Enabler-in-Chief (Part 1) “Pillow Talk”
July 7, 2022 | by Marc Cebrian
I wanted to keep the names of other “ministers” out of the articles written here and solely focus on David C. Pack because he is the captain of the Restored Church of God ship.
He is the master architect of the prophetic disaster still tumbling down the hill. He is also the one who trains men to act counter to their conscience by possessing an uncanny knack for wearing a human being down. Dave is like sandpaper for your brain.
Spend enough time with him, not only will you start to see things the way he does, but you will also begin to anticipate how to speak and act the way he would want.
Men lose themselves when in close proximity to David C. Pack. His distorted reality is infectious. Those who left were damaged by this process and are still trying to heal.
But even with all of Dave’s “authority,” he does not operate in a vacuum. There are a group of men at Headquarters who continually surround him with pillows to keep him pacified and reassured. They “enable” him to continue.
The biggest pillow in The Restored Church of God is held by Bradford G. Schleifer. He is the only “evangelist” in the organization and thus, has more power and influence than anyone else there.
Dave is #1. Brad is #2.
Much of what Dave does is filtered through Brad. He will sit in Brad’s office to bounce ideas off of him. He calls Brad late at night to share some new “exciting” discovery. He pulls Brad into the kitchen during Sabbath Services to talk about…whatever. Brad is at Dave’s beck and call.
However, Bradford G. Schleifer is really the one running The Restored Church of God at an organizational level. All at Dave’s behest, of course. Brad handles the day-to-day operations and knows about everything that is going on. He then filters it back to Dave in bite-sized pieces. (Dave has a hard time absorbing details or long sentences.)
Think of it this way:
Dave’s Mouth —> Brad —> The ministers, the church, everything and everyone else
Everything and everyone, the church, the ministers —> Brad —> Dave’s Ears
He may have Dave’s trust and his ear but he cannot “make” Dave do anything. Nobody controls Dave Pack. What Brad can do is gently nudge him this way or that way. Only he knows how many more wacky Dave ideas would have reached the cooking table if he had not intervened. Perhaps he will tell me one day as we chat over a beer.
Why do I bring up Bradford G. Schleifer by name during this glorious month of Tammuz?
He is in the position that Kevin and Jeff had before they left. He is the one with the most opportunity to do something about the madness, yet does not. Though he knows full well the endless prophetic date-setting is madness. The Bible he reads every night says so.
Unlike Kevin and Jeff, Brad not only lets the RCG ship race towards the rocks, but he has chosen to pick up an oar and help speed it along.
Brad chose the role as Dave’s advocate and apologist years ago. He became The Enabler-in-Chief of The Restored Church of God by perpetuating the propaganda that David C. Pack is both an apostle and a prophet. His support for Dave is sprinkled throughout his messages. Sometimes with a feather. Sometimes with a pick-axe.
He is the one at Dave’s right hand, propping up his arms all day. Every day. I wonder if the poor guy ever really gets a full day off. Maybe a non-Dave day is as rare as a black moon.
He is also the man who is the most capable, due to intelligence and position, to dethrone Dave at the corporate level. He could be the man who rallies the troops on the third floor to topple the oppressive regime currently in power.
The Board of Directors could vote David C. Pack out of the corporation. Legally, it is possible. There are men at Headquarters who have the ability to do this. But will not. Not unless Brad steps up and takes a stand, that is.
Instead, Brad helps sustain the false narrative of how “on track” The Restored Church of God is by giving credibility to the prophetic fraud, despite passing nearly a dozen failed dates just this year.
He is also the first minister I ever witnessed to give a full “damage control” sermon right on the day of a prophetic mishap. A Damage Control Sermon is a message designed to thwart criticism or concern among the brethren when something Dave thundered fails to manifest. Usually, a date that comes and goes. But sometimes, it’s a prodding of brethren to swallow some new whopper of a doctrinal shift that leaves most uncomfortable. (The Father comes before Jesus Christ, for example.)
Brad is really good at this and it seems to come to him naturally.
Sadly, others have followed suit. I heard sermons given by Edward L. Winkfield and F. Jaco Viljoen who both tried to throw shade on any doubts about Dave’s validity as God’s apostle. Those men have also become biblical contortionists who “explain away” prophetic fraud by either reaffirming their surety that God is using Dave, or by regurgitating a false teaching Dave pushes upon the members.
The “ministers” at Headquarters follow Brad’s lead. Monkey see, monkey do.
Here is the RCG Cycle of Life Loop:
Brad Enables Dave —> Others Enable Dave —> Dave Continues Prophetic Fraud
Rinse and repeat.
If it were not for the continuous enabling by the men at Headquarters who are so eager to grasp that pillow and comfort Dave, he might actually close his mouth for a few weeks to reevaluate his prophetic brilliance. Or get excited about re-writing the all the outdated literature. Or clear the dust from the Media Center to do a brand new The World to Come. Or focus on preaching the gospel to the world as Jesus Christ instructed.
Naaaaaaaaah!
Bradford G. Schleifer is the Enabler-in-Chief at The Restored Church of God because he has chosen to seize that roll with both hands. He does it passionately. He does it enthusiastically. He is also the most adept at subtle manipulation.
Just how adept is he? That will be examined in Part 2.
