For anyone who has ever been a part of the Church of God longer than 3 months will have heard the following phrase thrown about,
"be not conformed to this world, just as Christ is not of this world."
When you step back and look at the COG leadership and a lot if its ministry, one quickly sees that the church leadership is highly immersed in the world and felt the intense desire to be "seen." If that were not so, there would be no need for campuses in Edmond, Oklahoma or Wadsworth, Ohio. There would be no need for jets and auditoriums.
Being "not of this world" never applied to church leaders, it was for the lowly masses that composed the membership of the church. Church members were prohibited for all kinds of things and were constantly berated from the pulpit as to what they would NOT be doing.
Church members were told to not worry about things in this world because God was going to fix it all in the future. Church members had no need to feed the homeless, care for the disadvantaged and work to make the lives of people more manageable. Church members were taught this for a far more selfish reason; money that would be used to feed the homeless and care for others would not be sent into the true church, thus the church would suffer financially.
Gerald Bronkar had this post on the Ambassador Alumni page regarding church members "being not of this world" and is posted here with his permission.
One of the many problems I have with Armstrongism and most of Fundamentalism is the concept that "God's Chosen People" are Not Of This World, so in whatever situation we (they) find ourselves, it is His will. YIKES!
Therefore, we should not vote or support any candidate, not join any type of military or defense organization, not join a union (or probably ask for a raise or better working conditions), not protest, not own a weapon for self protection, not stand up for ourselves and never participate in any "worldly" activity. The "Chosen" are to shut-up and submit, because whoever is in charge is in their position because it is God's will. YIKES again!
Be quiet and patient and trust God to fix any problem when He sees fit.. Talk about putting your life and that of your family in someone else's hands! This is the height of the "victim mentality" so prevalent in our country today.
Can we just ignore the many despots throughout the world (and even in the business world) who wreak havoc on their citizens, employees and neighbors?
Pure lunacy! This mind-set places the general population at the mercy of the tyrants. If our founding fathers had this attitude, there would be no United States of America. Are we supposed to be patient and wait for some supernatural intervention, and if so, how long? It has been over fifty generations since Christians first began waiting on the return of a Savior. Is there an expiration date? How long do we wait to get involved and become responsible for our future?
