~Preface~
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
—Abraham Lincoln
Dear Friends,
On June 12, 2012, DER SPIEGEL “the Mirror,” a prominent weekly German news magazine, published an article about the Roman Curia, the administrative apparatus and central governing body of the Catholic Church: Its words present a chilling picture of another Church—one much closer to home.
“Fear is running rampant in the Curia where the mood has rarely been this miserable. It's as if someone had poked a stick into a beehive. Men wearing purple robes are rushing around, hectically monitoring correspondence. No one trusts anyone anymore, and some even hesitate to communicate by phone.
“A ‘reform of the Curia’ is probably a contradiction in terms. Its hierarchical, essentially medieval organizational model is incompatible with modern management. The Vatican is an anachronistic, albeit surprisingly tenacious system, in which pecking orders and an absurd penchant for secrecy and intrigue prevail. ‘The only important thing is proximity to the monarch,’ says a member of a cardinal's staff. Rome works like an absolutist court, one in which decisions are made by people whispering things into the others' ears rather than by committees.’ There are many vain people here, people in sharp competition with one another,’ the staff member adds.
“Who spoke with whom, and for how long? What did they talk about? Who attends early Mass with whom, and who invites whom to dinner? Who's in and who's out? Who belongs and who doesn't, and who's coming into favor and who's falling out of it? ‘This mood fosters feelings of exclusion, discrimination, envy, revenge and resentment,’the monsignor says. And all things have now appeared in the so-called Vatileaks documents.
The Vatican is disintegrating into dozens of competing interest groups. In the past, it was the Jesuits, the Benedictines, the Franciscans and other orders that competed for respect and sway within the Vatican court. But their influence has waned, and they have now been replaced primarily by the so-called ‘new clerical communities’ that bring the large, cheering crowds to Masses celebrated by the pope: the Neocatechumenate, the Legionaries of Christ, and the traditionalists of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter -- not to mention the worldwide ‘santa mafia’ of Opus Dei.
“They all have their open and clandestine agents in and around the Vatican, and they all own real estate and run universities, institutes and other educational facilities in Rome. Various cardinals and bishops champion their interests at the Vatican, often without an official or recognizable mandate. At the Vatican, everyone is against everyone, and everyone feels they have God on their side.”
One doesn’t have to look as far as the Vatican to find the rampant toxicity described above. Sadly, it is a shameful reality in the Churches of God today. Furthermore, it is often perpetrated by the very ones commissioned by the Almighty to protect His people from it. Now, as world events accelerate toward Armageddon, the leaders of God’s true faith seem less interested in proclaiming the gospel as a witness (Mt. 24:14) than in their own personal authority and status relative to the broader Church—and thinking nothing of condemning those whose understanding may be slightly different than theirs. As a result, members are warned against fellowshipping with longtime friends in other COG organizations, or reading their literature. Some are threatened with expulsion over matters of conscience. Others are sanctioned without the due process afforded to them in the scriptures. Others still are required to sign loyalty oaths or to assert their commitment to “doctrines” that have absolutely nothing to do with God’s word, let alone salvation.
The book you are about to read tells the tragic story of how all too many leaders within the COG have erected a “god to the self” and demanded that their flock kneel before it. Instead of cherishing the role of servant, they embrace the position of “Master.” This is done despite the fact that Christ Himself modeled a far different behavior and specifically directed His disciples to follow His example.
…but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves? Is not he that sits at meat? But I am among you as he that serves. (Lk. 22: 26-27)
As you proceed through these pages it is important to understand that its words are not intended to condemn God’s Church or those who preside over it. In truth, its sole purpose is to bring to light a condition that is totally antithetical to apostolic Christianity and by doing so strengthen a community of believers united by a pure faith and a genuine love for their brethren (Jn. 13:35).
Finally, you will notice that this book has no author. This is because it is a collaborative work. In truth, it is the product of many voices. It is possible that it even tells your story.
Respectfully,
Blow the Trumpet