HWA: Member of COG7

This Journal interview with former COG7 president Robert Coulter offers fascinating evidence that HWA actually was a member of COG7 near the end of the article.

Also another motivation, not mentioned in the article, which caused HWA to assert this was that by denying his previous membership with COG7 he could deny that any minister who left were simply imitating him.

After all since he was a minister in COG7 and refused to follow church authority and left that means there is absolutely nothing to prevent any other minister doing the same thing and say, "I'm only following HWA's example" and convincing the flock in this matter.

By denying his membership he was able to further attack their legitimacy, as may be seen in HWA's May 2, 1974 Member Letter. HWA could say, "They are not imitating me at all." (Both "quotes" are my paraphrases.)

Of course, as The Journal article shows, this is nonsense. He was one of the "Seventy". How can one not be a member when given such a post? Is that really just "co-operation" and not membership, as he would have us believe? HWA simply wanted to deny as much debt to them as he could get away with.