The New Motto of the Former CGI Congregations: E PLURIBUS UNUM!

"How do we assert our independence without appearing to be rebellious and schismatic?" The answer to that question has alluded Armstrong Church of God ministers for many years now, but Pastor Bill Watson of Medina, Ohio may have finally found the "right" answer: Declare your independence from the Church of God International, declare that you're being faithful to the "truth," keep the money and resources of the local congregation within the local congregation, and agree to "cooperate" or "associate" yourself with other independent former congregations of CGI!

And Mr. Watson isn't the only one who has followed this formula. Mike Nolen has his Carolina Church of God Independent Ministries. We also have the Blue Ridge Church of God Independent Ministries of Jeremy Nix and Jeremiah Ridley. As of November first, there is also the newly minted Springfield Church of God Independent Ministries of Brad Campbell. There are other independent groups in Kentucky and Arkansas who have been accepted by some of the groups, and others have been invited to secede from CGI and ally themselves with the others. In other words, this is an active poaching operation! They appeal to the vanity, ambition, and restlessness of ministers who are tired of behaving and following corporate guidelines.

Indeed, the announcement of Brad Campbell's departure reveals much about the nature of these folks. The statement reads: "Greetings everyone! As of November 1st, 2026, the CGI congregation in Springfield is no longer a CGI congregation. This change is in no way a reflection of the CGI Organization in Tyler Texas but is a needed change for the local congregation due to a history of bad decisions on the part of some people from 14 years ago. As you may well know, if you know anything about the Springfield congregation from 14 years ago, they had become known as a group that allowed almost anything and the teachings had gone off the rails to the point of our doctrines not even being recognizable." The statement continued: "Because of the challenges attached to those old problems, we have asked the leadership in Tyler Texas to grant us the ability to work as an independent congregation. That has been granted and we have begun the changes necessary to establish our identity as an independent congregation." The statement continued: "You will also notice that we have listed several Ministry Partners on our website. As part of our new mission, we will post and work with as many of the Churches out there that want to participate in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto all the world." (I'm sure that my readers can guess who their "partners" are - reference the links in the second paragraph of this post)

Even so, don't you dare accuse them of being schismatic or forming a new group! The statement concluded: "Will we still work with CGI in Tyler as one of those partners? Of course! It is not our intent to hurt anyone’s work or to hurt any individual in this process. Our new name is 'Springfield Church of God Independent Ministries. 'Our new motto is based on Eph 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace." Now, isn't that nice. They're not trying to hurt anybody, and they're just trying to preserve unity and peace among the brethren! I smell something, and it's usually associated with bulls!

By the way, just in case you're interested in their brand of the "Gospel" (or scanning the headlines and warning Americans about the really bad stuff that's right around the corner), then you'll be interested in their upcoming Wall Watcher Conference. The distinguished speaker's list is as follows: Bill Watson, Jeremiah Ridley, and Mike Nolen. With the results of the recent election, I imagine attendees can expect a lot of hair pulling and proclamations of imminent doom! This will probably be followed by everyone singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and declaring how good it is for brethren to dwell together in peace and unity. Out of many one? Don't you bet on it! My advice: Get a bag of popcorn, relax, and enjoy the show - It's bound to be a doozy!

Remembering Tom Justus

Tome Justus Funeral Program

I was challenged on another blog about knowing Tome Justus, and I remembered that I still had this program in my Bible from when I attended his funeral. 

 

All Hallow's Eve

At Halloween, popular histories and certain religious sects (e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses and the Armstrong Churches of God) repeat the well-entrenched theory that this holiday's origins are found in paganism. This theory originated among certain well-meaning historians who sought to tie the practices of the Catholic Church to paganism. Unfortunately, the scholarship and research associated with the resulting "histories" ignored a great deal of the actual history of this holiday's origins (which are well-documented). In other words, the origins of All Hallows' Eve or "Halloween" are found in the history of the Christian faith.

Indeed, Catholic historians tell the story of the holiday this way:

In the early days of the Church, Christians celebrated each martyr’s feast on the anniversary of his death. As the number of martyrs increased over time, though, and because the liturgical calendar can only accommodate a limited number of Christian luminaries in its 365-day cycle, the Church began honoring all martyrs on a single day.

By the later A.D.300s and the early 400s, the Church began to celebrate a feast for all those who had given their life in witness to Christ and his Church. In 609 or 610, Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all martyrs, choosing May 13 to honor the martyrs. Pope Gregory III (731-741) extended the feast to include all saints, moving its celebration to November 1, which explains why All Hallows’ Eve is celebrated on October 31, the day before.

See Is Halloween Demonic? The Truth About All Hallows' Eve