Today, as I was planning for other endeavors, I found an ironic and highly amusing “Policy of Attendance” for an upcoming conference of elders in Louisville, Kentucky for the new and mysterious Church of God, a Worldwide Association [1].  Given the brief (to date) history of this organization and its organizers, the short two page document was full of ironic references that make it worthy of a critique and of greater scrutiny.

It is telling, given some of the other entries I have written on the now-defunct COG America [2] [3], that this particular group seems to appeal to a particular and not very clearly stated understanding of Ephesians 4 to justify its positions on authority.  It is clear, given the paper, that a very delicate balancing act is being made between preserving control by a certain ministerial class and providing “transparency” for their popular supporters, as the document makes comments like:  “the current crisis precipitating this conference has certainly affected each and every member of the church, and each one has as vested personal interest in the church organization in which they belong” and also “although we all have different responsibilities in the body, we are all of one body and must have the highest mutual respect and love for one another.  God has set each one of us in the body as it pleased Him, but no one is less honorable than another.”

These comments, on the surface, would seem to indicate an expansion of brotherhood beyond merely the ministry, but this surface indication is undermined by the use of a few weasel expressions, including the justification of the ‘divine right’ of the ministry but the praise of the equal honor of the membership.  It is also highly ironic, if not hypocritical, for people who have spent the last few months showing disrespect and a lack of love for members (like myself) who disagreed with their agenda (more on that in a bit) or for their bosses and employers by plotting in secret while collecting paychecks and projecting a neutral face on the surface.

Any thoughts that ordinary members will have substantive authority or standing in the upcoming Louisville conference are directly contradicted by one of the “requirements” listed on the attendance policy:  “It must be understood that this is first and foremost a private meeting for the ministry of the Church of God, specifically for organizing the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.  Therefore, all attendees should be committed to that common goal.  Opportunities will be provided for all non-elder attendees to give input and share ideas, but the decision making will be in the hands of the ministry.”  If you go to this conference expecting to be actively involved, you will probably be disappointed unless you are a close crony of the organizers of the event.

Some of the statements in this particular attendance policy are highly ironic, if not hypocritical, compared to the behavior of some of its participants at other events.  For example, the document says:  “Having read the statement, one’s continued presence in the meeting is consent to abide by it,” even though the presence of some of the organizers in the recent Winter Family Weekend in Louisville did not seem to obligate them (at least in their minds) to consent to abide by the ethics and code of conduct for elders concerning respect for and support of the United Church of God.  People have no right to enforce a standard of behavior on others that they are not willing to obey themselves.  Likewise, the document also says, laughingly, that “we thus expect everyone who attends to come with a prayerful and humble attitude, without any personal agendas to work together in a spirit that God will bless.”  We would certainly hope that would be the case in any event, but at least one invitee to this upcoming Louisville Conference attempted to use the single’s hospitality room at the Winter Family Weekend to pursue a personal agenda of passing along libelous and defamatory letters against his own employers at their own event.  Such people are without the moral character and ethical standing to avoid pursuing personal agendas in any other conference.

Given that the information on the Cogwa organization is so sketchy at this point on their own official website [4], it is hoped that after this conference there will be something more substantial to relate to for those of us who have serious difficulties with their unethical way of going about their activities.  There has been a lot of fog in the air about the government model these ministers seek to use as well as what bylaws and constitution they will develop–if they choose one drastically different from the United Church of God, which they left, then that will be an admission that they did have serious problems with United’s structure.  If their structure and rules are similar, then they will be admitting that they sought to rule United and were unwilling to accept being out of power, even in a much larger and more tolerant organization than they will be involved with here.

I offer these people the same warning that Abraham Lincoln gave to those who were involved in the Confederacy at the beginning of the Civil War:

“If the minority will not acquiesce, the majority must, or the government must cease. There is no other alternative; for continuing the government, is acquiescence on one side or the other. If a minority, in such case, will secede rather than acquiesce, they make a precedent which, in turn, will divide and ruin them; for a minority of their own will secede from them, whenever a majority refuses to be controlled by such minority. For instance, why may not any portion of a new confederacy, a year or two hence, arbitrarily secede again, precisely as portions of the present Union now claim to secede from it. All who cherish disunion sentiments, are now being educated to the exact temper of doing this. Is there such perfect identity of interests among the States to compose a new Union, as to produce harmony only, and prevent renewed secession?

Plainly, the central idea of secession, is the essence of anarchy. A majority, held in restraint by constitutional checks, and limitations, and always changing easily, with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people. Whoever rejects it, does of necessity, fly to anarchy or to despotism. Unanimity is impossible; the rule of a minority as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that rejecting the majority principle, anarchy, or despotism in some form, is all that is left [5].”

Those who think that such a spirit of harmony as exists among these seditious plotters who for months have sought to defame and libel their employers and legitimate authorities so that they can dwell in peace and harmony until the return of Jesus Christ are sorely mistaken.  If these men could not accept the gentle and mild authority of the current Council of Elders and administration, made up of peaceable men whose yoke was easy and whose burden was light, then how are they going to handle the scourging of scorpions from their current associates?  Let this be a warning to all that the spirit of divisiveness and hostility that has been courted deliberately by the men going to Louisville in a few days is not likely to quickly subside.  Those who cannot respect the authority of others are not of sufficient moral character to hold positions of authority themselves, and such efforts cannot prosper without a spirit of humility that has been lacking from these men for many months, if not years.  Let us hope they repent while there is time to escape judgment.

[1] http://www.cogwa.org/resources/Policy+on+Attendance+-+Louisville+Conference.pdf

[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/exploring-the-ironies-of-the-unity-of-faith-and-the-gifts-of-christ-ephesians-41-8/

[3] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/just-what-is-the-ephesians-4-model-for-a-healthy-congregation-anyway/

[4] http://www.cogwa.org

[5] http://www.ushistory.org/documents/lincoln1.htm