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April 2005:

• Blow the Trumpet about Dining out on the Sabbath

  From among the rubble left by the explosion of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) there has sprung up yet another Web site, called Blow the Trumpet at http://blowthetrumpet.org/index.htm, which was formally inaugurated in July 2004. It has an interesting booklet called A Sabbath Test which can be read online at http://blowthetrumpet.org/asabbathtest.htm. It seems like a topic that needed to be addressed by someone. It reminds one of a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) who complained that the WCG taught people that they had to observe the annual Sabbaths while the WCG didn't even really teach them to observe the weekly Sabbath.

  A Web page called Dining out on the Sabbath at http://blowthetrumpet.org/DinningoutontheSabbath.htm lists a number of WCG splinter groups (with their leaders) that a letter was sent to. The Web page explained that,

  "The letter that follows was issued during the month of November, 2004 to some of the premier leaders in the Churches of God. These men were selected because of their longstanding service to God’s work and His people. Each of these men has rightfully earned the highest respect of Blow the Trumpet and it is with genuine humility that we write. We see these leaders as honorable servants who have had a profound effect on the Church today."

  YIKES! "Premier leaders" selected because of their "longstanding service" who have "rightfully earned the highest respect" and are seen as "honorable servants" who "had a profound effect on the Church." And again, YIKES! That is a whole lot of bunk for such a short paragraph. Well, nobody is perfect, so it is understandable that somebody also needs to blow a little something into their ears as well, for their own edification.

  The fluffy and false comments of Blow the Trumpet show either great ignorance of what is going on in the COG groups or else great ignorance of right and wrong. Their list of Church of God (COG) groups included, among others, the Intercontinental Church of God (ICG) which was founded by Garner Ted Armstrong (GTA), and the Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) which was founded by Gerald Flurry. With all due respect (and perhaps not much is due to those who would write such nonsense), they should first go and try to put up with some of these abominations themselves before praising them so highly. They had a "profound effect" indeed. For those who don't know, Garner Ted Armstrong (GTA) was a sex pervert all his life who finally had to be kicked out of the WCG by his own father, Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA). GTA was a shameful blot on the COG scene. Gerald Flurry was a drunk who became a false prophet who has had more people go through his group over the years (leave and be kicked out of it) than currently attend it. He is definitely NOT "That Prophet" as he falsely claims, nor any of the other 30 titles that he gave himself. The little book that he copied and changed was NOT delivered by a mighty angel, but by the US postal service from its original author. And it is NOT the little scroll mentioned in chapter 10 of the book of Revelation. Jesus warned that many false prophets would come and deceive many. These false prophets are NOT God's imperfect leaders as some suppose, but rather Satan's instruments sent "to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10, NIV). Like Simon the Sorcerer mentioned in chapter 8 of the book of Acts, though they got baptized, yet have they "no part or share" in the true work of God, but rather are "captive to sin" (Acts 8:21-23, NIV).

• Our Holy Father in Heaven versus an Unholy Impostor on Earth

  A Polish Cardinal by the name of Karol Jozef Wojtyla had been elected to the office of "Pope" in the Roman Catholic Church and had taken the name John Paul II. When "Pope" John Paul II died on April 2, 2005 at age 84, about a billion Catholics from all around the world got all emotional about the death of what they called their "Holy Father." But as for you, see to it that you don't get too carried away by all the blubbering. This might be a good time to remember what Jesus taught in the Bible, which is different from what the Roman Catholic Church teaches. The title of Pope means Father. Notice the following information from Webster's Dictionary about the word Pope:

  pope (pop) n. [< Gr. papas, father] [usually P-] R.C.Ch. the bishop of Rome and head of the Church

  When teaching His disciples about prayer, Jesus said, "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name ...'" (Matthew 6:9, NIV). When praying for His disciples, Jesus prayed, "'Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one'" (John 17:11, NIV). Notice especially what Jesus said about men on earth who want to be called Father (other than your biological father, who really is your father on earth). "'And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven'" (Matthew 23:9, NIV). Today, about a billion Catholics ignore virtually everything Jesus said, call some man on earth Pope and Holy Father, and even pray to Mary.

  The Catholic Church teaches that the biblical Apostle Peter was the first Pope. But no such title was ever given to Peter by Jesus. Rather, the Bible says that Jesus called Peter an Apostle. "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), ..." (Luke 6:12-14, NIV).

  Also notice that, unlike the current Pope (which means Father), the Apostle Peter was married. The Bible says, "When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him" (Matthew 8:14-15, NIV). Peter, a married man, really was in a position to become a legitimate biological father. The current Pope (which means Father) is expected to be UNmarried, so he could produce only illegitimate ("fatherless" or bastard) offspring. The idea of unmarried priests did not come from God or the Bible. In Old Testament times, God chose Aaron and his sons after him (from the Israelite tribe of Levi) to be priests (see Exodus 29:29-30). In New Testament times, the Apostle Peter was married. So, where did the idea of a celibate (unmarried) priesthood really come from? A letter to Timothy in the New Testament gives a clue. "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry..." (I Timothy 4:1-3, NIV). If Roman Catholic priests did have wives, and proper sexual relations with them within marriage, they wouldn't have to satisfy their lusts by fooling around with young boys as so many of them have done.

  When Jesus was teaching His disciples, notice what He said about oaths. "'But I tell you, Do not swear at all ... Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one'" (Matthew 5:34-37, NIV). Yet, somehow, it is not surprising that the Vatican housekeepers, drivers, elevator operators and others who would have contact with the College of Cardinals during the vote to select a new "Pope" were required to take this oath of secrecy:

  "I (NAME) promise and swear that ... I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy ... I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment ... I take this oath ... So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand."

  On April 19, 2005, a German Cardinal by the name of Joseph Alois Ratzinger, age 78, was elected as the 265th "Pope" (by the Roman Catholic Church's count, which claims that Peter was the first "Pope"). Joseph Ratzinger then took the name Benedict XVI.

May 2005:

• C. Wayne Cole retires without telling why HWA fired him

  Early in 2005, a 75-year-old former Worldwide Church of God (WCG) evangelist by the name of C. Wayne Cole announced his retirement after 50 years in the ministry. He said that he wanted to quit while he was ahead: end his formal ministry while he could still competently speak and expound Scripture. An article about him can be read at the Web site of The Journal newspaper at http://www.thejournal.org/issues/issue96/coleretr.html.

  Actually, his ministry in the WCG lasted about 25 years, from 1954 to 1979, and then he got fired by Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA). It is revealing that he then went for about six months with a church started by Garner Ted Armstrong (GTA)--HWA's own son, who had also been expelled from the WCG by HWA around that time. Wayne Cole dropped out of the church scene in 1980 and did not return to formal Sabbath-service attendance until 1995. That year, he showed up at a WCG splinter group in Big Sandy, Texas that was affiliated with the United Church of God (UCG) at the time. The article at The Journal's Web site contained this "explanation" that Wayne Cole gave for what had happened to him in the WCG:

  "Mr. Cole, while carrying out what he said were Mr. Armstrong's specific directives to cooperate with the state in its search for what it said were instances of financial malfeasance in the church, suddenly found himself out of a job, disfellowshipped and banished from church property."

  The article mentioned how high Wayne Cole had risen in the WCG:

  "His last position in the WCG was as assistant to Mr. Armstrong for all operations of the church and college internationally."

  The article had the usual vague story that sounds so unfair:

  "Then came the 'trauma and shock of sudden alienation' in January 1979."

  "'Without as much as a hearing on the circumstances and without any financial consideration whatever,' Mr. Armstrong fired and disfellowshipped and consigned to outer darkness C. Wayne Cole."

  It is interesting that neither The Journal newspaper nor anyone else who writes about C. Wayne Cole ever seems to mention or quote what Herbert W. Armstrong wrote on page 3 of his June 8, 1979 letter to members and co-workers of the Worldwide Church of God. In this letter, HWA wrote (emphasis his):

  "The one man I did rely on and felt was completely loyal and sincere, C. Wayne Cole, it turned out, was not. He was 'IN' on this mass assault against God's Work, but cleverly kept his name out. He, with David Antion, tried vehemently, with raised voices, on the phone, to get me to dump Stanley Rader, and let their prosecuting attorney, who CAUSED THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL TO BRING THIS SUIT, name our defense lawyer. There were a few times when I wanted to talk with Mr. Cole IN PRIVATE on the telephone. I asked him to call me back on a private phone that could not be tapped or bugged. And Mr. Cole showed the very depth of dishonor by tape-recording these private confidential talks, and now is actually using them against me! GOD showed me the TRUTH about C. Wayne Cole!"

  Unless Herbert was senile and just imagining the shouting on the phone and the tapes being used against him, it is no wonder that Wayne has to come up with vague non-answers about what happened.

• UCG politicians try again, and elect Clyde Kilough

  On May 12, 2005 the 12-man Council of Elders in the United Church of God (UCG) selected Clyde Kilough to be the fourth president of the UCG. For some reason, the UCG presidents all seem to get turfed out after a single term in office. Sort of makes one wonder how God was supposed to be guiding those who elected them in the first place.

  Brief biographies of the people on the Council of Elders are given at http://www.ucg.org/about/council/index.htm at the UCG's Web site.

  Not everyone believes that the leaders of a church should be voted in. In one of David C. Pack's sermons for his Restored Church of God (RCOG), called Set to Defend--Yourself, he said that, "When the first 155 [doctrinal] changes were made [in the WCG] he [Clyde Kilough] was a cheerleader for them." The RCOG has a booklet called The History of God's TRUE CHURCH which gives this bleak forecast for the UCG:

  "Like the majority who remained in Sardis, the 1995 group [the UCG], having begun with many false doctrines already in place, may soon pass out of Christianity altogether. This is because they continue to accept additional wrong teachings, and are watering down the remaining truths they have. This organization's march back to the world continues to accelerate even beyond the most liberal forecast."

  Well, as events in the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) demonstrated, anything is possible. David's assessment of the WCG was even blunter:

  "In summary, the WCG completely left the truth, making it a dead church."

June 2005:

• John Ogwyn from Living Church of God now dead

  There is an online letter at the Living Church of God's (LCG's) Web site about the death of John Ogwyn at http://www.livingcog.org/releases/mr_john_ogwyn061405.htm. As time flies by, the older leaders who came out of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) to carry on in the various splinter groups are dying off.

• Norman Edwards and his Bible Campus for the Independents

  Norman S. Edwards' efforts to start a Bible Camp now include an unfinished Web site called the Port Austin Bible Campus Web site at http://www.portaustin.net. Clicking on various links there will lead to this message:

  "Our website is very new and still in its formative stages, but we hope to soon have it fully operational."

  The most recent online issue of his Servants' News newsletter is the May/June 2003 one from two years ago, which is posted at http://www.servantsnews.com/snlatest.htm.

  Norman Edwards is having interpersonal problems with other former associates. A Web site by Homer Kizer, called Homer Kizer Ministries at http://homerkizer.org/index.html, has about two dozen articles that are critical of Norman S. Edwards. The links to these articles can be found on the lower right-hand side of his Web site's Home Page under the heading, The Port Austin Odyssey. Former members of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) seem to find it impossible to get along with each other. Perhaps Norman's attempts to do a little, tiny, independent "Work" will help him to appreciate more fully what a comparatively huge "Work" Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) did in spite of all sorts of opposition all along.

• David C. Pack versus A Sabbath Test

  David C. Pack's Web site has an article to try to refute the ideas about Sabbath dining presented in A Sabbath Test at http://blowthetrumpet.org/asabbathtest.htm by the guys at the Blow the Trumpet Web site. Now, from the Strict One comes a looser, easier way of life. Dining Out on the Sabbath: What Does the Bible Teach? can be read online at http://www.thercg.org/articles/doots.html at the Restored Church of God's Web site. A Timeline of Events showing the history of this debate between the two Web sites can be found online at http://blowthetrumpet.org/TimelineofEvents.htm.

July 2005:

• Ed Mentell, Sr. lies for Satan

  The Answers To Frequently Asked Questions section of the Painful Truth Web site can be found at http://thepainfultruth.org/faq.htm. The answer to question #38 contained an emotional outburst by a certain godless editor. Ed J. Mentell, Sr. concluded bitterly that, "As in the past, I have noticed that Christians have no problem lying for Jesus. I accuse the author of the Plain Truth Website of being a liar just like his father, the devil." Now, why would he say such things? Just what is his problem? Well, actually, his problem appears to be at least threefold:

  1.  Ignorance:   He does not even know what garbage he posted on his own Web site.
  2.  Incompetence:   He does not even know how to look up the garbage that he posted on his own Web site.
  3.  Insolence:   He likes to rant and rave and slander others on his own Web site.

  Of course, a longer list of his faults could be posted, detailing 7, or 12, or 19, or more of his faults, but everybody will be spared that--for now. Old, burnt out Ed, Sr.'s behavior demonstrates once again that: As usual, the godless have no problem lying for Satan. To recycle a few more of his own words, it looks like he is "a liar just like his father, the devil." Make no mistake about it, his purpose is not really to help anyone. As his condition deteriorates, his rantings and ravings could become totally unfit for publication. Sure, this is actually old news, but it makes for OK space filler. His lying goes on and on. A response to it can do the same.

  Ed Mentell's complete lack of sense in this simple matter illustrates what to expect when he criticizes the Bible. His "Bible study" follows a similar threefold approach:

  1.  Ignorance:   He does not even know what the Bible says.
  2.  Incompetence:   He does not even know how to find what the Bible says.
  3.  Insolence:   He gets mad and lies about what the Bible says.

  More can be added here just by rephrasing sentences from Ed's painfully ignorant/incompetent/insolent regular contributors to his Web site. To quote an August 2005 Editorial by one of his own contributors to his Web site [with corrections], "[Ed's] snotty, condescending, hate-filled attitude is plain to see. And that's good because people need to see just how twisted people can become under the influence of [Satan]." That is why Ed's answer became "progressively angrier, until, at the end, it comes real close to pure venom." The reading comprehension skills of Ed and his writers are painfully poor. Their reasoning skills are painfully faulty. The way they misquote, misunderstand, and twist what people write seriously calls into question everything they say. To make it an even worse mess, one writer there will say one thing, and then another writer will say something else that contradicts what the first one said, as each one does what is right in his own eyes.

August 2005:

• Sin City takes a bath in its own sewage

  Hurricane Katrina intensified into a Category 5 giant over the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching top winds of about 170 miles/hour before weakening slightly on a path to hit New Orleans, Louisiana around sunrise on Monday August 29, 2005. It would be the first direct hit of the city by a hurricane in 40 years. New Orleans is built below sea level, and dependent on a network of levees, canals, and pumps to keep dry. Experts had warned for years that the levees and pumps have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm. Suddenly, a city with 485,000 people in it had a problem. New Orleans escaped the full force when the hurricane weakened slightly and wobbled to the east at the last minute. But eastern parts of the city were flooded when swells from Lake Pontchartrain went over a levee and a system of drainage pumps failed.

  It appeared that the city had been spared the worst-case scenario that many had feared. One nutty woman was quoted by the press as saying, "You know what? There's a reason why we're called the Saints. Because no matter what religion you are, whether you're a Catholic, whether you're voodoo, whether you're Baptist or so on, so on, and so on--we all pray. We all pray. I'm not a religious fanatic. But God has saved us." Some decided to belly up to a bar on Bourbon Street to celebrate the French Quarter's survival with a drink. One media clown wrote, "Call it a libation to the storm gods."

  Tuesday August 30, 2005 gave some indication of what the prayers of the Catholic, Voodoo, Baptist, and so on were worth when flood waters poured through gaping breaches in two storm-damaged levees, leaving an estimated 80 percent of the sunken city under water that was almost twenty feet deep in some places. Oops! Maybe the drunks had offered their libation to the wrong gods. In the chaos, many looters appeared, and there were reports of people being raped and beaten. Hmmm. Maybe some foolish people could twist that into three more reasons to call themselves "Saints."

  New Orleans has been called the U.S. capital of voodoo, black magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and the occult. Indeed, it could be said that all the powers of all the followers of all this hocus-pocus literally worked like magic during the flood. That is, they did not work or help at all. It is truly amazing to hear what nonsense and stupidity grown adults can get into and waste their lives fooling around with. Then, when the pressure is on, they have to turn away from their lies for a little while and look to modern science and its invention of the motor vehicle to hustle their butts out of town.

  It now looks like hurricane Katrina might be the largest natural disaster in American history. The Big Easy, as New Orleans is called, can now be remembered for "Wet Tuesday" instead of just "Fat Tuesday" (Mardi Gras). The flood waters in New Orleans contained sewage and other contaminants. In the city where filthy-minded people once proudly paraded through the streets, their own filth now floated through the streets.

  The timing of the storm was very interesting. New Orleans was just getting ready for the arrival of an estimated 110,000 visitors--the "naked, sweaty, and horny party boys, porn stars, and perverts (and the odd drag queen)" as one Web site proudly called them--for the 33rd annual, homosexual Southern Decadence festival that was to start on Septmeber 1 in the French Quarter. Some reports said it was hot and muggy down there. Maybe those guys will still get to sweat.

  News of other positive developments related to the hurricane poured in from other states as well. In Mississippi, casinos built on barges along the coast were damaged or destroyed. Nobody should have been going to those casinos anyway, no matter how many television programs try to portray it as glamorous to gamble away one's money playing games that were designed so that one is doomed to lose.

  The various sins and abominations that New Orleans is infamous for are bad enough, but the situation is actually even worse. The various churches are actually part of the problem. The Catholic and Protestant churches in New Orleans have done the same thing as the drunks, witches, sorcerers, homosexuals, and other sinners. That is, they have rejected God's ways and replaced them with the sinful ways that they love. For example, instead of remembering the Sabbath day like one of the Ten Commandments says to, they trample all over it and observe Sunday instead. They reject the annual Sabbaths and festivals that God gave in the Bible and observe unbiblical, pagan-based customs like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter instead. For doctrines, they teach the traditions of men. And, just like the homosexuals, they are proud of their sinful ways, and think that their sinful behavior is now acceptable and even respectable.

  The international announcement of this sudden hurricane damage to New Orleans might bring back old memories to the millions of people who have visited this "sin city" in the past and done things there that they should not have done anywhere. In the various so-called Churches of God (COGs), it should be remembered that Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) and the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) that he founded had taught for about 50 years that America and Britain were going to be punished by God if they would not stop sinning. The weather was expected to deliver part of the punishment. Since the vast majority of the inhabitants of New Orleans escaped with their lives, they have been given a chance to repent of their evil ways. Hopefully they won't just spread their sins to the other cities of America where they take refuge.

  After the death of HWA in January 1986, Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. (JWT, Sr.) became the new leader of the WCG. From the start, he began to change the WCG's teachings. Some of his changes were wise, such as his decision not to follow HWA's bad habit of always presumptuously coming up with wrong dates for the end of the age. However, it was not wise of him to reject what the Bible really does say about things like the Sabbath. Yet, around January 1995 he openly rejected many of the Bible's teachings. Now, many of the current WCG members in New Orleans and the surrounding area who went along with this great apostasy and rejected what the Bible teaches have had their homes damaged just like the rest of the sinners there. It could be argued that the WCG people there are actually some of the worst people of all in that area since they once knew better.

  Some former members of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG) have expressed concern that certain WCG splinter groups might use this event as an opportunity to frighten people into their groups and out of some money. It is true that some WCG splinter groups do effectively rob and loot as bad as street gangs. And they do it again and again, year after year, to their victims. This does not mean that God does not exist. Jesus did warn that many false prophets would arise. Falling for false prophets and con-artists is not what God wants people to do. Rather, He wants them to repent of their sins. In fact, following false prophets is contrary to Jesus' instruction to beware of them.

  Considering how fast a large American city can be ruined, people need to start thinking seriously about their behavior. There are many wicked people who would like to discourage anyone from spreading the thought that what happened to New Orleans might have had something to do with the behavior and conduct of its inhabitants. They just cannot stand to think that there could be any such connection. Their own behavior is such that they do not want there to be any such connection. But, to their great annoyance, the Bible teaches that such relationships do exist. Anyone who tries to say otherwise will just bring more trouble. Always remember that the disaster in New Orleans could have been a lot worse. At least the people there are not yet eating each other.

September 2005:

• Fall Holy Days for 2005

  For a list of the fall Holy Days that are coming this October, and their dates, see the Annual Holy Day Calendar for 2005.

October 2005:

• Joseph Tkach, Jr. plans to take God out of his church's name

  The October 2005 edition of WCG Today, the Worldwide Church of God's (WCG's) newspaper, had an article called WCG considers denominational name change. Those who want to read the entire article can find it online along with current and past editions of the WCG's newspaper at WCG Today. Some lines from the article are quoted below and commented on.

  PASADENA -- Joseph Tkach, WCG president, announced at the pastors conference in Rancho Mirage, California, Aug. 13 that the church was considering changing the name of the denomination.

  Many have voiced support for a name change, citing its benefits to our fellowship. In response to these requests, the church has entered into a process to consider a change in our corporate church name and to select one that would properly reflect who we have become.

  Members and ministers have been suggesting for 10 years that we change the denomination’s name. In connection with this, Church Administration agreed several years ago that it would be helpful for local congregations to select local names that would better reflect their sense of purpose and mission, and 65 percent or more of U.S. congregations have already done so.

  In the weeks following the Rancho Mirage conference, Joseph Tkach, Mike Feazell, WCG communications director, Dan Rogers, superintendent of U.S. ministers, and Randal Dick, superintendent of missions, discussed the background that led to the decision to seek a name change.

  "Our current name tends to have the effect of hindering our ability to proclaim the gospel, because it creates another barrier for the unchurched to deal with," Dr. Tkach said.

  "Instead of readily discovering that we are a vibrant Christian renewal movement, they instead equate us with groups that have followed the tenets of Armstrongism."

  Some reports have suggested that it was actually Joseph Tkach, Jr. who has wanted to change the church's name for ten years. Whatever name he chooses, it will become more difficult all the time to fool anyone into thinking that they are "a vibrant Christian renewal movement" as these smooth-talking, wise-sounding, shakedown artists cleverly downsize towards zero. Today, everybody wants to be "vibrant." Such buzz words keep on flying around until one's ears are buzzing. However, Joe is absolutely right about a name change being needed. Since Joe's cult is not God's church, it is simply not appropriate to call it the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). Therefore, a name change to something more "godless" seems to be at least ten years overdue.

  There were accusations that Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) had "poisoned" the old name and ruined it with his teachings:

  Dr. Tkach went on to say: "This would not be the first name change for our church: Herbert W. Armstrong changed it twice -- once from Church of God, Seventh Day, to Radio Church of God and then to Worldwide Church of God.

  "Our current name does not properly represent us for several reasons. Numerous older sources continue to address the former doctrinal errors of the WCG under that name, even though we have long since been delivered from such errors.

  "In many ways, the name Worldwide Church of God is in effect 'poisoned,' similar to the way the German word fuehrer (leader), though innocuous in itself, is no longer usable in any normal sense because of its associations with a negative history. The negative associations with Armstrongism that are connected with the name Worldwide Church of God tend to hamper our effectiveness in proclaiming the gospel. A name change could give us a greater opportunity to tell the story of our transition."

  Joseph Tkach, Jr. did not bother to mention that their "effectiveness in proclaiming the gospel" was also hampered by the fact that they no longer remember what the gospel is, the fact that the World Tomorrow television program has gone off the 400+ television stations that it was once on, and the fact that the circulation of the Plain Truth magazine is down from the eight million copies that it once was to next to nothing now.

  For more excuses for a name change, keep reading:

  Superintendent of ministers Dan Rogers noted that "over the past several years, pastors and congregations have been asking that a denominational name change be considered.

  "The reasons for this are many. For one, it has proven difficult for our congregations to rent meeting facilities. Many church groups are unaware of our transformation, and so have refused to rent facilities to us. Teens who have desired to attend our SEP camps have not been allowed to do so by their parents who associate our name with our past teachings and practices.

  "In many such cases, people simply turn away from us as an organization without allowing any opportunity for an explanation that we’ve changed.

  "Biblically, we have often noted that when God has transformed people and gives them a new mission, he also changes their names to reflect this. A new identity in Christ often calls for a name that accurately proclaims this new identity and mission."

  The church's income and regular attendance have both fallen by about 90% since their peak years. With this decrease in attendance it is amazing to hear suddenly that they are finding it "difficult for our congregations to rent meeting facilities" because of the church's name. Perhaps they meant to say that it was now difficult to pay for meeting facilities with their low income, or difficult to fill meeting facilities with their few people. It is unbelievable to hear them suggest that teens from outside the church may not be allowed by their parents to attend SEP because of the church's name. Their real problem is that their own teens usually want to get out of the church as soon as they can.

  The impression was given that there was a process to selecting a new name:

  Members in all nations are encouraged to give input on a name change to their pastors, who will forward their suggestions to district superintendents. According to an announcement sent to church pastors, suggested names "should be short (no more than four words), clear and descriptive of our church; they should be names not already being used by other churches."

  One name that would accurately proclaim their "new identity and mission" is Worldwide Church of Fraud (WCF), but don't expect them to actually accept any of the input that they say "members in all nations are encouraged to give." Some reports suggest that Joe already knew what he wanted to call his church before he asked for any input.

November 2005:

• PCG minister rejects the commandment of God for his own tradition

  The following letter appeared at a Web site called Mike's Enlightenment Page on the Web page for Letters From Those Impacted By Philadelphia Church of God for 2005.

  PCG Tells Member to "Let the Dead Bury Their Dead." November 9, 2005 A few years ago, a young lady friend of mine who was in the PCG would always call her elderly mother who was very ill and unable to get out of bed before the "fellowship dinner" after services. One day after services, and as the dinner was beginning, the young lady received word after she called that her mother had been rushed to the hospital, and was hemorrhaging very badly. She immediately left the dinner to be by her mother's side, which was some fifty miles away. The next time she returned to services, the lady was told that she had been "disfellowshipped." When she asked the minister why, he told her that it was because she had "left the fellowship dinner without permission." She tried to explain to him that she had to leave because her mother had been hemorrhaging very badly and had been hospitalized. He replied to her that she should have "let the dead bury their dead." --Not in PCG

  This sort of attitude and behavior is so typical of those Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) "ministers." They just don't think. Of course, the verse where Jesus told a man to "Let the dead bury their own dead" (Luke 9:60, NIV) does not apply while the person is still alive. Also, Jesus was telling a man to "go and proclaim the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:60, NIV). He was not telling some woman to stay around for a potluck dinner.

  What is the will of God? The Bible not only explains it, but commands it. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, one of which said, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12, NIV). Jesus did not come to do away with this law. In fact, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17, NIV). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote that, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (I Timothy 4:8, NIV). Parents are important. You would not be here without them.

  Now, lest some pervert tries to promote sin, it probably needs to be pointed out here that honoring one's parents does not mean that one has to go along with their sins. The God who commanded the Israelites to honor their parents also told them, "Do not follow the statutes of your fathers or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the LORD your God; follow my decress and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us" (Ezekiel 20:18-20, NIV).

  The PCG "minister" is not the first person to set aside a command of God for his own tradition. The Bible contains a story about some Pharisees and teachers of the law who also had wrong ideas about the importance of their eating traditions. They complained to Jesus, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" (Matthew 15:2, NIV). Then, Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to honor his father with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites!" (Matthew 15:3-7, NIV).

  Amazing! The PCG hypocrite did the same thing that Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law for doing. He set aside the commandment that said to honor one's parents. He thought his own potluck dinner tradition was more important than the law of God. What should one do with such characters? Jesus instructed his own followers, "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matthew 15:14, NIV).

  Many followers of the blind PCG guides have fallen into a pit. The crazy and evil behavior of PCG "ministers" has caused many former members of the PCG to leave the cult and to turn to Sunday-keeping churches, or even to reject God and the Bible completely. Gerald Flurry and his so-called "ministers" have always tried to pass off their own satanic abuse as the "government of God." The victims of this abuse need to be careful not to reject the truth of God. They need to understand that the problem is not with the Bible, or God, or His laws. The problem is with wicked religious leaders who reject the commandments of God in order to keep their own traditions. It is a mistake for people to follow and support false prophets like That Runt. It is also a mistake for them to reject the Bible, and God, and His laws. Those who really truly do want to submit to the government of God can do so by simply obeying the laws of God, such as the one that says to honor one's parents.

December 2005:

• Christmas: Turning aside from truth to myths

  Santa Claus: Selling the nonsense that people love

  An obese man in a red suit from a Coca-Cola advertisement has become more popular than the tooth-rotting soft drink that he once promoted. Millions of people now like the nonsense story of a Santa Claus who lives at the North pole and travels all over the world on Christmas eve in a flying sleigh pulled by flying reindeer to deliver presents down chimneys to children who have been "good." He supposedly knows if you have been naughty or nice, but you have to write a letter to him to tell him what toys you want. Many parents think that they have to go along with all this foolishness, and claim that they do it "for the children." Many parents are forever willing to go along with all sorts of lies and nonsense "for the children" but are never concerned about providing the truth for their children.

  Toys are not made at the North pole by happy elves, but rather in China by people working in factories with long hours and low pay. Since Santa Claus is a myth, parents themselves have to perpetuate the lies and nonsense they have told by dressing up like the fat man in red and buying lots of toys and other gifts with their own money, or credit cards. The buying frenzy is promoted heavily each year by greedy, lying merchants who will do anything for money.

  It looks like the people of this age are as much into celebrating nonsense as were the people of past ages who would worship whatever ridiculous god they made up. Why do people love such crazy ideas as Santa Claus--rather than God--knowing whether you have been naughty or nice? Do they think that Santa Claus might be easier to manipulate than God? Why do so many people just love such complete nonsense? The answer is found in the New Testament of the Bible:

  "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (II Timothy 4:3-4, NIV).

  Popish persons and cartoon characters: Pushing Nativity scenes as a Santa Claus alternative

  Each year in December, if not sooner, there is a great rush to the stores to buy things. People ask, "Have you got your Christmas shopping done yet?" The amount of buying is so great that even Pope Benedict XVI said in 2005 that Christmas festivities had been polluted by consumerism. He suggested that instead of getting carried away by all the commercialism of the season, people should assemble a "Nativity scene" in their home to get back to the "true spirit" of Christmas.

  Benedict XVI is not the only one to publicly express this idea. This is the same as that boring Charlie Brown Christmas show on television each year, where the one kid tells Chuck about the "true meaning of Christmas." Like Benedict, he thinks that the answer is to get away from all the shopping, and focus on remembering the birthday of someone who was lying in a manger.

  Many people get caught up in whatever nonsense is going on around them. They join in without thinking about what they are doing. However, when it is pointed out to them that it is all a bunch of foolishness, some of the religious ones will then think about the matter a little bit and fall back on the idea that they are remembering Jesus' birthday. They just got carried away and forgot about it for a while, and did not know what they were doing or why they were doing it. They temporarily lost their minds and had an urge to join the maddening crowd and shop till they drop, or until their credit card limit gets exceeded. The godless types, on the other hand, don't care how foolish something is, and return to their shopping.

  The religious angle: Ignorant hypocrites pretending to be righteous

  Many people like to talk about the "true meaning of Christmas," and about "putting Christ back into Christmas." Benedict and Linus are of this sort. This might initially sound good, but the more one looks into things, the worse the deception turns out to be. Benedict also believes in observing Sunday rather than the biblical Sabbath. And the biblically illiterate Linus now believes in the Great Pumpkin, a product of his own warped imagination. Since he spoke out so rashly against the commercialism of Christmas, he now has to hope for toys at another time from this other source.

  The Bible gives a couple accounts of the birth of Jesus. One is in the first two chapters of the book of Matthew and the other is in the first two chapters of the book of Luke. Neither account tells exactly when Jesus was born. In fact, the Bible nowhere gives the date of his birth, though some things suggest that it was in the fall. It would not have been in the winter time since there were still shepherd's out in the fields watching over their flocks at night. The December 25 date, Christmas trees, mistletoe, Yule logs, etc. are not of biblical origin. The wise men gave their gifts to Jesus who was born King of the Jews. They did not exchange the gifts among themselves, or give them to their own children, or tell lies about Santa Claus bringing them.

  Many Christmas songs that have been made up contain untruths. People then hear singing about the "silent night, holy night" and think it is a special time when stores should be closed and people should not work. They hear that, "Mary's boy-child, Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas day." Even when they are told that the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown, many people still think that it is a good thing to remember it. Actually, the Bible nowhere says to remember it. If Jesus' birthday was supposed to be remembered and observed, the Bible would have said when it was. In fact, the only two clear mentions in the Bible of anyone ever observing any birthday are the story of the Egyptian Pharaoh in Genesis 40:20-22 (at which time he hanged his chief baker), and the story of Herod in places like Matthew 14:6-11, (at which time he beheaded John the baptizer). The Bible does contain the dates (on the Hebrew calendar) of the festivals that God does want people to remember, but they usually don't want anything to do with those customs.

  This brings us to the question, "Where did these things come from?" Again, the New Testament of the Bible has the answer. To repeat a couple verses, the Bible says:

  "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (II Timothy 4:3-4, NIV).

  The Bible does not really have a so-called Christmas story. Rather, a man-made Christmas story gets read into the biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus. Religious goofs and impostors like to pretend that they love Jesus so much that they want to observe His birthday. This is supposed to sound good. It is supposed to impress people. They don't want anyone asking them why they don't observe the things that the Bible commands them to, if they really love God so much. They don't like to be questioned about why they hate and reject the festivals that God did give, and that Jesus and his followers observed, and instead insist on showing their devotion by doing unbiblical, pagan-based things that the Bible nowhere says to do. Fortunately, the Bible is just full of answers. Jesus explained all about these hypocrites who reject the commandments of God and instead observe their own traditions:

  "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Mark 7:6-7, NIV).

  Almost everybody seems to watch television and be influenced by it. One cartoon show tries to give children, and adults, the impression that anyone who is opposed to Christmas is a "grinch." The truth is that the real grinches--Satan and his demons--are trying to steal God's biblical festivals from the people and replace them with unbiblical, pagan-based nonsense like Christmas.

  Seventh Day Adventist Church: Brain-damaged woman shoves a tree in their face

  While the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church may not consider Christmas to be an "official" custom of the SDA church, most SDA's do observe it. The SDA prophetess Ellen G. White (EGW) did not understand the things that a true prophet of God would. In the early years of the SDA church she taught that there was not necessarily anything wrong with a fragrant evergreen tree at the front of the church with gifts to God on it. No doubt, she thought this was a really clever thing to say. It looks like the rock that hit her in the face in her youth led to some brain damage. While she probably did not understand the serious implications of what she was saying, you can be sure that the spirit that was guiding her did. Thus, in her unthinking ignorance, she burdened the SDA church with unbiblical, pagan-based practices.

  One year around December, an SDA minister was asking members of his congregation, "And what does Christmas mean to you?" The most memorable response was from an old man who stood up and said that when he came out of the Catholic church and put away its pagan customs he put away Christmas along with them. The surprised minister had been looking for fluffier answers, but quickly regained his composure and went on to ask the next person. Some SDAs do know the truth about Christmas, but they cannot overcome the strong, controlling influence of EGW.

  One black boy from Africa ended up as a doctor and member of the SDA church in North America. SDA missionaries in Africa had come and told the people of his village that they had to renounce and abandon all their previous ways and go by the Bible and the Bible only. This he had tried to do. When he came to North America, he discovered that many of the SDAs over here had held on to unbiblical, pagan-based customs like Christmas. While telling other people around the world to go by the Bible and the Bible only, they had not done so themselves. The doctor gave a sermon about the topic, in which he mentioned that he finds that while some SDAs like what he has to say against the custom, many others do not.

  Some so-called SDAs don't seem to have any idea what they are doing, and consequently make a real mess of things. One chaplain at a Seventh Day Adventist institution had come to the job from a family of Sunday-keepers. He had a Festive Favorites song book for this season that mixed together songs like Here comes Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in the first section with songs like We Three Kings and Silent Night, Holy Night in the second section. It is just not possible to take seriously such clowns who are so mixed up and full of nonsense. He tells his audiences that he loves Christmas and loves singing Christmas carols, but one individual claimed to have been told by him that he does not want anything to do with Christmas. Maybe these ministers will do anything for a paycheck.

  Church of God (Seventh Day): A dead church tries to talk, but just decays more

  Some people like to say that the Church of God (Seventh Day) (COG7) is still alive. After all, it had its name listed in the 1995 Seventh Edition of the Directory of Sabbath-Observing Groups. So, some people keep on insisting that there are still some signs of life within it. The problem is that most of the "activity" within the COG7 seems to be worms trying to feast on the dead body. The COG7 formerly shunned Christmas. Now, however, it has some leaders and writers who are trying to change drastically various teachings of the COG7, and bring in things like Christmas observance. The COG7 has had some pretty smooth writings in the past, with the occasional unavoidable lump slipped in from time to time, usually in one or two quick sentences that it was hoped nobody would notice or fuss about too much. Lately, however, the lumps and bumps have been increasing greatly with the amount of lies and nonsense that wicked people are trying to bring in, and could make for a rocky road ahead.

  Someone named Richard Cress wrote an article called Reason on the Season for the July-August 2004 issue of the COG7's Bible Advocate (BA) magazine. In large print under the title he wrote, "The problems associated with Christmas and Easter should not keep us from celebrating Christ's birth and resurrection." And so the clever reasoning goes. This is an interesting statement, considering that they produced a booklet that suggested that it would be wrong to say we should observe the festivals that God gave in the Old Testament of the Bible, and that Jesus observed in the New Testament of the Bible, but that they don't want to remember. The Bible does not say to observe Jesus' birthday. In fact, it does not say exactly when it was, though some biblical indications are that it was in the fall. The Bible also does not really say to observe Jesus' resurrection either. In the Bible, Jesus taught his followers to remember his death until he comes. But, again, the COG7 never did want to remember all the biblical customs that God instituted. And now, it wants to bring in unbiblical, pagan-based customs that the Bible never commanded, or even allowed. In grossest darkness, the worms in this dead body try to say that such things are not expressly forbidden.

  Worldwide Church of God: Someone turned the light out, and darkness got in everyone's eyes

  The Worldwide Church of God (WCG) had taught against customs like Christmas for just over fifty years while Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA) was the leader. He wrote a booklet called The Plain Truth About Christmas, which can be read at a number of different Web sites. In much writing, error is not absent. HWA got much of what he learned from other people. HWA appears to have copied the idea from some other book when he wrote in his Christmas booklet that Jeremiah 10:2-6 contained "a perfect description of the Christmas tree." People now say that when they looked into it and read all of Jeremiah 10:1-16, especially in other translations, they came to the conclusion that it was actually talking about carved idols overlaid with silver and gold rather than about a Christmas tree decked with tinsel. Feeling that they have found a fault with his teachings, they then dismiss everything else that HWA wrote, and go ahead and observe Christmas. They don't stop to think that Santa Claus does not exist. They don't stop to think that the Bible does not even say when Jesus was born, much less tell anyone to observe that date. They don't want to think about where the December 25 date came from, or where the Christmas tree came from.

  After HWA's death in 1986, Joseph Tkach, Sr. took over and changed virtually all the teachings of the church. Now, the WCG observes Christmas. One web site showed a picture of one of HWA's old houses now decorated with Christmas lights.