Canadian WCG: Reconciliation or Reassimilation?

It is unnecessary to recount the blatant revisionist history in the propaganda video from the American Worldwide Church of God, “Called to be Free”, although it is interesting to note that this video, at a mind-numbing seventy-three minutes long, clearly violates YouTube’s upload policies of videos no longer than ten minutes, yet it has been online for over a year now.

The video did get me thinking, however; the Canadian version of Worldwide was often viewed as far less stringent, than our American cousins south of the border, and I wondered if that extended to a less revisionist thought-reform, with regards to Worldwide’s cultic past, and the impact that past had on the hundreds of second generation adults who are only now coming to grips with it, in our mid- to late thirties.

I hope to present a reasonably objective examination of the Canadian Worldwide Church of God’s current thinking on the church’s cultic past, and any ill effects it might have had.  I believe this can best be accomplished through an objective examination of the latest edition of “Northern Light”, the Canadian WCG’s equivalent to the “Good News”. The July-September 2007 issue can be downloaded here. All sections quoted from the magazine are in italics, all emphasis is my own.

First of all, we have the Message from the Editor, Bill Hall. Titled “Restoring Credibility”.

“A friend of mine told me about the time his father gave up on God and stopped attending church. It was right after the death of his oldest brother. While trying to deal with his loss and grief the father heard the following statement from his pastor: “If it wasn’t for the fact that you are not a very good Christian, your son would still be alive today.” What a thing to hear when you have suffered such a loss! Rather than admitting that there are times when we can’t understand why a child dies, the blame for his son’s death was placed squarely on this grieving father. Add to this story the accounts of Christian leaders being involved in extra-marital activities, embezzlement, lavish lifestyles, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and other questionable ethics, and you can hardly wonder why Christianity has a “credibility” problem.”

You will note that nowhere is it stated that the pastor in question was a minister of the Worldwide Church of God.  Also, note the use of a broadly generalized phrase, “Christian leaders”, with absolutely no admission or indication that this was the sort of thing that plagued Worldwide’s leaders endlessly.

The next article is “Confessions of a Part-Time Waitress”. There is much loading of the language in this article. Wait-staff are likened to religious servants, with the admonishment to tip your server at least 20%. This is inconsistent with the 15% gratuities model that is employed in all of the restaurants I have ever eaten at, and is likely intended to manipulate the members into returning to a 20 or 30% tithing model, albeit a deceptively “voluntary” one.

The following article, titled “The Real Thing” by Gary Moore, loads the language subtly, right from the get-go: the true church, the one church, the real church; these were all buzzwords that were employed, on an almost daily basis, while in the church.

The point of the article is Christian apologetics of the evangelical sort that states, yes, Christians are some of the most hypocritical and often the most psychologically ugly people you are ever likely to meet. Because “we” (meaning current church membership) are all saved by grace however, the members are expected to look past that.

This promotes the long-standing and time-tested Worldwide ideology that fostering dissent, especially when you had a legitimate complaint, was considered ”ungodly”. Now, with the church’s shift in religious semantics to avoid persecution by the evangelical right, the same identical message, conform or be considered disharmonious, is repurposed from “ungodly” to ”un-Christ-like”.

Moving on, the next article is ”Loving God, Loving Each Other” by Dorothy Nordstrom. She is billed as “Canadian Women’s Ministry Coordinator”, but the article still espouses the ideals of being a wife and mother, in a submissive, subservient role. Here is the relevant part of the article where Mrs. Nordstrom attempts “reconciliation”:

Our children obeyed even though they sometimes disagreed. I thank God that our family functioned in love. We made mistakes, but I believe our children  knew above all that they were loved, and so they trusted our rules even, when they didn’t understand. It seems like yesterday as I recall trying to help my daughter understand why families have different rules—now my daughter has her own children and they are developing their own family rules. As I reflect on this conversation I consider the body of Jesus Christ on this earth, consisting of many different denominations and fellowships. Each church has their own set of traditions (or rules) just as individual families decide what rules and traditions are most suitable for them. I remember trying to teach our children that our family rules did not make us better or not as good as another family, but instead, they were what we decided was comfortable for our family. I feel the same applies to each church congregation as part of the body of Jesus Christ.

Nowhere in the article is it explicitly stated that the rules they used to live by, were in any way out of the ordinary, strange, or wrong, with the exception of the generalization that she and her husband made mistakes. There is no indication made that the authoritarian control of the church was mistaken, nor that the Nordstroms following such autocracy was incorrect. 

The next statements are designed to pull former cult-members back in, by imputing blame upon those who may have opted out of what Mrs. Nordstrom refers to as “corporate fellowship” (a neutralizing term), merely because their church (never the Worldwide Church of God specifically) might have offered “some rules the member did not like”.

Mrs. Nordstrom then ends her article with the following disturbing sentence:

This is the commandment our Father has given us.

This buzzword phrase is quite clearly injected to reactivate old cult programming, as this phrase was drilled into us from the very beginning.  This phrase, in the old-style Worldwide Church of God, referred to legalism and the adherence to Old Testament law. This deliberate loading of the language proves irrevocably that they are still utilizing mind-manipulation tactics.

The next article by Jonathan Buck, long-considered a moderate in the old-style Worldwide Church of God, demonstrates just how restrictive even the liberals in the old-style church were: “The Devil Knows Us Well” is a mind-control attempt to have members censor themselves from reading the book “The Secret”.

Book-bannings from the pulpit are not, contrary to popular opinion, a new artefact of Worldwide’s evangelical associations; they are a long-standing legacy of the brethren being instructed, in often minute detail, as to how every single aspect of the outside world was of the devil, or demon-possessed. This included, but was not limited to, popular books, fashion trends, any films that may have been playing in the theatres, popular music, and an endless list of whatever was in sight of the pastor’s or elder’s wrath that particular Sabbath.

We then have an article by Victoria congregation member Phil Gale, “Restoring Our Credibility in Our Community”.  Interesting to note that Philip is as much the biblical scholar as ever he was; if circumstances were different, I would be deeply interested in having a conversation with him in regards to Tom Harpur’s “The Pagan Christ”, and getting his viewpoint on same. It would be fascinating, to say the least, in a train-wreck syndrome sort of way. Here’s a relevant quote from the article:

When religious groups and sects hide themselves away to “worship” God without reaching out to the community, are they just serving themselves? And on the other end of the scale, when we see religious extremists who murder and maim in the name of their god, are they not just satisfying their own desires and thoughts? Where is the God of love in this?

You will note that nowhere is it stated that the Worldwide Church of God used to hide itself away to worship their god.  Nowhere is it mentioned that the former Worldwide Church of God was considered a religious sect, in the context it is being used in here. Lack of a sense of full and complete accountability for one’s past actions does not restore credibility.

Buck then goes on, in “The Pastor’s Corner”, to outline a kinder, more ecumenical view of Christianity. The emphasis is mine, I’m highlighting the phrases that have been inserted to appeal to former members’ cult programming.

Sunday mornings the last thing I want to do is go to church. I’m feeling grumpy or just plain worn out, so the thought of having to  with high notes I can’t reach, makes a slow morning at home a lot more inviting. But I know if I drag my tattered self to the service, good things happen. The conversations may not be all that deep and the sermon may not relate much to what’s going on in my life, but the simple act of being together with fellow Christians has a marvelous and miraculous way of lifting the spirits. I can enter the door an old grump and leave a different man. I’m glad I belong to a church, then. 

But it’s not that way for a friend of mine, who finds it difficult belonging to a church because churches have such strict requirements. His wife’s church, for instance, expects all its members to tithe their income, give their all to church growth and believe that non-Christian children go to Hell if they die, all of which my friend has trouble with. And then there are the prayer groups, the men’s breakfast meetings, the endless programs on evangelism and all the other stuff that “members in good standing” are expected to attend and do. It’s an enormous package he will have to take on, a huge machine in which he must become a compliant cog. (!!!) He can’t belong to a church like that because he knows if he signs up as a member the church will rule his life.

I’m not sure which splinter Buck is referring to here. I don’t know of any of the splinter Churches of God that expects their members to both tithe (legalism) and engage in evangelism. Clearly it’s a straw man. Buck then goes on to say that of the eight congregations he pastors (not as impressive as it sounds; I highly doubt any of them exceeds fifty members), the ones that have glued together the best are the ones that are now fully protestant. To wit:

I notice it happening in my own area. I pastor eight churches, in all kinds of configurations, so it’s been interesting to experience for myself why in some churches there is a sense of belonging, while in others there is a tension in the air still that keeps people apart. In the churches that have settled and glued together as family, it isn’t difficult to see why. No one is demanding things be done a certain way for “church to be church,” no one is pushing his or her own preferences as “the only proper way to worship,” and no one is sulking or making obvious hints that they wish things were  different. I notice, too, that they aren’t having to fend off members mesmerized by all the latest evangelical fads and programs, nor are they having to “tippy-toe” round members stuck in traditions long gone. They’ve escaped all of that and they are at peace with what they’ve got. They are churches “at rest.” They’ve found a way round the dinosaur.

Kindly note that Buck does not say that is how things used to be, in the portions of the article I have emphasized, he merely lays on the guilt, for any members who might still be clinging to that church model. Guilt, fear, and manipulation, all in the name of the love of Jesus. A clear cult-control tactic if ever there was one.

There is next an article by Mike Feazell which I will not be discussing at this time, as it is not relevant to the Canadian Worldwide Church of God’s practices and beliefs.

Then there is an article by a member of the Yorkton congregation which is nothing more than right-wing evangelical propagandism, decrying the poor state of affairs evangelicals are greeted with, whenever they should chance to begin, to the uninformed, testifying to their beliefs.

Say what you will for WCG members from the 70s and 80s, at least we were taught not to be obnoxious about our beliefs, and were strongly encouraged not to foist them upon others. Yes, we were taught that these others were, by and large, of the devil and demon-possessed. At least we were not expected to beat bibles at them, and make fools of ourselves in the process.

Then we have an article by Neil Earle. The purpose of his article is to bring members in-line with thinking that the old testament, legalistic way of doing things was wrong, and here, let’s let Neil demonstrate this for us by relating a few parables about Paul.

Paul’s “turning on a dime” stratagem worked. In backing up his apology with a Scripture Paul won over enough of the Pharisees to get himself off the hook (verses 6-10). In other words: By eating humble pie while still asserting his competence and maintaining dignity, he quickly reestablished his credibility. This, by no strange coincidence, is the subject of this issue of Northern Light.

An interesting note on being humble while still asserting your competence: Neil Earle pastored the Toronto congregation of the Worldwide Church of God from 1984 to 1992 without a university degree. That is a minor nitpick, however, and Earle does go on to make a very specific attempt at explicit reconciliation, with the following passage:

In the past, it seems, we could not help but offend. There were Friday night sunset clashes with bosses and teachers, time off for special days, our irritating claims to be the “one true church,” tithing disputes with non-member mates, “no pork on my fork” issues, school rows over coloring pumpkins at Halloween, etc. etc. etc.

Seventeen pages in, and this is the first (and only) admission of exactly what the WCG did wrong, and why. Nearly a decade and a half, it must be noted, after the changes took place. Timing aside, this still looks like a promising attempt at reconciliation, yes?

In a word? No.

On the other hand, it is also true that during those exclusivist years (broadly speaking) we were also the recipients of some very fine messages, articles, seminars, and private counsel on the fine art of approaching people in difficult circumstances.

These very fine messages to which Neil alludes included the necessity of avoiding even the appearance of evil, of cutting oneself off from all unnecessary contact with the outside world, especially from those who were disfellowshipped, or marked; the necessities of giving over thirty percent of your annual income to church coffers so Herbert Armstrong could live in splendour while the members lived in squalour, and those were just some of the “very fine messages” we received, broadly speaking.

As for the articles, well, I can think of many very fine articles, such as “Is There a Trinity?” “What is the Nature of God?” “What Do You Mean-Salvation?” I’m certain the evangelical friends in high places of Joseph Tkach Jr. would agree with Neil that those were, indeed, “very fine messages”. Broadly speaking.

As for “the fine art of approaching people in difficult circumstances”, that was often accomplished by browbeating the member in said difficult circumstance, by implying that they or their faith or their strict observance of same, was somehow at fault, for whatever calamity had befallen them. Quite a very fine art indeed, I imagine, broadly speaking.

Of course, Neil’s meaning here is the fine art of approaching normal people, with the difficult circumstances that you were a member of a religious cult and would require time away from schooling or work to attend to your cultic duties.

I can vividly recall the instruction from the pulpit that, if the person was absolutely unresponsive to any church-sanctioned arguments, we were told to just tell them we were Jewish, to avoid confrontation, or the necessity of explaining any further than the broad basics of what religion it was that we belonged to.

It’s so true: Often our very best attempts at reconciliation and healing will be rebuffed. But don’t give up. Don’t let their problem become your problem!

Translation: if any former members of the WCG have a problem with the way things were handled before, it is their fault.

Assigning blame to ex-members with legitimate complaints is not an attempt at reconciliation. It is an attempt at further emotional battery.

Then we have Todd Martin, pastor of Abbotsford, who recycles the church’s old agape doctrine, only he begrudgingly extends it to the rest of his community, now. A far cry, one must admit, from the fire-and-brimstone invective that we must have agape only for fellow members who were truly converted.

Then we have a WWJD article, from an evangelical Australian who, it must be noted, does not divulge her religious affiliation or denomination.

Then we have a “pay it forward” article from the editor of Christian Odyssey magazine. This magazine is registered under a shell corporation of the Worldwide Church of God, of which there have been several discovered, by commenters at Ambassador Watch.

Next there’s a half-page article by a London, Ontario member, which is basically a short homily to the fishes-and-loaves parable. Interesting to note that this parable is actually based on a far older Egyptian myth, surrounding the god-figure Horus or Heru.

Next up, I am unhappy to report that the issue’s bible study is a Judaism-bashing article that would not have been out of place, in the old-style Worldwide Church of God. Fanatical anti-Semitism is one thing the WCG shares with the right-wing evangelicals, so that is one church doctrine they may happily hang onto.

Another article from shell corporation Christian Odyssey’s magazine is regurgitated.

Finally, there is a full-page ad for a “Thanksgiving Celebration of Christ” in Penticton, October 6-13.

8 great days of worship, fellowship and relaxation – an unforgettable retreat!

Added to this, there is the admonition to book your rooms early, and don’t forget to send for your Feast information packets! Oops, I mean an information packet. One wonders if they still have neon green parking stickers.

I do have to say, though, Penticton is renowned for hosting relaxing Feasts, and the one Feast of Tabernacles I went to in Penticton while I was still a member of the old-style Worldwide Church of God was very enjoyable.