By COGwriter
The Living Church of God (Living) and the United Church of God, an International Association (United) both had their roots in the Worldwide Church of God. Although there are many obvious similarities, this author has often been asked about the differences in their teachings. The intent of this article is not to cause division. The Bible teaches that two cannot walk together unless they are agreed (Amos 3:3), thus true agreement will not come if the groups hold differing views. This article primarily includes quotes from official publications or the leaderships of two churches.
Published quotes from some members, who are not part of the "leadership" have been included, because in some instances those comments seemed to help clarify certain points. The author is aware that several of the quotes which follow may not be the official policies of the respective churches. The author is also aware that many members in United do not share the "official view" of United's leadership on some of these subjects. In addition, quotes from those who were once in United but are now with the group now led by David Hulme (COG, aic) will try to be excluded (as some in United object to them). Some quotes from Living leadership while they were in the Global Church of God are included as these leaders still hold similar leadership positions in Living.
For background information, it should be stated that this author has received and read most of United's literature since it founded, nearly all of Living's literature since it founded, and nearly all of Global's literature since 1995. The author has also attended United services at least a dozen times in a total of three different congregations. However, the author has had much greater access to Living's videos, tapes, sermons, etc. than United's. (Note any bolding was placed by this author, and many of my comments within each position will be in italics.)
I know that this is a long paper and readers may wish to selectively pick and chose what to read at first. However, if one is affiliated with United and is under the misconception that United teaches the same doctrines as WCG under HWA did (which are the same as LCG under Roderick Meredith), this article should be read in its entirety as it clearly documents that error of that misconception.
Fundamental Difference
Perhaps the fundamental difference between the groups is that United believes it is a continuation of the Church of God, while Living believes it represents the bulk of the remnant of the Philadelphia era of the Church of God. Nearly all the differences which this article documents stem from this fundamental difference.
United: "Jim Franks of Cypress, Texas, chairman of the UCG's advisory committee on doctrine...Mr. Franks believes...UCG is 'not a new church,' he said. 'We are a continuation' " (Warren, John. UCG tentatively sanctions old-WCG voting doctrine. The Journal. August 31, 2001).
Living: "The Living Church of God cannot claim that all its members are Philadelphian, but we do believe we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant" (Thiel, R. What is a Philadelphian? Living Church News. Jul-Aug 2001; p.15). "...we are the 'remnant' of the Philadelphian Church living over into the Laodicean era" (Meredith, Roderick C. Wait on God. Living Church News. Jul-Aug 2003; p3).
The following is a list of differences that this article will attempt to document in detail:
1. Broadcast Media and Doing a Work
2. Handling Income Surpluses in 2001
3. Size: Elders, Churches, and Feast Sites
4. Gospel
5. Third Tithe
6. Church Eras
7. Laodicea
8. Philadelphia
9. Petra
10. Who Will Be Protected?
11. Iran: Possible King of the South
12. Herbert W. Armstrong--Elijah
13. Birthdays
14. Born Again
15. Disasters
16. Miracles
17. Voting
18. Jury Duty
19. 18 Truths
20. Last Great Day
21. Unleavened Bread
22. Holidays
23. Catholic or Moslem Europe?
24. Doctrinal Changes
25. Approaches to Prophecy: When is the End? Should it be a major concern?
26. Governance
27. Mission/Why Are They There
28. Brief Financial Comparison of US Income
1. Broadcast Media and Doing a Work
United:
"Broadcast Media and Advertising. No budget is projected in this area at this time. The new Council of Elders will develop strategic and operating plans. Broadcast media and advertising will be addressed at that time." (Notes to Proposed Fiscal Budget. New Beginnings. December 18, 1995; p:11)
"Israel sat on the bottom of Mount Sinai for nearly a year (Exodus 19:1, Numbers 10:11). Why? Because this is how God decided to start a church...God took time to teach Israel how to worship Him. He took time to organize and train their ministry and to write their ministerial manuals. He took time to teach them how to conduct worship services. All this was done in Exodus. God then dedicated the entire book of Leviticus to teaching Israel how to worship and walk with Him--a repetition and expansion of the book of Exodus. Is there a lesson in it for us? Yes. Some get overly anxious about doing a work...Some would like to see us do it right this time." (Dick, Bob. From the Chairman: How Would God Start a Church? New Beginnings. March 4, 1996).
For United's 15 month fiscal year ending June 30, 2000 "Public Proclamation" (2,584,544) divided by "Total revenues, gains, and other supports" (19,715,635) = 13.1% (Financial Statements Receive Positive Report from Auditors. United News. November 2000; p.18).
"Presenters are being chosen for a possible radio program for United" (Eddington, Peter. Radio Program Explored. United News. July 1999; p.16). "On May 30 Gary Petty will come to the office to begin taping the first 13 half-hour radio programs for the Church-sponsored weekly radio broadcast scheduled to begin in August...it is hard to know what results to expect from this test phase" (Radio Taping Begins. United News. May 2000; p.16).
"President Les McCullough commented 'My impression is, we need to get the Council to decide, and to agree, on what the purpose of the Church is. I know we have a mission statement. But what does the Council think the purpose of the Good News is? What is our… intent, our aim?… It seems to me we’d be better off if that were all nailed down solidly at the upper level and then passed on down through the lower level…as a Council, it doesn’t seem to me that we’re as focused, and as precise, and as intent on ‘what is the purpose [of some of the things we do]?’ We have some very broad general statements that we’ve made, but we haven’t narrowed our statements down to say ‘this is what we mean!’ ‘Preach the gospel to all the world.’ What do we mean by that? How do we want to go about it?' He recalled that part of our goal historically was to preach the gospel as a witness. That was included as part of the goal, and was understood clearly. Richard Thompson stated that he understood the proposal for a January 2001 meeting by such a new oversight committee was intended to do just that – narrow the focus and bring a report to the Council at its next meetings, in March 2001. 'Then those who are aware of certain things could narrow the focus and bring it to the Council very definitively… I think one reason we’re not as focused is because the world isn’t focused'. "(UCG, aia Council of Elders Meeting Report. December 10, 2000).
UCG's President Les McCullough reports, "I have had various comments sent to me that we are not preaching a warning witness as we should, and I have to agree that we may not have emphasized the "warning" part as much as we could" (Letter from Les McCullough, February 1, 2001).
For the period ending 6/30/01, UCG spent 2,750,000 or 15.3% of its income on 'public proclamation' (Kirkpatrick Tom. Audited Statements Reflect God's Blessings. United Church News, September-October 2001. p.7).
United dropped to 428,000 Good News magazines down from a high of over 500,000 partially due to a massive renewal program for waiting room subscriptions--only 312,000 actually seem to have subscribed to it (Johnson, Doug. UCG Council Of Elders Meeting Report 12/11/02 & 5/15/05 and United News May 2003 & May-June 2005).
"In the earliest days of the United Church of God, a commitment was made by its leadership to establish and stabilize the Church and its congregations from the conditions of tumult that existed in the mid-1990s. Having regular Sabbath services and stable congregations in as many areas as possible was a top priority. To the degree possible, the leadership of the Church set about to have local congregations overseen by full-time, trained pastors. Experience has shown that this is the best way to nurture, care for and assist in the spiritual development of the people God has called and chosen. That decision obviously has ramifications when it comes to our budget. Simply put, it takes a considerable amount of money and human resources to establish and maintain stable congregations (and Feast sites) all around the world. That is not an inexpensive endeavor. Nor is it likely to be relatively less expensive if time goes on many more years, since new pastors will need to be trained and put in place to take over for those who reach retirement age. In the short run, considerable resources could be freed up to do other things if the United Church of God’s leadership decided to discontinue local, pastored congregations in all but a few areas (perhaps only those with fairly large concentrations of members). But that would not be wise. If United were to switch to an "either-or" approach—either preach the gospel or take care of the Church—considerable resources could be freed up to do other things. That is, if we were to turn our backs on preaching the gospel, and turn all our resources in on ourselves and our local congregations and our individual salvation, then considerable reallocation of funds would result. The same would be true if we decided that nearly all our efforts should be expended in preaching the gospel, with little or no effort to establishing and maintaining local congregations. We do not believe that this would be wise. Reasonable people of good faith and intentions may disagree, but the leadership of the United Church of God believes strongly that the current model (doing both) is best for the long-term interest of our being used by God to "do the work." We believe that we are following the biblical model in this regard. More to Public Proclamation Than Meets the Eye Some may look at the published financial reports of United and conclude that it does not put a high value on preaching the gospel. That is not a correct conclusion. There are other ways to measure the amount of seed being sown, besides just the absolute number of dollars or percentage of total dollars apportioned in an accounting report to a cost center called "Public Proclamation."...It would take an inordinate amount of time, and in the end would result in highly subjective and arguable numbers, to subjectively apportion these funds between "Church" and "Preaching the Gospel." We choose not to do so...It is helpful to consider other metrics beside money in ascertaining the effort being spent on sowing the seed—preaching the gospel...We are grateful for what God has given, especially in light of the weakened state of the economy and the resultant challenges some of God’s people have faced. We are doing what is necessary to live within the means God gives us. We of course ask that He will provide us with more, as it is His will. That will enable us to do more in both properly caring for the spiritual needs of the Church and sowing the seed of the gospel of the Kingdom of God" (Kirkpatrick, Tom. "Is the United Church of God Active in doing God's Work?" United News, December 2002, pp. 8-9).
Apparently UCG's treasurer is saying how much money UCG spends to get the gospel out is not that important. It is recorded that twice Jesus taught "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34). UCG, like many other COGs is basically saying that if God gives them more money, they will, after more properly taking care of 'the spiritual needs of the Church' it will do more preaching of the Gospel. I would like to comment that LCG does apportion the differences in its spending, does it the same way that WCG did, and (I believe) has a much smaller accounting staff than UCG. The truth is that, in UCG's best year, if you send UCG $100, it will spend about $18.06 to proclaim the Gospel, while if that same $100 was sent to LCG, it will spend about $38.77 to proclaim the Gospel (see #24 below). It never ceases to amaze me when UCG members tell me that UCG is more efficient at getting the gospel out than LCG is, and that tv is a waste of money--if UCG members were really concerned about waste they would question why UCG spends more money on its form of governance (and has done so every year of its existence) than it does in proclaiming the gospel.
"Plans are on the drawing board to eventually have a home-office-produced television program...The goal of such a program would be to preach about the soon-coming Kingdom of God and also solicit new Good News subscribers who would then be fed an ongoing menu of the truths of God. There is one barrier in the way of United bringing these plans to fruition, and that is simply cost. We anticipate that preparing a television studio at the home office that includes a modern set, studio lighting, cameras and editing equipment, could be done for around $125,000. Even this amount is not presently available in the Media and Communications Services budget. We pray that in the not too distant future some funds will become available. However, even once a professional television studio is prepared, there is the ongoing weekly cost of airtime. This becomes a significantly higher dollar amount. While we should be able to take advantage of low-cost local community-access television channels, the desire would be to also purchase airtime on broadcast and cable channels that would reach across the country" (Eddington, Peter. Television Efforts Poised for Growth. United News, February 2003, p. 6).
"For the rest of the afternoon Mr. Kilough led a continuation of a discussion from the Council meetings in March on the topics of preaching the gospel and the Church’s media efforts. The focus of today’s talks centered on defining the term “evangelism,” the Church’s target audience and the voice, tone and personality of the our media efforts. The Council was given a 36-page summary of the results of a brainstorming session held in February, 2003 by several Council members and representatives of the Church’s media efforts. The purpose of the session was to bring to the Council some philosophical, conceptual and specific suggestions regarding our printed media. The Council can ultimately use those suggestions and ideas to formulate specific policies. The first step will be to define the term “evangelism.” What does it mean to evangelize? The word is encumbered by a great deal of historical and emotional baggage. What is the Biblical meaning and application of the word? How does it apply to pastors? To local congregations? To lay members? We need to understand not only what evangelism is, but also what it isn’t. Leon Walker pointed out that the problem with the word is the word. We’re comfortable with the concept of preaching good news – which is essentially what “evangelism” means. But because of its connotations, and because the word is so commonly misused by others, the words “evangelism” or “evangelize” make many feel uncomfortable. Victor Kubik said that after eight years it’s time we come to terms with the word or decide to use a different term. We need a Council consensus on the definition, how to use the word or a different word or term in its place. Jim Franks added that we’ve talked about the problem with the word for years. The decision to use the word “evangelize” or the phrase “preach the gospel,” needs to be built on a biblical foundation. Gary Antion commented that Mr. Armstrong had no problem with the word. In the early days of his work he had “evangelistic campaigns.” We should not be so short-sighted that we reject a word or term just because others misuse it. Mr. Kilough suggested that the Council appoint Doug Horchak to chair a task force which will produce a doctrinal study paper on the meaning and application of the word “evangelism.” It was suggested that the study paper propose proper terminology and use of terminology from a Biblical point of view both within and outside of the Church. It should lay out the questions first and then answer them, concluding with suggestions on how to apply the findings in the paper. Mr. Kilough asked Mr. Franks to craft a specific motion to present to the Council on Wednesday, May 8 that would establish the task force and specify the parameters of the study paper. As the head of the task force Mr. Horchak will present the Council with a list of those he would like to ask to serve on it" (Henson, Don. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Wednesday, May 7, 2003 – Cincinnati, Ohio).
"Jim Franks...hearkened back to how the Plain Truth was used to proclaim the message of hope and the Kingdom of God and the Good News was for Church members, showing them how to come out of the world's ways and live as a Christian in this culture. But now the Good News carries both messages. We should ask ourselves what should our message be to the world as opposed to our message to the Church? Mr. Wasilkoff pointed out that the Church now has Vertical Thought, which is aimed at the youth. He asked which categories of audience the Good News most clearly addresses? Mr. Thompson reminded that part of Jesus' message was the need to repent. There are things that are inherently wrong. In bringing a message of hope we can't overlook the need for repentance. Mr. Kilough agreed, citing the apostle Paul's comment that we must "obey" the gospel. Speaking from his perspective as a writer for the Good News, Mario Seiglie commented that there is no feedback from the audience. Writers don't know how readers are responding or whether their articles are effective. Mr. Kilough asked a key question, which started to turn the "brainstorming" session to a more specific topic. He asked if we are diluting our own efforts because we're reaching out to Church membership and the world in general in the same magazine. Would we be more effective in targeting both audiences if we were to distinguish between the Good News and United News?...Mr. Dick expressed that policy springs from corporate philosophy. He stated that our administration will do a good job of developing policy if the Council gives them a clear statement of philosophy....Mr. McCullough offered that if the Council determines the purpose of the Good News, much of the rest of what we're talking about will fall in place...In concluding the discussion, Mr. Kilough directed Mr. Kubik, as chairman of the Media and Communications committee, to write a resolution distinguishing the purposes of the Good News from United News for the Council's consideration and discussion later in the week" (Henson Don. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Sunday , December 7, 2003 – Cincinnati, Ohio).
"The television program will energize the Church as members see the possibilities and results. The actual program is still at least a couple of years in the future, which gives us time to discuss and determine the format and content...Mr. Horchak, chairman of the Evangelism Task Force, gave the Council a report on the status of this study paper project...The task force plans to work with the Doctrine Committee and will strive to complete the study paper and have it ready for Council review by the February 2004 meetings" (Henson Don. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Monday , December 8, 2003 – Cincinnati, Ohio).
"Another area of discussion concerned the proposed budget increase in for health-care expenditures, based on the expectation that those costs will continue to rise as they did last year. Mr. Dean expressed his opinion that the amount budgeted for health-care should be set at the same amount as was spent for that purpose in the last 12 months. He stated that the Council had made a commitment each of the last two years that the next budget would put more emphasis on public proclamation, but this would be the third consecutive year when significant increases had not been put directly into preaching the gospel. He suggested that the budget for health-care be set at the amount spent in the last calendar year and if the expenses go beyond that, then the Church's cash reserves, increase in income or employee co-payments could be used to cover the difference. Dr. Kirkpatrick responded that there had been no commitment or promise in previous years in regard to future budgets" (Henson D. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Friday, February 27, 2004 – Cincinnati, Ohio).
"President Roy Holladay...highlighted a few statistics that reflect media efforts in 2003 and into early 2004...The cable-access television program produced in Beloit, Wisconsin, garnered 518 responses in 2003 and the program produced in the Portland, Oregon, area (which is on about twice as many stations) brought in 2,642 responses through November 2003" (Henson D. Council of Elders Works on Plans for 2004-2005. United News. March-April 2004, p.1).
"Victor Kubik gave a brief overview of our media history, which began with United in a "defensive" posture in reestablishing our fundamental beliefs...The next day Mr. Kubik presented the Council with a resolution that recognizes the historical marketing philosophy of the Church for preaching the gospel and establishes that the Media and Communications Committee will use those principles as the basis for preparing a marketing philosophy for United. A media policy will be developed and proposed from that marketing philosophy by the committee in concert with the Council, the president and the media operations personnel. The Council unanimously adopted the resolution (Joel Meeker was not present for the vote)" (Henson D. Council Discusses GCE Meeting, Media and More. United News, June 2004, p.2).
"Following an executive session to open the day’s proceedings, Robert Dick moderated a discussion of the Church’s media philosophy. At a recent meeting, the Church’s managing editors discussed edits they propose be made to the statement of Media Philosophy. The Media and Communications Committee of the Council reviewed those suggestions, and brought some minor modifications of their own to the Council as a whole. Group consensus favored tabling the proposals and revisiting them in May or August after more time could be given to carefully evaluating the proposed changes, given that this document guides all Church media productions" (Johnson D. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Thursday, March 3, 2005 —San Antonio, Texas).
"The cost of adding one new subscriber to the Good News file through newsstand distribution has now climbed to an average of $98, primarily, it seems, because many people are content to pick up their copy at the newsstand rather than subscribe...we cannot financially justify supporting this program, especially when we have other advertising methods that add subscribers for $1 to $6 each. As a result, Good News newsstand distribution, as a regular, ongoing program, is being discontinued as of the January/February 2006 issue. The program has also been discontinued in other countries" (LaBissoniere J. Home Office Update, December 15, 2005).
"On December 7 and 8 four more Beyond Today video programs were recorded in the new media center. This brings our total to eight programs. The next four will be videotaped on January 11 and 12, 2006, with Darris McNeely hosting. Beginning on December 18, Beyond Today will air on 105 local-community cable TV channels across the United States plus on the World Wide Web" (Eddington P. Home Office Update, December 15, 2005).
"Some have looked at projected circulation figures for The Good News and wondered why we have set the goal so low. Actually, the number in the Operation Plan is not a goal but an anticipated result of necessary pruning of nonreaders. We have launched an annual renewal (we have been doing renewals every two years) to purge our list of people who are no longer interested in receiving The Good News. This is according to plan and intended to cut waste in order to reach a bigger audience with the gospel of the Kingdom of God. For years we have measured the success of our proclamation efforts primarily by the number of subscribers to our flagship magazine. Many of us have been in the Church a long time and are familiar with the process" (Salyer L. United News, December 2008).
Good News Magazine Circulation 469,000 (Good News Magazine, March 2009, p. 2).
"U.S. baptisms 2007 through December: 178.
U.S. baptisms 2008 through November: 134."
(Ministerial Services Reports Church Statistics. United News, January 2009, p. 2)"Through November, we have had 29,461 telephone and online responses to the programming. Beyond Today currently airs on 177 cable-access television channels, which air programs 267 times weekly. It is also broadcast on 10 radio stations in the United States and two nationwide cable networks in Canada." (Eddington, Peter. 100th Beyond Today Episode Recorded. United News, January 2009, p. 1)
Historically, proclamation of the Gospel has been a tertiary issue for UCG. Which may be why is has taken nearly 11 years to get its own telecast--which has not been highly effective. Is that hot, cold, or lukewarm?
Living:
"The New Testament pattern was to proclaim the Gospel first and then to feed the sheep" (Dattalo, Fred. Church Government and Church Priorities. Living Church News. Jan-Feb 1999; p.7).
"So the primary function of the true Church of God is to GO to all nations and preach the same powerful message Jesus preached about the coming Kingdom of God!" (Meredith, Roderick C. Should You Be Baptized? Booklet. 1999; p. 17).
Within 9 weeks of its founding, the Living Church of God was proclaiming the Gospel across the entire U.S. on cable super-station WGN (the transition from the World Ahead to Tomorrow's World was less than 7 weeks). The presenters are used include: Roderick C. Meredith, Richard Ames, Mario Hernandez, Dibar Apartian, Rod King, and Wally Smith. Historically, Living spends approximately 35-41% of its total revenues on "public proclamation" (Dattalo, Fred. Report from Treasurer. Living Church News. May-Jun 2000; p.16).
"Also, Mr. Wayne Pyle very recently reported, "Our master file shows that 113 of the 57,426 WGN-respondents have now been baptized. This is a ratio of one baptism for each 506 people added to the master file, which is simply superb. Back in Mr. Armstrong’s time, at his peak in the mid-1980s, there was only one baptism for each 1,300 TV respondents who had been on the mailing list for four years. Only a fraction of our respondents have been on file for three-and-a-half years, so it is evident that the Church is really being blessed!" Therefore, brethren, we can be very thankful that—even though we are much smaller—God is adding over twice as many new members to us proportionate to our mailing list as He did in the WCG years!" (Meredith, Roderick. Co-worker letter, August 23, 2002).
"We are also watching the spiritual seeds coming to fruition, with more than 800 baptisms in North America from the telecast alone since its launch in January 1999, of which 414 of these baptisms originated directly from the Tomorrow’s World telecast. Our member files now show more than 1,800 baptisms from all sources in our U.S. and international Living Church of God congregations since 1999... The telecast has been averaging 3,800 responses each week since the beginning of the calendar year" (Pyle W. MEDIA. The World Ahead Weekly Update. November 30, 2006).
In 2008, we recorded 249 baptisms; 20 less than the previous year (2007 is our record year, so far, in number of baptisms). In ten years, we had at least 2,200 baptisms in the Living Church of God. So far this year, we have recorded 123 baptisms (from January through the beginning of May) (The World Ahead Weekly Update. May 21, 2009).
LCG probably has the highest percentage of people baptized in the past 10 years of any COG. And the highest number of people baptized who did not have a prior COG background.
" This has been our biggest year for television. In the past 12 months we added 34 new TV stations to our broadcasting log. This raised our reach to 141 million households in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, northern and southern Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Australasia and the Philippines. The telecast is now airing on more than 200 over-the-air TV stations, cable systems and satellite systems.• According to our latest Nielsen TV-market data, the Tomorrow’s World telecast has now been viewed at least one time in North America by 9.9 million households since January 1999, when the telecast began. Two million new households watched the telecast for the very first time this year. • Our annual worldwide TV response reached 200,000 this year—the highest ever, and up 27 percent over a year ago. Our response for the United States and Canada was up 31 percent over 2005. Fifteen TV programs this past year generated more than 4,000 responses for each airing.• Our Tomorrow’s World magazine circulation has now surpassed 300,000. Since 1999, more than 7.6 million magazine copies have been sent to readers in 171 countries and dependencies around the world. According to the United Nations’ official list, the Tomorrow’s World magazine has now gone into 78 percent of the world’s countries. (We only wish this was 78 percent of the world’s population!)" (Meredith R.C. Co-worker letter, December 15, 2006).
In the past 12 months, we have received 196,336 responses from our TV stations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The total response is up by 8 percent over the previous year, which itself was up 30 percent! More than 100,000 of the Tomorrow’s World respondents were brand new to the television program and the Living Church of God...Since last year’s Feast of Tabernacles, a total of 409 new members have come with the Living Church of God, including 209 newly baptized members. Some of these new members came from such far-flung countries as Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania and Vanuatu—a total of 24 countries. (Pyle, Wayne. In World Ahead Weekly Update. October 18, 2007).
The proportion of television responses that LCG gets per member (as well as baptisms per member) and per dollar is actually higher than WCG used to get.
LCG is on about 219 television stations (Meredith RC. Member and Co-Worker Letter, October 15, 2007).
LCG now distributes 418,000 copies of its Tomorrow's World Magazine (Apartian D. Weekly Update, 12/11/08). Thus, with only about a 40% of the attendance of United, Living gets out almost as many magazines.
Wayne Pyle reports: Wow, wow, WOW! A number of factors came together last weekend to make last week’s response the highest ever for a Tomorrow’s World telecast. Three new TV stations began airing, plus BET aired two times. The biggest factor, of course, was the program itself: program #318, “Overcoming Satan,” which offered the booklet Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer. The two previous airings earlier this year had both produced 4,000-plus responses. The first airing back in February generated 4,889 replies, and the second airing in April brought in 4,375 responses. But this weekend’s third airing of program #318 shattered all previous response records—making this week’s telecast the third time ever for a Tomorrow’s World program to break the 5,000-barrier…. we are expecting the week to end with well over 5,100 responses (World Ahead Weekly UPdate. September 11, 2008).
Wayne Pyle reports: “This weekend we aired program #265 [“Seven Satanic Deceptions”] for the sixth time! And it is breaking all response records!.... From Thursday through Monday, we received 4,937 phone calls. We are expecting another 400 calls by the end of the week, plus 600 responses through the Internet, office calls and mail replies. These numbers push the total response to over 5,900! And the first-time caller count set a new record with over 3,000 new viewers (52% of the total callers) (World Ahead Weekly Update, November 13, 2008).
As of today, the Tomorrow’s World telecast in North America has produced a total of more than 30,500 responses in the past seven weeks, which is 20.4% above the same period last year.—Wayne Pyle (Media. World Ahead Weekly Update, Febraury 19, 2009)
For 2007 & 2008, LCG averaged over 3,900 responses per week to its Tomorrow's World program. The fact that UCG is on a similar number of stations, but with about 1/20th of the responses, suggests that its work is still not hot. Furthermore, it has had several weeks where it received over 6,000 responses (World Ahead Weekly Update, November 12, 2009).
The fact that LCG has received as many responses for the first seven week of 2009 as UCG had gotten in total (since its telecast BEGAN), should show which group God is using to proclaim the good news through television.
(For a related article, please read Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority?)
2. Handling Income Surpluses in 2001
United:
"Income patterns lead us to believe the United Church of God will finish the fiscal year, if present trends continue, with approximately $900,000 of income in excess of expenditures. “I think God is at least somewhat satisfied with what the UCG is doing!” observed Mr. McCullough... Mr. Kirkpatrick suggests using most of the $900,000 expected income (above budget) for all “one-time” costs associated with the acquisition of a new home office facility (if approved by Council). This would come to approximately $780,000." (UCG, aia Council of Elders Meeting Report. March 14, 2001).
Living:
"Although I did not mention our financial needs in the last letter, many were inspired to send in extra special offerings—for which we certainly thank God! As a result of this, we are now in a position to add some new television stations. We are negotiating to add three or four more commercial stations to our television log—and more later as God enables us. The great God is inspiring our little group of dedicated members and co-workers to go "above and beyond" the call of duty. He will bless us and use us mightily if we seek and serve Him with all of our hearts!...P.S. Even since I began this letter, news has come from our Television Production Coordinator, Wayne Pyle, that we are now approved to go on three new television stations! Each of them will begin airing the Tomorrow’s World program on Sunday, August 19, 2001. Here is the list. If you live in one of these areas, jot it down and encourage your friends and relatives to view these powerful Tomorrow’s World television programs. They NEED this message! Lafayette, LA Sunday 7:30 am KATC/ABC/3 Tyler, TX Sunday 6:30 am KLTV/ABC/7 Joplin, MO Sunday 6:30 am KOAM/CBS/7" (Meredith, Roderick C. Co-Worker Letter. July 27, 2001).
Perhaps I should add how LCG handled its 2007 surplus:
The building has 5,000 square feet of space and will house our television facilities...Because the Church finished 2007 with a surplus of %163,903, funds were available to allow the Church to afford a down payment on the new building (Crockett D. Audit 2007: Counting the Cost, Doing the Work. Living Church News, July-August 2008, p. 19).
LCG has a different emphasis than UCG does.
3. Size: Elders, Churches, and Feast Sites
United: United has "400-plus elders" (McCullough, Leslie. What Exactly Does the Council Do? United News. July 1999; p.15). United has around 374 churches and groups (Source: Local Churches. http://www.ucg.org 8/1/99). United has more members (on average) per group than does Living.
United services normally last 1 1/2 hours (I used to attend United about once per year when I travel to areas without Living groups--but once it had a two hour service)--in some areas United services are up to two hours.
"All together at the 62 sites around the world, 20,476 attended the Feast with United" (United Brethren Enjoy Feast at 62 Sites. United News. November 2007, p.1).
"Total worldwide Feast of Tabernacles attendance (including shut-ins who received tapes):
2005: 19,765
2006: 20,436
2007: 20,476
2008: 20,349The following are the attendance figures from the Church Information System—the number listed as attending fluctuates from month to month.
U.S. Church attendance according to file Jan. 31, 2008: 15,498.
U.S. Church attendance according to file Nov. 26, 2008: 15,345."
(Ministerial Services Reports Church Statistics. United News, January 2009, p. 2)
Here is the Feast attendance for 2009:
Total Attendance 20,419Shut ins who received Feast tapes from the home office 695TOTAL ATTENDANCE 21,114 (United News, November 2009)
Living: Living has around 144 elders (Ames, Richard. Into All The World. Sermon. November 2004). Living services normally last 2 hours and there are groups in 44 countries.
Here is information related to how many congregations that LCG has:
Earlier this year, we broke the 300-mark in our number of official congregations worldwide. To date, we have 306 congregations in 44 countries. About half of them are located in the United States, and slightly more than half are located in other countries. Additionally, we have members scattered in several other countries, where no official congregations have been organized yet. Since part of our mission is “To feed the flock and to organize local Church congregations to provide for the spiritual and material needs of our members as God makes it possible (1 Peter 5:1-4; John 21:15-18)” (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs), we are very happy to see that God is giving us growth and that more congregations are being organized as a result. Our newest congregation is located in Billings, Montana, where a group of about a dozen will be attending services (World Ahead Weekly Update, November 13, 2008).
As of May 19, 2009, LCG had 315 congregations (World Ahead Weekly Update, May 21, 2009).
Approximately 7,000 attend LCG services each week. (RCM Announcement, 2006).
Here are the most recent Feast of Tabernacles statistics that I have seen:
Official Attendance Figures for Feast of Tabernacles 2009
* 44 Feast sites in 30 countries
* 7,612 attendees at our Feast sites around the world (9% increase worldwide over 2008)
* 3,991 attendees in the United States (14% increase over 2008)
* 3,621 attendees in International areas (4% increase over 2008)
* 376 shut-ins received FOT CDs (284 in USA, 45 in Canada, 47 in International areas)
* Overall attendance (including shut-ins) was a grand total of 7,988 (Living Church of God World Ahead, Weekly Update, November 12, 2009).
UCG normally seems to have a higher percentage of non-members attend its FOT sites than LCG does (FWIW, I have, however, met non-LCG members at LCG FOT sites).
4. Gospel
United:
"3.2.1 God's Purpose for Diverse Functions Within His Church The purpose for the various functions established within God's Church is to equip each member to perform the work of service: first to the Church and when the Church has the opportunity, to all humanity . The proper working of each individual member in accordance with his or her function causes the Church to grow." (Constitution of the United Church of God, an International Association, Article 3.2.1).
"The mission of the Church of God is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God in all the world, making disciples in all nations and care for those disciples." (Constitution and Bylaws. New Beginnings. February 20, 1996; p:14) "Amend Article 1 of the Constitution to read: 1.0 Article 1 - Mission Statement. The mission of the Church of God is to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God in all the world, make disciples of Jesus Christ in all nations, and care for those disciples. Submitted by Aaron Dean. As Herbert Armstrong stated: 'The world has preached a gospel about Christ, but not the gospel Christ preached.' This proposed amendment will clearly state the Church's mission: to preach the message Christ preached about the Kingdom of God. The amendment agrees with our pre '86 literature. It shows we support the work God gave Mr. Armstrong and that we only change where God and his word inspire." "Although the Council of Elders recognizes ambiguity in the pre sent mission statement which it should be possible to correct, the Council opposes this amendment as written. Submitted by Robert Dick on behalf of the Council of Elders" (From the Amendment Committee. New Beginnings, September 8, 1997; p:17).
Apparently clarifying its position on the Gospel is not a high priority for United as it has been over nine years since United said its mission statement contains ambiguity. Furthermore, on May 2, 2004 Gerald Seelig announced that amending this mission statement lost in a vote of 145 in favor to 180 opposed (Ballot Results. United News. May 2004, p.3)
"President Les McCullough commented 'My impression is, we need to get the Council to decide, and to agree, on what the purpose of the Church is. I know we have a mission statement. But what does the Council think the purpose of the Good News is? What is our… intent, our aim?…We have some very broad general statements that we’ve made, but we haven’t narrowed our statements down to say ‘this is what we mean!’ " (UCG, aia Council of Elders Meeting Report. December 10, 2000).
Living:
"Read what God inspired Mark to write: 'Now after John was put into prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and, saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.' ' '' (Mark 1:14-15). This is THE gospel. There is only one--and it is about the Kingdom of God...The name of Jesus Christ--that is, his true name--comprising who He is, what he has done for us and everything He has taught, commanded and stood for. This essential information was added--to be taught alongside the Gospel of the Kingdom of God--after the death and resurrection of Jesus...The true Church of God is to preach both elements: FIRST the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and SECOND, the true name of Jesus Christ." (Meredith, Roderick C. Do You Believe the True Gospel? Booklet. 1995; pp:5,6,10)
"How can you not be filled with ALL of the 'fullness of God' and not be God?" "This is the final fulfillment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the ultimate Good News--that man can be born into the God Kingdom, the God-level of existence." (Meredith, Roderick C. Your Ultimate Destiny. Booklet. 1996: pp:31,33).
5. Third Tithe
United:
"2.1.18 We believe in tithing as a way of honoring God with our substance and as a means of serving Him in the preaching of the gospel, the care of the Church, attending the festivals and helping the needy" (CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF GOD, an INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION). "From Deuteronomy 14, we can identify two other purposes for tithing--attending God's festivals (Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 14:22-27) and caring for the poor and needy (verses 28-29). Since we believe in observing God's festivals and we believe in taking care of the poor and needy, we acknowledge the continuity of this practice...He has provided the perfect financial system, which takes care of the needs of His work, the personal need to attend His festivals, and the need to care for the poor" (Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God, an International Association. Booklet. 1998; pp:43-44).
"Therefore, the Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist, and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church" (Third Tithe Policy. New Beginnings. November 4, 1996; p:4).
"Despite what national governments may do to help the disadvantaged, there will still be needs within the Church that national social programs do not address....Thus regular tithes and offerings, which would normally be devoted to preaching the gospel and providing for other aspects of the work, have been diverted to the Church Assistance Fund." (Church Assistance Fund Donations. New Beginnings. November 4, 1996; pp.4-5)
"Task Force Report – Member Assistance Greg Sargent presented an analysis of our member assistance situation, and some suggestions for future approaches. He reminded the Council of its 1996 resolution regarding members’ contributions to the assistance fund. As stated at that time, the Church acknowledges that government taxation in areas biblically identifiable as assistance to the needy amount to more than what God requires of His people through the third tithe administration first given to ancient Israel. As Mr. Sargent said: “Third tithe – where did it go? Uncle Sam took it. We must find it.” The Church has less income in this area than it uses for member assistance. Through the central administration of assistance funds (through the home office), a little more than $200,000 of member assistance is given from the operating fund, in addition to using the $469,000 in assistance donations received for this purpose. Additional shortfalls are experienced in local church accounts that administer assistance. There are, of course, legal guidelines to consider. A charitable purpose must be established for the donation. Aspects of member education and ministerial education are involved. Mr. Sargent suggested three action steps:
· Educating the ministry to effectively use Church assistance fund monies and government resources to which our members have contributed for the purpose of helping the needy.
· Educating present third tithe recipients in helping themselves.
· Educating the United Church of God membership in wise financial planning in order to avoid problems and enhance the work of God’s Church." (United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Sunday/Monday March 18-19, 2001)."the Council discussed our assistance fund and the fact that this assistance fund is sometimes not sufficient to cover the requests we receive for financial help...In September 1996 the Council approved a statement on the use of the third tithe/assistance fund. Notice the following quote from the paper on 'Approved Statement on Third Tithe': “The Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which, is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church.” ...To this end, there are three methods that can be used to implement this goal. · Better education about governmental resources...· Volunteer “good works” program...· Continued donations to the assistance fund. Even if the above programs are maximized, we still need to provide actual money for those in need of food, clothing and other basic necessities." (Holladay, Roy. Letter from the President March 13, 2003).
The last comments suggest to me that UCG's position that the government meets third tithe needs is and was disingenuous. It should also be of interest to any that care, that UCG did not get 3/4 of its eldership to agree to the third tithe change in 1996 or any of UCG's suggestions to handle it since (though budgets are approved). However, it appears that UCG has now decided to change back:
"Doctrine Committee chairman Leon Walker discussed with the Council suggested edits to the Church's official statement on third tithe. The edits were put forward to make it clearer that the United Church of God believes in and teaches the doctrine of third tithe. The suggested edits were approved unanimously by the Council" (Henson D. United Church of God, an International Association. Council of Elders Meeting Report. May 9-10, 2006 - Cincinnati, OH ).
I am waiting to see this change as I have not seen anything other than the above yet. Actually, as of 6/18/06, here is what UCG's position still was:
"Many nations in our modern world have various social programs, the effect and intent of which is to fulfill the purpose of the biblical third tithe. These programs are financed by an involuntary system of taxation. In most cases the annual rate at which social taxes are extracted is substantially greater than the biblical third tithe...destitute. We, however, pay for this through contributions deducted by the government at source....despite what national governments may do to help the disadvantaged, there will still be needs within the Church that national social programs do not address. Therefore, we should, from time to time, make offerings to the Church Assistance Fund...Therefore, the Council of Elders has resolved that where governments provide programs, the intent and purpose of which is to provide for the needs of those that the biblical third tithe was designed to assist and that where such programs are funded by an annual rate of taxation greater than the biblical third tithe, members who are so taxed are not obligated to pay what amounts to an additional third tithe to the Church. Members not taxed in this manner should follow the scriptural instruction to pay the third tithe" (Approved Statement on Third Tithe. Doctrinal Statement. Approved by the Council of Elders
September 1996).
Living:
""And at the end of every third year you shall bring out a tithe of your produce of that year and store it within your gates" Deuteronomy 14:28)...the third tithe year traditionally begins and ends after the Feast of Tabernacles in the third and sixth year of a seven-year time cycle. "When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year--the year of tithing--and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then shall you say before the LORD your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which you have commanded me: I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them'"(Deuteronomy 26:12-13). Notice that God calls this tithe a "holy tithe"...God places great importance on this tithe because He sets it apart for sacred use" (Ehman, Gary F. The Blessings of Third Tithe. Living Church News. Nov-Dec 1999; p. 10).
The Living Church of God sends out "third tithe assistance" (Dattalo Fred. Living Church News. Mar-Apr 1999; p.18).
Which view is correct? Here is an article titled Is Third Tithe Still Valid Today?
6. Church Eras
United:
"You asked if the messages to the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 can be applied to eras of church history. As Mr. Herbert Armstrong said in the past, there were seven churches in Asia minor during the life of the apostle John that had certain strengths and weaknesses. Those same strengths and weaknesses could be evident in any church congregation today. Some believe that they also described church eras that began with the apostolic age and until Jesus Christ returns. Since some have disputed this idea, it is a subject that needs more study to see what we can know for sure and what remains in the unknown." (Internet Correspondence from info@ucg.com to Dr. Thiel. November 13, 1997)
"Since seven represents completeness, these seven lampstands seem to portray a composite picture of the Church of God, the light of the world. Paul explains that the Church is one body (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:4). However, it has multiple congregations and members scattered throughout the nations. Therefore, these seven specific assemblies of believers appear to effectively represent the totality of the Church. It appears likely that the prophecies of the Church in Revelation 2 and 3 have multiple meanings and applications" (Foster, Roger. God's Church in Prophecy. Good News, expanded edition. Jul-Aug 2000; p. 8).
"Mr. Walker asked for the Council’s input on this question – how should the Church deal with honest differences in opinion on prophetic topics? Not every issue of prophecy will create this dilemma, he stated, but some will. How do we deal with alternate explanations? Richard Thompson: 'It could be that the traditional teaching is that we allow three different explanations – for example, the seven churches of Revelation' " (Johnson, Doug. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Monday, March 4, 2002 - Cincinnati, Ohio).
From January 2002 through August 2002, UCG ran a series of articles on the 7 Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 written by David Treybig. Unlike anything that WCG ever produced, these articles never say anything about Church eras, do not indicate that the Church was predominant at any particular time, do not mention who or when the Church may have been primarily extant, never mention that Herbert Armstrong was used to raise up the Philadelphia era (or that he left the Sardis era), or anything else suggesting that UCG officially believes in Church eras (which is because officially UCG does not). If you disagree with what I wrote, then please ask yourself how United could allow a series of articles on the Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 and never mention Church eras, Herbert Armstrong, etc.
Also notice:
"A good example of doing good and being blessed for it can be found in the prophecy regarding the New Testament Church, in part, at the very end time. There will be relatively few who keep God's commandments, honor Christ as the Head of the Church and endure to the very end (Revelation 3:8, 10).
"God prophesies to them that they will escape the Great Tribulation, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (verse 10). This is a blessing, a direct application of choosing to do what's right and being blessed for obeying God's laws" (Aust J. The Purposes of Prophecy. World News and Prophecy, February 2009).
Now the above is highly misleading. The New Testament Church is NOT promised that protection because of keeping God's laws. Actually, the New Testament is clear that there will be two groups that have the testimony of Jesus Christ and keep the commandments of God--and one will be protected from the Great Tribulation and the other will essentially be turned over to Satan (Revelation 12:17). It is only the Philadelphians and not all who keep the commandments who will be protected (see also There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra ).
(Note: I am fully aware that many of members and even ministers, in United believe in Church eras as Worldwide used to teach and how Living currently teaches them. But the fact that UCG officially will not should set off alarms from those in UCG who think that they are to be protected.)
Living:
"The message to the seven Churches in Revelation 2 & 3 successively shows the history of the true Church from that time forward. These seven Churches describe succeeding eras, or ages, of God’s Church." (LCG Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, Church History, 11/14/02).
"When we recognize that the whole book of Revelation is intended as a prophecy (Rev 1:1) and that certain different circumstances present in the seven churches that could not have been contemporaneous (cf. Rev 2:10; 3:7-8), it is apparent that these seven churches represent the history of the entire Church of God as seven eras which occur in chronological order." (Ogwyn, John. God's Church Through the Ages. Booklet. 1995; p:29)
"In Revelation 3, we read of the two final phases of the history of the Church of God. The Church of Philadelphia was to be characterized by a zeal to do the Work. God promised to set before them an 'open door' as well as to protect them from the future Great Tribulation. However, there is a final seventh stage of the Church described as the Church at Laodicea. This church was to be characterized by spiritual lukewarmness and lethargy. It is described as a worldly church, and certainly one which fit in with the spirit of these permissive, modern times...Will you be one whom God uses to finish his end-time work? Do you have that Philadelphian spirit that reaches out to the whole world in genuine love and concern to share God's message of Truth and hope?" (Ogwyn, John. The Church in the 20th Century. Global Church News, Mar-Apr 1995; p:17)
"In the New Testament, we find described seven eras of God's true Church (Revelation 2,3)" (Meredith, Roderick C. A Turning Point in World Affairs. Tomorrow's World. Jul-Sep 1999; p.5).
"Some say that knowledge of Church eras is unimportant, and believe that it makes no difference in how Christians live or act. Is this the correct attitude? It is not coincidental that many who de-emphasize Church eras also water down key truths restored by Mr. Armstrong-in some cases no longer even considering it their top priority to proclaim the full Gospel as a witness. This may help explain such an attitude-but does it excuse it? Seven times (Revelation 2; 3) Jesus warned: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (e.g. Revelation 3:13). Why would He repeatedly say this if these messages were not important?" (Thiel R. What is a True Philadelphian? Living Church News, July-August 2001).
Those who do not teach (or in many cases believe) in church eras simply will not understand certain key end-time events, nor will they properly support the proclamation of the true gospel in order to fulfill Matthew 24:14 (see also Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel?).
7. Laodicea
United:
"Spiritually, the Laodicean does not deny God or depart from the fundamental beliefs of the Church. Rather, individuals took care of themselves, feeling spiritually wealthy enough--experienced in the Church enough--to do so. Laodiceans aren't the embodiment of evil of the personification of unfaithfulness. They are just people who relay on their own resources...Laodiceans are people who feel more comfortable relying on themselves to recover from disaster than in being dependent on or interdependent with others...
"What is Laodicean? It is spiritual bankruptcy while at the same time viewing own's self as spiritually rich. Christians who may have what to them are arguably good reasons to pull back into isolation need to resist the Laodicean weakness. Christ, although understanding everyone's wounds with perfect sympathy, warns, 'Becoming spiritually independent isn't the solution. It is another problem that portends a greater disaster than any of you have experienced.' Spiritual independence is, in reality, an oxymoron" (Maranville, Cecil E. United Church News. July 2000; pp.11,12).
(Note: The particular warning from Christ cited above is not found in any version of the Bible I aware of, thus the author probably meant it as an interpretation of Rev 3:14-17).
"Recent reports indicate that with increasing regularity, many people today desire spirituality in their lives but are unwilling to follow specific instructions on how to achieve it. Instead of accepting a single organization's teachings, many now pick and choose from numerous ideas in assembling their own eclectic collections of religious ideas. This phenomenon has been called "Cafeteria Christianity" and "The Religion of the Sovereign Self." Like the Laodiceans of the first century, people who engineer their own religions are generally pleased with their choices and believe God approves of their ways — ways that are in direct contradiction with others holding similarly self-designed religious ideas" (Treybig, David. The Message to Laodicea: Be Zealous and Repent. United Church News, August 2002).
"At the regional pastors meeting, held earlier this month, plans were finalized for three-day regional elders conferences, which will begin in March 2005. The regional pastors also discussed issues that challenge both the membership and elders. In a poll taken just before the meetings, pastors identified the following as the major issues challenging the Church: Members with an independent spirit or philosophy. Doctrinal differences within the Church and membership. Members with a "lukewarm attitude." Members trusting information they find on the Internet more than what they hear from the Church. Members who have difficulty with Church government. Evangelism and who should evangelize. Poor health and aging congregations. Church attendance and those who "float" between organizations. The top issues among pastors were identified as: Training of future pastors. How United is or should be governed. Pastoral workloads. Pastoral transfers. Morale of the ministry and in the Church. Health issues. Retirement concerns" (Henson D. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Thursday, December 9, 2004 – Cincinnati, Ohio).
"Laodicean can also mean the people decide...Laodiceans have a lack of respect towards God's authority...Its {Laodicea's} politicians specialize in appeasement...The spirit of indifference is the most tragic thing that can occur in the Church...Christ cannot put up with lukewarmness forever...Laodiceans are too undisciplined to obey orders" (Fahey B. "The Letter to Laodicea". UCG Bible Study, March 5, 2005 Chicago, IL).
Specifically, Laodiceans have failed to obey Jesus' command to the Philadelphians to 'hold fast' (Revelation 3:11) and do not have the same work as the Philadelphians do.
Living:
"According to Strong's Greek concordance, Philadelphia means "fraternal affection", "brotherly love", "love of the brethren". Also according to Strong's, Laodicea is a combination of two words, laos which it defines as "people" and dike, which is defined by Strong's as "right", "judgment", "punish", and "vengeance". Smith's Bible Dictionary defines Laodicea to mean "justice of the people". Might the term Laodicean convey that he predominant characteristic of this Church is that people rule, the people judge, or, in fact that the people are judgmental?...
The Philadelphians have God's " command to persevere" (Rev 3:10) and are told to “hold fast to what you have, that no man may take your crown” (v.11). Perhaps this is a warning not to be swayed by doctrinal changes contrary to our core, fundamental beliefs, which are instituted by men, irrespective of their position or education. We are told to be “so doing” when Jesus returns (Mat 24:46). We need to have works of which God approves (Rev 3:8). We must be hot--not lukewarm (v.15).
Herbert W. Armstrong thought those in the Body of Christ who were part of doing the work were going to be protected. He wrote the following, "Those in the true Body of Christ shall be protected until this tribulation will be over (Rev. 3:10-11)--applying to those faithful in God's Work now going to the world. Rev 12:14; U.S.A. 26:20. But YOU must make your own decision -- and to neglect doing so is to have made the wrong decision! God isn't kidding! This is for real!...The decision in now yours!" (Armstrong, Herbert W. The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. 1975; p:60).
And of course he was right--the decision is yours. We all need to heed God's warning to the Laodiceans" (Thiel, B. Philadelphia & Laodicea. Global Church News. Jul-Aug 1998).
“In Revelation 3, we read of two final phases of the history of the Church of God. The Church of Philadelphia was to be characterized by a zeal to do the Work. God promised to set before them an 'open door' as well as to protect them from the future Great Tribulation. However, there is a final seventh stage of the Church described, as the Church at Laodicea. This church was to be described by spiritual lukewarmness and lethargy. It is described as a worldly church, and certainly one which fit in with the spirit of these permissive, modern times...Some of God's people have been overwhelmed by the cares and problems of this life or by personal problems and have dropped by the wayside. Others have been deceived by false prophets and have gone into apostasy. Still others have become so lethargic and softened by comfort that they have lost their vision and merely wish to maintain local churches, no longer caring about doing the Work...Will you be one whom God uses to finish his end-time Work? Do you have that true Philadelphian spirit that reaches out to the whole world in genuine love and concern to share God's message of Truth and hope? Do you consider it important that the House of Israel be warned of the impending time of Jacob's trouble?" (Ogwyn, John. God's Church Through the Ages. Booklet. 1995).
"The Living Church of God cannot claim that all its members are Philadelphian, but we do believe we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant...Of course, simply attending with the Living Church of God does not make one a Philadelphian; individual members must do their part, and must not allow their lives to be cluttered by the cares of this world so that they themselves become lukewarm (Laodicean)" (Thiel, B. What is a Philadelphian? Living Church News. Jul-Aug 2001; p.15).
"One of the primary dangers for all of us in God’s Church is Laodiceanism. We are definitely in what the Bible indicates is the “last era”—the last church age of God’s Church just before the Tribulation. The Apostle John was inspired to describe this era in very clear terms in Revelation 3:14–22. Note that this era is condemned not for any specific doctrinal errors, but for a complacent, lukewarm attitude. So those who are Laodiceans may have a “watered-down” approach to doctrine in general, but they appear to have most of the Truth. It is just that they are complacent and may say, in effect: “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” (v. 17). Yet, in God’s eyes, they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” Where do I stand? Where do you stand? Each of us must constantly try to objectively evaluate ourselves—not other people. And I warn you solemnly that not all Laodiceans are in the “other groups!” For we in the Living Church of God have a certain number of Laodiceans, and all of us are in danger of becoming that way if we succumb to the dominant “spirit” of this church age—and of the society around us. discouraged by the continuing captivity of his people and perhaps the general malaise among them, he began to zealously seek God... Each of us must constantly try to objectively evaluate ourselves—not other people. And I warn you solemnly that not all Laodiceans are in the “other groups!” " (Meredith, Roderick. Editorial. Living Church News, July-August 2002, p.3).
(Note: It seems that United teaches that a Laodicean is one that is not part of an organized Church of God, while it seems that Living teaches that a Laodicean rejects governance, waters down doctrine, and rejects proclaiming the Gospel as the top priority. For two related interesting article, please read What is a True Philadelphian? and There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God?)
8. Philadelphia
United: For years, I had seen nothing in United's literature suggesting that it believes it is part of the Philadelphia era of God's Church. This is not surprising as United does not officially teach Church eras as WCG used to teach them (see 6. above).
However, I on 6/19/04 found one mention at UCG's website, "Year's ago when we talked about ourselves as the Philadelphian church, the only warning that came to the Philadelphia church - do you remember it?" (Pinelli R. The Seven Spirits of Satan. Sermon Transcript, August 28, 1999. http://www.ucg.org/sermons/transcripts/7Spirits.html).
His 'Years ago' comment refers to the WCG days, hence UCG's Director of Ministerial Services has now shown that UCG does not call itself the Philadelphian church--of course that is consistent with not officially teaching Church eras.
Furthermore, "Mr. Franks believes...that the UCG is 'not a new church,' he said. 'We are a continuation.' (Warren, John. UCG tentatively sanctions old-WCG voting doctrine. The Journal. August 31, 2001).
(For those of us who believe in Church eras, Laodicea is a continuation of the Church of God, but not part of the Philadelphia era.)
Living:
"The Living Church of God traces its history from the Apostolic Church in the Book of Acts (the Ephesian era) to the present. The message to the seven Churches in Revelation 2 & 3 successively shows the history of the true Church from that time forward. These seven Churches describe succeeding eras, or ages, of God’s Church. We believe that the Philadelphia era began in the 1930’s and that we are a continuation of that Philadelphia era" (LCG Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, Church History, 11/14/02).
"...we are the 'remnant' of the Philadelphian Church living over into the Laodicean era" (Meredith, Roderick C. Wait on God. Living Church News. Jul-Aug 2003; p3).
"Remember, though: just calling oneself (or one's church) "Philadelphian" does not guarantee that one actually is Philadelphian. Some who claim to be Philadelphian are not. The Living Church of God cannot claim that all its members are Philadelphian, but we do believe we are a uniquely Philadelphian remnant. Can one find a larger or more effective "corporate body" which retains the Truth as taught by Mr. Armstrong, without adding non-biblical "revelations" or diverting its members from making their top priority the Great Commission of proclaiming the Gospel as established by Jesus Christ? No! One can expect that Philadelphians, who care about doing an effective Work and holding fast to the Truth, will naturally support the Living Church of God. Of course, simply attending with the Living Church of God does not make one a Philadelphian; individual members must do their part, and must not allow their lives to be cluttered by the cares of this world so that they themselves become lukewarm (Laodicean)" (Thiel, B. What is a Philadelphian? Living Church News. Jul-Aug 2001; p.15).
Dr. Meredith has repeatedly stated in various sermons that Living represents the much of the remnant of the Philadelphia era of God's Church. This is actually a key difference between United and Living--United essentially believes it represents the Church of God while Living believes it essentially represents the Philadelphia era of the Church of God. As this article shows, the beliefs and actions of these two groups seem to differ, probably based on this fundamental difference.
9. Petra
United:
"He (Dr. Don Ward) explained, turning to several scriptures, why he does not believe Petra will be the place of safety, although he acknowledges that Revelation 12:13-16 refers to miraculous protection of God's people. 'Petra has been used , unfortunately, to manipulate God's people', he said. 'I don't believe God's people will be protected in Petra during the tribulation.' "He referred to verses in Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Revelation, Micah, Zephaniah, Amos, Matthew and 1 Corinthians to back up his belief that the present area of the nation of Jordan, which includes Petra, will not be a place anyone should want to be anywhere near during the tribulation. "He said the focus on the place of safety, as opposed to the Kingdom of God, has diverted Christians' attention and energies from the activities that should be their first priorities." (Cartwright, Dixon. IBLC kicks off with on-site seminar. In Transition. August 19, 1996; p:3)
The Good News Bible Reading Program has an article dated July 13, 2003 and another dated April 2, 2003 which suggests that it is possible that God may be telling His people that they will be protected in a rocky place, that this may not be literal, but that if so, Petra can be possible.
Living:
"Scripture makes clear that God promises His zealous end-time people protection from the Tribulation. But why have so many in the Church over the years thought that the place where God will protect His people might be Petra?...In three specific references, the Bible seems to associate Petra with God's end-time place of protection for His people, but these scriptures are all somewhat vague and can be understood in more than one way. If these verses do not refer to Petra, though, it would seem that God really has not given us any indication of the location where He will nourish His people during the final three-and-a half year period....(Isaiah 42:11-13)...Isaiah 33...verse 10...(v.14)...(vv.14-16)...Another reference is Isaiah 16. Here God tells the Moabites, who rule the area of Sela or Petra (v.1), to shield His outcasts...While the details of how and where God will protect His people are fascinating, we must all keep in mind that in the ultimate sense our protection does not come from any place--it come from God" (Ogwyn, John. Is There a Real Place of Safety? Living Church News. July-August 2001; pp.5-6).
Hence, Living teaches that Petra is the only place the Bible may specify, but this specification is not certain, while United seems to have two views one is that Petra is possible and another that states that Petra cannot be the place. An article of possible interest may be There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra.
10. Who Will Be Protected (and who will not)?
United:
"Who will escape the worst of the Great Tribulation during the prophesied dangerous times ahead? Is it some particular group or denomination? Will those who study the prophecies of the Bible have a greater advantage? Does knowing about God’s plans bring any special favor to a person? The Bible is plain that it’s not knowledge or self-devised religion that makes a difference with God. Rather, it is the performing of His will in our lives and our sincere acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for our past sins that binds us to Him (Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 1:4). What should a person who desires protection from the coming Great Tribulation be focusing on and doing in the meantime? Surely the Christlike people with God’s Spirit guiding their thoughts and actions will continue their focus on loving and serving God and humanity as their reason for being. Here are some passages, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, that give us spiritual directives to be concentrating on each day. “Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3). “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore [be alert to your spiritual condition], and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36). Those God chooses will be spared the horrible calamities of the climax of this age of Satan’s world—those intimately close to God and His way of living.“He sets on high those who are lowly [humble],and those who mourn are lifted to safety”(Job 5:11)" (Elliot, John. Who Is Given Protection? Good News, Jan-Feb 2003, p.12).
Furthermore, in the related article, UCG teaches,
"A passage in Revelation indicates that God plans to spare His people, granting them His protection during the 3 1/2 years of tribulation and wrath that will come on humanity (Revelation 12:14). This is affirmed in other prophecies (see Zephaniah 2:3; Revelation 3:10). Jesus’ dark prophecy about the climactic events that will rip the world apart just before His second coming is prefaced with a positive statement to His followers: “Pray that your flight [their escape] will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:20-22, NIV)...Will you repent of humanly devised religious beliefs and traditions purporting to please God while actually rejecting Him, His commands and His ways? The times ahead are forecast to wake us up to the truth. We need to be deadly serious about our dedication to doing the will of God in our lives from here on! Referring to God and His awesome power (Hebrews 12:29), Isaiah the prophet was inspired to ask: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isaiah 33:14). These questions impact every person alive at the beginning of the prophesied Great Tribulation. The answer follows in the next verses: “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure” (verses 15-16)" (Elliot, John. Coming Calamities: Doe God Offer Protection? Good News, Jan-Feb 2003, p.13).
Although, unlike groups such as CGI, UCG is actually referring to some type of place of safety (although other than Dr. Ward's comments, I have seen nothing from its literature or leadership suggesting where such a place might be), UCG seems to be teaching that all of God's true people will be protected (this is similar to what CGI teaches). However, UCC fails to teach what the Bible is teaching--that is, that it is only the Philadelphians (Revelation 3:7-10) who are promised to be kept "from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (vs.10). UCG should have specifically also cited the following verse, "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17) as it shows that just being one of God's people will not insure protection at the place (see also Revelation 14:8-12). What does all that mean? It means that UCG does not teach that it is the Philadelphians that are offered specific protection in a place in the wilderness for 3 1/2 years (Revelation 3;10;12:14) even though it correctly alluded to a couple of verses without explaining there ramifications!It is UCG who teaches that one needs to be "deadly serious" about this and not rely on humanly devised religious beliefs. UCG teaches that people should repent, but will its members take that admonition to heart? It is UCG who teaches that one needs to live according to "His ways", however, by not placing its top financial priority on proclaiming the Gospel, this is at least one of "His ways" that UCG has rejected. Herbert Armstrong taught that he believed that God used him to raise up the Philadelphia era of the Church of God. He believed that the difference about this era and the previous (Sardis) and following one (Laodicea), was that the Philadelphia era placed its top priority on proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world as a witness and that it had at least 18 truths or core teachings restored to it. LCG is the only COG that I know of which publishes audited financial statements showing that it spends the same percentage of its income on proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world as a witness as WCG did under HWA--hence it is walking in the Way that Jesus established for the Philadelphia Church (Revelation 3:7-8). It also will clearly teach all of those 18 truths (UCG will not! It calls a couple of them analogies. Plus it has rejected governance and third tithe, simply read the rest of this article for the details).
"Revelation 12 speaks of a way of escape for the Church "into the wilderness." Figuratively, the Church is likened to a woman in the Bible. When some are taken to a place of safety, it says "the dragon [Satan] was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (verse 17). True Christians are going to become supremely unpopular in an increasingly disobedient world" Schroeder JR. A Coming Time of Martyrdom. World News and Prophecy. Jul 2004, p.5).
The above clearly shows that UCG does believe in a place of safety, and for the first time in any of its literature I had seen thus far, indicates that many will not go to that place. Yet, thus far, I still have not seen who UCG believes will be protected and who will not be.
Living:
"Let this be perfectly clear, there are two groups of God's people mentioned in Revelation 12--one which goes to a place of safety and one which does not. It states: "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring , who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (vv. 14-17). Note that just keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus Christ is not enough to insure that one will go "into the wilderness", be "nourished", and protected "from the presence of the serpent". For the dragon will “make war” with those who do not go... The Philadelphians are the only ones that God promises to keep “from the hour of trial that comes upon the whole world”. Regarding the letter to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans shows they walk a different path: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent...We have seen that God will not keep those in the Laodicea era of His Church from entering the tribulation. So what, specifically, will happen to those who are not in a place of protection? Some of the answers may lie in the book of Lamentations, which details that time: "The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them...Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die by hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruit of the field. The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people...Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness" (Lam 4:4-19). This book, written by the prophet Jeremiah, foretells what will happen to the modern-day descendants of Israel, and indications are that it may include "spiritual" and not just physical Israel (i.e., Lam 1:4,2:20,4:7,5:21-22). Even if you believe that these prophecies were fulfilled around the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, remember Jesus said, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no nor ever shall be" (Mat 24:21). Thus, we can look at the most horrifying events that have happened in the past and yet realize that the coming Tribulation will be worse. " (v.19). (Thiel, B. Philadelphia & Laodicea. Global Church News, July-August 1998).
"Scripture describes the Church at Philadelphia: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": I know your works. See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie-indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you...Jesus told the Philadelphians: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!" (Revelation 3:10-11). The Philadelphians are the only ones promised protection! The remnant of the Philadelphians are "given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Revelation 12:14)" (Thiel, B. What is a Philadelphian? Living Church News, July-August 2001). "Clearly, the Church is taken to a place where God will supernaturally nourish and protect it during the final three-and-a-half year period before Christ’s return. This ties in with Revelation 3:10, in which Christ promises the Church at Philadelphia that He would protect it from the “hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world.” By contrast, in Revelation 3:16 He warns the Church at Laodicea that He would spew it out of His mouth. This is the “remnant” (KJV) or “rest of her offspring” against whom Satan makes war in Revelation 12:17. This remnant is part of the true Church, because it keeps the commandments and has Christ’s testimony, but it is tepid and lukewarm, not zealous and on fire. As a result, Christ will spew these individuals directly into the Tribulation to wake them up and bring them to repentance! The Bible shows a clear contrast between two groups of God’s people in the end-time. To one group, Christ says “keep the word of my patience” (Revelation 3:10, KJV) and go through open doors (v. 8) to preach the gospel. The other group is self-absorbed and lukewarm in its approach toward God and His ways. This distinction determines whom God will nourish in “her place in the wilderness” while others will be confronted with the Great Tribulation" (Ogwyn, John. Is There a Real Place of Safety? Living Church News. July-August 2001).
"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7-9)..."Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (vv. 13-14). At that time, those that are actually, "Philadelphian" in their relationship with God will be taken to a Place of Safety...However those who are Laodicean and "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:14-16) will be spewed out of Christ's mouth for their own good because they have been unwilling to exercise genuine faith and fully trust God...These people--although they are obviously commandment-keepers--will obviously not have been fully faithful in following Christ and His ways, or in doing the Work as Revelation 3 indicates they should. So they will need the Great Tribulation to humble, teach them and help them make a total commitment to exercise genuine faith in God's ways! (Meredith R.C. Do You Radiate Faith in God? Living Church News. May-June 2006, p. 20).
Hence Living clearly teaches that the Philadelphians, only, will be protected in a place in the wilderness, but that the Laodiceans will not be protected. United does not appear to make any distinction, which I consider to be scripturally inaccurate, as well as personally dangerous. United also seems to mention it less often than LCG does in sermons and literature.
11. Iran: A Possible King of the South?
United: In a UCG World News & Prophecy article titled Could Ahmadinejad Be Daniel's "King of the South"? it states,
"Because Iran is, to this point, intractable in its demand to develop nuclear power, and because it produces the second highest amount of oil in OPEC, neither it nor its new president can be ignored. Back to Daniel's enigmatic prediction. He spoke of two geopolitical configurations, kings of the south and north. It's too soon to tell whether Ahmadinejad will become the first "king," but it is possible that the group backing that king of the south could well be some form of the Islamic ummah (community) (Maranville C.E. Could Ahmadinejad Be Daniel's "King of the South"? World News & Prophecy, December 2005).
Hence, UCG's position seemed to be that the non-Arabic Iran may be the King of the South. And although UCG confirmed that in something else I recall reading, a more recent UCG World News & Prophecy articles state:
Eventually Israel will become subject to a European-centered superpower (the "king of the North") who will invade the Holy Land as a result of a "push" by the "king of the South" (possibly an Islamic group of peoples) as explained in Daniel 11:40-45. Schroeder JR. New Middle Eastern Conflicts: A Wake-up Call for Mankind. World News & Prophecy, August 2006).
...Daniel 11:40-45. These verses tell of a "king of the South" doing something so provocative to a "king of the North" that he reacts by taking over the region of Palestine. On the basis of what we can observe today, we anticipate that the king of the South will be an alliance of Muslim nations from northern Africa through the Middle East and that the king of the North will be a core of European nations, smaller than the present EU configuration (Maranville C.E. China Looks to Africa. World News & Prophecy, June 2007).
UCG tends to be a bit guarded and seems to change its position more easily then LCG does.
Living: R.C. Meredith has publicly stated that Iran will not be the King of the South (Meredith R.C. Last Great Day Sermon. Clearwater, Florida. October 25, 2005), though Iran may support that king. He has also specifically stated, "The King of the South is not Iran...The King of the South cannot be Iran. Iran is north of Jerusalem" (Meredith RC. Endure with Faith. Sermon, Charlotte (NC), September 10, 2005).
This is a relatively minor difference between the two groups, yet it does show a major difference: LCG will clearly teach what it believes, while UCG tends to be a bit more guarded--even to the point it will teach something that seems to not have biblical support or that easily changes with current events. More information can be found in the article Is There a Future King of the South?
12. Herbert W. Armstrong- Elijah
United: "The United Church of God has taken no position on the subject of Herbert Armstrong being the prophesied Elijah" (HWA Elijah?. Email to COGwriter@aol.com from Info@ucg.org. August 25, 1999).
"UCG teaches that Mr. Armstrong was a modern apostle. They make no statement on Mr. Armstrong being the end time "Elijah." (CGCF Doctrinal Study Paper, posted at cgcf.org 6/30/01)."
"The United Church of God is dedicated to the spirit of Elijah, seeking to have our fathers' and children's hearts turned toward each other" (Maranville, Cecil E.. SBMC and Disposable Fathers. World News & Prophecy. July 2001; p. 15).
Living:
"Herbert W. Armstrong did an Elijah-like work" (Meredith, Roderick C. Special Announcements. Videotape 30. May 8, 1999).
The following is not an exact, but approximate, quote (as it was taken from my notes in a sermon),
"From a biblical point of view, the Elijah question is not a major issue...I am not that Elijah...It will probably be a younger, better looking, man...Herbert Armstrong died over fifteen years ago...Malachi 4 teaches...vs. 5, 'Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD'... Mr. Armstrong himself went back and forth on this issue...Elijah may be one of the two witnesses. He (Herbert Armstrong) told Dibar Apartian that he (Mr. Armstrong) was not the Elijah...He (Mr. Armstrong) did not change any major doctrines, such as the Sabbath...but did change positions on other matters...Our policy and practice in the Living Church of God is to honor Herbert W. Armstrong as a teacher, minister, and as an Apostle...,raising up an era of the Church...The greatest minister, perhaps, in the past 1800 years...Mr. Armstrong certainly did do the greatest work in radio, television, and all that...We feel he did an Elijah-like work...We are to follow him as he followed Christ...I feel that the Living Church of God is carrying on the teachings and practices, that is religious not personal practices, of Herbert Armstrong more than any other group on earth...He could have been the Elijah to come, but I don't think we should be dogmatic and appoint him...They (the two witnesses) have power to shut up heaven, like the original Elijah did...These two men are a definite type of Elijah and Moses. And one of them may be the end-time Elijah" (Meredith, Roderick C. The Elijah Question. VTE 131, May 19, 2001).
Here is an interesting quote from Herbert Armstrong on this subject,
"Also Malachi 4:5-6 pictures the Elijah to come at the very end of the Church age" (Mystery of the Ages. 1985, p. 349).
All should understand that since the Church age has not ended, that HWA's own writings are completely consistent with Living's position on this matter. Further information can be found in the article The Elijah Heresies.
13. Birthdays
United:
"On Friday morning Henrikas and I had breakfast together. Then I went to Anne Schotter's Kristlik Kodu (Christian Home). It was Anne's birthday and her son Avo came down from Tallinn for the day...At Bible Study Henrikas covered I Corinthians 15 and I talked about being all things to all men and not causing offense, women's hair and other subjects from I Corinthians 8-11. Then we all went to the Taverna where we celebrated Helge's birthday and had a fun evening of fellowship" (Kubik, Victor. June 12-16th, 2001 in Tartu, Estonia from www.kubik.org). Victor Kubik is on UCG's Council of Elders.
A local UCG website, has a section titled "Important Dates in August (it varies each month) and ends with "© 2007 United Church of God - Grand Rapids". Four of the six important dates listed were birthdays (on 8/04/07). This is different than anything I have recalled seeing in any COG article in my life--hence shows that UCG is more involved with birthdays than groups such as LCG or the old WCG.
Living:
"You don't observe Christ's birth. You're not supposed to have some big birthday party either to observe personal birthdays...Some people have accused me of observing birthdays...I do not observe birthdays and I have never had a birthday party for myself or any of my six children nor my wife or anyone else for over 51 years" (Meredith, Roderick C. Faith for Healing. AUE 123, 3/31/01).
" “Originally the idea [of birthday greetings and wishes for happiness] was rooted in magic. The working of spells for good and evil is the chief usage of witchcraft. One is especially susceptible to such spells on his birthday, as one’s personal spirits are about at that time. Dreams dreamed on the birthday eve should be remembered, for they are predictions of the future brought by the guardian spirits which hover over one’s bed on the birthday eve. Birthday greetings have power for good or ill because one is closer to the spirit world on this day. Good wishes bring good fortune, but the reverse is also true, so one should avoid enemies on one’s birthday and be surrounded only by well-wishers. ‘Happy birthday’ and ‘Many happy returns of the day’ are the traditional greetings” (The Lore of Birthdays, Linton, p. 20). “Birthdays are the times when good and evil spirits have the opportunity to attack the celebrants who at these times are in peril.” What is done to counter these malevolent spirits? “The presence of friends and the expression of good wishes help to protect the celebrant against the unknown pervasive peril” (Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend, p. 144). The giving of birthday gifts is a custom associated with the offering of sacrifices to pagan gods on their birthdays. Certainly the custom was linked with the same superstitions that formed the background for birthday greetings. “The exchange of presents… is associated with the importance of ingratiating good and evil fairies… on their or our birthdays” (ibid.). The traditional birthday cake and candles also have their origin in ancient pagan idol worship. The ancients believed that the fire of candles had magical properties. They offered prayers and made wishes to be carried to the gods on the flames of the candles. Thus we still have the widely practiced birthday custom of making a wish, then blowing out the candles. The Greeks celebrated the birthday of their moon goddess, Artemis, with cakes adorned each month and day is sacred; and found out from the day of a man’s birth, what he will meet with in the course of his life, and how he will end his days, and what sort of man he will be” (Herodotus, Persian Wars, Book II, ch. 82). Since it was believed that the positions of the stars at the time of birth influenced a child’s future, astrological horoscopes came into being, purporting to foretell the future, based on the time of birth. “Birthdays are intimately linked with the stars, since without the calendar, no one could tell when to celebrate his birthday. They are also indebted to the stars in another way, for in early days the chief importance of birthday records was to enable the astrologers to chart horoscopes” (The Lore of Birthdays, p. 53). Rawlinson’s translation of Herodotus includes the following footnote: “Horoscopes were of very early use in Egypt… and Cicero speaks of the Egyptians and Chaldees predicting… a man’s destiny at his birth"...When we examine the principles of God’s law closely, as they relate to birthday celebrations, we can understand why neither Christ, nor His Apostles, nor their true followers, observed their birthdays. As noted earlier, the practice has its origin in idolatry and the worship of the sun, moon and stars...Some may view birthday customs as purely secular, lacking any religious significance. Yet we need to be aware of the broader perspective of their origins, and the religious significance they have had—and still have—for vast multitudes of people. " (Reynolds, Rod. Should Christians Celebrate Birthdays? Living Church News, May-June 2002. pp.16-18)
Herbert Armstrong taught,
"There is no command or instruction to celebrate it in the Bible--rather, the celebration of birthdays is a pagan, not a Christian custom, believe it or not!" (Armstrong, Herbert. The Plain Truth About Christmas. 1974, p.10).
Roderick C. Meredith teaches:
"We don't celebrate our birthdays" (Meredith RC. Building Faith and Courage. Sermon, Charlotte-NC, 6/21/08).
While Old Testament Jews and early Christians acknowledged the dates of their birth, they never celebrated them. UCG seems to be more on the celebrating side than LCG. An article of possible interest may be Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?
14. Born Again
United:
"Re: whether a Christian is born again now, it's plain we need to be careful about word choice so that inaccurate meanings aren't assumed by the general public. Born again conveys more to the average Bible-believing person than having his mind opened to the truth. For that reason, it is unlikely that we will use it in our publications or public speaking. Born from above is the accurate way to translate John 3, while linking begotten with that passage is forcing an analogy not used by John. However, explaining the process of salvation as like the conception of a spiritual life leading to the resurrection which is like a birth, is a helpful analogy... The Bible does not, surprising as it might seem, say that we will be born in a resurrection." (Kubik, Victor. Personal Correspondence Department, August 5, 1995; p:2)."We believe that all who truly repent of their sins in full surrender and willing obedience to God, and who by faith accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, have their sins forgiven by an act of divine grace. Such individuals are justified, pardoned from the penalty of sin, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which literally abides within them and supplies the divine love that alone can fulfill the law and produce righteousness. They are baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ, which is the true Church of God. We believe in a true change in life and attitude. Only those who have the indwelling presence of and are being led by the Holy Spirit are Christ's" (Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God, An International Association. Booklet. 1998; p:19). "You asked if the United Church of God has an official statement on "born again." No, it does not. But I understand those responsible for preparing one are actively working on it. They agree with you (and others) that such a statement is needed. But the point Jesus made to Nicodemus is clear. We received physical life from our human parents. We receive eternal life and enter the Kingdom of God by becoming God's children. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we become "born again" or "born from above" as children of God" (Fahey, Bob. Personal Correspondence, UCGIA email to David R. July 17, 2001)."In the Bible conversion is represented as a miraculous, life-transforming process...When we receive God's Spirit we begin a new life of spiritual growth, of replacing our selfish human nature with God's divine nature. Baptism points to our being set apart as children of God" (Transforming Your Life, The Process of Conversion. Booklet. 2000; pp:2,41). This may be a good time to point out that UCG's 60+ page booklet, Transforming Your Life, The Process of Conversion, does not teach that the Holy Spirit begets us or that we will be born again at the time of the resurrection (these were 2 of the 18 truths restored to the Church). The terms 'beget', 'begets', 'begotten', 'begettal', or other derivatives do not seem to be mentioned in that booklet.
"Leon Walker led discussion on a study paper about the subject of 'born again' and its accompanying cover letter for the ministry. The paper confirms our traditional understanding of salvation, and the accuracy of the analogy that entrance into the Family of God is comparable to a birth. It upholds our longstanding belief that the traditional Christian concept of “once saved, always saved” is not biblical. And it expands on the meaning of the Greek terms commonly associated with the doctrine. After some comment on the paper itself, and some editing of the cover letter, the Council balloted ten in favor (Messrs. Antion, Dick, Franks, Horchak, Jewell, Kubik, McCullough, Seiglie, Thompson and Walker in favor of the packet as worded), two abstaining (Mr. Dean and Mr. Kilough. Mr. Kilough stated that his abstention was not based on doctrinal content, but on reservations about the cover letter)" (Johnson, D. United Church of God, an International Association Council of Elders Meeting Report Friday, December 13, 2002‚ Cincinnati, Ohio).
What I continue to be amazed by is how UCG's leadership continues to use a lot of the same verbiage that the Tkach WCG did, such as in UCG's newest Born Again Study Paper (approved by the Council of Elders, December 2002),
"The Bible uses many analogies and figures of speech to teach spiritual truths. However, one has to be careful in the use of analogies, as each is often limited in context to a specific and direct application. For example, in Matthew 13:33 Jesus used leaven as an analogy of the Kingdom of God. Then in Matthew 16:12 He used leaven as an analogy of the false doctrine of the Pharisees. In 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 Paul states that Jesus Christ is the foundation of God's building, but in Ephesians 2:20 he says that the foundation is built on the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Analogies are also used in the Bible regarding specific aspects of the salvation process. Paul uses the analogies of a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15) and a "new man" (Ephesians 2:15; 4:24; Colossians 3:10) to describe the converted person. The individual is not in a literal sense a "new creation" or a "new man," but there is a definite transformation that takes place at the time of conversion which makes him spiritually a "new" person (Romans 12:2). From the time of his conversion the individual lives differently than he did before. Conversion means a new life, a change of life, a fresh start, a different outlook, a new beginning. The Christian is in that sense a "new man." Conversion describes the transformation that takes place at the time of repentance in the life of the individual. However, a sudden and dramatic change from mortality to immortality will take place at the time of the resurrection (Philippians 3:21). God as our Father has much more in mind than just a relationship with us in this life. His desire is that we attain to the resurrection from the dead, put on immortality and become glorified children in His family and Kingdom. The ultimate destiny of humanity is to inherit the Kingdom of God by being changed from mortal to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:35-54). Another analogy that the Bible uses likens newly converted individuals to "newborn babes" (1 Peter 2:2), needing milk (basic elements) of the Word as they begin a life of growing spiritually. Of course, this is just an analogy. The individual is not literally reborn at the time of conversion. On the other hand, a significant change takes place in his life-so significant that it can be considered the beginning of a new life. So the newly converted individual is referred to as a "babe in Christ." However, at some point every analogy ceases to be valid. We must also be careful not to take analogies as literal" (pp. 5-6).
Basically now, what UCG teaches is that being begotten by at conversion is an analogy and that the new birth at the resurrection is an analogy, and that one does not become a 'new creation' upon conversion--this is a change, but UCG does not want to portray it that way. The only change UCG seems to want to admit to (as a change) is, "The difference in this paper is the additional understanding of the Greek word gennao" (p. 2). Thus its COE concludes (in the preface), "It was concluded by the Doctrine Committee and the Council of Elders that this paper does not constitute a change in the doctrine of salvation but a deeper understanding of the analogies and the Greek words used in the New Testament to describe the process of salvation" (p.2). So once again, UCG leadership is telling its membership why a change is not a change.
"Therefore, the meaning of gennao in Matthew 1:20 is consistent with its meaning throughout the rest of the New Testament. Its contextual use reflects the genealogical or ancestral origin of what has already been brought forth, not a description of the biological process of conception...However, as with any analogy, there are limitations in using the illustration of an unborn child to describe a Christian" (p. 27).
Hence, UCG seems to be saying that one is not begotten by the Holy Spirit upon conception.
"We do not believe the term "born again" is a proper translation from the Greek (p. 2)...Is the phrase "born again" even a correct and appropriate translation? In order to understand fully the concept Jesus referred to in John 3, we must understand the correct meaning of the term "born again" and its role in the process of salvation (p.3)...The explanation of John 3 will show that indeed when one is truly born of the Spirit, he will be a spirit being. We were born of the flesh and are therefore, flesh. John 3 has a duality that should not be denied. This chapter also discusses conversion as a type of birth, but this does not deny the concept of the analogy that Mr. Armstrong taught us for so many years-indeed the paper emphasizes the truth of that analogy (p.2) ...Gennao is used metaphorically in John 3 and other locations to refer to the divine origin of our new life in Christ. Metaphorically, gennao means "to generate" (p. 11)...The response by Nicodemus in verse 4 (How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?") seems to indicate that Nicodemus understood anothen in the sense of "again." But is that what Christ meant? (p.12)...anothen would be more suitably translated "from above" because it more clearly indicates the origin of that relationship than does the word "again," which is not as specific. Therefore, we do not use the term "born again" when translating gennao anothen" (p.12).
Okay, United seems to believe that 'generated from above' remains the best way to translate John 3 even though United admits that Nicodemus seemed think that Jesus was talking about being born again. Furthermore, United's COE has this statement in the preface, "The paper reinforces Herbert W. Armstrong's use of the analogy of begettal at baptism and birth when one actually enters the Kingdom of God" (p. 2). Having read the paper, I can only conclude that UCG's Study Paper reinforces the concept that UCG does not believe that we a literally begotten by the Holy Spirit upon conversion nor born-again at the resurrection--it also reinforces the concept that UCG believes these teachings are simply analogies which are of questionable value. UCG appears to be teaching that being begotten by the Holy Spirit upon conversion and being born again at the resurrection are analogies. Thus, it seems clear that UCG has changed its 'traditional' beliefs on this subject. I guess if you say something is not a change, then I guess you can ignore your constitution when it states that all changes need a 3/4 vote of approval from your entire eldership. The other group that used to say that changes were not a change was WCG--of course they said that when most of the ministers now in UCG were part of them. Perhaps this is where UCG's leadership was able to learn that technique. Living: UCG's Study Paper on Born Again, takes thirty pages to not say what LCG says in a one paragraph,
"With a physical human birth, there must first be "begettal" (by the male), and "conception" (by the female). With a spiritual birth, there must first be a spiritual begettal and conception. Then after a period of "spiritual gestation" or spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18), true Christians will someday experience a literal spiritual "birth," thereby becoming immortal children of God. We will literally be born again at the resurrection as Christ Himself was, "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4)" (LCG Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs, The Meaning of 'Born Again', 11/14/02).
"In this life, we are 'begotten' or regenerated through conversion and the impregnation of God's Spirit. This Spirit is the Spirit 'of power and of love and of a sound mind' (2 Tim. 1:17). The Spirit of God imparts to us the very nature of God. As we surrender our wills to God, yield to His Holy Spirit and drink of it through regular Bible study and prayer, we grow in spiritual maturity until it is time to be fully 'born of God' at the resurrection of the dead!" (Meredith, Roderick C. Your Ultimate Destiny. Booklet.1996; p. 9).
15. Disasters
United: Regarding the 12/26/04 tsunami,
"Already $500 million has been raised worldwide in relief efforts to help the victims. We are reminded: "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so" (Proverbs 3:27). To this end, the United Church of God has made a donation to the Red Cross International Relief Fund to aid in the effort to assist people in great need. Many have asked: "How can we personally help?" According to the Red Cross, 100 percent of any donations made for tsunami victims will go directly to those suffering. If local churches, members or families would like to make their own discretionary donation, we encourage them to do so...One of our representatives in Southeast Asia, Dave Baker, is presently traveling through that region. Both he and Jeff Caudle have reported that apparently our members have been spared from direct destruction and distress" (Holladay R. Letter from the President. December 31, 2004).
This is similar to its response to Hurricane Katrina:
"Information has slowly been trickling in from several elders along the Gulf Coast, and we are relieved that at this point we have heard no reports of harm coming to any of our own Church members. However, due to the state of poor communications, not all of the affected members have been contacted, so we cannot make any kind of summary statement. Nor do we have more than sketchy reports about what kind of property damage they may have sustained.
"Naturally, many members are inquiring as to what they can do to help. In the coming days a clearer picture will emerge concerning the specific needs of our brethren, and we are committed to help them as soon and effectively as we can. I’m sure we have Paul’s words in the forefront of our minds at this time: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). "Our advice at this time from the home office is that members who want to "do good to all" should contribute to the organizations that are best equipped and experienced to provide the food, clothing, shelter and medical attention needed. We recommend reputable groups the government is endorsing, such as the Red Cross.
For those who want to reach out particularly to "the household of faith," you can send a check to the home office, payable to the United Church of God, noting in the memo section that it is for the "Assistance Fund." We will likely be helping a number of our brethren in these affected areas using our "Assistance Fund"—beyond what was anticipated in the budget. We will draw on these funds in consultation with the local ministers to make sure we can effectively help members in their need" (Kilough C. Letter from the President. September 1, 2005).
Living: In his 10/23/01 Co-worker letter, LCG's Dr. Meredith reported,
"In every way, dear brethren, we need to increase the power of this Work. For now, more than ever, this world desperately needs what we have to give. It may be helpful to review some of the specific warnings I have given you in the last couple of years—long before the events of September 11, 2001: "December 24, 1999, co-worker letter: "Even as I write, Americans are being warned of potential terrorist attacks right here in the United States. A powerful European Empire is in the making—soon to replace America as the world’s leading power." "From my February 24, 2000 co-worker letter: "God predicts that alternate drought and floods, fires and famine, disease epidemics and increasing earthquakes will come upon us, plus many kinds of ‘terrors’—probably including terrorist threats and attacks." "From the co-worker letter of October 26, 2000: "Greetings from San Diego! A ‘holy war’ coming up in the Middle East? American ships and troops being involved? An escalation of anti-American hatred throughout the Arab world? A cut-off of Arab oil and terrorist attacks right here on American soil? All of these things and more are now distinct possibilities!" "Notice this powerful quote from my March 12, 2001 co-worker letter: "Also, the Arab terrorist organization ‘Hamas’ has proclaimed that they are going to ‘welcome’ new Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a wave of terrorist attacks. So these could begin soon—and will eventually involve terrorism not only in the Middle East but in Great Britain and right here in the United States."
So we have been—almost alone—telling you brethren and co-workers exactly what was going to happen! And as long as we obey Him, the great God whom we serve will continue to use us as His instruments to warn our people of what lies ahead. What an opportunity and what a challenge God has set before us! "
Perhaps I should add something else. In his 8/04/01 sermon (five weeks before the World Trade Center attack and around 8 weeks before anthrax was detected), Dr. Meredith warned that terrorists may bomb the World Trade Center and that biological weapons, specifically including anthrax, could be released in the U.S. at any time (Prophetic Prophecies on the Edge, San Diego, August 4, 2001). Before the earthquake caused tsunami, here is what RC Meredith wrote in the December 2003 edition of the booklet Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return,
"Watch, as the number and magnitude of earthquakes grow, because they will become extremely devastating...In the near future, there will be more earthquakes even in places where they are not normally expected".
Also, here is what LCG's R.C. Meredith wrote in his Personal for the Jan-Feb 2005 issue of Tomorrow's World magazine (which he wrote and had printed BEFORE the 12/26/04 tsunami or Hurricane Katrina), bolding mine,