Top 10 COG Deal Breakers

If I see that a church has any of these characteristics, then it’s a deal breaker for my attending there. I’ve yet to find a COG that doesn’t have at least one of these characteristics.

1. Exaggeration of the authority of the ministry.
2. De-emphasis on the weightier matters of the law, exaggeration of the importance of ritual.
3. Callous view of the people in the world, minimization of human wellbeing.
4. Suppression of publicly preaching about the person of Jesus Christ and salvation.
5. Preferential treatment of certain members over others.
6. Demanding loyalty to the organization.
7. Exclusive club mentality.
8. Closed door policy.
9. Secrecy.
10. Tolerating abuse.

The Church as a Watchman: Many churches feel their mission is to tell the world that God loves everyone and Jesus came to save sinners. However, there is much more to the biblical Gospel message! Jesus told His disciples to be alert and watch for specific events that will mark the approaching end of the age and the return of Jesus Christ: widespread religious deception and persecution, ethnic violence, wars and rumors of wars and numerous natural catastrophes (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Other end-time prophecies warn of a growing coarseness in society as people focus on selfish pursuits and pleasures (2 Timothy 3:1–5). On the world scene, trouble will erupt in the Middle East involving a European power backed by the Roman Church, Arab-Muslim nations and nations from the east and north (Daniel 2; 7; 11:40–44). This final conflagration will threaten the future of humanity—if Christ does not return (Matthew 24:21–22). Just as God raised up prophets to warn the ancient nations of Israel and Judah, the Church of God has a similar mission to function as a watchman to warn modern Israelite nations and the world of what lies ahead (Ezekiel 2; 3; 33; Isaiah 58:1). Delivering this powerful warning message must also accompany the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14). This is the mission we have been given to carry out as the end of the age approaches.

Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail

However, it became clear that this reordering of books was not the intent and purpose of this new translation. Soon into my survey I began to note a pattern of what appear to be intentional errors in translation. I suspect that these errors are not honest changes of text based on an academic application of understanding of ancient languages, but instead an attempt to re-address doctrines of the New Testament. All of the errors tend to be those passages in the New Testament which revoke the legal authority of the Old Testament. 

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Fred Coulter Demonizes The Journal

When Worldwide Church of God invaded North Lake Tahoe!: A boon to local business, this church gathering had some skeletons in its closet (Moonshineink)

In the fall of 1961 the Radio Church of God held its first Feast of Tabernacles at the Blythe Arena in Squaw Valley (home of the Winter Olympics skating events just a year earlier.)

The week long gathering brought up to 10,000 church members to Squaw Valley every fall, until the Blythe Arena collapsed in the early 1980s. While North Tahoe folks saw the annual visits of the Radio Church of God (later changed to the Worldwide Church of God) as a much needed boom to the slow fall economy, it turns out the church was an unorthodox and controversial organization, with many ex-members referring to it as a cult.  

Rod Stollery, who in 1961 helped his parents put out the then fledging Tahoe City World, remembers the church’s first visit to the area. “The merchants weren’t expecting much business from them,” said Stollery. When the owners of the Alpine Liquor and Sporting Goods left town for what they thought would be a slow week, Stollery took over the shop. “We were quickly inundated by church members who were fond of liquor. We sold out in two days and had to have a truckload sent up from the valley … needless to say, the event was an economical godsend to the area.”

The event would be front page news in the Tahoe City World every year, and a full page spread inside welcomed the church to town with a map showing church members Tahoe’s recreational opportunities. The paper was also full of ads from local businesses welcoming church members to Tahoe City’s finest dining and shopping establishments.

Cheryl Bechdolt Balbuena back then was a waitress in her family business, The Tahoe Inn (At the current location of Blue Agave). It was an inn, bar, and had two restaurants. “We were crazy slammed for ten days. The girl church members always wore modest dresses and no makeup, and the men wore sports jackets and ties. They were nice, but kept to themselves. And were really bad tippers, sometimes they didn’t tip at all.” In fact, the slogan around the restaurant was “Oh, no, The Godders are coming. We are going to work and not get paid,” said Balbuena. (“The Godders” was the universal locals’ term for the members of the Radio/Worldwide Church of God). 

While the goals of the Worldwide Church of God were certainly controversial, many long time Tahoe locals still fondly remember how the “Godders” helped North Tahoe businesses get through the deadly quiet days of fall.

The Weekly Sabbath begins when the sun sets locally.  Persons living north or south of 55 degrees may observe the Sabbath from 18:00 hours [this is the average sunset time at Jerusalem], and all of the brethren in any such location should observe the Sabbath at the same time by common accord.  When Christ comes he will decide on this matter. 

Wide-belts: only hippies wore those. People who wear them are advertising themselves for free love, drugs and open sex.

Bell-bottoms: designed so people could slip out of their pants faster to engage in sex.

Overall, the nation’s most prevalent scam remains a fake check con, which involves “overpaying” for a product or service and asking the recipient to refund the difference. By the time the victim realizes that the check used for payment was bogus, the con artist has walked away with the consumer’s money…
The top six scams in order:
1. Fake checks
2. Bad Internet sales – products never delivered or misrepresented
3. Sweepstakes/prize/free gift cons that request payment to get your winnings.
4. Advance fee cons that promise a loan or line of credit, if you pay them first.
5. Phishing scams that attempt to get personal information to get access to your accounts, your tax refund or to open credit cards in your name.
6. Recovery/refund cons that promise past victims a recovery of swindled funds in exchange for a fee. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/top-6-us-scams/

Of course, there are also other scams.

As far as these six go, a while back someone tried the fake check scam for a business I own. I did not fall for it. The only one in the list that someone has not directly tried to involve me in is number 4 (although I may not have read every loan offer enough to see if that was the case). Otherwise, numbers 3, 5, and 6 are very commonly pushed to me. But other than number 2 (I have made some purchases over the internet that were misrepresented, so took action), I have not fallen for any of the scams. 

Sadly, many people are greedy and do not care how they harm others. Scams are based upon lies, theft, and deception. Scammers are, according to what Jesus said, a type of destroyer and murderer:

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. (John 10:10)

00:21:46

There were seven churches in Asia Minor. Can you imagine Philadelphia and Laodicea, which were at the opposite ends of the valley, that Paul is saying that, ‘Boy, if you’re on one end and you are mostly (because it wasn’t everybody in the congregation, but this was the attitude in one congregation), you can’t fellowship with those people over there,’ how foolish; they’re all the Church of God.

Now, we do need to understand that there are differences out here and we’re not all the same. But to say that one should never, uh, you know, sit down with somebody and have a meal with somebody because they’re of a different group - I don’t think we should just be going back and forth, and this church and that church, and be a, uh, oh this one fellow described it, he was in the, what, the “Highway Church of God” or the uh, something like that. Uh, one week he’d go one place, one week he’d go another place. That’s confusion, and it certainly doesn’t help brand new people who don’t understand all the history and so forth. But we’re just talking about the fact that you can’t even be civil to someone who might be of a different group. I think we need to know why we’re here and be strong in why we’re here, and not go back and forth and to different festival sites and that sort of thing - I think that that shows a lack of understanding.

But at the same time, the point is that it’s talking about the world here in chapter 5 of 1 Corinthians, that we’re to forsake… well we’re, we’re… we’re not to go out of the… of, stop fellowshipping with anybody in the world, in other words, your neighbors. You can be friends with them even if they have a few problems, but as far as the Church goes, if someone is going to be sexually immoral, or an idolater, or covetous, or whatever, then he says those individual, if it’s, you know, a real extreme case there, you put ‘em out. The point I’m trying to make here is that we have to decide where our loyalties are. And Christ says you must put him first above all else.

1:03:58

Another part of the whole counsel of God is that there are ranks in the ministry. Ephesians 4:11, first apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc. Do we have every one of those at all times? We don’t think so. Mr. Armstrong certainly didn’t think we had prophets at that time. Will there ever be a prophet in the future? Sure, probably. The two witnesses I’d say would be probably prophets. But, right now we understand that there are ranks in the ministry, but because people are so adverse (sic) to GOVERNMENT, they want everybody to be equal. And as, uh, somebody told me one time that was a part of a group that split off from us back in the Kansas City area that first year - another church started, so some people went that direction, and then they split - um, as he said, they have two forms of government. [said with smirking expression] The minister is in charge of the congregation, but on the ministerial level they were all equals because no one wanted to answer to anybody else. You know, this is part of the whole counsel of God. You can’t read Ephesians 4:11 and really do away with the fact that there are different levels within the ministry. And they say, “Well, those are just (what, uh) functions.” Well, you have to decide that, you have to look at it objectively.

Tithing, as a law, not just a nice principle. I remember going out on the internet - the CompuServe forum, that shows how far back it was. I haven’t been back on any of these forums ever since that time, but for a period of time I was on that and I realized I couldn’t sleep at night because I (always) checked it just before I went to bed, and I’d be so angry that I couldn’t sleep, so I finally had to get rid of it and ditch it. But it was amazing how many people, how many ministers were out there saying that tithing is a nice principle, a good principle, “And oh, I tithe, by the way,” you know, is the way they’d put it, “but it’s not a law of God.” We need to prove these things for ourselves. You need to know WHY you are where you are. And I think that most of us in this room KNOW why we are where we are. That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re not someplace else. But we need to know those things. These three pillars - knowing that God exists and knowing that the Bible is the Word of God and knowing where the Church is will serve you well through trials, disruptions, and times of confusion. And I’ll be the first to tell you I’ve had to go through those pillars time and again. You can’t be in the Church of God for 50 years or more and not, at times, have to go back through it. And I’m not afraid of going back through it because I know the answer’s going to be the same. But at some times I have to remind myself, and maybe you’ll have to remind yourself someday.

So why should you be baptized? [proceeds to discuss repenting of “wrong religion”]

David C. Pack was personally trained by Mr. Armstrong during the last 15 years of his life. (This was in addition to four years of Ambassador College.) In part because of this unusual training, Mr. Pack was in a position that God could use him to restore everything that had been lost. Today his ministry is a continuation of the same Work.

The idea of a biography of Mr. Pack’s life first arose in late 2003 or early 2004. It took Mr. Pack a long time—about two and a half years—to come to grips with the fact that the book needed to be written.

Many fail to comprehend that God works through flesh. While all people are imperfect and all people make mistakes, it is vital to recognize that God has always chosen to work through human beings—flawed “clay pots.” But when a man determines to yield himself to Christ—when he dedicates his life to following the will of God no matter what—God can use that man to accomplish the impossible (Matt. 19:26; Phil. 4:13).

As you read this biography, you will see that God tries, tests and proves His servants time and time again—over and over and over—and He has to do this, not only because trials both reveal character and build it, but He must know and understand the heart and mind of the human instrument through whom He is working.

How much more and greater become these trials and tests if the man at their center has been chosen for extraordinary and difficult responsibility?

...God called Mr. Armstrong when he was already 34 years old and married for 10 years with two children. He first opened Mr. Pack’s eyes to the truth when he was half as old—a teenager of just 17. Then, Mr. Armstrong had very little time to prepare for the role of leading the Church, while Mr. Pack was blessed with many years of comprehensive—and intensive!—preparation before coming to the same position.

Finally, Mr. Armstrong was Mr. Pack’s teacher, not the other way around. Mr. Pack attended Ambassador College, while Mr. Armstrong started and led it.

However, there are similarities seen throughout the two men’s biographies, with the most notable being that both men led lives of submission to God’s will, coupled with a unique determination not to compromise any of His truth, no matter how seemingly “small” or “minor” the point.

I can’t believe i once thought GTA was a great speaker!  Just listen to the nonsense in this clip!  The old Ambassador Report once rightly labelled Ted’s preaching style as “hallucinatory braggadocio.”  I don't remember ever hearing any Christian love in his messages.  Just prophetic warnings that, if you don't heed my message, you will be killed or taken into slavery by the German beast power.  That is, if disease and pestilence don't kill you first. (Remember the Basil Wolverton pictures of people with boils all over their bodies?  And the guy with a spear thru his neck?) 

Looking back, i now find Ted’s nastiness and negativity unsettling.  I now find his name-calling repugnant.  As i recently watched this clip, i was reminded of Joe McCarthy’s drunken rants that included half-baked accusations against “all those communists” who had supposedly infiltrated the US State Department during his time.   Both practiced demagoguery. 

Yes, politicians and preachers love to create boogeymen for us to hate and fear.   

And the false prophecy in this clip is hilarious.  Ted spoke these words in 1992 during the Clinton Presidency.  In this message, he falsely claimed that America would never again win some conflict and then proudly wave the Stars and Stripes as was done in the First Gulf War.  

Apparently, the evil spirit that inspired him to utter this false prophecy was not aware that the second George Bush would soon — not only defeat Saddam Hussein — but that Bush II would also topple the Iraqi dictator from power.

Finally, it is public knowledge that Ted served in the US Navy.  However, after his subsequent conversion to the WCG and promotion to being one its top leaders, he presided over an organization that forbade the young men in the church to join the armed forces.  While enforcing this prohibition, Ted had the audacity to preach military saber rattling and military action.   You can’t have it both ways.

What was wrong with me for falling in with this group led by people with so much personal, religious, and corporate dysfunction?  Call me namby-pamby, but i find more helpful teachings in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 than in Ted’s sermons.

It is clear to me that, when i read the hateful rants of Mark Armstrong today, his teachings are an almost carbon copy of his dad’s futile blusterings.   Until recently, i had forgotten how messed up Ted’s messages were.  

May God forgive us for supporting men like this.  For those of us who claim to be Christians, it’s time for us to repudiate these twisted prophetic teachings.  It’s all done for financial gain.  These teachings appeal to our basic instincts. They bring out the worst in us.  

Instead, let’s embrace the wonderful teachings of the Word of God — remembering that while Armstrongism’s teachings and Bible teachings would often converge, the teachings in this clip are NOT biblical.  They are not of God.  

Wes White has a self-funded ministry called dynamicchristianministries.org that does not ask for and does not accept donations from the public.  Wes may be reached at wdwhite49@yahoo.org.