Gerald Flurry: A Biographical Sketch--Part 5: From Mystery of the Ages to Auditorium

Previously we saw some of the events in Gerald Flurry's life up to 1997 when he made the decision to publish and distribute a pirated version of Mystery of the Ages.

We now continue.

PCG is featured in another profile in Ambassador Report 67, December 1997

Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God's Temple is published. This was originally credited to Gerald Flurry and Dennis Leap but Leap has now been removed.

1998: January: Royal Vision magazine established. It essentially fulfills the role The Good News magazine held in the old WCG.

Ministers Ron Roth, Mike Okamura and Randy Schafer leave PCG. (Ambassador Report 69, July 1998.)

October: More ministers defect.

In recent months we have learned that such prominent PCG figures as Don Tiger, Don Roth, Jim Mortensen, Charles Bishop, and Arlen Berkey have left the PCG, are critical of Gerald Flurry,...

Now, however, the PCG breakaway group has begun distributing many of HWA's writings for free in CD-ROM format and, of all things, Flurry, has threatened them with a lawsuit for doing pretty much the same thing that he, himself, claims he has a right to do. In other words, Flurry would like to have a monopoly on the writings of Herbert W. Armstrong.

Don Tiger would later distribute many of the writings of old WCG.

It is to be noted that Don Tiger is given no credit for his work compiling HWA's works in Raising the Ruins.

1999: A PCG minister who has expressed skepticism about Malchi's Message is unable to continue the charade any longer and is disfellowshipped. (Gerald Flurry: A Religious Fraud?)

Gerald Flurry writes Conspiracy against Fatherhood. Although it appear to be a booklet denouncing the widespread absence of fathers in their children's lives it is actually a discourse teaching the God Family heresy.

May: In the ministerial conference he declares himself to be "That Prophet". This doctrine is later enshrined as a core doctrine of PCG. PCG would later publish a Royal Vision magazine and booklet on this topic asserting that Gerald Flurry is That Prophet.

Some time after the Feast of Tabernacles PCG member Robert S. Kuhne discovers the existence of Jules Dervaes' Letter to Laodicea and comes to see Gerald Flurry as illegitimate. He leaves and starts up PCG Information.info.

December 6: The copyright case is presented before the Ninth Circuit Court. Mark Helm, while presenting the oral argument states, concerning Mystery of the Ages, that PCG "believes that Mr. Armstrong was inspired by God when he wrote the book. There is no rewriting of the book that can happen. They believe that this is God’s word as was handed to Mr. Armstrong. So it’s not a question of, Oh, we’re going to now make up some views that we think are like it. Those are the views. And you can describe it either accurately or inaccurately, but those are the beliefs that they have and they can’t be rewritten." (Raising the Ruins, Chapter 19, under the heading 'Divine Inspiration'. Bolding mine.)

Later Gerald Flurry would call this speech divinely inspired. Stephen Flurry records that Gerald Flurry believed that "God inspired Mark Helm’s oral argument at the Ninth Circuit". (Raising the Ruins, Chapter 20).

None of this would prevent PCG from altering Mystery of the Ages, and other HWA booklets, when they gained the copyrights.

"We Have Had Our Last Chance" is published. (revised 2002 and 2007). Contains a nuclear mushroom cloud on the cover. For whatever reason I was given a black and white photocopied booklet.

2000: July 19: Mark Nash preach a Headquarters sermon which identifies Laodiceans as those who 1) are in WCG or 2) had left WCG and had not yet joined PCG. This decision has a terrible impact upon PCG members and their loved ones as many PCG members are obliged not to have contact with 'Laodiceans' or else they too may be forced to be disfellowshiped as well. (Disfellowshiping.)

In the July-August issue of Royal Vision Gerald Flurry proclaims himself to be "That Prophet". The entire issue may be read here.

This issue also contains some information about his early life which is critiqued in Does Gerald Flurry Deify Herbert W. Armstrong?.

Ron Fraser writes an article on child rearing in the May-June 2000 Royal Vision. (Spanking Babies and Harsh Discipline of Children in Philadelphia Church of God)

Michael renounces Armstrongism. He would later establish Mike's Enlightenment Page.

"Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" in is published in the December issue of The Philadelphia Trumpet. (Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely, November 21 letter.)

2001: Gerald Flurry announces that the Last Hour began on May 5.

PCG given a profile in the Watchman Expositor.

May 19: Meredith condemns Malachi's Message in his sermon, The Elijah Question.

2002: January 13: Jacob Winters, son of Graig Winters, dies of Addison's disease. (Jake Winters a Victim of Abuse)

Gerald Flurry acquires the Prayer Rock. (Gerald Flurry Finds Herbert W. Armstrong's Prayer Rock!, Prayer Rock.) Pictures are taken. (Herbert W. Armstrong's Prayer Rock)

Gerald Flurry writes that there are few rules within PCG for members in the January-February 2002 Royal Vision.

In the September-October issue of Royal Vision Gerald Flurry declares the Book of Habakkuk declaring it to be a prophecy about the court case. Furhtermore he teaches that Christ will make a personal appearance at Paran. (Flurry's Ramblings)

December: PCG loses court case in which an old man willed his entire estate to PCG. Instead the man's family gained possession. The court case may be seen here.

2003: February: WCG sells the copyrights to 19 of HWA's works to PCG for $3,000,000. This was not a legal victory but a forced settlement. (PCG did NOT Win a Victory in the WCG vs. PCG Court Case.)

Once PCG gained the copyrights they changed words in Mystery of the Ages. (Flurry Has Already Changed Mystery of the Ages!)

March 8: While commenting about a local elder who had left PCG in his Mantle of Elijah sermon Gerald Flurry declares that such persons are traitors.

"And those people who leave the PCG and have been here, well, if you just want to look at it the way it really is, we're in a war and they are deserters, and in the civil wars, war, deserters were shot! So its not a small little sin." This statement has been documented here and from the February 21, 2007 letter.)

Jake Winters, son of Graig Winters, dies. (Jake Winters a Victim of Abuse)

June 13: Georgina Sanders allegedly commits suicide. (Suicide in PCG?)

Gerald Flurry declares California to be under a curse. (Quotes From The Philadelphia Trumpet: "Is California Under a Curse?")

2004: January 27: Wilbur Malone dies.

February 2: Gerald Flurry announces the intention to create Armstrong Auditorium which is to be funded by a Building Fund. (Gerald Flurry's Building Fund Letter)

And so PCG has now acquired copyrights from WCG. So Gerald Flurry decides to build an Auditorium just like HWA did with Ambassador Auditorium.

To be continued...