The 34 500

Bill Lussenheide draws attention to the current membership statistics of the WCG in a recent posting in the comments section. The full account is contained in the latest issue of Together, and it makes interesting reading.

Membership figures seems to be based on attendance rather than those baptized, and even then the results are incredibly modest. There are, according to Randy Dick, 10,873 faithful folk left in the US. The next highest figure comes the Philippines (6225) then, from north of the border 4476 confused Canuks.

Next on the national hit parade come the Ockers (a.k.a. Australians) with a membership of 1438.

The Democratic Republic of Congo - where presumably limited flow of information, illiteracy and poor access to the Internet work in the church's favor - chalks up 900 followers.

Poor old Britannia manages to scrape a membership of only 871, while New Zealand comes well down the list with 183.

The total membership worldwide is now calculated at 34,500 (though elsewhere on their website they still claim 42,000) - and that appears to mean regular attendees. In short, the WCG is rotting from the inside out. And that despite desperate infusions of neo-Calvinist nonsense in the form of Karl Barth and Presbyterianism's terrible twosome, the brothers Torrance.

Those with get up and go have, well, got up and gone.

That doesn't mean WCG is about to fold: lots of income to be gleaned from the estates of the deceased; certainly enough to keep Joe and Co. in clover for life.

But in case anyone hadn't realized it, WCG is effectively dead on its feet anyway.

Random Musings

Browsing at Abe Books I noticed that the old purple Bible Hymnal is quite a lucrative commodity: two copies of this "rare" treasure are on offer, one selling for $95 and the other for $98, and neither in mint condition. In contrast the later WCG hymnal can be yours for as little as $1.36

What does this tell us?

David Pack, responding to the placement of Dwight Armstrong's hymns in the public domain, cloned the Bible Hymnal last year with a new cover. Unfortunately, to avail yourself of a copy you'd probably have to join Pack's RCG, which would end up costing you a great deal more than ninety-five bucks.

From dubious hymnals to dubious movies. My nomination for most pointless film of the decade goes to Cloverfield, which I had the misfortune to see today. As if anyone needs another reason to put New York on their list of places to avoid. Was it supposed to be Sci-Fi or was it Horror or something else again?

Who knows, who cares... avoid at all costs.

A better investment: How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms. To say the least, every page is an education (if a thoroughly un-theological one.) Published by Oxford University Press, this little gem is now in its fourth edition. For anyone with a wicked sense of humor who enjoys language-play (a special mention of the venerable correspondent from Gibraltar might be in order here) this is a pearl of very great price.

And speaking of price, it doesn't cost $95 either!

UCG - Old Dogs and New Tricks

In the real world there's not too much you can make of a difference of opinion among members of a board - whether a school board or the "suits" in a major corporation. Boards are meant to be places where ideas are put up and shot down, differing opinions canvassed and compromise reached.

The Mormon church is a bit different. A resolution, passed down from the First Presidency, is read out and all the hands are (I'm told) raised in silent unity. I guess mindlessness is what they think "being of one mind" is all about.

But what about the UCG. When it was formed there was little precedent other than the rubber-stamp model (which apparently still holds in the administratively unreformed WCG of Joe Tkach.) The new model could be understood in various ways, and it was. Those who hoped it would be the harbinger of a bright, new, inclusive and consultative style soon discovered that old dogs find it hard to learn new tricks, and when you try to make them fetch the newspaper they're likely to bare their teeth and growl instead.

But are things changing in UCG? The Journal reports on a difference of opinion among board members over the planned relocation to Texas. Bob Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington, Roy Holladay and Vic Kubik want the decision reconsidered. Eddington is reported as saying that "the issue transcends the location of the home office and that some church leaders had underestimated the unrest and disunity." (Journal, Nov-Dec., and in following quotes)

On the other side of the fence are Robert Dick, Jim Franks, Richard Pinelli, Larry Salyer, Leon Walker, Richard Thompson and church president Clyde Kilough. The Mormon mentality is exemplified by Jim Franks who asks "How can a minority of the council put forward a resolution to overturn that decision and still say I’m in consensus with the council?"

Consensus? Somebody pass that man a dictionary!

The problem for UCG is, though those in favor of the move are in the majority, "it takes only four of the 12 to place a question on the [ballot] for the next general conference, scheduled for May 2008." There's also a petition (!) circulating among UCG ministers to the same effect. "If 25 percent of UCG elders sign it, that resolution will also require that the general conference vote on whether to rescind the original vote to move to Texas."

Is this a sign the UCG board has fallen apart, afflicted by the sin of Korah? Or is it more a case of Machiavellian posturing by power-hungry factions jockeying for the ascendancy?

Or, then again, is it a sign that there's hope yet that it can practice accountability and operate like a board should, demanding something more than a chorus of "yes sir, how high?"

One thing is certain, those on the outside, including a number of independent congregations that were formerly with UCG, will be watching these events carefully.

Putting Humpty Together Again

The latest Journal is out, and though the news content accounts for only six of the pages, they make up in quality what they lack in quantity.

The most surprising item (on a points decision) is the re-appearance from long hibernation of Al Carrozzo, the man who blew the whistle on Garner Ted in the mid-70s. Al has teamed up with Art Mokarow in an effort to bring about "the restitution of all things mentioned in Acts 3."

Al wants the various "fragmented groups" to get together in Dallas, Jan. 20 - Feb. 2, to discuss "Law and/or Grace."

Frankly, he'd probably have more luck herding cats. Carrozzo specifically says he's not interested in a return to the “restrictive and stifling” structure of the old Worldwide Church of God, but even a loose umbrella structure seems unrealistic. Elsewhere in the same issue Dr Bob Thiel fairly foams at the mouth at the suggestion that UCG and his beloved LCG might be courting.

Carrozzo is a key figure in the history of the Worldwide Church of God, and many of us owe him a debt of gratitude for exposing the moral hypocrisy of the church over GTA's lifestyle. It is remarkable that he is now one of those "old-timers" seeking to resurrect the rotting hulk.

To find out more about Al Carrozzo's initiative and his organization, Associates for Restored Truth (ART), you just need to hit the link to download the complete article, along with the rest of the front and back pages of the Nov-Dec Journal (you'll also find Bob's loud protestations of non-interCOG coitus in the Notes and Quotes section.)

Lilith

Most people probably learn about Lilith from C.S. Lewis, who mentions her in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Clan of Lilith, according to a quick Google search, is a designation used by people who've read too many vampire novels.

But Wes White enters new territory with his newly released novel Clan of Lilith: The Oldest Conspiracy.

According to publisher Wasteland Press, this is a mystery and suspense novel, but don't be fooled, it's more than that. Wes is a well known figure in the independent wing of the Church of God, and his story-line is based around British Israel: the Throne of David, Jeremiah, and Tea Tephi all get a mention.

But the distinctive element is Lilith, Adam's first wife.

Before Eve there was Lilith. C.S. Lewis says so, that that must be right. Lilith - according to legend - was a stroppy, feminist type who refused to submit to poor old indecisive Adam and then ran off.

I'm not making this up, some people apparently take this stuff seriously.

Wes' contribution - and it's probably a COG first - is to pit the surviving descendants of Lilith in a multi-millennia-long plot against... wait for it... the Throne of David.

And John Morgan will be amazed to learn who really bumped off Princess Di.

Again, this is a novel, not something by Steve Collins or Craig White, so it's not immediately apparent whether Wes is having a joke with us, or actually believes some of this material. All I can say is, as a novel it's not too bad if you're willing to suspend disbelief (just like you don't have to believe in Klingons to appreciate Star Trek.) I read it through in a single sitting and enjoyed Lilith immensely. It's not quite Dan Brown, of course (although there's an intrepid professor at the center of this story too), but Wes has put together a good yarn. If you're looking for something for light reading that's a little different, this may just be what you're after.

But could there really be descendants of Lilith out there, tirelessly and ruthlessly suppressing the truth about our origins and plotting the overthrow of the Windsor family?

Not in this reality!

But...

If some time in the future The Journal reports that Wes, like a loose-lipped journalist in his book, disappears "to Australia where three months later he went missing. His mutilated remains were finally found in the outback. His death was listed as accidental, having been attacked by a pack of dingos." (p. 19)

... then maybe it'll be time to reconsider.


Amazon link

The Reich Stuff

I've been putting off some promised comments about Dr John Buchner's PhD thesis (University of Western Sydney) for far too long. Some time ago John kindly sent me a copy of The Worldwide Church of God: A study of its transformation in terms of K. Helmut Reich’s theory of Relational and Contextual Reasoning. As the title indicates this is a dense dissertation.

John, a former WCG member who later found a spiritual home among the conservative Anglicans of Sydney, attempts to apply the yardstick of cognitive psychology (as fashioned by Reich) to headquarters employees of the Worldwide Church of God. He draws on Reich's classification system to determine how well these insiders deal with that hoary old conundrum, the trinity. Initially willing to co-operate at a corporate level (i.e. Joe Tkach), the response from individual HQ personnel to the questionnaires was apparently less than enthusiastic, which is understandable as the whole project must have seemed both personally threatening and highly judgmental. I'm not well known for my empathy with church officials, but can certainly understand why some quickly became less than co-operative; it's probably a wonder that someone didn't inform Dr Buchner exactly where he could shove his questionnaire.

Is the end product a worthwhile contribution to the arcane field of WCG studies? Well, I guess that depends both on your perspective and your interests. I've had to wade through some pretty impenetrable stuff in my own theological studies, but I can honestly say that for me this thesis came close to setting a new benchmark.

That said, the thesis is carefully, if not clearly, argued. This is an area in which I have zero expertise, so any comments either positive or negative should be taken with a truck-load of salt. Two observations from the cheap seats:

1. Dr Buchner's work seems to make a number of faith-based assumptions, most obviously on the trinity doctrine.

2. Reich himself, whose work under-girds the thesis, seems to be a fringe figure in his own field. The man seems to be a polymath, studying physics and electrical engineering, working as a particle physicist, writing on religious education and cognitive development, and holding an honorary doctorate in theology. But, as Buchner concedes, "Reich’s work to date has been incorporated in few psychology textbooks." (p. 46)

To do justice to John's work would require a lengthy review, not a single blog entry - or even a series. Here however, for those so motivated, are links to PDF copies of the various sections.

Detailed Chapter Contents, Abstract

Ch. 1 Introduction to the WCG and the Cognitive Conversion of Its Leaders

Ch. 2 Literature review of Helmut Reich’s theory of Relational and Contextual Reasoning

Ch. 3. Relational and Contextual Reasoning related to Christology and the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity

Ch. 4 - Method: the qualitative application of Relational and Contextual Reasoning to the case study

Ch. 5 - Results of Study 1: A review of opposing interpretations of the Trinity as a cognitive construct, and transition from rejection to acceptance of the doctrine, in search of an explanation consistent with Relational and Contextual Reasoning

Ch. 6 - Results of Study 2: Analysis of responses to a survey of Worldwide Church of God leaders in regard to their understanding of the Trinity, in terms of Relational and Contextual Reasoning

Ch. 7 Discussion and Conclusion

References and Bibliography

Appendices A-E

CGI back online

After giving the Tyler-based Church of God, International a hard time about dropping the ball with its website, it seems only fair to note that the group is now back online.

Worth the wait? Well, you can be the judge.

Accompanying the new look is a new quarterly magazine (PDF download) which seems to have an outreach focus designed to mesh with the Armor of God cable TV show. Considering the small size of CGI it's reasonably impressive (assuming there's an actual print edition). It compares favorably with UCG's Good News, and has a far fresher look than the LCG's Tomorrow's World. The last time I recollect CGI producing a slick, color magazine was back in the late seventies in the form of the ill-fated Twentieth Century Watch - before it evolved (or de-evolved) into a thin newsprint tabloid.

CGI is one of the few splinter groups that has no "big names" in the form of decrepit ego-driven evangelists caught in a time-warp from yesteryear. Quite a contrast to its foundation under GTA and Ron Dart.

Tales from the Herbal Manor

An update on the item about Manor Del Mar which has been in the sidebar for the last couple of days: seventeen photos are now up for those wanting a nostalgic peek at how the building looks now, viewable as a slide-show.

Here's that original report.

Feel the need to trade up from the apartment to something more expansive? How about Manor Del Mar?

Can't you just see Six-Pack Gerry and various pretenders to the Herbal mantle rushing to outbid each other for a slice of the sacred campus.
What kind of moolah will you need for the mansion? You'll get it at a DIY cost of a mere 2.6 million. Chickenfeed if you've got a nice steady income from devoted tithe-slaves.
All joking aside, the PCG Prophet may indeed be interested in acquiring the property with his fetish for all things Herbal - after all, this is the bloke who hauled a rock back to Edmond because HWA allegedly prayed there. His latest effort to clone pre-Tkach WCG...

[I]n 2006, we completed a set of architectural drawings for a $15 million, 800-seat auditorium we intend to build and dedicate to God. I wrote at the end of Raising the Ruins that we hoped to break ground on God’s house sometime in 2007. Today, on the first Sunday in 2008, we did it. On a gorgeous spring-like day, with temperatures topping 70 degrees, about 500 people joined my father in a 45-minute ceremony kicking off this historic project. For an up-to-date view of the construction site, go here.
Should you be bold enough to click on the link you'll get a webcam view of the Great Work - updated each hour! Be still my beating heart.

And who knows, maybe another potential buyer might be Don Billingsley, who seems flush with enough tithe income to buy up lots of advertising on the main page of Charlotte Online - www.charlotteonline.us - two ads in fact, one with the face of the Late Great Apostle prominently displayed.

But why Charlotte, which, if my poor knowledge of US geography is adequate, is quite some distance from Modesto? Surely Don isn't trying to poach members from Meredith's LCG and the Ritenbaugh Church of the Great God, both based in Charlotte?

No, perish the very thought.

Donor's Bill of Rights

Stan Gardner has posted a proposed Bill of Donor's Rights for COG members.

You have the right to:

1. Know exactly how the funds of the COG organization are being spent, where Christian stewardship is not just a web policy for the sake of appearances, but an actual practice.

2. Know the salary and total compensation packages of key ministry, evangelists, executives, and board members.

3. Know what the COG programs you support are accomplishing or not accomplishing. Check and see if any outside ministry you are considering gifting to has a passing or failing financial transparency grade at www.ministrywatch.org.

4. Know that the organization and its employees comply with all federal and state laws, including tax regulations for nonprofit, tax-exempt ministries, including regulations against inurement or personal benefit from tithes and donations.

5. Be able to specifically designate and permanently restrict your COG gifts to fund a specific charitable or religious cause within the organization's mission objectives, such as helping widows and orphans, the sick, or the assistance of the needy or hungry.

6. A timely and courteous response to your inquiries about finances and programs, not incomplete or misleading Orwellian doublespeak about quarterly income and budget percentages as substitutes for periodic, complete financial reports.

7. Give without being pressured by the organization, or computer donation tithe-checked for loyalty or "member in good standing" roadblocks to HQ accountability.

8. Obtain a full copy of the ministry's most recent audited financial statements and charitable disaster fund statements - not a sanitized version with meaningless categories lumped together. Third tithe collected by the ministry and spent for that specific charitable purpose should be placed in distinct, separate categories on the financial reports.

9. Know that there is a responsible, qualified, governing board of members providing oversight to the church mission, accepting responsibility for board actions; not a rubber-stamp, unincorporated church association's board of elders, controlled legally by one man and one man only.

10. Know that all appeals for funds are truthful and accurate, and that conflicts of interest are avoided. Audited financial statements are absolutely not a "clean bill of health" or CPA guarantee of fiduciary integrity. CPA-audited financial statements can also hide church assets, real estate, gold bullion in Swiss bank accounts, payouts, or loans; provide inadequate retirement funding for employees, continue to "cook" the books, or materially misrepresent your COG's financial condition.

You have a right to timely, accurate, and compete sets of financial statements from your COG, and to know exactly how your money is being spent by your ministry.


Which has got to be good advice. Click on the link above to view the full article (dated 21 Dec.) Maybe there's someone out there who would like to contact Ron Dart and other moderate COG leaders and ask them to endorse this document. If you do, be sure to let us all know what response you get via the comments section! And if there's a COG group that meets these criteria (COG Big Sandy???) then let's give credit where it's due in the hopes others will follow the example.

Clever Gerry

In case you missed it, there's a new COG publication which launched in December. This one hails from the fringes of Armstrongism, the PCG. Of course, fringe is a relative term; compared with some of the others out there I guess Flurry is inner fringe.

In any case, The Trumpet Weekly joins the PCG stable, and it's a clever concept.

For starters it's available online, not in print, so no mail-out costs. In exchange for shelling out for an easily edited design template, PCG gets to produce a nice looking newsletter with few ongoing costs.

Clever Gerry.

Next Gerry elevates his "Young Turks" (son Stephen, Brad MacDonald, Robert Morley and Joel Hilliker) as columnists, complete with by-line and picture, giving the impression that they actually know something about what they're writing. Add in a slop-bucket full of fear and loathing-style political commentary, and there's a guaranteed knee-jerk from the target readership who have both their insecurities and prejudices stroked.

Clever Gerry.

Of course, by huffing, puffing and pouting, Gerry and his protégés then give the impression that they - and they alone - are in the know. Build up the straw man then knock him down.

Clever Gerry.

But you have to wonder at a headline like German Fascism Is Conquering Kosovo! After all, the author is Gerry himself, a supreme spiritual führer in his own bailiwick surrounded by obsequious, goose-stepping lieutenants: pot and kettle stuff.

A PDF of last week's Weekly is available for those with an iron constitution, a perverse sense of humor, or a world-view somewhat to the right of Attila the Hun.