Dave Pack has said something about the other Church of God's I would never have expected. Well, part of me did, but the claim against other COG's on what they supposedly preach is what is surprising. Dave is offended that some COG's preach Jesus more than they do the doom and gloom of the past. Imagine that, COG's preaching Jesus, who knew?
Many are unaware that the apostasy produced new positions in thinking about the Work of God. Many independents and others, usually but not always in the smaller splinters, now believe there is no longer an ongoing commission, nor any need, to either ANNOUNCE the kingdom of God to the world or to WARN the nations of Israel. These believe that all such responsibility ceased at Mr. Armstrong’s death. Most others believe God has commissioned His Church to fulfill His purpose—to continue His Work—but have become confused as to what that is.
For instance, the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) believes its main purpose is to “warn Laodicea.” Its offshoots then see a duty to turn and warn PCG! Most others see no need to warn the final, lukewarm era, thinking this arrogant and presumptuous. Similarly, they would give little or no emphasis to a SPECIAL WARNING to the great nations of Israel—what Mr. Armstrong often referred to as “the Ezekiel Warning.”
“Jesus,” Growing the Church and Evangelical Protestants
Over time, the apostates slowly conditioned the Church, without most recognizing it, to
think the above approach was “unloving,” and that a different emphasis—one of “helping” people and “leading them to Jesus”—should be employed. They felt this should replace what was seen as an old approach of “doomsaying,” “sundowning” or offering a “save your skin” gospel connected to warningnations.
If I told you that most who think they are doing God’s Work today now believe it primarily consists of, or at least includes, Jesus’ role is central to the gospel—the Church or individuals giving to disaster victims and relief organizations—warning, particularly whole nations, is judgmental—or the Work as we knew it is finished, you would surely believe I am speaking of today’s Worldwide Church of God. Sadly, to one degree or another, these are the splinters. Worse, most who attend them have not grasped how far their leaders have departed from the commission that over 150,000 people helped carry out as recently as the mid-1980s. The Work of God
