We ought to be concerned that a Mormon television star is increasingly seen as an evangelical leader.
Dr. Russell Moore interacts with Beck’s role in a recent Washington D.C. rally:
A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.
The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.
If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal. . .
The thoughtful Ross Douthat reflects here. Regarding Beck’s invitation for Mormans and evangelicals to partner together, Douthat concludes:
Whether or not this is a conscious strategy on Beck’s part, I’m pretty sure that neither serious evangelicals nor serious Mormons should be terribly enthused by his Jesus-and-George Washington ecumenism. But one person who may be regarding it with a certain amount of guarded optimism is Mitt Romney.
Did any of you take time to watch what happened on Saturday? It was moving, honorable and I was proud to be an American. My children all watched with me and at different points each of us had tears in our eyes; we have a great heritage that our country does not see fit to teach our young people! Hats off to Glen Beck! By the way we are all born again Christians who love Jesus Christ and know that HE is the ONLY way to get to heaven; by grace alone we are saved. I pray for Glen Beck and his family; and I praise God for his life and for him stepping out into the front lines to bring much truth… and by the way I have heard him proclaim Jesus Christ as savior on TV and proclaiming that He is the only way……….
unless your watching don’t believe anyone! We can all be misguided. I only started watching him b/c of his love for our country…. guess what? I believe that as Glen dug for the TRUTH on how this country was founded … it led him to the word of our Living God. Guess what? You will find the truth in the Living Word and Glen is a man that wants the truth. If you haven’t watched his show and have made a judgement call on him… stop and pray and ask for repentance. God loves him and has called him out for a time such as this. Pray for him. He is a man that is willing to put it out there… he has death threats all the time on his life; but truth is more important to him. Where are most of our Pastors on todays happenings or tough subjects… are the preaching? We are afraid of speaking the truth b/c we will lose our tax benefits???? The time is coming near; we all need to be on our knees begging God for His wonderful gracious mercies. We need not be afraid; put on the full armor of God and see what He will do through us and this great country of ours! We need to love people to the Kingdom.
Can I have an “Amen” to Melanie’s words? I agree that Glenn Beck is not preaching Mormonism on his program. Nor did he do so on Saturday which I watched on CSpan. He is all about teaching us the true history of our great nation that is so often ignored by our schools, the mass media and by our government officials. Our government has perverted this great document over the years from it’s original intent. The great men who wrote and signed our Constitution put it all out there; their positions, their fortunes and their very lives. I think they would be pleased that someone is stepping up against the efforts to make us a totally secularist nation.
Would we be hearing the same objections to the fact that he is a Mormor if he was a practicing Jew or Catholic?
Melanie and Kay – – thank you for posting your comments.
I did not watch the Glen Beck rally. However, if he is a Mormon, then it is an accepted fact that he believes very differently about what the Bible teaches about the identity of Jesus than do orthodox Christians.
The reality is that in pointing to “Christ,” he is not pointing to Christ.
I agree with you both that in our pulpits and in the public square we need people who will boldly stand for the truth.
Chris, I watched the rally, too, and was uncomfortable with the ecumenical aspect of it. However, as an American who is concerned about the moral abyss my beloved country has sunk into, it was encouraging to see Glenn Beck and Dr. Alveda King (both whose lives have been threatened) remind America that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Where’s the harm in that? Believe me, as a reformed Christian who cut her spiritual teeth on the writings of RC Sproul and John MacArthur, I do not look to Mr. Beck for theology. None of my Christian friends who watched the rally agree with his Mormonism. We’re aware of that cult and pray for Mr. Beck, but after watching the rally I did not feel compelled to become a Mormon. Rather, I was compelled to pray more earnestly for Mr. Beck and our nation. It seems that the prominent theologians and pastors who are suddenly voicing concern over Mr. Beck being some sort of Pied Piper for Mormonism should have watched the rally before sounding the alarm. The rally was mostly flag waving and reminding Americans to take their heritage seriously and call on God to help our country. Joseph Smith or Mormonism was not mentioned.
Debby, those are good thoughts. If I was confident that everyone viewed this with your discernment, I wouldn’t be concerned.
Whether or not people watched this particular rally, they may have already be familiar enough with Beck to comment. Still, you make a really good point. I don’t think it is ever a great idea to comment without watching what is specifically in view.
Tis truly scary when evangelists who claim to walk and talk the word of God have chosen to stand behind a Morman. He does proclaim his faith on his tv and radio shows. He feels that he’s justified to be a mixture of both. The gospel he preaches focuses of saving America whereas the Bible’s focus is on changing men’s hearts. Mr. Beck’s following is about to become something huge that is manufactured by mortal man.
Look folks, I agree with all of that Glenn is speaking out for God. However the statement that we are all born Christians is not right exactly. We have to understand that Jesus is the Holy is the Holy Son of God, He was given sacrifice for man, and He rose from the dead that in Him we would not die. The thing people forget is that we are also Jewish, Christ was a Jew and save by Him makes a Jew as well. The fact that something has changed Glenn’s life is evident and I think he is smarter than to superficially praise God for the sake of a program. I think he is genuine and I think he has found salvation in Christ. The change in Glenn is self evident. To each their own opinion I guess. No matter what the opinion or the distrust or trust, Glenn is stepping out to raise the name and grace of God. The Word tells us to bodly profess He is our God and King, Glenn is doing this! Wish I could say the same for some ” preachers” on Sunday morning. You have to remember this, God does not call the qualified, God qualifies the called! Glenn is our prayers and I am glad that he stands on his faith.
It is truely hiresy and down right pitiful that a Christian would join in an Ecunenemical Assembly as Glenn Beck led back in August. It is shameful and disgusting to believe that God looks only upon the United States and He sees borders. He doesn’t. He looks upon His creation and upon the souls of the loss we are supposed to be reaching out to. The harvest is ripe but the reapers are few. They are all trying to save a nation that Jesus proclaimed as a “world system” Paul teachers us in Timothy not to be concerned with things of man. Folks God’s Word is true an faithful. If it says DO NOT ASSEMBLE with false teachers because what fellowship does light have with darkness, then I believe that means exactly that Glenn Beck is a false teacher. If you were there on Saturday with Glenn Beck and he lead in prayer, then you lifted another God and lowered our God….Do not submit to any God but the one true God. His Spirit was not there with you. I’m sorry but if HE does not want us to assemble with the unfaithfuly then I’m sure the Spirit was not there either.