Overview of the February 2017 Issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet

PCG's leaders have released a new issue of their recruitment magazine, The Philadelphia Trumpet, to try and attract more members to join their organization and pay the three tithes this organization teach to their followers. Back in 2012 one of PCG's booklets boasted that PCG had an income of about $19.5 million.

Let's take a look.

The editors are Gerald Flurry, Stephen Flurry, Joel Hilliker, Brad MacDonald, Richard Palmer, Robert Morley, Jeremiah Jacques, Dennis Leap and Phillip Nice.

This issue has a circulation of 273,591. January's circulation was 267,992. November-December was 277,131. October was 280,116. September was 282,121. August was 278,357. July was 281,190.

Gerald Flurry has a personal article scare mongering that God has cursed America citing the recent presidential election. He cites a column by Peggy Noonan to make this superstitious claim. Noonan happens to be Catholic and so it is likely she believes many things that PCG's leaders would strongly object to.

Brad MacDonald has an article which cites the terrorist attack in Berlin in which twelve innocent people were murdered to scare monger that Germany will soon arise with the rest of Europe to conquer the United States.

Richard Palmer has an article scare mongering that democracy is dying citing the rise of populist political movements in the Western world. Considering that PCG prides itself on having "one-man rule" which is supposedly (PCG's) God's way of governing it seems a bit odd for them to produce an article defending democracy.

Abraham Blondeau has a little article bemoaning the supposed suppression of true history by educational institutions. The article indulges in some red baiting.

The students who rioted on university campuses against the Vietnam War or protested over civil rights are now the instructors. Individuals with radical political views, especially those who espouse communism, have become powerful voices in the American educational system. Many view communism as an alternative to the U.S. Constitution. Barack Obama is a product of such radical instructors. (Request a free copy of [a 2013 booklet by Gerald Flurry which calls President Obama "another Antiochus" comparing him to Antiochus Epiphanes and Tkach] for more background on Mr. Obama’s education.) (p. 9.)

Jeremiah Jacques has an article discussing the widespread concern about fake news to lambaste mainstream media as favoring the left.

While actual fake news truly is destructive, the sudden hysteria surrounding it is partly an attempt by mainstream media to deflect blame for their own transgressions and to disparage their competition. It is not difficult to see how the drive to kill fake news could be expanded to include legitimate nonmainstream sources. It isn’t difficult to see how such a crusade could be used to silence dissent and unpopular opinions—even when that dissent and those opinions are truthful. (p. 14.)

PCG teaches that they can foresee the future and, among other things, say that the Untied States will soon be conquered by a European entity led by Germany which will arise as a military superpower which will crush the United States in the near future. Do they think someone might label that as fake news?

Jacques also lambaste "social justice warriors." The use of this derogatory phrase insinuates that social justice is somehow undesirable.

Before the vote, Matthews and hundreds of thousands of others had existed inside a certain version of America. In that America, several things were clear: Mr. Trump was a racist, sexist individual who was equal parts monster and clown; he had no real chance of victory; and the political right was comprised mainly of white supremacists destined to be beaten into guilty submission by the unstoppable force of social justice warriors and other progressives. (p. 12.)

And what will (PCG's) Christ deliver to the world after the second coming? Is social justice to be neglected at that time? Why do PCG members even yearn for the Millennium if social justice is not desired?

An anonymous little article boasts about PCG translating their writings into other languages.

The Church, which publishes the Trumpet and theTrumpet.com, includes a translations department staffed almost entirely by Church member volunteers. Working remotely from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, Suriname and the United Kingdom, about 50 volunteers, dozens of whom have been serving for years, have produced about 30 videos, more than 250 combined pieces of literature and more than 60 lessons of the [unaccredited] Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course for the four websites. (p. 15.)

Robert Morley, a man who taught himself about economics, has an article scare mongering that the federal debt will somehow cause the United States to collapse even though the United States was actually more in debt per capita back in the 1940s because of World War II. The federal debt is at present not that much of a problem because it is a public debt denominated in the currency produced by the US government thus it is not possible for anyone to force the US government to default on its debt.

The Infographic is this bizarre demonology of various intellectuals that PCG's leaders seem to view negatively.

Andrew Müller has an article scare mongering that Pope Francis will somehow oppose Trump once he takes office due to his stance on immigration.

Brent Nagtegaal has an article condemning Dr. Israel Finkelstein for identifying a certain layer of strata as being after the time of David and Solomon. It is insisted that the layer must be dated to the time of David and Solomon.

Joel Hilliker has a little article calling upon his readers to focus on what is important in life.

Kieran Underwood has an article which responds to those who wanted Britain to withdraw from the European Union by saying that human nature is fated to doom any such political endeavor to failure. PCG teaches that the world will be brought to the brink of the annihilation of all humanity before Christ's return.

Worldwatch discusses the following topics: scare mongering about moves to create a European Union army; Chancellor Merkel's condemnation of the burqa; scare mongering that Algeria may fall apart if President Abdulaziz Bouteflika may die; scare mongering about Egypt becoming more friendly with Iran; scare mongering that Iran's allies won the election in Lebanon; scare mongering about Japan authorizing its military to use force while serving in a peacekeeping mission in civil war ravaged South Sudan; bewailing the supposed obsolescence of the British navy; and mention of China's condemnation of Trump's conversation with the prime minister of Taiwan.

SocietyWatch discusses Black Lives Matter activists posting a eulogy to Fidel Castro upon his death in order to condemn both of them and the increased rate of depression among American teenagers.

There are letters. Here is one letter accusing those who accuse others of being racist as "the true racists". Could he be talking about African Americans?

Certainly, you raised some praiseworthy points.... Choosing the worst or best of two rotten choices is difficult at best. As for racism, it seems to me that the true racists are now the very ones spewing the accusations!

Here is one letter from a person denouncing welfare, liberals and teachers' unions by citing an anecdote concerning one woman and her children that occurred decades ago.

You are so correct. Talk about a hypocritical nation. I’m thinking that the system that the liberals created to help certain groups actually does exactly what they define as racist. Decades ago, when I had a business, I asked an employee, “Are you babysitting your brother and sister today?” She said, “No, they are my children.” I said, “You look so young.” And she said, “I am not going to make the same mistake my mom made. I am going to have all my children before I am 25 so that I can enjoy the money.” I really wanted to cry. How sad that the welfare system puts these young women and children at such a disadvantage. Each one of these new standards and expectations in the list could be expanded to show that the liberals, unions and the Democratic Party have set up systems that leave one or more groups of people behind. Look at what the teachers’ union and liberals have done to the education system—particularly in the inner cities. The hypocrisy is so sad. Save the whales, but it is OK to kill babies.

Here is one letter from New South Wales, Australia from a person who is regularly published in the letters section of this publication. Very likely this person is a PCG member. The letter mocks university students who were disappointed at Trump's victory.

I don’t believe that the university students who are being given coloring books, playdoh, therapy dogs and safe spaces are really suffering any trauma from Mr. Trump’s election. Their behavior is a manipulative lie to silence those who are of a different political opinion. They claim it’s about tolerance, inclusiveness and diversity, but it’s the very opposite. It is about control and getting their own way. It is most definitely not love!

And so we see that PCG has produced yet another issue of their recruitment magazine to try and persuade more people to join them and start paying them three tithes.