Egypt On The Tipping Point: High Stakes In The Middle East

What are the aims of the Muslim Brotherhood for the newly emerging Egyptian government? Now that Hosni Mubarak  resigned, who will rule Egypt? Will Egyptian policy change towards Israel? What happens when Iran goes nuclear? The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) asks these questions:

Please be aware AR does not specifically sponsor or endorse the accuracy, views or opinions of the ACLJ. The program was originally produced for for television and radio distribution. It raises considerations developing in U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East. 

APOCALYPSE NOT: 21 DOOMSDAY PROPHECIES THAT FIZZLED

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day:

     "The Maya Long Count calendar completes a 5,126-year cycle on December 21, 2012. With the winter solstice and a rare alignment of the Sun with the center of the Milky Way galaxy also on the docket, this has become the doomsday du jour. Most media outlets have snubbed scholars who insist the end of the cycle only means an extra awesome New Year's Eve (if you're an ancient Mayan like the ones who lived at the pictured Tikal, Guatemala, ruins) and that the date may have been miscalculated and passed already. Go ahead and stockpile, spend quality time with your family and cower if you must, but definitely don't quit your day job."

For 20 other doomsday prophecies that fizzled, check this out. *If you have the time. 

Phoenix Church Of God Suicide

Cecil Maranville, a former United Church of God Phoenix East elder who left UCG for COGaWA, writes on the January 24, 2011 COGaWA blog -  "We Lost A Family Member To Suicide Last Week"  

This is a difficult subject. It isn’t the first time it has happened in my personal community of family and friends. I am certain that it has happened to someone close to you, as well, because it is all too common...

AR reflects on this latest COG tragedy. Suicide is indeed "all too common" in Armstrongist Churches of God. Another entry will have to be made here for the long list of suicides related to the Worldwide Church of God and the successor churches.  

Ambassador Reports asks if this is somehow related to Armstrong's bizarre selection of recycled doctrines taken from others, ministerially enforced on others by use of whatever is the current "iron rod" standard in the Churches of God. Such doctrines as God's one true church; church divisions tearing families apart; inconsistent rulings on Sabbath observance; reliance on miracle faith healing, shunning effective medical treatment; harsh divorce and remarriage rulings; rules on mandatory triple tithing; and constant melodramatic emphasis on a cataclysmic end of the world as we know it, can all put cumulative stress on the members to the breaking point. The approach to Christian ministerial counseling the COG takes, and how the ministry authority mistreats the members are sadly, contributing factors to the many suicides resulting from Armstrong's ministry and his teachings.  

Our sincere condolences to Cecil Maranville and his family.

Preparing A People - For What?

United Church Of God - Bound For Petra, Jordan?

The UCG's ad slogan is preparing a people - but for what? Preparing A People For "Petra"-fication?

Aaron Booth did a snazzy presentation about UCG's internet marketing presence for 220 "petrified" elders, buried in snow-bound Cincinnati:

UCG Internet Update  http://prezi.com/jrvrzgmatqeu/united-church-of-god-web-internet-updates/

The presentation apparently is to show how implausibly good the UCG internet media efforts are going, especially now that with the reduced budget, WGN television ads can surely no longer be as affordable. If that is true, why even consider throwing away millions of dollars buying time on WGN Chicago, with all of the attendant overhead, to get just one new petra-fied visitor, fully qualified to enter the UCG's door? Do 30,000 likes, like constitute an avalanche of new members on Facebook? How about 7,000 Twitter UCG "followers"? Then there's the 591 old-fashioned UCG youtube videos getting 1.4 million views (not counting RevKScribes' numerous videos on Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, and UCG's antecessor Worldwide Church of God, viewed thousands of times).

To entangle more in the web, the UCG is asking for volunteers for the local congregation websites to post sermons with content and dish out local information.

Given the older demographics and WCG history, the question for the UCG may become more of survival, than smoke and mirrors church "growth" on the internet.