Greetings from Tyler
Headquarters,
There are several intensely
interesting and important
developments to be addressed in
this letter, and here’s the
list. The pope is negotiating
to build and operate Catholic
churches in the Muslim Middle
East. Pakistan moves
methodically toward the ouster
of General Musharraf,
perceived as a critical ally in
the war with Islamic terrorists.
Racial tensions are being
fomented here at home by the
exposure of virulent
anti-American, emotion-charged
rants in a presidential
candidate’s own church.
Authoritarian abuses and
political power plays
threaten the underpinnings of
the far-flung factions of the
Church of God.
You’ll have to cogitate over
this news for a short while to
grapple with all that it might
portend. A Catholic edifice has
already been opened in the oil
rich Muslim Gulf state of Qatar,
and talks are underway between
the Vatican and Saudi Arabia in
an attempt to clear the way for
the building of one in the Saudi
kingdom. The pope has reportedly
demanded the concession as a
prerequisite for the
establishment of “official
diplomatic relations.” In the
case of the Vatican, the church
is a state. He has
reasoned that Islamic culture,
complete with mosques and the
open practice of the Islamic
religion is tolerated throughout
Europe.
Mohammed’s teachings are said to
prohibit recognition of any
religion other than Islam in the
Arabian Peninsula. Although
Vatican spokesmen are nearly
breathless with the “historical
significance” related to such a
move, there seems an enormous
and potential for serious
trouble in all this. Would not a
Catholic edifice in a nation
seething with the sentiments of
radical Islam be a prime target
for terror? And what might such
an attack have on the already
strained relations with the
large Islamic communities that
have taken root throughout
Europe? Maybe that’s too much
hypothetical thinking, but then
again, surely all these “talks”
between the principals must
include such discussion. It
looks like such a historic
achievement could be a recipe
for disaster.
A “new” tape from Osama bin
Laden is circulating,
threatening more reprisals for
the “insulting” Mohammed
cartoons, and accusing the pope
of insulting the “prophet” in
comments he made two years ago
in Germany. For his part, the
pope has apologized, sort of,
and said that it’s
unacceptable to insult anyone’s
religious faith. Has anyone
told him about our First
Amendment? And wait ‘till Osama
hears about these grand Catholic
landmarks being planned for the
Gulf, assuming he’s still
kicking. All this diplomatic
good will may well go up in
flames.
There is tremendous concern over
the immediate future of Pakistan
and its nuclear arsenal of an
estimated 100 missiles. Just
last week the chief military
General in Turkey was quoted
saying that the nukes might end
up under Taliban control if
Musharraf “loses his grip.”
According to every source,
Musharraf is about to lose his
grip. Details relate to the
“illegality” of his mass firings
of Pakistani judges during his
recent imposition of a “state of
emergency.” The newly elected
Pakistani parliament is expected
to reinstate them within a
matter of weeks. This uncertain
situation may drag out beyond
our own U.S. presidential
election, but that remains to be
seen.
Many may have been unaware of
“liberation theology” until
recent days. It’s dangerous
subject matter, but simply
cannot be ignored. The
circulation of angry,
vituperative, venomous “sermons”
by a presidential candidate’s
“pastor” have escalated racial
fears in America beyond anything
we’ve seen in decades. The
mainstream media is trying to
shut the door on the whole
subject, but the rhetoric that
has saturated the political and
social landscape in recent days
is so searing that it won’t fade
easily.
Liberation theology holds that
our American founding fathers
were corrupt, evil men. It
attaches itself to a slew of
theories implicating the U.S.
government in nefarious plots to
commit “genocide” against the
black population. It castigates
“rich white people” as the root
of all injustice and sounds just
like the racist rhetoric we
thought was unique to the
“Nation of Islam” movement.
It is hot, divisive “preaching”
that motivates emotionally
charged reactions, and now it
seems to have attached itself to
our presidential election, as if
we didn’t have enough trouble
already!
And now the
good news. At a time when
organized religion seems more
“the problem” rather than the
solution, where even factions of
the broader Church of God fall
victim to political maneuvers
and power plays; when posturing
preachers are wallowing in
self-aggrandizement; when
self-proclaimed prophets are
once again setting dates and
manipulating their followers by
finding themselves foretold by
the legitimate prophets of old
(the stories are too many and
too bizarre to characterize let
alone tell), we have a DVD for
you that is made to order.
This GTA message has nothing to
do with any of the specific
situations, or personalities
distracting members from the
real reasons for their
involvement. It was delivered
from the Bible some
20 years ago. Then again, it has
absolutely everything to do with
all of it! It is entitled
False Prophets. The
picture is clear, and Dad was at
his best.
You are no doubt aware of the
many splinter groups and
organizations that have formed
as a result of the
Worldwide
debacle and my Grandfather,
Herbert W. Armstrong’s
subsequent death. The truth
he publicized, that man is
subject to God’s immutable laws,
has been hijacked by dozens of
splinter groups. Some exist for
the sole purpose of employing
and retiring an aging ministry
and have devolved into political
chaos and infighting. Others
have employed fear and
intimidation to fuel grandiose
building programs and promote
brazen pretenders to apostolic
status. What has any of this to
do with Jesus’ commission to the
church?
Our focus is on providing a
stable, peaceful atmosphere
where people can practice
obedience to God’s clear
instructions, while doing the
work of spreading the gospel to
a world that is caught up in
every conceivable distraction.
Our nation is in serious
trouble, from dangers to our
entire economic system, to
unchecked invasion by
foreigners, to the lack of
positive national leadership, to
the threat of Islamic terror on
a grand scale, and now the
exposure of racial hatreds. Many
serious analysts recognize that
we’ve taken several wrong turns,
nationally, and that major
consequences are inevitable. The
whole of the western world is
under a long-term threat from
the determination of Islam to
convert and/or destroy, and yet
political correctness
prevents bold countermeasures.
As one respected historian and
analyst said recently, we cannot
win the “war on terror” unless
our nation is prepared to
exercise focus, discipline and
effort at the intensity the U.S.
employed in WWII. In view of our
political and economic
situations, there’s no chance of
that happening.
We’re trying to stay abreast of
the most important of these
numerous situations because
we’ve been told to “watch and
pray always...” by the
savior Himself. But we will
never demand that you “send
money now before
it’s
too late” as others have done,
and are doing. We will not set
dates for prophecies to be
fulfilled, or use any of the
outlandish authoritarian tactics
currently being employed by some
to divide families or deprive
people of their God-given free
moral agency.
I hope you’ll treat yourself to
the illuminating and inspiring
DVD, False Prophets,
delivered by my dear
ol’
Dad in his prime. It says so
much more than a letter ever
could. Our
thanks to you all for having
supported the truth, and the
Work. Results from the
telecast have been beyond
expectations, and many thousands
from all walks of life have been
told the truth.
Until next time,