UCG Crisis Appears to be Growing

Ancient Laodicea has many ineffective structures

The situation related to the UCG crisis seems to be affecting more and more who were once parts of that organization. Today, UCG’s John Carmack (and he may not be part of UCG too much longer if I am understanding the ramifications of his recent posts), posted the following:

On the Facebook UCG United We Stand discussion board is a page for “I Support the Letter”. This signature page is to show support for the letter that the elders who signed the Open Letter to Dennis Luker. Granted, it is informal, but it is very symbolic. It only had about 225 last night, and as of this morning is about 420!

If you are on Facebook, a member (or recent ex-member) of UCG and if you support the Open Letter, this might be your last chance to have your voice heard, seeing as the current administration is more concerned about squashing dissent rather than investigating core issues.

This indicates, to me at least, that the crisis that UCG is facing is escalating. And John Carmack keeps having issues with UCG.

Notice that in a post yesterday, John Carmack wrote:

Frankly, there are many things that turn me off about the current UCG leadership. However, the overarching concern I have is they and their supporters have not shown a great deal of integrity. Unfortunately, that includes doctrinal integrity as well.

And a day earlier (Tuesday) John Carmack posted:

Basically, the current UCG leadership has opted to slander, ridicule and denigrate its opposition while claiming that is what is being done to them. It finally comes out that it has been a bunch of lies the current leadership has been spewing from the beginning of gaining a foothold within the COE. While none of the old guard are perfect examples of righteousness, like the rest of us, it does show they have made a good faith effort to work within UCG to turn events around, while the COE has given them the cold shoulder.

When Dennis Luker says it is about “power and control”, he is right, you know. It is all about the current leadership exerting its power and control and killing off any dissent. It is obvious that they are not interested in reconciliation.

He is entitled to his opinions. And he and I do not always agree or disagree. Our relationship tends to be cordial. At the “Abigail Cartwright” site, there are various other reports from those who are questioning UCG and its Council of Elders (COE).

Now, as I indicated before, I am not taking sides on this crisis as I do not believe that UCG, IAO, or some of the other alternatives I have read that some part of UCG are considering (like being independent) is the best choice for any who hope to be Philadelphian. But I will add that I did speak with a member of UCG’s Council of Elders a few days ago and he is convinced that certain of the leaders of those who have broken away from UCG have their own problems with integrity, so he is surprised that any would be supporting them over UCG’s current organization. He believes that the COE has made attempts at reconciliation and he has resented the statements from others who said that COE did not make any attempts to reconcile with Latin America.

As far as I am concerned, the bottom line continues to be that the Living Church of God (LCG) has a governance structure and set of priorities more closely related to those that Jesus would support. Those who ridicule hierarchical governance through improper examples seem to forget that God expects people to follow leaders as they follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; Acts 5:29). And that is what we in LCG try to do, as should all Christians. Recall that in Revelation 3 the Laodiceans are condemned by Jesus for having an approach to the work that differs from that of the Philadelphians–people need to look at all relevant scriptures on that as well as proper biblical governance.

Any interested in supporting the remnant of the Philadelphia era of the COG should prayerfully check out LCG. Now, I have received some emails critical of the fact that I believe that those in UCG or having problems with UCG should consider looking at LCG. This strikes me as odd as I think most people who visit the COGwriter website know that I am a supporter of LCG and have always felt that UCG’s form of governance and priorities were not Philadelphian and that those associated with UCG should consider LCG. I strongly believe that the current crisis in UCG is a wakeup call for those that delayed doing this in the past.

Those not interested in LCG will either remain part of UCG (or where ever they are), go with one of the former UCG break-away ministers/groups, go somewhere else, or drop out. God will hold all accountable for what they do and do not do.

And yes, that includes me.

But to basically the best of my ability, I believe that I have provided accurate coverage of various aspects of UCG’s crises this year and have repeatedly pointed out that UCG’s chosen form of governance held some responsibility for the crisis that UCG now finds itself.

Others will have their own opinions, but in the meantime, me and those of us in LCG will continue to try to support the COG that always has been the most effective in proclaiming Christ’s gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness in the 21st century (Matthew 24:14). And to me, LCG is that place. And I believe that the facts documented in many of my articles will demonstrate that to any who are Philadelphia remnant Christians.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
Unity: Which COG for You? Why so many groups? Why is there lack of unity in the Churches of God? Has it always been this way? What can/should be done about it?
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG/GCI members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.