Another Suicide in PCG

As Bereans Did has reported the dreadful news that another person connected with PCG has committed suicide. (Hat tip to Banned by HWA.)

Unfortunately, we recently learned about a heart-breaking situation that demonstrates why strivings over the law can be so destructive. We take no joy in reporting this situation. Rather, we hope that bringing to light issues and consequences like these can  help prevent future tragedies in the Armstrongist community.

Once upon a time, a kind, loving couple who desired to serve God raised their children diligently in the Worldwide Church of God. In 1995, they left for one of the larger, more moderate splinter groups, and the whole family stayed there for years. Their children grew up. One child stayed in the same group as the parents.  Another decided that the lukewarm splinter they attended was not zealous enough for God's law. He and his wife took their young children with them to the Philadelphia Church of God and cut off all contact with their COG family.

Fast forward several years. It is reported that, in their desire to obey their church leaders, the younger PCG couple kicked one of their children out of the house because he had a girlfriend and wasn't spending enough time reading his Bible. Disfellowshipped from PCG, that child moved in with his COG grandparents, whom he hadn't seen in years. He took his own life during the Days of Unleavened Bread, at the age of 21. Not surprisingly, PCG is telling its membership that the young man was mentally ill. Later reports included details that muddy the picture of whether mental illness or PCG's no-contact policy is to blame for his suicide. Some who knew him say they doubt PCG's story. At the very least, the no-contact policy no doubt exacerbated the pain for someone with few emotional and spiritual supports.

What a terrible tragedy this is.

Naturally when a terrible event like this occurs in PCG we cannot help but wonder of the authoritarian behavior that occurs in PCG (which is so often reported by ex-members and observers connected with Armstrongism) exacerbated or even caused this terrible event. It is well known that PCG has a "no contact" policy of shunning directed against ex-members and members of other COG groups.

For anyone who wants to read more about the serious topic of suicide I would suggest the following:

• National Suicide Prevention Helpline.

• Convoy to Combat Suicide (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America).

Overview of the May-June 2016 Issue of Living Church News

LCG has released the May-June 2016 issue of Living Church News. Let's see what LCG's leaders have to say this time. Since Pentecost is on June 12 this year much of this issue discusses or alludes to Pentecost.

The editors are listed as Roderick C. Meredith, Richard Ames, William Bowmer, John Robinson, Bruce Tyler and Gerald Weston.

Roderick C. Meredith has a personal article alluding to Pentecost.

Roderick C. Meredith also has an editorial article. In it he condemns the "Prosperity Gospel" saying that (LCG's) God wants LCG members to endure problems to build up righteous character.

He also boasts of miraculous healings he claims to have seen and observed seemingly heedless of the many problems and even deaths caused by HWA's anti-medicine superstitions.

Yet God’s Word reveals that there are occasional “exceptions”—where “God knows what is best” and decides not to heal in particular situations. ... In my own life, I have found that God in His mercy has allowed sickness, infirmity and trials to test me in order to make me “cry out” to God even more fervently and to be more passionate about serving Him. Yet I have personally seen dozens of people who were supernaturally healed by God Almighty! I am not talking about someone “getting over” a cold or some minor thing. I am talking about supernatural, powerful healings involving cancer, heart disease or being paralyzed. These miracles were not brought about by some shouting, arm-waving preacher in a tent “show” trying to attract attention. Rather, Almighty God heard the fervent prayers of a faithful minister who believed that Almighty God would act according to His inspired Word and heal as He has promised normally to do. (p. 4.)

Gary Ehman has an article discussing the Holy Spirit from an Armstrongite perspective. HWA taught that the Holy Spirit was not a person but merely an impersonal force from the Father and the Son.

Dexter Wakefield has an article about renovating one's life after committing to (LCG's) religion.

Gerald Weston has an article about dating within LCG. He mentions that some have called him a matchmaker.

Some people have accused me of being a matchmaker. Well, I don’t know how in the world they could come up with such an idea. Me, a matchmaker? I don’t think so, but I will admit to this: I do love a really good, real-life love story. (p. 11.)

He also cites someone in all seriousness that back in the 1950s there were only five sexually transmitted disease.

... a prominent lecturer on the dangers of sex outside of marriage, points out that in the 1950’s there were just five common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Today, there are more than 30, and 30 percent of them are incurable. They will be your companions for the remainder of your life! (p. 13.)

Just five STDs in the 1950s? That cannot be true. It is not true. It is astounding (but sadly unsurprising) that something so patently false could be printed in this magazine. Where are the editors? The editors are listed as Roderick C. Meredith, Richard Ames, William Bowmer, John Robinson, Bruce Tyler and Gerald Weston himself. Why didn't any of the others protect Weston from saying something as deficient as that?

He also states the following about how some have misused a word to condemn modern medicine.

However, it is interesting that, when we study the word sorcerer in the above verse, we find that it comes from the original Greek pharmacos, from which we get the word pharmacy, and relates to the distribution of drugs. Why would we find such a word used in this passage? Some people have misapplied this word to modern medicine that is used to treat the sick. They never thought of it in the context that we find it today. (p. 14.)

Once again the shadow of HWA's anti-medicine superstitions superstitions appear once again.

Peter Nathan (formerly of David Hulme's COG group) has an article repeating the Armstrongite dogma that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force used to make LCG members be like God.

He also includes an anecdote condemning Pentecostalism's fixation on speaking in tongues.

Early in my service as a minister, I visited a man who outwardly had every appearance of becoming a solid member of the Church. However, he very quickly let me know that he wanted to be baptized so that he could receive the Holy Spirit and be able to speak in tongues. In counseling with him, I tried to help him understand that the role of the Holy Spirit was so much more than just speaking in tongues. Many mistakenly think of speaking in tongues as the primary or even sole external sign of the Holy Spirit, just as it was displayed on the day of Pentecost in 31AD....

I look forward to that future time when I can sit down again with the man I mentioned at the start of this article and help him understand all the facets of the Holy Spirit and its use in our lives. (pp. 15, 21.)

Michelle Grovak has an article talking about the blessing of a closed door.

Although it may not come naturally for us, with God’s help we can cultivate an attitude of seeing the blessing of a closed door. The next time a door slams shut in your face, try to remember God shows His love to us in many different ways. Perhaps something harmful is on the other side of the door. Perhaps we need to stop and examine ourselves. Or perhaps we need to look to another door. Remember Noah and the blessing of the closed door. And thank God for all things, even closed doors! (p. 19.)

Announcements regarding LCG members are made. (p. 22.)

John Meakin has a little article discussing the upcoming referendum in Britain regarding membership in the European Union.

Roderick C. Meredith Quoting Richard Nixon

One of LCG's booklets is one written by their leader Roderick C. Meredith is entitled Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return. However that booklet was originally published in 1994 while he was the leader of the Global Church of God. And in an earlier 1996 edition of that booklet Meredith chose to cite Richard Nixon to insist that the United States is soon fated to collapse and be conquered by German led Europeans.

President Nixon Pinpoints America’s Loss of Will

In his very insightful book, The Real War, former President Richard Nixon proves that we have the power but we have lost the intestinal fortitude. We have lost the determination. Mr. Nixon writes, “What America does suffer from is not itself a terminal illness, but rather a sort of creeping paralysis that could become terminal unless treated. Together with our allies in the Western world, we have the capacity to survive, to prosper, to turn back the challenges to our security that are being mounted with increasing force. The question is whether we will use that capacity” (p. 6). ...

Mr. Nixon continues, “America’s failures of will in recent years have been partly the product of weariness after nearly forty years of bearing the burdens of world leadership. They clearly result in part from the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. But more fundamental—many of those who profess to be the guardians of our ideals have instead become the architects of our retreat” (The Real War, pp. 7-8). ...

Our pride is going to be brought down very low. As President Nixon stated, we are experiencing “a failure of will.” That’s already beginning to happen. (Roderick C. Meredith, Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return, 1994, March 1996 edition, pp. 37-38.)

Why did Meredith quote Nixon? Why did Meredith choose to quote Nixon alluding to the Watergate crisis even though Nixon himself had a lot to do with what happened in those days?

Furthermore The Real War was published in 1980. Why did Meredith choose to use a book that was written before the fall of the Iron Curtain?

Because he was party imitating what he wrote back in 1984. The highlighted section is the same as the 1996 booklet.

Former U.S. President Richard Nixon, in his book The Real War, was moved to comment, "The United States appears so lost in uncertainty or paralyzed by propriety that it is either unable or unwilling to act." Later in this same book, Mr. Nixon observes: "America's failures of will in recent years have been partly the product of weariness after nearly 40 years of bearing the burdens of world leadership. They clearly result in part from the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. But more fundamentally, they reflect the failures of America's leadership class. Too many of those who profess to be the guardians of our ideals have instead become the architects of our retreat." (Roderick C. Meredith, Prophecy Reveals Where We're Headed Now!, Plain Truth, March 1984, p. 21.)

This post is not about Nixon. It is about Meredith. Why did Meredith choose to trust Nixon to quote him in this way? Shouldn't Meredith be the slightest bit apprehensive about him? If so he did not show it in these writings.

PCG's 1% Won't Like Trump's Victory in Primaries

Like him or not it appears Donald Trump will be the Republican candidate for President after his victory in Indiana.

It seems reasonable to believe that PCG's 1% will not like this development. As noted previously PCG's 1% do not like Trump anymore. Any sense of approval they used to have for him has now vanished.

Further evidence of this may be seen in this April 24, 2016 tweet by PCG's Richard Palmer which links to a Gary Kasparov article condemning Trump's complaints about the primary system.

The great Garry Kasparov has some of the best analysis on Trump that I've seen: https://t.co/aGFReNUa8l

— Richard Palmer (@R_G_Palmer) April 26, 2016

And after Trump's victory Stephen Flurry made a broadcast of his recruitment show, The Trumpet Daily, entitled "A Dark Time for America" (May 4, 2016).

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton: These are the two candidates Americans will have to choose from when they go to vote for their president this fall. The choice is indicative of the sad state America is entering into. ... In Dennis Prager’s latest article, he wrote that Trump and Clinton “are two reasons—of many, unfortunately—why, other than the first years of the Civil War, when the survival of the United States as one country was in jeopardy, there has never been a darker time in American history.”

However because PCG leans so far to the right when conflicts occur between Trump and the Democratic Party PCG's leaders will be inclined to portray him sympathetically. An example of this may be seen in the latest broadcast of PCG's Trumpet Hour (May 4, 2016).

America’s presidential race is increasing TENSIONS—protests against Donald Trump are increasing, and in some cases turning VIOLENT. How bad is this going to get?

Note how the protesters against Trump are condemned. Even though PCG's leaders do not like Trump their opposition to the Democratic Party and the left in general is still intact despite their dislike for Trump.

PCG's Andrew Muller Red Baiting Jeremy Corbyn

Question: Is the British Labour Party also the Communist Party? Is Jeremy Corbyn the leader of the Communist Party or of the Labour Party?

PCG's Andrew Müller sees to see little difference and exploits a photo placed at just the right angle to slur Corbyn as being somehow like the Communists.

Corbyn's warning about EU far-right parties will go further if he re-issues it while standing in a different spot - pic.twitter.com/k6nOGCy5iU

— Andrew Müller (@AndrewMiiller) May 2, 2016

Müller then alluded to this photo in an article of his.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn joined thousands of May Day protesters in central London on Sunday. The crowd of people he addressed carried flags with images of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and a literal red flag emblazoned with a hammer-and-sickle emblem. Corbyn is the first Labour Party leader to address a May Day crowd in decades.

This is McCarthyite red baiting. But what can one expect from a McCarthyite like Andrew Müller?

Müller and PCG in general lean so far to the right in regards to politics that they seem to see little difference between the Labour Party and the Communists.

I do not condemn PCG for being right wing but it is important to note that they are right wing as this explains so many of the positions they choose to take.

Ironically PCG often scare mongers about far right parties in Europe. It is often insinuated that their rise to power will lead to Europe's conquest of the United States.

One would think PCG's leaders would be pleased that anyone should try to restrain the far right in Britain. But Müller sees one photograph placed in just the right angle and throws the photo to insinuate that Corbyn is a Communist even though he is the Labour Party. Corbyn's condemnation of the far right is ignored and not treated as the main issue.

Whatever one may think about Corbyn, the Labour Party or the left in general we should be careful not to repeat the scare mongering of Joseph McCarthy. We should not casually hurl the guilt of what happened under Lenin and Stalin's tyranny just to slur someone unconnected with those painful events.

The spirit of McCarthyism is alive and well at PCG Headquarters. No good can come from this.

The Birth of Meredith's Global Church (February 1993)

Issues of Global Church News and other letters made by GCG's leaders can be viewed in doc format here.

In late 1992 a certain lawsuit had been finally settled with WCG paying $750,000 in an out of court settlement in a lawsuit over a statement Meredith said.

Mrs. Leona McNair's libel lawsuit against the Worldwide Church of God, Roderick C. Meredith, and her ex-husband Raymond McNair, was finally ended in December when the suit was settled out of court for $750,000 (Pasadena Star-News, 11/21/92). (Ambassador Report 52.)

In December 1992 Roderick C. Meredith broke away from Tkach's WCG and established the Global Church of God. Shortly after that Roderick C. Meredith issued an open letter in February 1993 calling upon WCG members to leave and join his Global Church of God. (gcnmag93, pp. 1-3.)

Dear Brethren and Friends:

Greetings, from Southern California! We hope you're all well and are as enthusiastic as we are about "reviving" God's Work.

With the truly massive doctrinal changes, it is definitely time for men and women of faith and courage to stand up for the Truth of Almighty God. I deeply appreciate the letters, calls and outpouring of support from all of you and from many others. Thank you so much!

In other words he was calling for WCG members to leave WCG and join his Global Church of God.

He then seeks to inspire would be recruits by quoting some words from Chapter 30 of HWA's Autobiography.

But now we need to join together to do what Mr. Herbert Armstrong virtually told us to do in his autobiography. Mr. Armstrong wrote: "I know of evangelists who probably are sincere in supposing they are serving God—and who would like to be free to proclaim many truths they now hold back. They reason something like this: ‘If I go farther, and preach those things, I'll lose all my support. I'd be cut off from the ministry altogether. Then I could preach NOTHING. Better serve God by preaching as much of the biblical truth as possible, than to be prevented from preaching anything.'

"They are relying on the financial support of MEN, or of organizations of men. Anyone in that predicament is the SERVANT OF MEN, and NOT OF GOD, whether he realizes it or not" (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, vol. I, pg.528).

And later, on the same page, Mr. Armstrong wrote: "Of course God does work through human instruments. But I had to rely on GOD to lay it on the hearts of people to support the kind of preaching that obeys Isaiah 58:1 by crying ALOUD—lifting up my voice and showing the people their SINS!"

For me reading that quote was eerie as I well recall reading those very same words in Meredith's 2001 article.

I know that many of you reading this are ministers or various kinds of religious teachers. It is important for your eternal life—AND FOR ALL OF US—to understand the words and experiences of a great minister I am about to quote, who faced a similar dilemma in his life about being willing to stand up for TRUTH whether or not it hurt his professional or social standing. In volume 1 of his Autobiography, p. 528, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote:

I know of evangelists who probably are sincere in supposing they are serving God—and who would like to be free to proclaim many truths they now hold back. They reason something like this: "If I go farther, and preach those things, I'll lose all my support. I'd be cut off from the ministry altogether. Then I could preach NOTHING. Better serve God by preaching as much of the Biblical truth as possible, than to be prevented from preaching anything."

They are relying on the financial support of MEN, or of organizations of men. Anyone in that predicament is the SERVANT of MEN, and NOT of God, whether he realizes it or not.

A man accosted me as I was walking along the gravel country road, between the Firbutte School and the Jeans School in the fall of 1933.

"You won't get far," he said. "You're preaching the straight truth of the Bible. That offends people. The Bible is like a sharp two-edged sword. It cuts—it reproves, corrects, rebukes—people won't support that kind of preaching! You won't get far."

But I was not relying on the support of PEOPLE. If people paid me, I would have to serve people. If I were to serve God, I would have to look solely to God for support!

Of course God does work through human instruments. But I had to rely on God to lay it on the hearts of people to support the kind of preaching that obeys Isaiah 58:1 by crying ALOUD—lifting up my voice and showing the people their SINS! (Roderick C. Meredith, Are You SURE?, Tomorrow's World, January-February 2001.)

Let us continue with Meredith's open letter.

So as you all know, a number of us here in the Pasadena area have now joined together, under Christ's direction, to organize the "Global Church of God.” We have legally incorporated under this name, and have chosen this name because it is as similar to the term "worldwide" as you can get in the English language.

Meredith states that he plans to set up home churches for GCG members to assemble in. 

We plan to organize "home churches” in cities all across the United States, and later in the international areas. Some few congregations will be large enough to require meeting in rented halls from the very beginning. But most will not. So we plan to have dozens of small groups of people mainly having their Sabbath services in the home of leading members.

Because of the widespread complains against authoritarian behavior Meredith assured would be members that he would consult with other ministers and that they would establish a Council of Elders.

As an Evangelist and the leading minister God has used to raise up this Work, I will supervise the appointments of other elders and deacons —but with much input and guidance from all our other leaders. We must all be sure that our motive in leadership is to serve the people, not to "lord it over them" (Mark 10:42-45). So all of us in leadership positions should earnestly strive, with God's help, to be warm, loving, approachable and genuinely serving in our relations with other brethren.

Later, we definitely plan to have a Council of Elders which will have a great deal of influence and authority. But now, as we are just getting started, we will follow the above biblical principles and have a more complete organization later when God makes that possible.

Meredith favorably compares GCG's numbers with the beginning of HWA's following.

God always starts things small when He works through human beings. Remember how Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong started with only one church and 19 brethren in 1934. And eighteen and one half years later, when I graduated from Ambassador College, there were only three local churches in the then "Radio Church of God"—Portland, Eugene and Pasadena, with a combined attendance of about 150 people.

By the time you receive this newsletter, the Global Church of God will have established seven local churches —all in the month of January! And our combined attendance figure will be about 175 people.

Meredith assures would be followers that if they support him he will be able to warn the world of the catastrophe that HWA and his imitators have constantly insisted will soon occur since the 1930s.

But if we are a Church that fasts, prays earnestly and truly obeys God, great growth will come in due time! I want to ask all of you to pray fervently that God will add more members and co-workers to our numbers so that a truly powerful Work may be accomplished.

Meredith assures those contemplating joining Meredith in establishing this splinter group that the donations have been used wisely.

Your tithes have already been put to good use! About 2000 Church Government and Church Unity booklets were mailed globally. Hundreds of calls have been received on the 800 phone number. A Pitney-Bowes postal machine is up and running. Thirty-two hundred square feet of furnished office space is now occupied by our headquarters staff. Powerful personal computers and a high-quality laser printer have been purchased, along with the latest software for mailing, accounting and desktop publishing. Stationery, envelopes and forms have been printed. Legal costs for incorporation have also been paid.

Recording equipment for taping both audio and video have been bought and preliminary contacts have already been made regarding the purchase of radio time in various major markets around the United States. We have already been accepted on our first radio station, so we will be on the air in a few weeks! Your pioneering spirit has made these things possible!

Later a lot of money would be rendered useless as a result of the split of 1998.

Meredith encourages would be members to encourage other WCG members to join Meredith's GCG.

How do we encourage others to join with us in this effort?

First, we all need to pray and fast and ask our heavenly Father to open the eyes of His truly faithful people to see what is happening, and to give them the faith and courage to act on the truth and join with us in reviving the Work of God.

Secondly, we do need to let all our friends and relatives know what is happening through personal contact, by telephone, and through correspondence. After all, if people don't even know what is happening they can never respond, can they?

Meredith encourages would be members to play nice when trying to convince other WCG members to join his GCG.

Yet, we must all try to ensure that we are reaching out to those we have reason to feel would be genuinely interested. And we must not harangue or pressure them as some others do, or “attack” the WCG or Mr. Tkach personally. This is not right and we will try to avoid this at all costs.

Remember, brethren, and please help all others remember who join us, that most of us were just in the WCG and we all know that many thousands of sincere, dedicated people are members there who may come with us next week, next month or next year as GOD opens their minds and brings each one along at his or her own pace.

So to our brethren in WCG, show love, kindness, mercy and patience!

Meredith states some of what he was planning to do.

Thirdly, as soon as finances and circumstances make possible, we plan to get on radio, publish a magazine, put “message ads" in newspapers and magazines and do all we can to preach and publish the gospel of the kingdom of God to all nations (Matthew 24:14).

Meredith advises would be followers to be nice when trying to persuade WCG members to switch allegiance to Meredith's GCG.

He also boasts that once GCG is up and running their shall once again warn the United States that they will soon be destroyed in a military attack by Germany in the near future.

When talking to WCG members or others, we should be free to explain our doctrinal difference and uphold the Truth vigorously—but without personal attacks on the WCG, its leaders, or any other organization. But, as God permits, we will preach powerfully about the coming RULE of Christ based on God's Law. We will WARN our nations of their SINS. And we will tell our English-speaking peoples of their national identity, their responsibility and of the coming Great Tribulation if they fail to heed!

Over twenty years later we are still waiting for such things to happen. Can someone finally say this is false advertising?

Meredith ends his open letter with the following words.

In Jesus' name, I ask all of you to pray fervently for the success of this Work of God! Satan will try to accuse, to thwart, to overthrow us in any and every way he can. If we are close to God, he will not succeed.

With absolute confidence that our cause is right, with complete faith that God will bless and guide us, we shall succeed in reviving the Work of the Great GOD. Let's all do our part with faith and zeal.

Over twenty years and a split later LCG members are still waiting for Meredith's dire prophecies to be fulfilled. Meredith is but a false prophet.

*******

In February 1993 the first issue of Global Church News was released. Opening this magazine was an article by Roderick C. Meredith entitled "A Church is Born!" (gcnmag93, p. 4.)

Down through the centuries God's Church has gone through many "dark ages. " Misguided or fearful leaders would begin to compromise with the world and bring in pagan doctrines or practic­es (See Revelation 2:14-15 and 20). But always, after a time, God would "revive" His work through the efforts of faithful men and women. So it is today.

Continuity with HWA's WCG is emphasized.

Technically, as we know, the Global Church of God is not a "new" church. It is simply the result of Christ's Spirit moving to revive the Truth by raising up another "branch" of His Church on earth.

The establishment of GCG is compared with HWA breaking away from the Church of God (Seventh Day).

Mr. Herbert Armstrong was guided in doing this when he left the Stanberry, and later the Salem, "branches" of the Sardis Church and caused the Radio Church of God to become a completely separate entity. Most of us learned the Truth because of what God led Mr. Armstrong to do.

Meredith boasts that many people will look on the early days of GCG as historic.

So the formation of the Global Church of God is a historic occasion! In years to come, multiple millions of people may look back on this time and on what all of us are doing. If we so yield to God that we can be used to preach and publish Christ's gospel to much of the world, we will indeed be blessed. If we unitedly get behind this newborn Work of God and impact the lives of millions, we will certainly be laying up treasure in heaven.

Meredith warns that difficulty awaits them in building up GCG.

But it will not be easy. As Mr. Armstrong used to say, "We've got to work with all our might as if the result depended on us. Then, we need to pray with all our hearts as if the result depended totally on God." For God doesn't do His Work for us, but through us. And we can do nothing apart from God and His Spirit guiding, leading, motivating and empower­ing us....

Meredith boasts that those who build up GCG are pioneers.

For you and I, and all of us, are "pioneers"! We will have to endure the challenges and hard­ships of pioneers. But we will also have the deep satisfaction and the blessings of those who were willing to exercise faith and courage in the pur­suit of the Truth. And we will have demonstrat­ed that we have the genuine love of God to carry His Message to a sick and dying world that so desperately needs it.

Meredith ends the article with these words.

So let us back off and see the Big Picture. Let us realize that in spite of trials and persecu­tions, this is indeed a very special and wonderful time in our lives and in the life of the Church of the Living God!

And so another COG group arose. GCG quickly emerged as the largest COG group to emerge out of the splintering of WCG. However it was not long before it was eclipsed by the rise of UCG in 1995. Many left WCG in 1995 but many of them chose UCG over Meredith's GCG.

In 1998 a power struggle erupted between Meredith and the Board. Meredith left convincing about 80% of GCG to join him in establishing LCG.

GCG's Talk of the "King of the South" (February 1993)

Issues of Global Church News and other letters made by GCG's leaders can be viewed in doc format here.

Armstrongism has long scare mongered against the nations of the Middle East teaching that they will soon unify under a future "King of the South." This idea has been changed and altered over the decades of Armstrongism's existence. At first HWA applied this label to Ethiopia. But in 1993 in the early days of Meredith's Global Church this idea was applied to the Middle East.

In the first issue of Global Church News (February 1993) Ron Nelson wrote an article scare mongering that some sort of Muslim superstate would soon emerge. (gcnmag93, pp. 9-10.)

Nelson's article is entitled "Islam: Preparing to be a Power".

The title of this article confusingly presents a religion that is divided into numerous movements within many nation states as though it were a singular political movement. This is incorrect. Rather Muslim societies are divided into many nation states. And even within these nation states there are numerous competing political factions. Some are right wing. Some are left wing. Some are rich. Some are poor. Some are somewhat religious. Some are firmly secular. Some are strongly religious.

But despite this Nelson insists on imagining this diverse group of nation states as a singular movement in the future. And though he says the "King of the South" is to arise in the future he cannot help himself in viewing the Middle East as though it were but one thing. This may be noticed in how he quickly discusses Iran, Egypt and Algeria with little attempt to understand each issue on its own terms.

Nelson is well aware that there are numerous political movements and religious divisions among Muslims in the Middle East.

Islam has not played a significant role in most of modern world affairs. It has been a religion mostly fragmented and disunited from nation to nation and sect to sect (Shiite, Sunni, etc.). There was a rise in assertiveness of the Shiite Muslims in Iran under the Ayatollah Khomeini. However, after his passing even Iran became more moderate. But Islamic fundamentalism is making its presence felt in more and more countries in North Africa, the Middle East and on into Southeast Asia.

But even though Nelson is aware that Islam is not a singular political movement he discusses Muslims in the Middle East as though Islam was a singular political movement by mentioning Iran, Egypt and Algeria. This gives the inaccurate impression that Islam is a singular political movement.

The secular government of Egypt is very concerned. It recently staged a huge security operation aimed at breaking up the troublesome Islamic militants that have been a thorn in the government's side at least since the: [sic] assassination of President Sadat in 1981.

Heavily armed troops sealed off an area of Cairo known to harbor dissidents and arrested 400 Islamic militants. Afterward, President Mubarak's press secretary said, "This operation should finish them off. We estimate that 90 percent of them have been captured now and the rest are on the run, homeless. The terrorist movement has felt the full force and magnitude of the government: " (New York Times News Service, Dec. 10, 1992.)

Some critics of the government in Egypt fear the military operation will have a backlash, causing further instability in the country. In fact, fundamentalists have struck back after the crackdown by shooting foreign tourists in Southern Egypt.

What does Egypt have to do with Iran? Are they not two different countries far away from each other?

The civil war in Algeria is mentioned.

Algeria's military-backed government has also been fumbling for ways to control that country's very assertive fundamentalists wanting to form an Islamic republic. A Los Angeles Times report of Nov. 23, 1992 said, "The collapse of Algeria's government would have an impact particularly in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, but also on countries as far away as Jordan and even some of the Muslim former Soviet republics in Central Asia. "

The same report added, "European governments are also worried about the repercussions of their own large Muslim communities. "The [sic] threat to secular governments is real because the Islamists' agenda includes conforming national law to Islamic tenets which are viewed as harsh, inflexible and stifling to the Western-style secular societies.

What does Algeria have to do with Egypt and Iran?

Nelson mentions that relations with Iran have not improved.

Iran's Muslim clerics who run the government see Western values, particularly those of the U. S., which they characterize as "Satan-­America," as an enemy to the religious society they want to enforce on their people. After a moderate faction led by President Hashemi Rafsanjani had taken government control, it was believed that better relations with the United States and Europe would prevail. This is not the case. As Los Angeles Times reported from Tehran, "The expected debut of a kinder, gentler Islamic republic will have to wait. The mullahs [clerics] are back. " (Los Angeles Times, Sept. 29, 1992.)

Nelson then gets to the point: He scare mongers that some sort of united, Muslim superstate will arise in the near future.

A King of the South is prophesied to arise (Dan. 11:5) and have conflict with the king of the North (v.40). The "king of the South" will be a powerful nation in the mideast (south of Europe which is "the North" in prophecy) or a confederation of Islamic countries. It is conceivable that the notoriously disunited Arab countries could forge a viable alliance held together with the "glue" of the common religion and culture of Islam with its unique world view.

This prophesied Southern king, or kingdom, will be sufficiently strong enough to be a serious concern to the "king of the North," causing him to come down into the area of the holy land and establish a military presence there (Daniel 11:41).

Even though he knows the Arab countries are "notoriously disunited" this detail is ignored and minimized in order to justify the dogma taught by GCG at the time of this "King of the South". This dogma taught him to view the Arab nations as a Muslim whole ignoring the fact that there are many Arabs who happen to be Christian or happen to belong to numerous other religions in the region.

Since the 1930s Armstrongites have constantly insisted that some kind of catastrophe will soon occur to the United States. Their predictions have never been fulfilled. There is no need to fear their dire predictions. They are but false prophets.

A Glimpse into the World of Islamophobia

Back on July 27, 2010 a book entitled The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, written by Pamela Geller with Robert Spencer was released.

The following is from the front flap.

He envisions himself as more than just a president of the United States, but as a shaper of the new world order, an internationalist energetically laying the groundwork for global government: the president of the world. 

Not this scare mongering about a "new world order" again.

On page 15 Senator Obama's support for the proposed Global Poverty Act (which was not passed) is condemned. It proposed increasing foreign aid to 0.7% of GDP. Geller and Spencer condemned it as redistribution of wealth.

Most disturbingly, the chief beneficiaries of the redistribution of our wealth would be one continent and one religion: Africa and Islam. (Chapter 1, p. 15.)

Do they think helping African countries is a bad idea?

Climate change is emotively ridiculed as a hoax made to get Americans' money.

Obama should have abandoned the climate change hoax as soon as "the miracle" happened. But this would never happen. Global warming is a tool to "level the playing field," to weaken America, and to burden her with crippling taxes while enriching her enemies and competitors. (Chapter 1, p. 25.)

At one point drilling more oil is advocated.

Obama's energy policy ... is about big government control and global governance. Our energy needs are easily solved. I'll restate the obvious: drill, baby, drill. (Chapter 14, p. 312.)

Since 2009 Oklahoma has been afflicted with many earthquakes. Some suspect these earthquakes have been caused by fracking.

On the back flap it is mentioned that both Geller and Spencer have written for the far right media outlet, WorldNetDaily.

Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer are both infamous for vilifying Muslims. They are part of what some have called the Islamophobia Network. One account of how marketable scare mongering against Muslims happen to be may be seen in the book The Islamophobia Industry by Nathan Lean (2012).

LCG's Co-Worker Letters (January-March 2016)

So far there have been three co-worker letters released by LCG.

Earlier co-worker letters from LCG may be seen here and here.

January 19, 2016

Here Ames boasts of the various proselytizing activities of LCG. He also scare mongers about droughts.

The first week in January brought El Niño rains to California. Many hope this change in weather will help overcome severe drought conditions. ... As of January 14, the weekly United States Drought Monitor reported that 87 percent of California was experiencing “severe drought.” That is down from 94 percent a year ago, as the rainy season beginning in October 2015 has helped somewhat. The state of Nevada is experiencing severe drought over 64 percent of its land area, while Oregon—100 percent covered by severe drought in September 2015—is now down to 44 percent after heavy rains toward the end of last year.

Other regions around the world experiencing record droughts include North Korea, suffering its worst drought in 100 years; Brazil, enduring its worst drought in 50 years; and South Africa, contending with its worst drought in 20 years.

Ames complains that Obama is not religious enough for him.

Last week, in his State of the Union address, U.S. President Obama told Americans, “Our unique strengths as a nation—our optimism and work ethic, our spirit of discovery, our diversity, our commitment to rule of law—these things give us everything we need to ensure prosperity and security for generations to come.” Sadly, the President did not ask, “Whose law?” nor did he acknowledge that without God we cannot expect to “ensure prosperity and security”—for ourselves or for generations ahead.

Ames also scare mongers about the US federal debt. He seems quite fixated on that fear in these co-worker letters.

How does the U.S. Congress plan to solve the nation’s problems? ... A nation that thinks it can spend its way out of debt by borrowing trillions of dollars is in severe denial of reality. The U.S. was, at one time, the world’s most prosperous creditor nation. It has been the world’s greatest debtor nation since 1985 (more than 30 years ago). The nation continues to add to its trillions of dollars in debt. Unless it turns to God, He will judge America and other Western nations for their depravity, sinfulness, oppression, greed, lust, idolatry and evil.

Ames is wrong to scare monger on this topic. It is not possible for the US to be forced to default on the federal debt since it is denominated in its own currency which is produced by the US government. Furthermore the US was actually more in debt per capita in the 1940s because of World War II.

February 18, 2016

It's Meredith's turn this time. Here he uses an infamous metaphor.

As 2016 gets underway, we in this Work have much to be very thankful for! Although the world around us is becoming more and more confused and even “crazy” at times, we who understand really can see “light at the end of the tunnel.”

Strange he should use that metaphor seemingly with no sense of sadness considering the way this metaphor was used during the Vietnam War.

Meredith alludes to the refugee crisis.

Daily, we read and see pictures of increasing millions of distraught human beings fleeing their own countries in a desperate attempt to get to a place of safety. These people come from Africa, from the Middle East and other countries. Why? Because their human governments are failing. Because their own people are “desperate” to find a place where they and their children can have a reasonably decent feeling of physical safety, enough food and the basics of life such as proper sanitation.

Meredith then scare mongers about problems everywhere. He then abruptly fixates on Latin America.

Yet, throughout the Middle East, Africa and many nations in Asia, South America and elsewhere, their governments are failing. Millions are literally starving right now in Venezuela. There are financial upsets and government near bankruptcies in Brazil, Argentina and elsewhere throughout Latin America. Think of the hundreds of people being murdered, raped and tortured by the drug cartels in Mexico. Again, why?

Meredith then blames Americans for the drug war in Mexico.

It is because of corrupt local governments and local officials throughout the region. But also—and we Americans need to “get” this—these tragedies would not be occurring if the thousands of illegal drug users here in the United States would learn a little bit about the “meaning of life” and repent and stop buying all of these illegal drugs in the first place! For, we in America are becoming a nation of “spoiled brats” more than any other peoples on the earth. We have been given awesome physical blessings because of God’s promise to Abraham. But we have turned away from that God! We are spitting in the face of the God of the Bible in many, many ways.

Meredith then once again vilifies gays again. One would think that with so many things that can be done to manage LCG that he would have better things to do than lambasting a numerically small minority that did nothing to stop him from building his own family. For one who claims to loath homosexuality so much he seems quite intent to fixate on gays so often. He fantasizes that they shall vomit when Christ returns.

In an Op/Ed piece in this Sunday’s New York Times (February 14, 2016), I could not help but note a piece about the problems of “same-sex” couples. ... What a shame for this man to—as he himself says—betray his own “very queer identity!”

My friends, the Jesus Christ of your Bible is coming back to this earth soon! Then, this “queer” fellow quoted above will want to vomit when he finally realizes Who he has actually “betrayed” and his real “identity,” a male human being created in the image of God! We who are “called” now to understand and who fulfill our calling as true Christians will have the challenge and the opportunity to teach, to train and to genuinely help such confused and deluded human beings who will finally understand and want to fulfill their real purpose in life as potential sons of God!

Meredith insists we are "very close" to having the long awaited catastrophe to come to the United States.

When we read the inspired account in Genesis 6 of why God Almighty “destroyed” all flesh except the family of Noah, it becomes obvious that this present generation is getting very close to the same degree of human degradation as Noah’s period.

Meredith then boasts about the proselytizing activities of his LCG. It is stated that LCG's recruitment magazine had a record circulation of 539,000 issues but he also states that this is likely to decline.

My friends, I hope you are praying for the continued growth of this Work! We are grateful for the increase in our Tomorrow’s World magazine subscriptions, which reached a new record of 539,000 unique individual subscribers receiving our March-April 2016 print edition. When you keep in mind that many copies are read by two or three people, this means that perhaps more than a million of our fellow human beings are being reached by this powerful message!

Long-time subscribers may notice that this 539,000 circulation will very likely be our “all-time record,” at least for a while, since we know the ongoing “renewal” program also drops inactive readers from the list. We “renew” subscribers from time to time because we seek to be good stewards of the tithes and offerings God provides, and if a subscriber does not want the magazine after a while, we want to provide that subscription instead to someone who is truly interested.

Meredith also announces the production of yet another website to get more converts for LCG.

And finally, we are also excited about a new Web site that should be available soon after you receive this letter. This new Web site is called TheBibleSaysThat.org and it is intended to be a topical resource that asks and answers challenging questions facing professing Christianity. While the Tomorrow’s World Web site remains our primary and flagship Web site, this new Web site will be a resource and will also be used to support some new advertising initiatives that we plan to give more details on later.

This website has now been released. It is a sort of LCG-lite website. It presents the Armstrongite dogmas under the guise of simply presenting what is in the Bible but obscures the fact that these ideas were developed over many years by HWA and his followers. Many of these ideas were often acquired from other sources (Church of God (Seventh Day), Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, G. G. Rupert, Alexander Hyslop's 1850s anti-Catholic polemic, The Two Babylons, etc,). LCG's leaders did not just get these ideas from the Bible.

It even has a "Do Not Donate" page but the whole point of promoting their dogmas is to get more converts. (Maybe LCG members should follow LCG's advice on that web page and stop tithing to LCG.)

March 18, 2016

Here Ames talks about a presentation that he and Dan Hill presented in Atlanta on March 5, 2016.

Thank you very much for your continuing support and prayers for Tomorrow’s World and our efforts to preach the true gospel to the world. I appreciated meeting a number of you who attended our Atlanta, Georgia presentation, “Wake Up, America!” on March 5. Regional Pastor Dan Hall and I addressed a group of enthusiastic Tomorrow’s World subscribers and Living Church of God members.

Many expressed their agreement with my attack on the sins of America, which included:

• Greed, corruption and government mismanagement in overspending funds, while entrenching ourselves internationally as the world’s greatest debtor nation. 

• Continuing moral decline, including same-sex marriage and practices God calls an “abomination”.... 

• The sin of abortion. Americans have purposely murdered more than 50 million babies in the womb....

• Following false religions and counterfeit Christianity.

Ames also ridicules Easter.

By the time you receive this letter, hundreds of millions of professing Christians will have celebrated one such evil—a pagan Easter Sunday—on March 27. Millions of Eastern Orthodox will observe Easter a month later, on May 1. I hope you have seen Mr. Gerald Weston’s powerful Tomorrow’s World telecast, “Easter: The Untold Story.” Why do nearly all of our world’s 2.2 billion professing Christians participate in a non-biblical religious tradition named after a pagan fertility goddess? As I told our Atlanta audience, if any of you are observing that festival, you need to repent!

Ames cites HWA's Wednesday crucifixion doctrine to justify denigrating all Christians who believe in a Sunday resurrection as false.

Ames also quotes a letter from a person who is gradually accepting LCG's doctrines.

I hope this letter from a woman in Summerfield, Florida, will give you an inspiring perspective on how God is working in the minds of those who for the first time hear the gospel, “the good news,” of the coming Kingdom of God:

“I have to stop between my Bible Study Course to say thank you for the free course and all the free literature. If I didn’t receive it, I sure would be in the dark. I did not know we had a kingdom to look forward to. I listen to Mr. Meredith. He explains very well how the evil ones attack us, and I’m also learning about the feast days which I knew nothing about. Now I’m learning the truth. It’s like seeing the scriptures for the first time since I’ve become acquainted with Tomorrow’s World. Thank you again for the time and literature for reaching people like me. This Tomorrow’s World is a true gift from our Savior Jesus Christ.”

And so another person is learning to give her loyalty, allegiance and three tithes to LCG.

Other activities of LCG's are promoted.

And so we see that LCG continues to try to get more people to join LCG and pay tithes to them and to retain the loyalty of current LCG members.

Comments on the May-June 2016 Issue of LCG's Tomorrow's World

For an overview of this issue of LCG's recruitment magazine (May-June 2016) I recommend Gavin Rumney's post at Ambassador Watch, Tomorrow's World - Nice cover, shame about the content (May 1, 2015). For the most part it is more of the same.

The editors are listed as Roderick C. Meredith, Richard Ames, William Bowmer, John Robinson, Bruce Tyler, Stuart Wachowitz, Gerald Weston and William Williams.

The authors in this issue in order of appearance are Roderick C. Meredith, Jonathan Riley, Richard Ames, John Meakin, Rod McNair, Jonathan McNair, Douglas Winnail, J. Davy Crockett III and Wallace Smith. Circulation is 513,000 issues.

Rod McNair named his article "The Great Unraveling" after an article by Chris Hedges (p. 20). Hedges is a left wing journalist. It is quite unusual for LCG to quote a person of that political persuasion. Back in January 2007 he published a book critiquing the religious right entitled American Fascism: The Christian Right and the War on America. Do LCG's leaders realize who they are quoting from?

Hedges did not bother talking about Armstrongism in that book. Shows how (un)important Armstrongism actually is. Admittedly Hedges did quote an article from PCG once about mass layoffs in that book but he said absolutely nothing about any of the Armstrongite organizations.

Douglas Winnail insinuates that the Vikings are descended from Israelites by saying they had horned helmets.

Egyptian inscriptions reveal that among the Sea Peoples who invaded Palestine were the Shardana and Danuna (possibly the Israelite tribe of Dan) who were circumcised and wore horned helmets ..., much as the Danish Vikings of a later age have been depicted. (p. 29.)

This is incorrect. The Vikings did not wear horned helmets. That was just a illustrated exaggeration introduced in the 19th Century that has since become ubiquitous.

This recruitment magazine contains letters. Here's one from Jamaica.

Informative, eye-opening, enlightening and detailed message that outlines Original Christianity and the attempts made in proclaiming the true Christianity. God bless your ministry! I am inspired by your articles and have made the change in attending the Living Church of God.

That is the whole point of this magazine: to recruit people to join LCG. As if Jamaica didn't have enough problems already.

Here's one letter from Pakistan.

No doubt and this is very true that God’s Sabbath is Saturday. All who accept this will be blessed. I am thankful for Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath? It cleared all my doubts on this issue. God clearly said that Sabbath should be remembered. May God bless all your team.

As if Pakistan didn't have enough problems already. If only this person in Pakistan knew the problems with that booklet. Some of the problems may be seen in this critique of HWA's booklet promoting Sabbatarianism.

Here's one letter from Australia from a woman frustrated that the rest of her family happen to have their own religious views and are not interested in LCG's doctrines.

Thank you for your booklets. They are so full of the truth, and fairly easy to read and learn from. It is very hard to talk to family of what I have learned from you about the Bible, as my mother is 83 years old and has a faith mixed between Roman Catholic and Assemblies of God beliefs. My husband also has quite strong set ideas, and both are quite strong people. My daughter attends a church in Chinchilla that is a bit “jazzed up” these days. I feel unable to show my family a better way for them.

The COG organizations alienate us from our families and friends. Restrictive practices such as banning Christmas, Easter and birthdays are designed to socially isolate us from mainstream society and make us socially dependent on the group, in this instance LCG.

LCG responds to this letter by assuring her it is not necessary for her to convert them. If only this Australian woman knew the problems with LCG. This Australian does not need LCG but LCG needs the tithes and offerings of more members and donors.

And so LCG's attempts to bedazzle people into joining LCG and paying them tithes continues.