2 In letters from readers, they react to last month’s article about the debate 3 John Sash thinks we’ve not entirely understood the Bible regarding sex 3 Bernie Monsalvo and Reg Killingley TheJournal share their views of the UCG crisis 32 Murray Palmatier reports on a joint News of the Churches of God CGI-UCG feast-day observance Vol. XIV, No. 3 Founded 1997 Issue No. 140 (July 31, 2010) No car, no bicycle and no young Beyond Today man: Must have been an angel on WGN-TV ILFORD, Ohio —The Mrs. Collins, a longtime Church of He did not pay child support for United Church of God God member, lives with her husband, our four preschool children, so for M has contracted with su- Thomas H. Collins, in Anadarko. two years the church supported us by perstation WGN-TV to air its televi- third tithe. sion program, Beyond Today. By Retta Collins Teaching full time As reported Photo by Victor Kubik NADARKO, Okla.—In 1969 in an article by in Oregon I encountered an Then I began to teach full time. Peter Eddington Aangel. But first I’ll mention After a few years teaching in Okla- in United News some background information. homa, I decided to apply for a posi- (members.ucg. In 1956 in Oklahoma, when I was tion in Eugene, Ore. A school hired org), the show almost 20, I was state president of me to teach gifted fourth-graders began airing on Future Teachers of America College across from the campus of the Uni- July 11, 2010, Level. As such, I was sent to the versity of Oregon. and appears each national conventions of the FTA and The only thing I found unpleasant Sunday at 8:30 National Education Association in about living in Oregon was that it a.m. eastern time. Peter Eddington Parkland, Wash., rained nearly every day of the school Mr. Edding- and Portland, Ore. year and was dry only in the summer. ton, the UCG’s interim media and A native Okla- Sudden skid communications manager, said the homan, I had station has a potential audience of never traveled One rainy day after school—by GAS ON ALERT PROPERTY—ALERT is drilling for natural gas on the former 75 million households in 209 TV farther west than now it must have been 1969—I was campus of Ambassador College, Big Sandy, Texas. For several weeks a crew markets. Carlsbad, N.M. driving my 1966 Dodge Dart around has labored to set up this derrick and related equipment in a field on what was Beyond Today features a trio of the farm on the AC campus until 1997, when Ambassador University closed. So when I saw the shore road of the Willamette River presenters: Darris McNeely, Steve from the train to pick up my two daughters from Since 2000 the campus has been the property and home of the International ALERT Academy, a Christian military-style training school for young men study- Myers and Gary Petty. the magnificent their junior high school, where they For more information go to forests of gigan- had to stay late for a meeting. ing religious subjects and disaster-relief procedures. An ALERT official did not respond to a request from THE JOURNAL for more information about the well. beyondtoday.tv. tic Douglas firs The pavement was grooved for [JOURNAL photo by Dixon Cartwright] in Washington Retta Collins traction, three lanes each way, and it and Oregon I was raining as usual. prayed: “Father, I’ve come home. I was not speeding. I didn’t sud- Please let me live here someday.” denly step on my brakes or do any- I returned to Oklahoma and married thing to cause it. But suddenly my car UCG’s crisis is the latest in a long line of ups my high-school boyfriend, and we had skidded sideways into the opposing four children in our first six years. traffic, with the passenger side about and downs since the church’s founding in 1995 Then I was called and baptized into to be struck by cars. the Worldwide Church of God. On the I could do nothing but cry out, By Dixon Cartwright President removed The UCG, founded at a conference day of my baptism my husband left us “God, help me!” IG SANDY, Texas—The Unit- in Indianapolis, Ind., in April and May When the council of elders of the and soon married an older woman. See I COULD DO NOTHING, page 32 ed Church of God an Interna- of 1995, has three governing entities: tional Association is in the United Church of God an Interna- The 12-man council of elders, B tional Association (UCGIA, or simply news again. It’s having to deal with directly elected by the church’s elders. unrest in its congregations ultimately UCG) removed the church’s presi- The general conference, made up traceable to differences in philosophy dent, Clyde Kilough of Cincinnati, of virtually every credentialed elder, Post-debate discussion: Just of church governance Ohio, on April 9, 2010, that decision whether on the payroll or not. It’s the same old, old story among marked the fourth time in its 15-year The administration team, com- conservative Christians everywhere: history that the organization had dis- prised of the president, director of min- what do you mean the Bible? Who’s in charge? missed its chief administrator. isters, treasurer, and media director. The situation in the UCG has espe- Removing someone from an ad- The writer is a researcher of Mich. Mr. Cartwright wrote: Difficult transition Bible-related topics, author and “During the discussion [in 2008] cially erupted in Latin America, with ministrative office is not as drastic an former university professor who at- this writer for THE JOURNAL com- the church’s council of elders firing its action as removing someone from the In an E-mail THE JOURNAL received tended Ambassador College in the mented that young people having Spanish-language and Latin American council of elders. The president— from Bruce Porteous of Manila, Philip- late 1950s. grown up in a church environment director. The Latin American breth- unlike council members and unlike the pines, Mr. Porteous commented on the A Sabbatarian Christian, Mr. go off to college and encounter star- ren, in turn, have reacted with ardent chairman of the council—is a church church’s current series of crises, which Rude is employed as a linguist by tling opinions and theories, philo- support for the director. official who is appointed and can be mainly involve issues of governance. the Confederated Tribes of the sophical and theological, they had But, first, here’s some background removed and/or reassigned at any Mr. Porteous previously attended Umatilla Indian Nation and works never heard before, and as a result to ease into the story. time by the 12 councillors. See PRESIDENT LUKER, page 6 with other American Indian tribes. many of them lose faith in the Bible In this article Mr. Rude com- and God. ments on the lead article in THE “Therefore, what about a discus- JOURNAL’s issue No. 139, dated sion about the Bible itself? June 17, 2010, which reported on a “Church of God and other preach- 2010 AC minireunion UCGIA names new debate in Texas about the nature of ers constantly sermonize from the the Bible. Bible and sometimes even debate happens in Houston administration members Bible subjects with other Chris- By Noel Rude tians. The writer attended Ambassador College, Big ILFORD, Ohio—The council of elders of the ENDLETON, Ore.—In this “But rarely does a Church of Sandy, in the late 1960s. United Church of God announced its new article are random comments God minister or scholar attempt to president, Dennis Luker of Bothell, Wash., By John Dickerson M P inspired by an article titled prove specifically that the Bible is and new treasurer, Aaron Dean of Gladewater, Texas. “Two Former what Church of God writers and INCOLN, Ark.—Some former Ambassador United News, a member newspaper, in its July 2010 Worldwide preachers say it is: the inspired, College, Big Sandy, students have established issue reported that the council chose the president from Church of God infallible (some say inerrant) Word L an annual tradition of gathering in Houston each four finalists: Gary Antion, Bill Bradford, Roy Holladay Pastors Face of God.” summer, and the summer of ’10 was no exception. and Mr. Luker. Off in a De- It all began in 2001 when Russell Bettis, 1970 grad- What about intelligent design? The group of four devolved bate About the uate, returned from Malaysia and located old AC from a list of 39 names of men Nature of the So the debate occurred on Feb. friends to meet for a dinner party. the UCG’s elders recommended. Bible” that ap- 21, 2010, near Tyler, Texas, and I’d Twenty-two of us met in 2009. This year, on June 1, The administration team con- peared in THE say that as debates go Dennis Diehl a total of 10 of us met for a dinner party at a Fogo de sists of the president, the direc- JOURNAL’s is- won—but not because I think his Chao, a fantastic Brazilian restaurant, to reminisce and tors of ministry and media, and sue No. 139, ideas have merit. enjoy each other’s company. the treasurer. dated June 17, Nobody seemed aware of intelli- The guest list: Phillip Arnold, Everett Oakley, Heading up ministerial ser- 2010. Noel Rude gent design. Intelligent design (ID) Beverly Thomas Henderson and Wes Henderson of vices is interim director Victor In that arti- changes everything because the Houston, Texas; Russell and Kim Bettis of Albia, Kubik, replacing Jim Franks.