PCG ‘Thrilled’ to Have F-16s Fly Over Armstrong Auditorium

Today, military jets are to fly over the Philadelphia Church of God’s Armstrong Auditorium:

Armstrong Auditorium’s 2011-12 performing arts series will kick off July 3 with the screaming thunder of F-16s from the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

According to OANG’s Capt. Chris Wells, the 138th will perform the maneuver at 7:20 p.m. when four F-16 Fighting Falcons fly over the campus of Herbert W. Armstrong College at Bryant and Waterloo in north Edmond.

Armstrong’s marketing director Shane Granger said he received confirmation of the fly-over from the Pentagon on Saturday.

“We’re thrilled to have such a distinguished fighter wing from Oklahoma as part of our Independence Day celebrations at Armstrong,” he said. http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x349137729/F-16s-to-launch-Armstrong-Auditorium-Independence-Day-celebration

Now, there are several ways to look at this. One is an American view that all publicity is good publicity.

Another is does God want His people to glorify war?

As a former member of the military, and as am member of the Living Church of God, I would think not.

While the observance of national holidays is not biblically prohibited (Jesus seemed to do so, John 10:22-23), and often can serve as a time of reflection, displays of military aircraft seem, to me at least, to directly glorify the pride of war and military conquest (and yes, I realize that others may see this differently).

Of course, like many groups that came out of the old WCG, I have long believed that PCG has wrong doctrines and priorities. And while having publicity can be nice, being “thrilled” about military aircraft flying around its campus and other church facilities is not quite how I think God will view this F-16 display (or other public displays of military hardware by other nations).

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.
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians?
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.