Recently I have been referring to my "Thirteen Characteristics of the CGGC Brand," a list I compiled and revised when I was participating on walt's forum. I was inspired to create this list some time ago by a comment on Ed Rosenberry's eNews that his leadership team would soon be dealing with the issue of the CGGC Brand.
Since then, I have tweaked my definition of the CGGC brand as my understanding of the identity of the CGGC has continued to evolve.
For the purpose of enhancing dialog, I've decided to place the list on this blog.
Here is my description of all that is essential in understanding characteristics of the CGGC:
---------------------------------------------
1. Decline. In the first
sixty years or so of its history the Church of God began from scratch and grew to approximately 800 active congregations. From that peak, the CGGC has declined to far less than half that number, losing a total of
60 congregations between 2001 and 2010 alone!
2. Institutionalized "Churchianity," not
Christianity. With increasing fervor, the CGGC focuses on an institutionalized, parish priest-oriented understanding of what
church is with local parishes or flocks, led by clergymen, with an ecclesiastical elite ruling over all. The CGGC now only pays lip service to what Jesus commands of His disciples. The CGGC today renews
churches, makes transformational churches, adopts churches and plants churches
yet only goes into the world to make disciples after all the headquarters and local parish work is
thoroughly finished, therefore, never.
3. Traditionalism.
What the CGGC does is, no longer, rooted in love for, nor obedience to, Bible truth. These days,
CGGC practice derives from the way of thinking that led to the rise of the church as an institution in the Middle Ages. The CGGC's founder, John
Winebrenner, who saw even the Protestant Reformation as a failure, wouldn't
recognize what has become of the movement he began.
4. Faddism. The CGGC shifts direction according to what is fashionable among other religious denominations. Hence, today, the people with offices in headquarters buildings fret over the CGGC 'brand.' Most recently, with other trend-driven denominations, the CGGC has sought to embrace the 'transformational church' fad. Currently fads such as this, not biblical truth, drive CGGC change.
5. Human Relationship over God's Truth. The CGGC has serious issues with truth primarily because it values, to the extreme, human relationships rooted in tolerance of others but not hunger and thirst for righteousness. The CGGC no longer holds, as the most important relationship, love for the Lord, which Jesus called the greatest commandment. The CGGC no longer takes firm stands on any biblical truth, as the recently adopted revision of We Believe makes clear.
6. A Middle Ages Approach to Leadership. Perhaps the most harmful achievement of CGGC elites is the creation of a 'laity.' In its early years, the Church of God had significantly attained the priesthood of all believers. Recently, however, CGGC higher ups have transformed the typical participant in a CGGC congregation into a mere consumer of religious products and services supplied by the parish clergy and their higher ups.
7. Strong Central Planning Coupled with Lower Level Clergy and Congregational Rebellion. It is not enough to suggest that the CGGC is becoming clergy and higher up dominated. (See item 6) Even in the expanding CGGC clergy world, there are extremes in power from the bottom of the clergy pyramid to its peak. Higher ups in denominational headquarters and in regional offices act from a sense of power that no Roman Catholic Pope would dream of. However, in response, many pastors outside of the good-old-boy leadership network, and most local CGGC congregations, ignore and sometimes defy (always without consequence), the authority of the leaders located in the denomination's central planning offices. (See also, item 13.)
8. Cynicism. As much as our higher up are shepherds seeking peace, calm and quiet among the pastors and congregations of the CGGC, there is a stifling atmosphere of cynicism among our pastors and congregations toward those in CGGC seats of power. (See item 7.) There is also cynicism flowing from leadership down into the body. This cynicism flows in every direction: From the top down, from the bottom up and horizontally among factions in the body.
9. A Rodney King: "Can-We-All-Just Get-Along?" Doctrine of the Church. The CGGC in the Era of Shepherd Domination--that emerged in the first third of the twentieth century--is concerned with engendering and maintaining a sense of peace and quiet in the flock so much so that radical obedience to Jesus is no longer part of its identity and 'speaking the truth in love' never happens. The effort has been failing for generations. (See items 7 and 8.)
10. To Talk is to Walk-ism. According to the New Testament, a follower of Jesus is one who possesses a faith that organically produces acts of obedience to God's will. (Matthew 7:21-23, 24-26, 25:1-46; John 14:15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 2:8-10; Jas. 2:12-26; Rev. 2-3). However, CGGC faith is disconnected from action. It is possible to talk CGGC talk without walking it. Hence, for example, the GC Mission and Vision Statements that are not lived out--and virtually no one notices.
11. Cheap Grace. The CGGC calls people to easy-beliefism. Jesus said that anyone who doesn't hate his father and mother isn't worthy of Him. There was a time, in its founding generation, that the Church of God called sinners to a radically changed way of life. Dietrich Bonheoffer (who coined the phrase, cheap grace) could have been viewing today's CGGC when he wrote: "...cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ."
12. False, Flock-focused Righteousness. One need only read the first part of the Sermon of the Mount to understand that right living, as radically defined by Jesus, is key to discipleship. In the CGGC, however, righteousness is defined as a local parish, or flock, achieving consistent growth in parish/flock-oriented activities such as 'worship service' attendance not, as Jesus taught, disciples serving each other and caring for the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus and going to all nations making disciples.
13. Incoherence. There is illogic and outright contradiction among the things the CGGC claims to be true about itself. There is also lack of consistency between what it says and what it does.
4. Faddism. The CGGC shifts direction according to what is fashionable among other religious denominations. Hence, today, the people with offices in headquarters buildings fret over the CGGC 'brand.' Most recently, with other trend-driven denominations, the CGGC has sought to embrace the 'transformational church' fad. Currently fads such as this, not biblical truth, drive CGGC change.
5. Human Relationship over God's Truth. The CGGC has serious issues with truth primarily because it values, to the extreme, human relationships rooted in tolerance of others but not hunger and thirst for righteousness. The CGGC no longer holds, as the most important relationship, love for the Lord, which Jesus called the greatest commandment. The CGGC no longer takes firm stands on any biblical truth, as the recently adopted revision of We Believe makes clear.
6. A Middle Ages Approach to Leadership. Perhaps the most harmful achievement of CGGC elites is the creation of a 'laity.' In its early years, the Church of God had significantly attained the priesthood of all believers. Recently, however, CGGC higher ups have transformed the typical participant in a CGGC congregation into a mere consumer of religious products and services supplied by the parish clergy and their higher ups.
7. Strong Central Planning Coupled with Lower Level Clergy and Congregational Rebellion. It is not enough to suggest that the CGGC is becoming clergy and higher up dominated. (See item 6) Even in the expanding CGGC clergy world, there are extremes in power from the bottom of the clergy pyramid to its peak. Higher ups in denominational headquarters and in regional offices act from a sense of power that no Roman Catholic Pope would dream of. However, in response, many pastors outside of the good-old-boy leadership network, and most local CGGC congregations, ignore and sometimes defy (always without consequence), the authority of the leaders located in the denomination's central planning offices. (See also, item 13.)
8. Cynicism. As much as our higher up are shepherds seeking peace, calm and quiet among the pastors and congregations of the CGGC, there is a stifling atmosphere of cynicism among our pastors and congregations toward those in CGGC seats of power. (See item 7.) There is also cynicism flowing from leadership down into the body. This cynicism flows in every direction: From the top down, from the bottom up and horizontally among factions in the body.
9. A Rodney King: "Can-We-All-Just Get-Along?" Doctrine of the Church. The CGGC in the Era of Shepherd Domination--that emerged in the first third of the twentieth century--is concerned with engendering and maintaining a sense of peace and quiet in the flock so much so that radical obedience to Jesus is no longer part of its identity and 'speaking the truth in love' never happens. The effort has been failing for generations. (See items 7 and 8.)
10. To Talk is to Walk-ism. According to the New Testament, a follower of Jesus is one who possesses a faith that organically produces acts of obedience to God's will. (Matthew 7:21-23, 24-26, 25:1-46; John 14:15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 2:8-10; Jas. 2:12-26; Rev. 2-3). However, CGGC faith is disconnected from action. It is possible to talk CGGC talk without walking it. Hence, for example, the GC Mission and Vision Statements that are not lived out--and virtually no one notices.
11. Cheap Grace. The CGGC calls people to easy-beliefism. Jesus said that anyone who doesn't hate his father and mother isn't worthy of Him. There was a time, in its founding generation, that the Church of God called sinners to a radically changed way of life. Dietrich Bonheoffer (who coined the phrase, cheap grace) could have been viewing today's CGGC when he wrote: "...cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ."
12. False, Flock-focused Righteousness. One need only read the first part of the Sermon of the Mount to understand that right living, as radically defined by Jesus, is key to discipleship. In the CGGC, however, righteousness is defined as a local parish, or flock, achieving consistent growth in parish/flock-oriented activities such as 'worship service' attendance not, as Jesus taught, disciples serving each other and caring for the least of the brothers and sisters of Jesus and going to all nations making disciples.
13. Incoherence. There is illogic and outright contradiction among the things the CGGC claims to be true about itself. There is also lack of consistency between what it says and what it does.
Gang,
ReplyDeleteBelow is an email inspired by my take on the CGGC Brand:
Hey Bill!
I am afraid you are right on target and was wondering if you will be posting your "13 Theses" on a church door real soon!
Also, did they ask for your license back yet?
-----------------------------
(My Friend,)
It's good to hear from you!
Somehow I'd lost your email address. I've trying to touch base but couldn't.
There have been talks about defrocking me. I recently had a meeting with Kevin and Charlie Steinmann in which they raised questions about my relationship with the Conference and suggested that if I am this unhappy with the organization that it would make sense for me to leave.
My response was, essentially, that I'd be disobedient to what I believe to be my calling as a prophet to leave and that, if I left, I believe I'd be threatening my salvation.
I was also called into a meeting with the ERC Standing Committee a while back in response to a 21 page letter [an ERC pastor] sent to them quoting lengthy passages of my posts on walt's Forum. The Committee determined not to take any action at the time.
I have said repeatedly that, in my opinion, I am the one person I know of who is living in submission to CGGC Statements of Faith and to the Mission and Vision Statements and to the Word and that it is the General Conference staff that is leading massive insubordination to CGGC authority that exists over it as well as to the Word itself.
I have promised to oppose any action taken against me with every resource available to me.
Keep in touch.
bill
More conversation on the Brand thread:
ReplyDeleteBill,
Thank you for being passionate about your beliefs and obedient to your calling! You ARE a prophet, expressing truths that people do not want to hear.
------------------------------------
Thanks for the kind words.
I receive similar comments from a few and anger from many.
Interestingly, we watched the movie Luther yesterday and Evelyn wept through most of it. I stopped the DVD at one point and asked her why she was taking it so emotionally. She said that his love for the Word and passion to live a faith that produces mercy and compassion--AND HIS HATE FOR CHURCH TRADITION--is so necessary in today's church.
It was remarkable to see how closely the Luther character in the movie lived what we have passion for, and aspire to, at Faith.
I see blogging as posting my Theses.