Beck Is Right (and Very Wrong)

Glenn Beck is NOT insane.  In fact, I think he is pretty shrewd.

Just a few years ago almost nobody had heard of him.  Now you could argue he got too big for Fox News. 

Christian leaders are often in two camps.  The liberal (progressive) camp that makes fun of Glenn Beck for being "a nut" and disregarding his frequent talk of Jesus.  The next camp is the conservative evangelicals who listen to much of what Beck says, because they agree with him politically.  And they love that he mentions God and Jesus often.  "Right on Brother Glenn, for mentioning God!"

Now the first camp hates Beck.  And if hate seems like a strong word, well if it doesn't fit, its still pretty close.

One side hates Beck for reasons I think are often wrong.  The other side loves Beck, while disregarding or not knowing reasons why they should be a bit wary.

I used to hear Beck years ago on long 15 hour car trips when talk radio is the only thing left to listen too.  (Democrats should blame talk radio on bad music as much as anything)

I heard him before he was the Glenn Beck of today.  It was before he even got his CNN show, and maybe surprising to some, he did not like George W. Bush none too much.

Last year, Beck held a big to do on the D.C. Mall.  He proudly preached to the masses and had people of multiple denominations praying together. 

The question would be, praying to whom?  (Its not "who" is it, I was never well at grammar?)

Beck is a Mormon.  And without making this completely into a Mormon history lesson, they don't believe the same things most Christians believe.  And I still find a large amount of people who have no idea Beck is a Mormon. 

Mormonism was started on a foundation that they had the true Word of God, not the perverted version Christians have.  Now they call themselves Christians?  Many still admit that they are not so.

They hold the Book of Mormon up as equal to the Bible, and many view it as superior to the Bible.  This and the Doctrine Of Covenants, Articles of Faith.  The Pearl of Great Price.  Things if you are not a Mormon you probably haven't been reading.

There is much more that is different, that does not make Mormonism simply a different denomination, as it is recently presented.

"The two faiths occupy opposite sides of a theological chasm that makes the gulf between Catholics and Protestants look narrow by comparison." (2)
  -Ross Douthat

The thing is, Beck often sounds more Christian than many people who say they are Christian.  And I think he sincerely believes he is a Christian; though there is theology that might contradict that, I won't get into right now.  (3)

Many Evangelical Christians showed up to pray with Beck.  James Dobson and Franklin Graham were interestingly enough "busy that day."

Mormons don't believe The Fall was such a bad thing.  Chances are, most of Beck's Christian fans do.

From mormon.org

"They didn’t feel any sorrow or pain, which might seem nice, except that without it, they also couldn’t feel joy. They didn’t remember their pre-earth life. If they hadn’t eaten the forbidden fruit, they would have lived like that forever and never had children. Mankind never would have been born or the world populated."

"But it wasn’t all bad because they could now feel great joy. “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) (4)

Mormons believe in many gods.  They believe they can become a god themselves.   

"As man is, God once was" is a common Mormon mantra.

They believe in not a Virgin Birth, but physical sex between God and Mary.

Many believe God has a wife.  (Not a church as 'the bride' thing)

Many believe God now physically lives off a star system named Kolob.
(Battlestar Galactica's planet Kobol came from this)
This is common doctrine begun by Joseph Smith.  Today, Kolob, it is not really talked about as much, or it is looked at as a metaphor.

Beck doesn't mention most of these specific things.  He often shrugs and sighs, "people don't think I'm a Christian."

But obviously, much of Mormonism (and this is just scratching the surface) sounds nothing like Christianity.  I have read more than once, that it is only in recent years that Mormons tried to align themselves with Christianity.

Beck is often upfront about being Mormon.  He is proud of it.  You can order a video where he talks about it.  But other times he seems to be leaving things out on purpose.

He went on the 700 Club.

Glenn Beck:  "In 2000 I dedicated myself to the Lord, and He has been great to me."

Pat Robertson:  "That's a miracle of God's grace."

In the entire interview Beck never mentioned he was Mormon and Robertson never brought it up.  Why does Robertson excuse this?

It has to be because politically, Beck and Robertson are close.

Mormons were huge in getting Proposition 8 passed.  And while if you believe in Prop 8, I'm sure you like this fact; isn't Robertson a little misleading in his presentation of a man, that does not pray to the same God he, (and most of his supporters) pray too? 

A political discussion between Robertson and Beck, I don't have a problem with.  A discussion of one's faith that is based on deceit, I do have issue with.

On Robertson's own CBN website, there is an article called "How Do I Recognize A Cult?"  In it, Mormons are the first "cult" mentioned.

"Mormons do not believe, for example, that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Mormons must work their way to heaven."

"In summary, the Mormon church is a prosperous, growing organization that has produced many people of exemplary character. But when it comes to spiritual matters, the Mormons are far from the truth." (5)

Now in many ways you could ignore the man's religion.  You could simply choose to watch him or not watch him based on what he says politically.

I get that.  If I only watched films based on what I thought of the actor's personal life, I would probably not get to watch many movies.  So I'm not saying don't watch. 

But he seems like he is moving more from Rush Limbaugh and starting to become more, well, Pat Robertson. 

Which is also fine if you believe what he believes.  Or actually know what he believes. 

But if as he gets more and more into preacher mode, you feel supporting him might be supporting Christian causes, I'd look again. 

And people like Robertson and others who align Beck as a Christian, then confuse people who hear or read Beck.

In his new book,  7 Wonders That Will Change Your Life, Beck says follow any religion you feel like. 

"Finding what worked for me made all the difference.  Finding what works for you will do the same." -Glenn Beck pg.157

To a new Christian or interested Christian, that would sound confusing. 

Being as Beck is saying he is Christian, with the endorsement of Christian Leaders in his pocket.

Just a few days ago Beck was in Chicago.

"In his two-hour show...Beck spoke much of God's purpose and human sin. Although he did not, tellingly, mention the name Jesus Christ."

“I can't continue to do the chalkboard thing and say, ‘Look, it all ends with George Soros',” Beck said in the second half of his show, fighting back tears (or an inestimably fine facsimile thereof). “But somebody has to be the watch.”
(6)

And being this is the case, we simply should know where he is coming from.  Because as Beck says "we all need to get back to God."  We should know the majority of us, disagree with just what god he refers too.

"Glenn has now moved into an area where we must draw a clear line theologically and doctrinally. While Christians can join Glenn in opposing tyranny, socialism, cultural Marxism, and the like… we cannot join him spiritually."    -Brannon Howse (Worldview Radio)  (7)

"We can work together politically for sure, but conducting joint worship services, that’s not possible."   -Gary Cass  (8)

Russell More Dean, Dean of the School of Theology for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said it this way:

"The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim."  (9)

Instead of "political whim" I would simply say, "know the difference between the kingdom of God and what is not."

There is an evangelist on TV that has a red phone on his set as a prop, telling Beck to give him a call.  "You sound a lot like a Christian, Glenn.  Lets make it official."  (10)

Close enough should not be an answer to the ultimate question.

Galatians 1: 9-10   As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.


Sources:
1.  This is a piece I started writing sometime last year.  I have struggled with it because I do not like criticizing people I feel are completely sincere; though sincerely wrong.  I also have a friend who is Mormon, and I respect him.  I have verified everything I've said here with him; as well as from my own research.  If he has disagreed even the slightest with any doctrine, in our discussions, then I did not add it to this article.

2.  NY Times   Mormons Evangelicals and Glenn Beck   http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/mormons-evangelicals-and-glenn-beck/

3.  There is doctrine in the Mormon faith about lying.  You could find one description here:  http://www.mormonwiki.org/Lying_for_the_Lord
I do not think Beck for example practices this, but I do think it is doctrine that has been used by others 

4.  Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk0XSS7LIXk

5:   CBN.com:  How To Recognize A Cult   http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/CBNTeachingSheets/FAQ_cult.aspx

6.  Chicago Tribune:  "Glenn Beck at the Chicago Theatre:  Beck 2.0 is a preacher man, not a right-wing pundit"  by Chris Jones
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2011/04/glenn-beck-chicago-theatre-review.html

7.  WorldViewWeekend.com:  by Brannon Howse:  http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-tube/video.php?videoid=4430

8.  Glenn Beck:  Friend or Foe to Christians?  by Gary Cass, http://www.defendchristians.org/

9.  "Why Christians Should Be Skeptical of Glenn Beck" by Mike Durran   http://mikeduran.com/?p=9354

10.  "Wretched"  by Todd Friel  NRB Network   "Is Glenn Beck a Mormon?"