travel Plan, United News, Jan. 2002)
Yup, wonderful! Poverty is such a character-developing condition! Here at The Missing Dimension we were so inspired by Tony's article that we've decided to save up all our pop bottles for Tony to collect next time he's in the neighborhood.
Auditorium Blues: The following item comes from the Pasadena Star News. The story, City Council weighs scenarios of taking auditorium as 'gift', is written by staff writer Elizabeth Lee.
| PASADENA -- The City Council
met behind closed doors Monday morning to discuss its concerns about
acquiring the Ambassador Auditorium, the lavishly appointed performance
hall on the former Ambassador College campus. Legacy Partners, which wants to develop the west Pasadena campus into a massive housing community, has proposed handing over the auditorium to the city if its development plans win council approval. The transfer is touted as a "gift" to the city, but one council member said he's worried such a gift could end up costing the city handsomely. "A huge concern is, who maintains this thing if it can't support itself?" City Councilman Steve Haderlein said. "I, for one, am very concerned about it because I don't want the city to be obligated to pay for the maintenance of a shuttered Ambassador Auditorium." The council gave no new directions to city staff at Monday's meeting, Mayor Bill Bogaard said; but Haderlein said the council decided to have an informal "subcommittee" of its members talk with the developer and the Worldwide Church of God, present owners of the property, about its concerns. The council began this discussion in closed session Jan. 14, but ran out of time before it could finish and called a special meeting for Monday, a council holiday. The 1974 auditorium -- one of the most acoustically superior facilities in the United States -- is owned by the church, which has entered into escrow to sell the auditorium and the rest of the campus to Legacy. Legacy, which doesn't want to be burdened with operating the auditorium, wants to buy the facility using tax-exempt bonds, which would be repaid by future homeowners in the development. Such a financing mechanism is called a Community Facilities District, or Mello-Roos District. The developer would then deed the auditorium to the city, which would lease it for free to a nonprofit foundation for operation. But observers question whether a nonprofit agency can keep the auditorium afloat. "The reality is, this 'gift' has many financial strings attached," said Vince Farhat, president of the nearby West Pasadena Residents Association. He said he wants to know, "Who's going to be left holding the bag if the auditorium fails?" Legacy Vice President Bill Shubin said there will be two fallback plans if the Ambassador foundation can't raise enough money to keep the auditorium going. Virtually everyone agrees the auditorium will need private fund-raising to stay in the black, because ticket sales won't cover operating costs. A "cultural services corporation" funded by a resale fee on Legacy project homes will pay for shuttering the auditorium if that becomes necessary, Shubin said. If that corporation can't foot the bill, then the responsibility goes to the project's homeowner associations, he said. "The city would be protected from those costs," Shubin said. But others aren't so sure. Haderlein said council members considered the scenario of project residents at some future date "marching" on City Hall because they were paying the costs both to purchase the facility and keep it mothballed. The council has also discussed the auditorium's value, Haderlein said. A real estate appraisal has pegged the auditorium at about $22.5 million, but different types of appraisals yield lower figures. The council has also been discussing the possibility the city would help fund the construction of a parking garage next to the auditorium. But Councilman Paul Little said he wouldn't support such an expenditure. "Iwant to make sure the city's not going to be on the hook for any financial obligations down the road," he said. "I'm not wanting to obligate the city in any way, either to operate it ... or build any infrastructure to support it. We have a lot more pressing needs in the city of Pasadena." Shubin said the auditorium, contrary to what some critics claim, really is a gift from the church and Legacy. Imposing the Community Facilities District tax on future residents drives down the sale value of the homes, he said. That lowers Legacy's return on the development, and therefore lowers the sale price it's willing to pay the church for the campus property. If the council rejects the Mello-Roos financing district, it could derail the entire development, Shubin said. "I think that jeopardizes the entire transaction. We do not really have another method of financing the acquisition of the auditorium." |
January 21 Edition
Flurry's Last Hour: The members of the PCG have been blessed with wonderful new truth over recent months. Gerry has been pulling the prophetic bunnies out of the hat in quick order. To start with he has tightened the mantle around his own shoulders with the release of Who Is That Prophet? - a booklet "proving" that you-know-who is in fact you-know-what, and hence a very big punkahwallah indeed in the great scheme of things. Trifle with Gerry and the Lake of Fire awaits! But wait, there's more! Yes folks, we've been living in the prophesied "Last Hour" since May last year. Here's what the latest Philadelphia Trumpet has to say:
...our editor in chief brought out the following in his Personal in the November 2001 edition of this magazine:
"In a sermon in May, I said we should expect this last hour to be different than any other hour in the history of man! Just four months later, the face of the world changed dramatically. ... THE WORLD HAS ENTERED ITS LAST HOUR! IT IS PLAIN FOR ALL TO SEE!"
They are powerful words. They are revelatory words, straight out of your Bible! As Gerald Flurry showed in that Personal, the Apostle John, under divine inspiration, wrote the following declarative statement as a message to God's end-time Church: "Children, it is the last hour .... [W]e know that it is the last hour" (I John 2:18; RSV)...
Our founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, had a sharp eye for spotting major world events and connecting them with the thread of biblical prophecy, which declares their outcome far in advance. Our editor in chief continues in the same vision. This magazine attests to that.
Look back over the past year, most especially since May 5, the time of that bold and revelatory declaration by Gerald Flurry that this world, in the present configuration of man's civilization, had entered its last hour...
Our long-time readers realize that the past 12 years have witnessed a powerful outpouring of revelation of biblical, end-time prophecies to the Church that sponsors this magazine...
That is power - real power. The power to predict the future... It's the power that gives driving force to a small army of yielded servants of God to do a work that is destined to shake the world with the most powerful warning of the impending punishment of God! ...
It is undeniably "the last hour"!
The End has begun: dig deep
brethren!
LCG Conference: According to Carl McNair: "The general conference of Living Church of God ministry from around the world will begin two weeks from next Monday. Mr. Meredith has asked the members of the Council of Elders to arrive in time for a Council of Elders meeting two weeks from today (Friday)."
A General Conference restricted to "ministry" is hardly a general conference. Perhaps LCG uses the term in the sense of a military rank, with Rod assembling the officer corps who then all goosestep in unison?
Place of Safety Poll: Over 80 votes were received in the Place of Safety poll. The results are below. The new poll asks about voting. Should a member of the church cast a ballot in an election, or stand for public office?
| The Place of Safety is best understood as... | |
| Petra Christ Somewhere yet to be revealed Possibly multiple locations A false doctrine best forgotten |
10.98% 25.61% 18.29% 06.10% 39.02% |
| There were 82 responses to this poll | |
Sounding Off: A new page has been added to the site listing Internet message boards and forums with a WCG focus.
January 18 Edition
Ernest L. Martin: With sadness we read the following email today:
Dr. Ernest L. Martin, Biblical scholar and personal friend, died this morning at his home in Portland, OR. I just got off the telephone with his wife Ramona. He had suffered a heart attack on January 4th, came home thereafter, and seemed to be doing well. We all had hopes for his recovery, but this morning he suffered a second massive seizure. He was working at his computer when he died. His death is a great loss. His bio would fill many pages, but Ernest would not want anyone to praise him for his accomplishments, in life or in death. He always felt that his research, and anything he could contribute, was all through the gifts and inspiration of God. I don't know of any human being I have ever met who believed more firmly in the absolute Grace and Providence of God.
Ernest was a pioneering researcher in the area of Biblical studies, and often his discoveries and conclusions were starkly different from the mainstream. The three that touched most in my own field of New Testament and Christian Origins were his work on the Star of Bethlehem (now accepted by most planetariums in the world, and also featured as the best solution to the "Christmas story" in Jack Finegan's definitive Handbook of Biblical Chronology), his research on the site of Golgotha being the Mt. of Olives, and his most startling conclusion--that BOTH of the Jewish Temples were located south of the so-called Temple Mount and Western Wall, in the city of David over the Gihon Springs. I suppose if Ernest turns out to be right on that one it will be the most startling revision in the history of biblical archaeology (not to mention the political repercussions).
Ernest and I disagreed on many theological topics, in fact he often joked with me that he was "Paul" and I was "James," in the current spectrum of things, but that there was room for both of us in the quest for the historical Jesus and the significance of his teachings through the ages. Ernest was THE fundamental inspiration for the greatest project I have ever undertaken, the Original Bible Project, over which I have labored now for nearly a decade.
I will sadly and sincerely miss Ernest L. Martin. I saw him in Denver, CO in November and we had a long and very warm conversation together at the annual meeting of the AAR/SBL. He was in fine form, quintessential Ernest L. Martin, as I will always remember him.
His Web site, www.askelm.com is active and contains information on most of his research, and will soon post updates about his death and events to follow.
My heart and prayers are with his family, especially his dear son Samuel, one of my best friends, who was recently married, and now lives in Jerusalem.
Sadly,
James D. Tabor
Ernest Martin, a professor of theology at Ambassador College, was an influential figure, both during and especially after his time in the WCG. His advocacy of a version of New Covenant teaching predated the current leadership's by decades. Many readers will remember the huge impact his writings and tapes had. We join in offering our condolences to the family.
Sunny Utah Beckons: The latest issue of The Journal carries a major story on the Darryl Henson’s Congregation of God and their belief that Utah is the Place of Safety – a story The Missing Dimension first broke on January 5. The following quote appears on Bob Thiel’s site:
Mr. Henson said he is not sure Utah is the place of safety, yet he made several comments that indicate he thinks it's a pretty safe bet. Some of this thinking has to do with the many places in Utah with biblical names. Another indication is the topography of the state. In his dream "two maps appeared," he reiterated, "and I asked myself where did this come from. I saw the Idaho border and the Sea of Galilee. There was Moab and Amman. I got the atlas out, and in the southeast corner of Utah was Moab." Mr. Henson also places significance on Zion. His congregation has sponsored a Feast site at Zion National Park in Utah for the past two years. Mr. Henson explained that this area meets the requirements for the place of safety...Mr. Henson sees relevance in Joshua 15, where Joshua assigns the tribe of Judah its boundaries. This passage talks about a "salt sea" (verse 2), which could bring to mind Utah's Great Salt Lake. "If you take away the J [from the word Judah] and change the D to a T, you have Utah," he pointed out. Also, in verse 55 appears the name Juttah, which is the same as Utah if one simply deletes the J and one of the T's.
Woo-hoo! Whoever said cultists didn’t know didley squat about scholarship. "Pack your bags Myrtle, we’re heading to Mormon country!"
Perhaps Mr. Henson is unaware that the US military has major strategic bases out there in his Place of Safety, making Utah a prime target for any first strike by the coming "Beast Power" (another Herb doctrine that we’re sure Henson has heard of.) Then again, who are we to argue with Darryl's dreams?
Out of Africa: UCG President Les McCullough is off to Ghana to formally bring the ministers of the Remnant Church of God into the fold. In his January 15 letter he mentions the UCG's British operations as well:
The World Tomorrow radio broadcast from the Isle of Man in the British Isles is doing a good job. John Jewell, a member of the Council of Elders and CEO of the work in the British Isles, gave us a report on the program and on some of the advertising efforts that have been undertaken there. They are seriously handicapped by the lack of manpower... They now have seven congregations in the British Isles and no employed ministry. That is obviously a difficulty. That isn't to say there are no elders—there are. But, John Jewell is retired and devoting his time to carrying a major part of the workload. Gerhard Marx and others are also giving their time on the Sabbath as well as visiting occasionally.
Herb - A Man of Our Time: Staying with the British theme, Bob Devine, pastor of the UK Global Church of God, a group which survived the ructions that created the LCG, has recently written these words of exhortation to his flock concerning Herb:
We must seriously heed the words of, undisputedly, the greatest man of God in our time.
Uh, Bob, there are a few hands raised over here in the cheap seats who might dispute the "undisputedly" part. And as Herb was born in 1892, and has spent the last 16 long years pushing up daisies in the Pasadena Lawn Cemetery, it's hardly "in our time" any longer. And it seems that Brian Orchard, writing in the January Church of God News (published by the Hulme sect), agrees. He writes: "Mr. Armstrong's time has come and gone." Perceptive chap.
January 16 Edition: 16 years today since Herb's death
Big Bad Bernie: From Dateline
Pasadena: "Legacy
is running into some VERY stiff objections from the community here in Pasadena
regarding the number of condo's and buildings they plan on constructing on the
Pasadena property. Threats of lawsuits are swirling about here in
town. They have a meeting with the City Council this coming week to allow
the citizens to voice their opinion.
"Bernie our wanna-be Attorney/Real Estate Agent is getting fed up with
people objecting to the sale of the property. So Uncle Bernie has
announced that he is going to hold a public meeting in the Ambassador Auditorium
sometime in the coming month or so to tell the public HOW IT IS GOING TO BE!
"He is going to tell them that they had better stop delaying the sale of
the property, OR he is going to find the quickest buyer he can, and let them
tear down every single building, garden and stream on the campus. If the
citizens think they have [reason to] complain now, just wait!"
Willing to change? The following quote comes from Kevin Armstrong, Associate Pastor of the Toronto West WCG.
New beginnings are exciting. Some time ago, I had a chat with Lon Allison, director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. He had just returned from a WCG regional conference in the U.S. and was excited about our situation as a church. He remarked that he had never heard of a church organization that was so willing to change itself in order to accomplish its mission. An unspoken purpose in every organization is self-preservation. It is truly remarkable when a group will risk that to accomplish its mission. (January issue of Northern Light)
Doctrinal changes in the WCG are a dime a dozen, imposed from on high and railroaded through, for better or worse. We wonder, though, if Kevin has considered structural change. Did he tell Allison about the continued cultic leadership by one man - and an un-elected, un-mandated one at that? Did he confess to the lack of representative structures? Did he mention the absence of any form of genuine member input in the governance of the sect? Did he honestly address the issue of decision making without consultation with stakeholders (members)? Somehow we find it hard to believe that things are that different North of the border. In fact, we've never heard of a church organization that's so unwilling to change itself when issues like these are raised. And while cult leaders in Pasadena might be prepared to see the church go to the wall (some might even cheer!), we're pretty sure they've given long, careful consideration to their own personal self preservation.
Somebody should bring Lon up to speed.
What's the Beef? As we reported on December 27, a new forum called Children of Worldwide (COW) was recently launched. Initially the moderator, amazingmike, assured those posting that there would be no "censorship" of messages. However deletions appeared shortly after. The list has now moved to a new site, and has more than 60 registered users.
Perhaps inspired by the spirit of Bart Simpson ("Don't have a cow, man!") a new list has now appeared. This one is called, and we kid thee not, MOO COW (Members Opting Out of Children of Worldwide). This list has been created by Ron Brendel, and those who miss the Real Christian Forum, and later the Christian Deists Forum, should feel quite at home. To quote Stinger, one of those who's made the move (or should that be moo-ve?), "I think it's going to be a hoot!"
Addendum (Jan. 23): Shortly after posting this Ron moved MOO COW to a new host and restarted the board stating: "I am completely serious about letting people have their say. This will be open, public debate." Since then the MC list seems to have disappeared.
January 13
More on Lapacka book: Steve Dalton has written a critique of Tom Lapacka's book Out of the Shadows, one of the first substantial reviews we've seen. Lapacka's credibility is cast in doubt on a number of issues, particularly his whitewashing of the events of 1974 and the later receivership crisis.
Lapacka, by not telling the entire story, is using the fallacy of neglected aspect, emphasizing material that confirms his position, but neglecting or denying material that militates against it. He did this in discussing 1974, and he does this throughout the book... why doesn't Lapacka mention [David] Covington in his book? Isn't he an important player in the story? Well, yes, but he's a "dissident." If you're one of those, you're either publicly roasted, or ignored by the WCG and friends. Although the WCG chose to attack him, Lapacka ignores him... He's trying to make a case by emphasizing the facts that support his case, while ignoring the ones that shoot it down.
Dalton also points out that Joe Jr. "graciously" gave parts of the book the royal once-over prior to publishing. We're surprised he didn't issue an official episcopal imprimatur!
Essential Herb: Who is Stephen W. Boston, and where oh where did he get his PhD in Comparative Religion? And why did he take more than 250 pages to write a hagiography entitled The Essential Teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong?
Yes folks, there's a newly rehashed version of Armstrongism on the market. And, oh my, what a subtitle! "His teachings focused on the Incredible Human Potential. Did he solve the Mystery of the Ages?"
The short answer is, of course, "you MUST be kidding!" The mysterious "Dr. Boston" however sees things differently. For $20.95 you can share his naiveté. The release date (January 16) coincides with the 16th anniversary of Herb's kicking the bucket in 1986: so naturally we're all choked up! This singular tome has been published through iUniverse, a print-on-demand company. The entire thing can be previewed online. We suggest you have a stiff drink first.
Special Notice: WCG Talk: Next Saturday night [US], there will be a text and audio chat available for those who'd like to discuss "the Worldwide Church of God and its derivative groups in a free and frank manner." To participate you'll first need to download the free Paltalk program from www.paltalk.com. The group will be listed under the "religion" category as WCG Talk. Times are as below.
| US Pacific: 8PM Saturday 19 | US Eastern: 11PM Saturday 19 | US Mountain: 9PM Saturday 19 |
| Sydney, Australia: 3PM Sunday 20 | Auckland, NZ: 5PM Sunday 20 | GMT: 4AM Sunday 20 |
If your time zone isn't listed, a quick calculation can be made using timezoneconverter.com
January 10
Lapacka Interview: A recent short interview with former WCG minister Tom Lapacka can be heard online in Real Audio format. It was broadcast January 8 on KFUA, a radio station owned by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Lapacka, now a pastor and administrator in the LCMS, delivers few surprises in what seems to be a promotion for his book Out of the Shadows, published by LCMS-owned Concordia Publishing House, and which we first mentioned back on December 5. We doubt, however, whether this effort will sell many copies.
In Rod We Trust: Appearing recently on a discussion board was this charming tale of life at AC, and an insight into the compassionate nature of the man who is now "presiding evangelist" of his own designer-cult.:
On other occasions the assembly and forum served as a vehicle to brow beat and scream at the student body en masse. Probably the worst for this was Rod Meredith who would bellow and shriek into the microphone in an barely controlled rage... I remember one of the last assemblies of the school year, in May, and a lot of the kids had plans to go home for the summer. Problem was that the students supplied a lions share of the labor to keep the work going, in the mail room, press building, and other jobs. This is not to say that there were no other full time employees because there certainly were (and I felt sorry for those people). Anyway, in this final assembly, Meredith was at the podium doing his usual shriek and bellow act, this time about the kids going home for the summer. I remember to this day him saying that the boys just wanted to go home to "DAYDREAM AND MASTURBATE" (when they could be at school working). I mean literally screaming into the microphone. You had to be there to know what I am saying. A lot of these students were kids who had been away from home for the first time in their lives and were homesick and missed their families and parents.
Even more than 30 years after this incident I still get angry thinking about this uncalled for and abusive diatribe...
Creationism Rulz OK? Just in case anyone was under the illusion that most MD readers were trendy liberal types who eschewed a literal approach to the Bible, along comes the poll result on human evolution. Those who believe it's not possible to accept evolution while being a genuine Christian outnumber their progressive brethren by a margin of almost 3:1.
| Can someone accept the idea of human evolution and still be a Christian in a meaningful sense? | |
| Yes Maybe No |
23.19% 10.14% 66.67% |
| There were 69 responses to this poll | |
The new poll asks, what is your understanding of the Place of Safety? Is it Petra, Christ, an unknown location, multiple locations, or just another nutty bit of Armstrongism?
Alternative URL: Life is hard enough without difficult-to-remember web addresses. To make life easier www.missingdimension.com was registered last year. Unfortunately this only links to the home page, while the Update page receives by far the most hits. Many returning visitors bookmark it, but that can be a problem when you're logging in away from home. If so, you may want to try www.wcgupdate.cjb.net.
January 8
Greetings from the Festival Office: Douglas Becker's site is worth checking out - but it's not for the humor-impaired. There's a Festival Office missive, a news report on drive-by shootings involving the Imperial Youth Symphony Orchestra, a salute to Premise Keepers and a story about cat exorcism. On a more sober note, Doug (author of Assertive Incompetence) has re-published a series by Ron Brendel on the Apostleship of Herb that originally appeared on the now defunct Real Christian Forum, and a Herbivorous feature of his own.
Pasadena Pabulum: Out in Pasadena, the happy-clappy WCG congregation led by Dennis Pelley has listed seven goals for the benighted brethren in 2002. They are:
1. To come to know Jesus on a more intimate level as best Friend.
2. To yield to Jesus as Lord, asking him to change me
3. To develop the same "heart for lost people" that Jesus has.
4. To become a faithful and effective disciple of Jesus
5. To become equipped to bring others to Jesus and disciple them
6. To reach out and help meet some of the needs in our community
7. To give more of my time, talent and treasure to my Lord
Sounds of gagging have been heard throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.
Project Linus: Many Christian denominations have associated charitable arms. Lutheran World Service and Caritas spring to mind. The closest WCG ever got was probably the AICF, though the largest slab of its budget seems to have been directed to PR, the Auditorium and concerts, with an occasional token project overseas to ease the way for Herb to visit on the testimonial dinner circuit. The UCG seems to have forged a strong connection with Lifenets, a charity established by UCG minister Vic Kubik. Recently Project Linus, based on an initiative by members in Kubik's Terre Haute, Indiana congregation, has seen blankets for Afghani babies delivered to refugee camps.
January 5
Off to the Place of Safety: Forget Petra. The Place of Safety is in Utah. At least according to A Congregation of God, a group pastored by Darryl Henson. Recently we received the following email:
My mother-in-law recently left her husband and moved to Kenab, [Kanab?] Utah. Her church believes it is time to "flee" and apparently this is their "place of safety"... Do you know anything about this group? I am really worried about her and the future of this group.
Thanks to some digging by Richard Burkard, the group, which the correspondent suspected might be Fred Coulter's Christian Biblical Church of God, has been identified as A Congregation of God. The information was given to Richard by the CBCG, anxious to distance itself from the Henson sect. The Congregation of God web site provides the following information.
Our pastor, Darryl Henson, is a 1966 graduate of Ambassador College in Pasadena, ordained by Mr. Armstrong, and was a pastor of churches in that organization thereafter. His parents came into the then Radio Church of God in the early fifties when he was a child. He was out of the ministry for about ten years after having a marriage annulment by Herbert Armstrong. He went to Alaska for about 14 years and earned his own living until 1996 when hired by Church of the Great God in January 1996. From there, he went independent in August 2000 due to concerns over the calculated Hebrew calendar.
Kanab is the site of a number of famous Western movie shoots, including The Lone Ranger. Which somehow seems appropriate in light of the discovery of yet another stand-alone Armstrong sect. Hi Ho Silver! Away!
January 3
Joe's gotta go: MD readers sent Joe Tkach an overwhelming vote of no confidence in the latest poll result. Time, Mr. Pastor General, to come out from behind the protective skirts of a shonky self-serving "episcopal" structure and do the right thing.
|
In the circumstances Joe Tkach is doing a good job as Pastor General. Do you: |
|
|
Strongly agree |
04.23% |
|
There were 71 responses to this poll |
|
Genesis, Darwin and all that: Can a person accept the idea of human evolution and be a faithful Christian? Take the latest poll.
Stats: The Missing Dimension closed the year with 103 978 page views, with visitors coming from 71 countries. December was another record month, with 19 825 hits.
December 30
2001 in Review: A quick peek back at the archives - a year in the ongoing soap opera of Armstrongism.
January – April: Joey nailed his "true colors" to the mast with an editorial on leadership in the February WN. In essence it seemed to say "I’m the boss, so go away and don’t bother me!" … The WN continued its unstated policy of only publishing the most ingratiatingly obsequious letters to the editor, making for a very short letters column … Flurry was forced to withdraw the PCG offer of copies of such Herb classics as Mystery of the Ages and The Incredible Human Potential following a court ruling in WCG’s favor … Aussie WCG franchise manager Rod Matthews, using words he probably later regretted, described the regional magazine Living Today as "vital" as a "community outreach tool for congregations" … WCG income in the first quarter was down 12%
May: This web site was re-launched as The Missing Dimension … Zondervan’s publicity for a forthcoming book by Mike Feazell included a burning picture of Herb on the cover, provoking outrage among some ...
June: Living Today, vital a few months before, becomes totally disposable, and WCG Australia dumps it … Spanky Meredith’s financial manager, Fred Dattolo, jumps ship, joining Flurry’s PCG cult …
July: Meredith calls a Bastille Day fast for his Living Church of God … The Church of God: A Christian Fellowship crumbles as a clutch of ministers defect rather than cuddle up to the United Church of God. A new cult, The Church of the Eternal God, is formed …
August: The WCG’s "Summerfest" fell flat on its face with low attendance despite the usual gushing PR … Self-styled "episcopal" leader Joe Jr. wrote a begging letter to the membership urging them to "continue to give generously", then axed several jobs at Pasadena HQ …
September: Within hours of the terrible events of 9/11 Roderick C. Meredith was milking the tragedy for all it was worth. God was punishing the US for its evil ways and worse would follow. He later "clarified" his comments in a carbon copy of the back-pedaling by Falwell and Robertson … Pope Joe had a hissy-fit and accused the Missing Dimension of "spiritual terrorism" … The WN failed to publish the church’s audited accounts in full …
October: The LCG and UCG reported increased attendance at their Feast sites … Spanky caterwauled for more monetary support from LCG members …
November: Nine hopefuls lined up in the race to be president of the UCG … Legacy put on a concert in the Ambassador Auditorium in a bid to gather more public support … Meredith belatedly denied John Tuit’s statements in a 1981 book, and then was hit with new allegations as Suzanne and Wiley Black’s notarized statements were published on the Web. In these Suzanne Black recollected a conversation where Spanky tried to solicit her services, pimp style, for HWA …
December: David Hulme poked his head up from the edge of obscurity to launch a one-off documentary style program on the Discovery Channel
It's been a rare year, and 2002 promises more of the same.
The view from Cincinnati: In a December 27 member letter UCG President Les McCullough mentions that the enrollment this year at Ambassador Bible Center now stands at 55, 15 higher than last year. The sect's flagship magazine, Good News, has a January print run of 472,028. And needless to say, it wouldn't be an Armstrong derivative church if there wasn't prominent mention of the all important moolah.
We have been encouraged to see the income of the Church continue on its steady pace, especially after a dip we experienced for the two weeks directly following Thanksgiving. It has been strong since then and now the most critical variable that we follow, Category One Income adjusted for extraordinary items, is running at about 9 percent above the corresponding period last fiscal year. That is about 3 percent above what we had budgeted.
Hey Les, any chance of passing on some tips to Joey?
Gimme that Ole Time Armstrongism: The Caretaker at herbertwarmstrong.com has preserved one of Herb's inspiring 1962 articles especially for all you ladies. Yes, God's Apostle makes a definitive ruling on women's dress. At last, the truth made plain! A sample passage (emphasis in the original):
Candidly, when I see a female with a skirt tight enough to call attention to the shape of her hips, especially when tight below the hips and under the buttocks, I know that she is either careless and needs sharp admonishing or else she is wearing it deliberately to attract male eyes and arouse lust toward her in men's minds.
Do you want to know my personal reaction when I see such an example? It makes me feel that such a girl or woman needs either a good lecture driven home by a sound SPANKING of what she so brazenly displays, or to be classed as a fallen woman and a common prostitute.
THIS IS PLAIN LANGUAGE! I mean it to be plain, and I want the women in God's Church to know it is coming from God's Minister, who speaks by Christ's authority!
Yes, Herb's, um, fingers itched when he saw the brazen female form.
When many of you women wear skirts as high as the knee, and which completely expose the knees when sitting, your skirts are an abomination in GOD'S eyes. I wonder, frankly, if God doesn't blush when HE sees you! Are you women who do this, deliberately trying to tempt men into breaking the spirit of God's law against adultery? Are you trying to make yourselves adultresses [Herb's spelling]? Are you not breaking the very spirit of that law, yourselves?
Does this man have a problem or what? And Christ's Apostle continues:
In our instruction to parents in proper child rearing we teach that when you spank your child, it must be sufficiently severe to impress the lesson - painful enough that he will not want to cause it to be repeated very soon. In this instruction to the spiritual children in God's church, your Pastor is making this correction to those who need it, I sincerely hope, plain enough and painful enough that it shall not need repeating!
Hey, weren't the Sixties great! The link above is to a PDF document and requires Acrobat Reader.
Shrunken pomegranates? On the lighter side, the iconoclastic British Christian site, Ship of Fools, has its very own Biblical Curse Generator.
Lost for a smart remark to see off your enemies? Unable to deliver that killer insult? Put an end to "I was speechless!" misery with the amazing Biblical Curse Generator, which is pre-loaded with blistering put-downs as delivered by Elijah, Jeremiah and other monumentally angry saints. Simply click the button ... and get ready to smite your foes with a custom-made curse straight out of the Old Testament.
One example: Thou shalt beget difficult teenagers, thou offspring of a squashed cockroach! Ouch! Try one out on your local Armstrong pastor.
December 27
Ocker Shocker: The Australian WCG is going through lean times according to the December issue of the Aussie Worldwide News.
... the second half of the year has seen an overall decline in contributions of about 13 percent.
Elsewhere the publication reveals that there were only 37 baptisms "around the region" during 2001. This presumably includes all of Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific. 2001 was also the year that the magazine Living Today, the regional equivalent of The Plain Truth, was canned. Despite this the Aussie editor, perhaps displaying an evil sense of humor, titled one feature article A Year of Achievement, and readers are assured that "congregational life has improved immensely."
Children of WCG: There are a large number of WCG-related message boards on the web. The newest is called Children of the Worldwide Forum.
This forum is for members, former members and those brought up in the WCG and all those interested in discussing the past and present teachings of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) and the many offshoot groups. This is a privately owned forum and is not an official site of the WCG. We do not hide our past; we see the transformation of the church as a great victory for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We give glory and honor to him for bringing us out of the shadows and into the glorious light of the gospel.
The board began December 22 and already features a sizeable number of postings. There's even a Xmas poll with wording remarkably similar to the poll we held earlier this month....
100K: Yesterday MD chalked up its 100 000th page view since records started back in May, when we logged a meager 1 900 page views. This month we're anticipating more than 19 000.
December 24
PCG wins a round: According to the latest Journal the Flurry cult has managed a courtroom win against the WCG
The District Court of the Central District of California in Los Angeles on Nov. 5 denied the WCG's move to prevent the Oklahoma-based PCG, founded by Gerald Flurry, from printing and distributing 18 printed works written by Mr. Armstrong.
The ruling does not affect an earlier decision that prevents the PCG from publishing and distributing Mr. Armstrong's book Mystery of the Ages, and the WCG will continue to challenge in the courts the PCG's right to publish the lesser works.
Lesser works? The rehashed compilation of earlier material that was cobbled together to create Mystery of the Ages - aided by the usual over-the-top PR - probably counts as one of Herb's greatest fizzers. How much "lesser" can you get?
Controller Ron's Report: Excerpts from the latest WN.
Here are the year-to-date figures: donation income, $19.9 million; other income, $5.5 million. Total for the year so far is $25.5 million. However, expenses for the year are $30.5 million, so we have used more than $5 million from reserves to sustain our budget without making cutbacks in employees, salaried pastors and activities supported by the church.
We continue to experience delays in the sale process, and it now looks like completion of escrow could extend into the middle of 2002. This is a test of our patience—as well as a test of your patience, no doubt but patient we must all be.
The first phase of the transition to a new financial model is to integrate collections into worship services. Our goal for 2001 was to have all congregations do regular collections by the end of the year. I believe most of our churches are now doing so.
A particularly dopey suggestion (ask any budget advisor) follows.
Donating by credit card has some advantages. First, members can set a monthly amount that remains steady. This helps the church in processing. Also, some credit cards can be attached to affinity programs such as frequent flyer miles, hotel bonus points or even cash back. A word of caution, however: donation by credit card requires strict discipline to pay off the entire balance each month. Maintaining a balance and paying interest on charges would soon offset any benefit.
How many people will read the first part of Kelly's message, think "what a good idea'", and fail to take note of the second part?
MD seriously advises readers to consider carefully before giving anything to a church that denies its members the basic right of representation through elected structures. No representation means no accountability. If your church is unable to trust you with input into its governance, why should you trust it with your money?
Passover to be Passed Over? According to some reports, the WCG in Pasadena is to drop plans for formal Passover services next year. The story goes that Friendship Baptist Church, which WCG has used as a preaching venue since abandoning the auditorium, is unavailable on that day. Members will be forced to celebrate privately or gather in small groups (or, more likely, just ignore the date completely). It seems incredible to suggest that WCG's administrators can't find an alternate venue. If true it sends another not so subtle signal that the church's ruling oligarchy would like to complete its unilateral transition to evangelical respectability - something it can never do while it insists on retaining its medieval power structures.
Great Scott! Gary Scott's site has been around for a while, but seems to have had a recent makeover. Gary has a major section devoted to the WCG, including his personal reflections as he worked his way through the claims of the PCG, along with essays and links.
The strangest thing about the Worldwide Church of God is its tendency to be something of an obsession for ex-members. Whether they quit because the WCG administration had abandoned Herbert Armstrong's teachings or they left because the administration had not gone far enough in its sweeping changes, ex-members tend to have put a lot of thought into their WCG experience -- and a lot of it ends up on the worldwide web. Such is the case with my own musings.
We can certainly identify with that.
Waiter, waiter: Quite a few caption submissions have been emailed for the photo published on Dec. 21. Any more?
December 21
Preachin' with Herb: Late Apostle and Elijah redivivus, Herb Armstrong, was a party animal (though not a Xmas party animal!) In all those tastefully shot photographs that appear on Herb's "fan sites" to this day, showing a dignified Apostle posing for the cameras, we wonder why this portrait doesn't make the lineup. Shown here is the "Ambassador for World Peace" at one of those deeply moving "testimonial dinners" where he babbled about "a strong hand from someplace", claimed he'd "preached the gospel", then called on the membership to sacrifice as never before. No wonder he's smiling!
What could the waiter be saying? "Oh yes, Mr. Armstrong, I call this little pasta number Tangled Web!"? Email your suggestions for a caption and we'll publish them online.
Joey's Xmas: An original thought on Christmas from current WCG President and Pastor General Joe Junior: "It is actually quite untrue to say that Christmas began as a pagan holiday. It would be the equivalent of saying that baptism began as a pagan ritual because pagans were baptizing initiates before Christians were." Uh... anyone wanna bite? The PG has also released a January member letter on prayer which seems to take up a large space saying very little. Suggesting Joe knows something about prayer, in the wake of the continuing failure of countless HQ prayers for the speedy sale of the Pasadena campus, seems just a tad presumptuous.
Summer Edition. Okay, so it's Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. But below the equator it's Summer, and here in New Zealand the country is about to close down and head for the beaches. Till mid January we'll be updating the site just twice a week.
December 16
Dave's Big Day Out: You may need to stock up on popcorn. Today the Discovery Channel airs a major promotion by David Hulme's Church of God - An International Community. British-born Hulme, who describes himself as "an author, minister and Middle East scholar", and once presided over of the UCG, fronts the documentary style program "Cheating God Out of Christianity". Shot on location in Israel it must have cost tithe-payer megabucks to produce, let alone buy the airtime. The show has a web page, and Real Player video clips can be viewed (Dave will sell you the complete video for $7.95) "Cheating God Out of Christianity" screens at 8AM, Eastern & Pacific. From the clips we've viewed it seems a professional effort, if a bit naive.
December 15
Jingle Bells? It seems most MD readers will be going about their business as usual on December 25. The results of the Xmas poll are below. We cut off responses at exactly 100 this time, so the percentages correspond to actual votes. This is the highest vote count yet. Interestingly, the longer the poll stayed online the stronger the vote for preference one. There'll be a new poll up next week.
|
How do you intend to mark Xmas this year? |
|
|
Not at all! It's pagan. |
42% |
|
There were 100 responses to this poll |
|
Dart on cult culture: Amongst all the ministerial court jesters and power freaks that the WCG has thrown up over the years, it's sometimes easy to forget that there are a few who broke the mold. One individual who still commands respect across the trenches is Ronald Dart. Dart must be one of the most effective speakers the church ever produced, with a rare ability to carry his listeners along with reason and gentle questioning. In his latest CEM newsletter (released today) he makes some interesting observations. [The publication is available as a PDF document and requires Acrobat Reader to view.]
As everyone knows, the churches in our tradition have suffered terrible trauma in recent years and have had no small difficulty in recovering from it. I can testify from bitter experience that it takes time to work one's way through something like this. And the way we work our way through is by talking it out. But when we have talked and talked and seem no closer to a solution, it may be time to take stock and see what is hindering us from moving on...
We left a corrupt and oppressive culture behind, but we retained more of it than we realize, perhaps more than we can realize unless an observer can point it out to us... I am not speaking of "doctrine" or "truth." The definition of culture I am using is this: "the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another."
... The culture of the Worldwide Church of God was the response of its people to the revelation of God as interpreted by a narrow range of teachers. Much of what these teachers taught was true, but much was not. And over time, the culture built up around these teachings was simply unendurable by a large number of people and it finally provoked the revolution of 1995...
Exactly where Ron is going with this we're not sure. But it's refreshing to read something from a former "evangelist" that steps beyond the usual posturing and rant to engage the underlying issues.
December 14
Willie's Five Year Plan: William F. Dankenbring, author of numerous seventies Plain Truth articles and a number of obscure books, has never been wary about setting the prophetic cat among the pigeons. A reader tipped us off to his latest filibuster, a Prophecy Flash article concisely titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Prepare to Ride: The "Times of Jacob's Trouble" - Are They Here, Now? Willie takes us into the "[off the] deep [end] things of God" in this romp through the Good Book's more lurid passages:
Seven years, subtracted from 4004 B.C., brings us to the year 3997 B.C. Therefore, this is the date we should count from when computing the length of the sojourn of mankind on this planet under the dominion and influence of Satan the devil. Thus a simple calculation of subtracting 6000 from 3997 B.C. gives us the date of A.D. 2004! But if we add 3 years, for the time the Messiah preached the gospel, from 27 to 30 A.D., and exercised authority over Satan during that time (Matt.4:1-4; Luke 4:1-4), this means that the END of man's 6,000 years will most likely be in A.D. 2007.
Did you all follow that? Yes folks, the burning question is: "Could the year 2001 be the “year of the white horse,” the final hurrah, the final time when American power will be exerted around the world?" Although Willie doesn't answer the question directly (wise move dude!) it's clear he thinks so. Which leads on to the next step: "Will the year 2002 be the year of the “Red Horse” – leading to war and chaos and troubles in Russia, China, and the Far East?" And so on it goes.
