Roderick C. Meredith's 1953 Sermon

On July 25, 1953 Roderick C. Meredith gave the following sermon. It runs for 47 minutes. Essentially Meredith uses this sermon to tell Radio COG members that to enter the Kingdom of God they must obey "the law" as defined by HWA. There is no mention of grace in this sermon or of the need for Jesus to be sacrificed. Here are some notes I took of it from listening to it.

Russia Will Swallow All of Korea

For about the first four minutes Meredith discusses world news insisting the Great Tribulation and Christ's return will soon occur.

Rumors of revolt within the Eastern European countries.

The implication here is that these Eastern European countries will break away from Russia's sphere of influence and join a German led European Empire which is destined to soon conquer America. It was just a few months earlier that HWA and Herman Hoeh devised the dogma that the Great Tribulation would begin in 1972 with Christ returning in 1975.

America will let Russia swallow all of Korea.

(Of course this did not happen.)

America will not win another war. HWA has said this repeatedly.

Russia will take the Orient. "All of it [the orient] eventually."

"This world", citing some words of Jesus, in the original Greek is cosmos, meaning system. We (in Radio COG) are no part of this world's system.

Evangelizing Tours

Now Meredith talks about the evangelizing tours. Some Ambassador College students went out and interviewed interested listeners and readers about getting baptized into the Radio COG. Meredith talks about it.

People reached in the evangelizing tours (in which Meredith is a part of) are realizing the truth, meaning they are accepting HWA's words.

God has changed the weather for our benefit he says. Had nice weather.

Discusses how Norman Smith has a car which hopefully will be more useful.

First man we baptized was healthy and muscly 85 year old. (6 minutes.)

The 85 year old would not eat unclean meats. (6 minutes.)

People happy to meet Herman Hoeh having read his articles previously.

Listeners more educated about HWA's teachings each year.

Meredith and Raymond McNair had to teach them about the Sabbath and Holy Days in earlier years. Each year people more educated. Meredith and Raymond McNair can simply skip onto more esoteric teachings.

We found that if we just assumed they understood there would be misunderstandings.

Visited St. Louis church. About 30-35 members. Had about it through the announcements of Gene. [?] Gene had radio show called The World Ahead. Gene started with HWA in Eugene. He had dropped out of College.

God's Work is going to grow. One more church which is part of the true church.

Are there any announcements to be made? he asks.

Talked to HWA about magazines. He had talking a break from work in Port Arthur. Hard for him to stop working for even a day. Going with Raymond Cole. Started on articles for another issue of The Plain Truth.

Condemning Non-Armstrongite Hymns

Now Meredith begins to discuss hymns. Meredith talks about how disgusted he is by the hymns of the other churches because they contain ideas that contradict what HWA has said, (or as he puts it in Armstrongite jargon "lies".) 

You (the Radio COG lay members) were finishing "Praise Him" which he approved of. Must "not let paganism come into this church". Thankful and congratulates Dwight Armstrong for writing the Bible Hymnal. (13-14 minutes.)

The more he listens to other hymns the more thankful he is that Dwight Armstrong has made the hymns in question. Other hymns have been edited.

Onward Christian Soldiers speaks of a cross. This has been changed to a sword. Nothing loving about the cross. Despicable cross. Not to be "worshiped" in any form.

Singing Hymn 33. Have to watch it regarding what is sung. Meaningless poetic language. Draw me to the cross. Offended that it talks about Christ bleeding. Not the Christ preached in the Bible. (17 minutes.)

Talks of how Protestants believe in "Little Lord Jesus", in mocking tone.

Christ did not have long hair. Protestants have pagan pictures -- idols -- of Jesus. With effeminate features. Portrayed as "sickly individual." He was a "he man". Not a sissy. Not a sissy. (He uses that phrase twice very quickly.)

HWA is preaching the word of God. Soundly. Sober.

Not just telling about the person of Christ.

Condemning Unclean Meats

Here Meredith once again returns to condemning unclean meats. He complains how new members have to be carefully taught HWA's teachings or else they misunderstand something.

A Christian is somehow who is changing all the time to be more like Christ.

They are too lazy right in our own church. They are too lazy. Too indifferent. And too callous. They're too used to it. ... To eat the foods they ought to.

Isabel Kunkel writing booklet about food. (Isabel Kunkel would marry Herman Hoeh.)

Very sickening to walk into homes and be served white flour and white sugar. (22 minutes.)

They drift away and get into wrong habits.

Not going to take too much trouble to get into the habit to pray in a private place every day. (24 minutes.)

Once again Radio COG members getting brow beaten to alter their lives and use a lot of time simply focusing on HWA's dogmas to make them more dependent upon HWA and his following.

Loading the Term "Kingdom of God" to Mean 

Obey the Law as Defined by HWA

It is only now that the actual sermon begins.Here Meredith makes his listeners think about, What is the Kingdom of God? But Meredith exploits this topic to insist that "the law" (as selectively interpreted by HWA) must be obeyed in order to be a true Christian. There is no mention of grace in this sermon or of the need for Jesus to be sacrificed.

We now continue.

Many listeners did not understand this doctrine of the Kingdom of God. Some of the members of his own family who read HWA's writings did not understand what the "Kingdom of God" is.

Some think it (the Kingdom of God) is a political movement dedicated to making a better world here. (25 minutes.)

While once visiting listened to a minister who spoke of the Kingdom of God was to come about by people working to clean up "this society". He said nothing about obeying God.

Some say Kingdom of God is set up in your heart. (27 minutes.)

They have big words and say nothing. He thought it is something within your hearts. Meredith denies this.

Talks of "human philosophy".

Here it is used as loaded term denigrating all of society outside of the Radio COG as irredeemably corrupt and vile. The strong implication is one can only be saved from such vileness by joining the Radio COG (and paying them tithes).

Others think the Kingdom of God is the millennial rule of Christ on Earth.

The true gospel. Meredith wants to explain.

You can take notes if you want. (29 minutes.)

Talks about Cornelius in Acts 10.

God is no respecter of persons. God will call all people eventually.

HWA starts here to show where the true gospel began. Christ preached it from Matthew 10 onwards.

The gospel of the Kingdom of God. That was preached to Gentiles as well. (33 minutes.)

First condition to enter is to repent. We still must repent constantly. Even after years within Radio COG we are still lukewarm. We must constantly grow. (33 minutes.)

God calls divorce and remarriage adultery. (34 minutes.)

(This seems to be an allusion to HWA's practice of destroying marriages he disapproved of under certain highly subjective criteria. Roderick C. Meredith was instrumental in enforcing this draconian policy.)

Kingdom of God is tied directly to God's law. (So alleges Meredith.)

Talks of Phillip in Acts 8. He preached Christ in the name of Christ by telling the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Paul called Ephesians together. Still preaching the same gospel with God's law.

Paul was about to go away and would never see them again. He was preaching the same gospel to the Gentiles, not Jews. (37 minutes.)

Kingdom of God Taught to Only Exist After Christ's Coming

Matthew 16. People are to be rewarded based on their works. Going to see the Son of Man return. (39 minutes.)

Cites the Transfiguration as a vision of what the Kingdom of God is like. (40 minutes.)

Alludes to (incorrectly observed) Feast of Tabernacles.

Transfiguration interpreted as merely a vision of what is to happen in fact only after Christ's return. Because of HWA's adoption of the soul sleep dogma it is insisted that Moses and Elijah are at present not conscious at all but will be resurrected when Christ return. (42 minutes.)

Those resurrected are as spirit. Not flesh and blood.

Millennium just a space of time in which the Kingdom of God trains and rears up children.

A baby's chuckle can be heard. (45 minutes.)

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob not yet resurrected so Kingdom of God is not now present.

Christ will rule world with rod of iron until humanity gets it.

League of Nations a work of man doomed to fail.

Now the UN will offer Korea as an offering to Russia. US will not win the war. US will only get a "lying peace".  The US will fail in Korea. The US government is trying to appease Russia.

And so the recording ends.

In a nutshell he talked about the Kingdom of God to justify imposing Old Testament laws upon Radio COG members and to insist that it will only appear on Earth after Christ returns.