The Church of God & Ray Tinsman

 

I have been asked repeatedly about our connection with the Church of God (COG) in Aylmer.  When the questions first started to come I had never spoken to Henry Hildebrandt and knew very little about his church.  In the weeks and months that followed I spoke with Henry on separate occasions and in person.

At that initial meeting with Henry I asked him a series of pointed questions.  I was concerned.  I was glad his church was open, but I had heard rumors of heresy and cultish behaviour and wanted to hear it from him.  Ordinarily I might have dismissed a group like his outright. But the COG Aylmer was one of the very few churches in Ontario that remained open through the lockdowns, and I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, I asked him about his view of Scripture, his view of salvation, his understanding of the person and work of Christ and so on.  And I came away mostly satisfied.  There were clear differences between us, but on the main points it seemed as if we agreed; and I took his word for it that the rumors were false.  

Still, concerns about my relationship with Henry and the COG continued to come in from all directions.  I thought that odd since there was never any formal (or informal) connection between our churches.   But I had expressed appreciation for Henry (on Twitter) and both of us had been involved in Liberty Coalition Canada.  So when the concerns continued coming in my initial instinct was to defend him.  After all, I had met him and questioned him personally whereas - it seemed - none of his critics had.  I also liked Henry.  I had never heard him preach, but our interactions had been positive.  And I am inclined to stand up for the ‘little guy’.  I don’t like bullies.   When I see someone being picked on I come to their defense.  It looked to me as if Henry and the COG were being picked on.  All kinds of things were being said about them that he himself was denying.  So my instinct was to say something in their defense.

In an earlier post that never got published, I wrote: “There is a lot I don't know yet about the group he [Henry] is a part of.  But I do know that he has signed our statement.   I also know that he has had courage where other men have been cowardly.  In his interactions with me he has been gracious and friendly where others have been unkind and even nasty.  People seem to be struggling with the fact that we would even appear to make common cause with a group like COG.  I have even heard church leaders explain that their church is closed because the COG is open; and so they have remained closed - and disobeyed God - because they wouldn't want to be seen as allies.  What nonsense!  Rather, do the right thing for the right reasons and never mind public opinion.  I am sometimes perplexed - even dumbfounded - at how important it is to some people to maintain their reputation in the community.   As if the consensus of opinion was all that mattered.  As if truth and right were determined by vote.”   This was on February 8, 2021.

I still believe that what some churches have done in an effort to distance themselves from COG is silly.   You don’t quit doing what is right in order to distance yourself from someone who also happens to be doing what is right.  And if you think they’re doing the right thing the wrong way there is a simple solution: do the right thing the right way yourself!   I also believe the authorities (and members of the community) have been profoundly unfair to Henry, his family and the congregation.

But the time has come to say something. I have listened to plenty of audio coming from the COG, and I have spoken to Henry about it. Actually, I have been waiting months now for a statement of apology and clarification from Ray Tinsman, which I was assured would come. It hasn't. In the meantime the nation is watching. And I fear that our silence regarding Henry Hildebrandt and the COG, however well intentioned, does not serve the kingdom of God. If we were in a fight purely for liberty we might make common cause with a group like the COG. If we were freedom fighters we might count it an honour to join ranks with a man like Henry. But we are soldiers of Christ. We are in a struggle to defend and maintain the crown rights of King Jesus, and our goal is not liberty but the glory of God. We are not freedom fighters. We are the bride of Jesus Christ.

I am not ashamed to admit that I appreciate Henry Hildebrandt's stand for our civil liberties.  He has proven himself bold where many others have been cowardly. I also appreciate his kindness towards other church leaders like myself.  It’s more than I have received from others with whom I have much more in common.  But there is something more important than how a person treats me or speaks to me (or any of my friends).  It's been said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.  I fear that our instinct in these days is to operate along those lines.  If someone stands up against the Ford government he must be a friend.  If someone resists tyranny he must be an ally.  But the truth is, our allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ and no other.  The Church of Jesus Christ simply cannot make common cause with those who blaspheme Him.  I may not like what the government is doing to my family, by taking from us our civil liberties, but an attack on Jesus Christ belongs in another category altogether.  I can bear an attack on my liberties, on my home, even on my family, but I cannot bear an attack upon the person, character and authority of my beloved King.

I don’t wish to be overly dramatic, but some of the things I heard as I listened to audio from the COG made my skin crawl.  I am not referring to audio coming from the COG in Aylmer, but the broader group in the US of which Aylmer is a part. 

I listened as one of their ‘apostles’ spoke of Ray Tinsman (the ‘chief apostle’ of the Church of God) in this way: "I just wanted to tell you one of the names, one of the names is, the only name, the name that is above all names on this creature earth, of God's creatures.  Is that clear enough for you?  Alright.  The governor of the world , the judge of all this world is the chief apostle our very own brother D Ray Tinsman.”   All of this was received with loud cheering and shouts of approval.

I listened to one man say that all churches are "under the banner of Ray Tinsman," under the "banner of his love".  I heard another man say that all churches are under the "rod of Ray Tinsman".  

Ray Tinsman was there in some of these meetings listening (and at times openly agreeing) as men praised him from the pulpit speaking of him as one who "doesn’t have the same struggles as you do” and “is touched with the feelings of your infirmities.”  

In a conversation with two other apostles called ‘seers’ Tinsman says “there’s no hope outside of a seer.”  

Ray Tinsman claims to be able to write Scripture, though he has no immediate plans to do so.  He claims to be able to take someone’s salvation from them.  He says he will not change for anyone even if they are right.    

One of the 'prophets' was admitting he was struggling in his prayer life.  He then said the following: “I began to pray and I said ‘Lord I come to you in the name of our chief apostle brother Ray Tinsman.’  Its what I did.  Its what I did… I’m talking about being right where I needed to be… I’m telling you I knew I tapped into something.  I did know that.  Something was already changing from that announcement… I know I'm on the right track now… [and then he says he went on to pray in the name of] brother Steve and in brother Benjamin and in brother Everett and I went through the whole list and I'm telling you the room filled with the glory of God that night. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that heaven was in that room.  There was no question.  I didn’t quite know where to go from there.  I’d opened up something I didn't quite know what to do with… heaven’s been opened to me ever since… temptations in the room tonight that will disappear… won’t have to pray … fast about 'em… they’ll vanish away… things have passed away at brother Ray’s feet… follow me as I follow them.  And I know I’m right.”   He then went on to preach on Isaiah 53 a sermon which had little to do with our great Saviour.  The sermon has since been removed and Henry has disavowed it privately, but I find it telling that the congregation was loud and affirming in its reception of what was being said.  And it has yet to be publicly renounced.

Do I need to say more? 

I have heard it said that there is context to these statements. But what context makes it okay to say of anyone but Jesus that his name is above every other name?!   What context makes it okay to say that a man is the judge of all this world and that the churches are under the banner of his love?  I heard the congregation roaring with pleasure at these statements.  Not responding with shock and dismay; not reproving him, but raucous in their support especially of those statements commending Tinsman.  They are a charismatic bunch, but where is that enthusiasm being directed?  To Jesus?  No… its being directed to Ray and the other so-called apostles.  Something is more than a little off, even Satanic, about such antics, as they detract from the glory of God in Christ while exalting a mortal.

We ought to speak plainly and honestly about these things.  These statements, taken at face value, are blasphemous, they are abominable and they cannot be tolerated for the sake of any common cause we may have.  

A man who welcomes statements that should only be said of our Christ is a man who is being exalted in the place of Christ, which is antichrist.

So where to from here?   A little while ago I wrote a piece called Schism Needed.  I was calling for a kind of division from compromised churches.  At the time I was simply urging that laypeople, pastors and elders need to be gathering for worship even without the permission and blessing of their governing bodies.  There comes a point where division is necessary even from churches that are otherwise faithful.  The Church of God is not otherwise faithful.  There is no spin that we can put on these wicked statements to make them palatable. 

I say that as a man who wanted to get along with the COG. I had a vested interest in making this work… but there can be no common cause with Belial.  "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2 Corinthians 6)." 

I freely admit that I haven’t heard Henry speak the way these other ‘apostles’ speak.  But I cannot account for the fact that he has not publicly renounced these men and separated from them.  And until he does we cannot make common cause with him (or the COG).  

- Steve Richardson

Edit, January 12: For an update and resources go here.