Church of God News

The Above Building is Where the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Meets with Dignitaries

COGwriter

Zenit.org, a Vatican-supporting news service reported the following on Monday:

Orthodox Patriarch Says Dialogue Is Progressing

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 30, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople says dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is going forward, despite “considerable difficulties that exist and the well-known problems.”

Patriarch Bartholomew I affirmed this in his homily Sunday at St. Peter’s Basilica for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul…

The patriarch stated that the Orthodox “honor and greatly venerate Peter — he who made his salvific confession of the divinity of Christ, as much as Paul — the vessel of election, who proclaimed this confession and faith to the ends of the universe in the midst of the most unimaginable difficulties and dangers. […] To strongly emphasize their equal importance, but also their weight in the Church and her regenerative and salvific work through the centuries, the East honors them in an icon in which they either hold a little ship in their hands, which symbolizes the Church, or they embrace and exchange the kiss in Christ.”It is indeed this kiss that we have come to exchange with you, Your Holiness, emphasizing the ardent desire and love in Christ, things which are closely related to each other.”

Bartholomew I then turned his attention to the progress toward unity between the two Churches.

“The theological dialogue between our Churches ‘in faith, truth and love,’ thanks to divine help, goes forward despite the considerable difficulties that exist and the well-known problems,” he said. “We truly desire and fervently pray that these difficulties will be overcome and that the problems will disappear as soon as possible so that we may reach the desired final goal for the glory of God.

The truth is that the Orthodox are not wise to think that the Catholics do not want to totally absorb them.

In the past I have cited the following:

Abbott Joachim (died 1202)…A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church…This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace…At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch)… A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair. Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 31-33).

Last night I ran across another Catholic writing that confirms it:

St. Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373): Let the Greeks know that their empire, their kingdoms, or dominions, shall never be  secure or in settled peace…until, with true humility and good will, they shall have devoutly submitted themselves to the Church of Rome and to her faith, conforming themselves entirely to the holy ordinance and rites of that Church (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 154).

Now, I should add that I do believe that the Church of Rome will compromise some to accept the Orthodox (and at least one Catholic priest has prophesied that, please see Meeting with the Orthodox in Constantinople).

Because of control, the biblical warnings, and doctrinal reasons, I have long advocated that the Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics.

Hopefully, individually they will do that before it is too late.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

Some Similarities and Differences Between the Orthodox Church and the Churches of God Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.

Main Street of Laodicea (A Term Signifying the Rule by the People)

COGwriter

For quite some time, many at the anti-COG sites have claimed that the COGs are dying out. Some time ago, I posted information that in the case of the Living Church of God, at least, we had many younger members.

In his last member letter, UCG’s President Clyde Kilough wrote the following:

Contrary to popular opinion, we are not simply a church that is quickly aging toward extinction! The 2007 U.S. Feast of Tabernacles registration figures tell an interesting story in terms of age demographics:

• Seniors (those over 60)—3,404, or 26 percent of total attendance.
• Adults (aged 30-60)—5,438, or 41 percent.
• Youth and young adults (under 30)—4,413, or 33 percent.

Not only do we have many children, teens and young adults, but many of them are already
dedicated to living God’s way of life.

This Church has a future even from within its current membership, to say nothing of potential
growth from new people. That means we will need strong pastoral leadership. One of the guiding
principles of the United Church of God in 1995 was to provide pastors for each congregation, and we
have done that. By and large, we have been blessed with veteran leadership in that capacity, and we
currently have 89 pastors overseeing the 216 U.S. congregations…

Today we see brought to the table of discussion all sorts of ideas about Church doctrine, Church
governance, Church administration, how the gospel should or should not be preached, etc. These are the big-ticket items. Of lesser importance—although not necessarily lesser intensity of opinion—are matters such as educational programs and approaches, financial management, home office relocation, who should have certain responsibilities, etc.

The fact is that Jesus said that the gates of Haydes (the grave/death) would not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18). LCG will not die out. And UCG says, neither will it.

UCG, though, does have problems with its governance, doctrine, approach to proclaiming the gospel, and its home office relocation, etc.

Some articles of related interest may include:

There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now basically the Living Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. Non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.

Main Street of Laodicea (A Term Signifying the Rule by the People)

COGwriter

In the latest edition of COGaIC’s Vision magazine, in an article titled Power to the People, Brian Orchard wrote:

Is more and better democracy the way of the future? Will the establishment of democratic forms of government end the strife in contentious regions such as the Middle East? Can the enforced implementation of democracy by the United Nations or the United States solve the world’s problems?…

Democracy is generally recognized as originating with the Greeks, when revolts in Athens brought to an end a dynasty of tyrants in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C.E. The term demokratia comes from kratos, “rule,” and demos, “people.” Hence the definition, “the rule of the people.” Aristotle thought that the ideal number of men participating in each democratic system would be about five thousand. No doubt the breadth of contemporary applications would surprise him. Today, the ancient philosopher’s concept of the polis (city) as the basis for democracy has given rise to national and even global models.

While there are many modern variations of democracy, all involve “the people” in processes that either express the will of the majority or act as checks and balances on a centralized authority…

For some, “the rule of the people” is the panacea for all problems relating to personal liberty, human rights and freedom in general. For others, it means globalization and its 24-7 partner, the Internet, which transcends political boundaries. In either case, views of democracy tend to be enhanced by the collapse of closed systems, under which the people’s desires have been subjugated by the will of the state…

Law plays an important part in democracy. The modern democratic state creates laws to protect the individual liberties of its citizens, as well as to protect citizens from injustices or abuses at the hand of those they elect. Since man took to himself the authority to decide right from wrong, the laws developed within the democratic state are made by man, based on what he decides is right or wrong. And we all know that there are many divergent views regarding moral and ethical values…

The law of God was designed to provide just such guardrails for human conduct. If we stay within them, our conduct will lead to the objectives sought by democracy. According to Moses, speaking to ancient Israel about that law, “the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 6:24). This is the law that provides moral and ethical content as a basis for daily living and protects human rights in the process. Instead of deciding for ourselves what is right or wrong, we need to seek a common basis for law from the One who created us in the first place. Then the individual liberty of the citizen would be protected and rulers would be required to put the good of the people above their own interests. The will of the people would be in harmony with the will of those entrusted to lead, each placing the needs and desires of others before his or her own. Peace and happiness would become a reality.

In biblical terms this system is known as the government of God. God’s benevolent government, based on His law, is the only kind that will successfully address the problems we see surrounding us today. Yes, this may be the democratic age, but it is not going to be the era when humanity solves its problems by its own systems of government, democratic or otherwise. King Solomon tried it all, and his summation, found in Ecclesiastes 12:13 (King James Version) is powerful: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

And it is true that democracy will not solve the world’s problems, but that the return of Jesus and the establishment of God’s government on earth will.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. This is a subject Christians need to understand.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.