PCG: Armstrong Auditorium and Relics

Philadelphia Trumpet, December 2010

As shown above, the December 2010 edition of the Philadelphia Church of God’s Trumpet magazine features a photograph of its new Armstrong Auditorium.

An article in the magazine by Stephen Flurry (son of the self-appointed “prophet” Gerald Flurry) includes the following comments:

Armstrong Auditorium may not rise to the level of excellence of Solomon’s house, but judging by the initial wave of reviews, it will take your breath away…

At a Pasadena auction in July 2004, we purchased one of our two Steinway pianos, a concert grand that Mr. Armstrong had originally ordered for Ambassador in 1983. We also bought the two candelabras commissioned by the shah in 1971. Mr. Armstrong originally purchased the pair from a London department store in 1973 and placed them inside the main lobby of Ambassador Auditorium…

In 2006, we contacted the same acoustical firm that helped design Ambassador Auditorium’s near-perfect acoustics…

In 2009, we landed yet another piece from the Armstrong era: the beautiful Swans in Flight. Mr. Armstrong assigned David Wynne to the task in 1968. Upon completion, it was placed at the entrance of the Ambassador College campus in Big Sandy, Texas. After we purchased the work of art from the campus’s new owners in May 2009, we disassembled the 1,200-pound sculpture and moved it to Norman, Oklahoma, where it was refurbished and stored until January of this year. It was installed on our campus in March.

Finally, there are the gold-plated bronze letters affixed to the onyx wall featured in the center of the grand lobby. They read, “Armstrong Auditorium: Made possible by gifts from the Philadelphia Church of God. Dedicated to the honor and glory of the Great God.” Except for where the names are different, these are the original letters that used to be on the feature wall inside the Ambassador Auditorium lobby, generously given to us by the current owners of Ambassador!…

Breathtaking!

Now, I do not doubt that with a lot of money, that PCG did get a beautiful building. But it seems focused a lot on the physical.

Yet, as I have mentioned before, it seems to me at least, that PCG may be a bit too much into the collection of what could be considered as relics. With the reported cost of the auditorium project in the $20,000,000 range, and PCG’s attendance in the 4,000-7,000 range, this auditorium seems to be a very costly priority for PCG.

Jesus taught:

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).

And while most in PCG will likely say that the same could be true of the Ambassador Auditorium of the old WCG, the reality is that the old WCG had closer ten to twenty times the number of attendees than PCG has. Thus, the relative cost was quite different. Furthermore, and while PCG members would tend to disagree, the late Herbert W. Armstrong had gospel-proclaiming goals that Ambassador Auditorium did help him attain. And that simply will not be true the to same degree for PCG.

Like many groups that came out of the old WCG, I have long believed that PCG had the wrong priorities. And while having a “Breathtaking!” building is nice, there is more to a church than a nice ornate building with great acoustics.

Some 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?
The Temple and the Work This article discusses the two temples of the Old Testament and gives insight as to their possible relevance to the situation which has impacted the Church during this past decade or so.
The Elijah Heresies Does the Bible teach that there will be a future Elijah? Must it be Herbert W. Armstrong as PCG teaches?
What is a True Philadelphian? Many claim to be part of the Philadelphia era of the Church, but is claiming enough? This article has biblical and historical evidence about who really are the Philadelphians.
Are the Laodiceans the Modern Sadducees and Pharisees? Discusses similarities of the Sadducees and Pharisees to various COGs in this end-time.
Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today? Includes quotes from the 1973 edition of The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong and explains who he was and how he should be viewed today.