PCG Acquires Big Sandy Sculpture

In what seems to be a public news release, PCG reported the following:

Pastor General visits Big Sandy, acquires sculpture

April 13, 2009

BIG SANDY, TX – Pastor General Gerald Flurry arrived here on the former campus of Ambassador College Wednesday, April 8, at 2:40 p.m. to personally inspect the condition of the bronze sculpture that has dominated its entryway for over 40 years.

“Swans in Flight,” a bronze-and-steel sculpture depicting the five stages of a swan taking flight, was unveiled in 1968 by Herbert W. Armstrong and English sculptor David Wynne in a ceremony attended by members of the Worldwide Church of God and the local press. The artist personally oversaw the installation of the five bronze swans in a 120-foot-long reflecting pool…

Referring to Amos 9:11, Mr. Flurry said, “We have a responsibility to raise the ruins. We are going to show the world the best of the human spirit, combined with God’s Holy Spirit.” He added, “God has given us these gifts to raise up the ruins and He’s even giving us some of the treasures He gave to Mr. Armstrong. This swan sculpture is going to bring life to our campus in a special way.”

Source: http://www.pcog.org/article.php?articleid=82

PCG has for a long time, focused (in my opinion) on mainly how to physically appear to be like the old WCG.

Please notice the following:

Emperor Constantine I, appointed his mother Helen as Augusta, and gave her unlimited access to the imperial treasury in order to locate the relics of Judeo-Christian tradition. (Helena of Constantinople. Wikipedia, viewed 04/20/09)

It was mainly because of Constantine and Helena that the Greco-Roman churches adopted idols and icons for their churches. The Bible itself warns that even using genuine relics can be a problem (2 Kings 18:4).

And while I do not believe that those in PCG will worship the sculpture, I do believe that they will feel that its ownership proves (to many of them at least) that PCG is the correct church.

While I have nothing against a swan sculpture, this announcement from PCG really did remind me of Emperor Constantine’s mother’s quest for relics and pictures in the fourth century.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include the following:

Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which claims to be faithful.
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians?