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03/07/06 a.m. Although we are not in UCG, and have never requested it, UCG's United Youth Camp's brochure arrived in the mail last night. FWIW, I believe they do a good job in explaining their camps and why their youth should attend them.
My sons, of course, have attended the LCG camps. And no, I see no reason that they should go to a UCG camp over an LCG one.
This was an unusual news item:
MOSCOW, March 5 (RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church and the political leader of the Hamas militant group said Sunday that they intended to continue interfaith cooperation.
"We have developed traditionally good relations with the Palestinian leadership. I hope these relations will continue," Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II said at a meeting with a delegation of the Hamas militant movement headed by its political chief Khaled Meshaal.
Meshaal said in his turn that this desire was reciprocal.The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church also expressed the hope that Christians and Muslims would continue their dialog on Palestinian territory.
The delegation of the Hamas militant group, which won the Palestinian parliamentary elections on January 25, is in Moscow on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The article is at http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060305/43931265.html Although it does not mention the above, I recently updated the article Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Churches of God
On other matters, I noted once again this morning how xCG wishes to gloss over the fact that many Catholic scholars admit that what Roman Catholics tend to believe about early church history is in error. But the simple facts are that I have read most of the extant early writings of the second century also, and concur with the scholars who admit that there was virtually nothing known about the supposed early (prior to mid 2nd century) "bishops of Rome", that the acts attributed to them have no real basis, that many heresies sprung out of Rome, that there are extant real writings from the leadership in Asia Minor for that period, and that those in Asia Minor refused to accept Roman authority, and that it was the leadership in Asia Minor that was faithful to the teachings of scripture and the apostles.
This is documented (mainly from Catholic sources) in the article What Does Rome Actually Teach About Early Church History?
03/06/06 a.m. The March 2006 edition of the Philadelphia Trumpet has this announcement from Gerald Flurry:
You need to watch Jerusalem as never before. We are going to see half of that city fall very soon. It could happen this year—2006!
Part of the reason for this statement is that PCG believes that Iran is the King of the South. A related article states:
Iran is playing for the highest stakes in the global energy game...
The ayatollahs may have been extreme, but Ahmadinejad is truly a volatile, unpredictable customer whose violent vocalizing against Israel, the U.S. and EU members is forcing these nations to reassess their foreign policies toward this rising king of the south.
LCG's R.C. Meredith has gone on record to state that Iran cannot be the King of the South, as it is north of Jerusalem (and historically, those identified as the King of the South were south of Jerusalem).
In yet related doctrinal change, PCG teaches that the king of the South will be knocked off before the US, etc. will be.
This king of the north, after conquering and securing the resources of the king of the south, is prophesied to then turn its attention to the biblical nations of Israel—specifically the United States and Britain, in addition to the Jewish state located within its newly acquired Middle Eastern territory—and to swiftly demolish them! It will strip these subjugated nations of their wealth (Hilliker J. and Morley R. The Battleground. The Philadelphia Trumpet, March 2006, p. 19).
Gerald Flurry also preached this change a few years ago. I verified with the late John Ogwyn around that time that this was not the order that was taught at HWA's Ambassador Colleges. However, this was apparently the order that HWA felt may occur prior to WWII, but later HWA realized that the US, Britain, etc. would be eliminated before the King of the South would be (Psalm 83, as well as Daniel 11, supports the correct position).
More information on PCG can be found in the article Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God.
At xCG, Jared Olar asserts:
As for what he says about no state ever recognising “true Christianity” (read “Armstrongism”), he’s quite correct, but then that’s only because Thiel’s religion didn’t exist until the 20th century, and was invented in a country where establishments of religion are against the law.
Jared's assertion is simply inaccurate. But sadly many prefer to believe the anti-COG assertions than the historical truth.
Even Jared Olar knows that LCG came out of WCG which came out of CG7, which came from certain ones affiliated with or considered to have been Seventh Day Baptists who have been in the US since the 1600s. I could go back further (please see articles Do the Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 Matter? and Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome), but that is enough to show the error of that xCG comment.
What Jared Olar and others should ask themselves is how come they are part of a church (Roman Catholic in Jared's case) that does not believe many of the doctrines held by the first and second century church, such as millenarianism, which his church admits it changed (it also changed at least dozens of other doctrines).
Perhaps it should be noted that even Roman Catholic scholars admit that:
a) There is no early evidence that Peter was a bishop (nor proof he could have been in Rome long enough to have possibly even been considered its specific leader.
b) Paul did not found the Church in Rome.
c) There is no early evidence that Peter (or Paul) directly transferred his authority to Linus (and Tertullian does not even list Linus as a successor).
d) The identity of Cletus/Anacletus was unclear for centuries (Hippolytus says this was two different people).
e) The letter attributed to Clement is not authoritative, and that Clement abdicated his position (thus there are serious problems associated with the first four so-called bishops of Rome).
f) There were probably no bishops of Rome until into the second century.
g) There were no popes prior to 384 A.D.
h) There is almost nothing known about any of the 1st century people usually listed as bishops of Rome, and thus that almost every major act attributed to them is simply not based upon fact.
i) That there was a church faithful to the apostolic teachings in Asia Minor in the second cenutry, led by leaders who would not accept the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
Quotes from Catholic scholars to document this and other matters are included in the article What Does Rome Actually Teach About Early Church History?
03/05/06 a.m. The March 2006 edition of the Philadelphia Trumpet (a PCG publication) has this in a letter to the editor:
I AM A MEMBER OF THE UNITED CHURCH of God...I was baptized in the UCG at age 27...I believe the PCG is a continuation of the work restored through Mr. Armstrong and would like to be part of that work.
He, and any others with that view, really need to study the article Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God to dispel the notion that PCG is a continuation of the work restored through HWA.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that two of the evangelists that HWA appointed to continue (via media presentation) the work of the Philadelphia portion of COG were Richard Ames and Dibar Apartian, both in the Living Church of God. I am unaware that any in PCG had any significant role or approval by HWA.
Speaking of the work and LCG, its Wayne Pyle reports that for the second week in a row we have had a record-breaking response to the telecast. A week ago Mr. Meredith’s program #267, “Beware of the Antichrist!” drew a record 3,942 responses. This past weekend, Mr. Ames’ program #265, “Seven Satanic Deceptions,” that offered the booklet, Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity, drew another record number of responses. “We are expecting the total for the week to reach 4,790!”
To put this in perspective, last week UCG reported:
- The Good News radio program (which will now become Beyond Today, using the audio from the television program) has produced a total of 13,648 responses—generally averaging slightly more than 200 per month.
Media responses is one of the Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God.
03/04/06 a.m. Legacy Institutes' latest letter arrived last night. Here is an excerpt:
The new Karen language hymnal is not fresh off the presses. The songs contained in this hymnal were first translated by Pastor Saw Leh Beh, a faithful and diligent servant of God in Myanmar right up until his death in 2000. These songs were then computer typeset in the Karen script...We then took the computer disks to the printer and ordered 500 copies...
The new hymnal will be a unifying force among the Karen COG members on both sides of the border. All will be singing the same hymns in their own language. Legacy Institute is honored to play a small part in helping bring to fruition a wonderful labor of love begun by Saw Leh Beh many years ago and carried on by his son, Davidson Lay Beh.
Legacy Institute is based in Thailand and also announced that 4 graduated from its school a couple of days ago. Saw Leh Beh was a minister in WCG and finally LCG before his death. His son, I believe, took a more independent approach. It has taken a long time, but many COGs have been coming up with their own hymnals since the apostasy in WCG.
Actually, a couple of years back, someone took out an ad in The Journal falsely claiming that the old WCG hymnal is what led to WCG's demise (that ad is discussed in the article Praises to Jesus Christ or Biblical Hymns: Which Should Christians Primarily Sing).
In what seems to be one of the worst bills proposed in the U.S. this year:
Missouri legislators in Jefferson City considered a bill that would name Christianity the state's official "majority" religion. House Concurrent Resolution 13 has is pending in the state legislature. Many Missouri residents had not heard about the bill until Thursday. Karen Aroesty of the Anti-defamation league, along with other watch-groups, began a letter writing and email campaign to stop the resolution. The resolution would recognize "a Christian god," and it would not protect minority religions, but "protect the majority's right to express their religious beliefs. The resolution also recognizes that, "a greater power exists," and only Christianity receives what the resolution calls, "justified recognition."
State representative David Sater of Cassville in southwestern Missouri, sponsored the resolution, but he has refused to talk about it on camera or over the phone.
The entire article is available at http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/030206ccklrKmovreligionbill.7d361c3f.html There is no history of any state recognizing true Christianity, thus we in the COGs should be suspect when such bills are proposed.
Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:
Hollywood is about to immerse the country in their celebration of homosexuals and terrorists in the lineup of motion pictures they’ve chosen to “honor” at this year’s Academy Awards. During World War II, the entertainment industry championed the patriotic cause of God and country. This clearly is no longer the case as we watch World War III take shape. Educational institutions and the entertainment industry now champion the view that there are no values, and no such thing as right and wrong. Time obviously is not on our side as the younger generation is bombarded with the “anything goes” philosophy from nearly every angle.
The bird flu panic has hit Europe and the UK now, and our own U.S. Health Secretary has warned that it is only a matter of time until we see it crop up in the U.S.
Perhaps I should mention that Hollywood has a set of priorities that differ from most of the rest of us who live in California.
03/03/06 a.m. From its latest COE meeting, UCG reported:
Mr. Kilough started with a financial update, reporting that the income continues to be strong. He said there was an income surge at the end of 2005, and the pace of income continues to be ahead of the current budget. Based on the strength of the income for 2005-2006, the proposed budget for fiscal year 2006-2007 shows a larger increase than in the past few years...
Based on current and anticipated income trends, Dr. Kirkpatrick presented the Council a proposed budget of $21.3 million for fiscal year 2006-2007, a 4.9 percent increase over the current fiscal year. Dr. Kirkpatrick discussed the specific allocations for each area of the budget and then invited comments from the Council...
Mr. Dick and Mr. Giese walked the Council through the proposed schedule for the business and fellowship activities for the upcoming annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders in May...
Mr. Giese shared with the Council the task force's summary of observations regarding the annual meeting of the GCE and their suggested options regarding the annual GCE meeting. Council discussion primarily focused on two subjects:
- Attendance by salaried and non-salaried elders — approximately 50 percent of the elders attend.
- The inclusion of seminars for ministerial education along with the business meeting, which is required by the Constitution and Bylaws.
Jim Franks commented that the seminars given at the General Conference have had an impact on the education efforts of Ministerial Services. In 2005, for example, some of the same material given at the GCE meeting was also given in a regional ministerial conference just a few weeks later. Mr. Franks recalled that in the early years of the Church, the Council discussed whether the annual meeting was a business meeting or an educational conference.
He also noted that funding for the conference is an issue. Mr. Franks commented that he would like for all the elders to be able to attend, and employed elders are required to (unless excused by the Council) — yet all have to pay their own way. He acknowledged that the Council will not be able to do so today, but needs to resolve both the education coordination and funding issues.
The above is still yet another governance issue that UCG must address.
UCG also reported:
The final matter of open session business was the discussion and approval of the outline for the video sermon for the 2006 Feast of Tabernacles, titled "Life Anew in a New Land." The setting will be Australia and New Zealand, drawing on an analogy between the coming new civilization of God on earth, and the new civilization that early Australians forged as they sought to build a new country.
The video will focus on the brethren and work in Australia and New Zealand. It will include a sermon from an Australian minister, discussion of the challenges and successes of the work of the Church in each area, interviews of members and elders in both areas and a message from Mr. Kilough on the overall accomplishments of the Church in the past year and goals for the future.
The Catholic News Agency reported:
Vatican City, Mar. 02, 2006 (CNA) - Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to drop the traditional papal title, “Patriarch of the West” reportedly, in hopes of furthering ecumenical conversations with Christian Orthodox Churches of the east.
The Vatican recently released its official yearbook, the “Annuario Pontificio” which will be available to the public later this month. The volume contains 8 traditional titles held by the Pope but leaves out, “Patriarch of the West” which always appeared in previous editions.Reportedly, the Holy Father chose to remove the title, which was introduced into papal nomenclature in 1870, at the time of the first Vatican Council, because many of his discussions with Orthodox leaders have centered on the primacy of the Pope.Likewise, John Paul II also is said to have considered dropping the title in favor of a more universal view of the papacy.Watchers say that Pope Benedict wants to eliminate any implication that the Catholic Church is Church “of the west” and thus separate from other cultures and traditions—particularly in the east.
The other 8 titles contained in the Annuario include; "Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God."
The complete article is from http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=6137 Notice the eight titles that he kept--at least two of which are not appropriate for a true Christian leader.
It is of interest to note that he dropped one title because of the Eastern Orthodox Church. A relatively popular article at this site is Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Churches of God.
Christianity Today reports:
Partial-birth Abortion Heads to Supreme Court
The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2003, has never gone into force. Three federal courts have now ruled the act unconstitutional, and one of those decisions has been appealed to the Supreme Court. Observers are waiting to see whether the court will take up the case, as the two newest justices could lead the court to allow the ban to take effect.
While all abortion is murder, partial birth abortion is murder that is so obvious, that even the staunchest pro-abortion advocate has to realize this (at least privately).
03/02/06 a.m. In the lead article of UCG's WN&P titled Will Iran Provoke Nuclear War in 2006?, its Cecil E. Maranville makes the following statement:
Am I saying that there could be a nuclear war in 2006? Yes.
This is not only quite a bold statement, this is uncharacteristically bold from any part of UCG. Actually, lack of clear and bold statements on belief is one of the many
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God. One specific difference between UCG and LCG is that UCG teaches that Iran could be the King of the South, while LCG teaches that Iran cannot be.
The Baptist Press has been covering the WCC meetings. One article states:
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (BP)--Recognizing the Holy Spirit in other religions, tolerating homosexual marriage and denouncing the U.S. war on terror were among the views advocated at the 9th World Council of Churches Assembly Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Founded in 1948, the WCC describes itself as “the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity,” according to the group’s website. The WCC has 347 member denominations in more than 120 countries, including most of the mainline Protestant denominations in America...“The World Council of Churches has long been a boutique of paganism in Christian garb,” said Russell D. Moore, senior vice president for academic administration and dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “This year’s assembly happenings, including the recognition of ‘the Holy Spirit’ working in non-Christian world religions, only continues the downgrade.
“Regenerate believers across the world, whatever their denomination or communion, recognize the sprit of the World Council for what it is: the spirit of antichrist,” Moore said. “The only differences between the WCC of today and the WCC of the mid-twentieth century are first one of degree and second one of relevance. No one listens to the World Council of Church anymore, and for that we should be thankful to God.”
There are many professing Christian groups, and not just those in the WCC, which are some type of "boutique of paganism in Christian garb".
LCG's Douglas Winnail writes:
What is happening to the United States, the British-descended peoples and the modern state of Israel? The British Empire is gone, reduced to a fragmenting island on the edge of a merging Europe. The U.S.—the world’s only superpower—is being challenged, defied and denounced by nations around the globe...Why is this occurring? Bible prophecy reveals the answer—and surprising facts about the future!
The complete article is available at http://www.lcg.org/cgi-bin/tw/magazine/tw-mag.cgi?category=Magazine13&item=1104083208
03/01/06 a.m. The Feb 06 edition of United News arrived last night. It updated and increased the reported baptisms for 2005 from 316 to "at least 398".
This included 55 from Ghana. Readers may recall that a group from Ghana became part of UCG a few years ago.
On other matters, because of Katrina, the news media is making a bigger deal about New Orleans and its Mardi Gras celebration this year. So I thought it may be helpful to share some information about its version in Germany:
The Historical Roots of Carnival in Germany
Feb 28, 2006 People in Germany have been celebrating Carnival since the Middle Ages. Today, few people are aware of the historical roots of the tradition.
People in Germany have been celebrating a form of Carnival since the Middle Ages. But even before that, people performed heathen rituals at this time of year to celebrate the end of winter. During Roman times, for instance, people along the Rhine celebrated a festival in honor of their wine god Dionysos in spring - a feast with much drinking and laughing, a feast during which people had complete freedom to criticize authorities without fear of repercussions for a few days. Some of that tradition still lives on today.
Night before the fast
When regions along the Rhine where christianized, the heathen festival was integrated into the official church calendar and developed into what later became known as Carnival. The celebration takes place six weeks before Easter, just before the period of fasting or Lent begins. In fact, the original name still used in parts of the German speaking world, "Fastnacht" (night before the fast), reveals these early Christian origins. The 40 days leading up to Easter were intended as a quiet, reflective time. According to the church, people should abstain from heavy eating and drinking during Lent as a way to remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Living it up
But before these sobering weeks began, many of the Christians wanted to enjoy themselves and live it up one last time. Eating and drinking, rowdy behavior and indulging in the pleasures of the flesh were all considered a part of preparing oneself for the fast, a sort of purging the body through partying. In fact, this is where the name "Carnival" comes from: carnis is Latin for 'flesh'.
Party with the blessing of the church
Although it may seem surprising, the Catholic church actually tolerated this wild behavior, regarding it as a comprise for the piety that was expected in the weeks prior to Easter.
Having the "blessing" of the Catholic Church to condone pagan customs is not new (see What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?). The full news article is available at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,405933,00.html
Speaking of Louisiana, a new LCG member is in the news there. The article is at my LCG News Page.
On other matters, here are the top ten non-news articles viewed at the cogwriter site in Feb 06.
While the first item is not a surprise for February, the amount of visits was much higher than in February 2005 (though it, like most of the articles above, is updated periodically--so it is not the same article).
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Volume 9, issue 31 COGwriter B. Thiel (c) 2006