Monday, August 30, 2010

Glenn Beck: The Usurping of the Christian Agenda

Church – What is wrong with this picture?

“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.”

--Russell Moore

Just how naive is evangelical Christianity today? In a great show of patriotic conservatism and the spirit of ecumenism “Christianity” and the "evangelical church" demonstrated its depth of nativity and foolishness this past weekend in Washington D. C.

I am not going to question Glenn Beck or the conservative “right’s” motives or patriotism. Beck and anyone else for that matter has the right to stand for their political party and agenda. My problem is not with Beck but with the so called “Christian” right.

Christianity has lost is moorings. It is adrift and being pushed around the seas of deception and disobedience. The main agenda of Christianity has been usurped.

First of all, as of yet, I have not read nor heard of an explanation that would biblically convince me that Beck is a Christian. He is a baptized Mormon in good standing with the theological position of that organization. Scripture is clear; we do not forge alliances with non-believers – even to facilitate noble causes such as political ones. This blurs the lines of godliness and true biblical Christianity. It takes the onus off of a non-biblical and non-Christian organization. Joining forces by “Christians” with such an organization gives credence to such an organization.

Second, it usurps the main agenda of Scripture and the church. That main agenda is the preaching of the gospel to every creature. When the church takes on a partnership with the forces of darkness and rallies around a single political agenda, no matter how noble, the gospel must be set aside. We as believers are called to preach the gospel to this world not politically change it. If you want to curb or cause the forces of sin and darkness to retreat, shine the light of the gospel on the deeds and workers of darkness. Change the hearts of sinners by sharing the life giving and changing gospel. Don’t attempt to gain political control of a party in order to attempt to legislate sin out of existence.

Thirdly, you cannot legislate righteousness. Forging political allies in order to achieve a political agenda of overturning hideous laws or legislating new ones will not change the spots on a leopard. You can certainly attempt to regulate and legislate morality. But what do you get when you do so? You may achieve a certain sense of morality but let me tell you; thousands of moral people die and enter hell every second of every day.

Fourth, when “Christians” forgo their main purpose of preaching the gospel, blur the lines by joining forces with non-Christian organizations, and attempt to legislate morality it is like the boy attempting to hold back the flood waters by sticking his fingers in the holes in the dyke. (Forgive the Pauline-like run-on sentence) Evil and evil men according to the apostle Paul (II Timothy 3) are going to grow worse and worse and more evil prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot stop the downward spiral of evil and wickedness by forging alliances and developing political agendas.

Fifth, the last two hundred (200) years of this “experiment” has shown that we cannot govern ourselves. If left to ourselves sans the gospel our true nature rises to the surface. We have demonstrated in this short period of time that man cannot govern himself. He needs the God of the bible, the Christ of salvation, and the Spirit of Holiness governing his life. We need Jesus Christ to return and establish righteousness, holiness, and justice on this earth.

Although America was founded by men of faith utilizing biblical principles and certainly by the grace of God, this country has been significantly blessed. There is no doubt about it. But there is no doubt that this nation was never a Christian nation and it never will be a Christian nation. We cannot legislate nor moralize it to be so.

Paul, Peter, John, nor Jesus ever called for a political process. Paul told us to pray for the government and leaders and to be in subjection to it. We are told not to resist government since they were put in place by God and that the heart of the "King" is in the hand of the Lord. The government of his day was filled with homosexuality, murder, graft, slavery, abortion, and utter darkness. The disciples and apostles did not form moral majorities, political parties, tea parties, or forge alliances with non-Christian cults to change government. Paul, Peter, and the rest simply preached the gospel, exhorted the believers to remember that they were citizens of a heavenly country, to live their lives in such a way that would make the character of God attractive to the non-believer. The hope was that the non-believers would be attracted to God and by God’s grace would become God-worshippers.

It is my prayer that men like Glenn Beck become true believers. I truly pray and hope that they will overcome the deception of darkness and sin and enjoy the benefits of the gospel. But I will not enter into a political alliance with such men or organizations. I refuse to blur the lines between light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness, God and the evil one.

My heart is broken with the naive actions of the so called evangelical church and Christianity today. Repent of your wickedness, refuse to be deceived by the philosophies of the world, turn back to the God of the bible and preach the gospel to every living creature before night comes and no man can work.

Remember, the fields are white unto harvest!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent points. Both the Left and the Right seem to get Beck wrong. The Left hyperventilates because Beck makes some good points about the false "social justice gospel," which for them includes taxpayer-funded abortions.

But both sides take his claim to be Christian at face value, and that is simply wrong. Mormons are not Christians.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Perhaps Gregg I am a wee bit niave I was under the impression what ever faith one believed in we all praised the same God,but in different ways. I went to church at an early age with my mother and also to Sunday school on a sunday afternoon, we were taught that there were many religions but only ONE GOD. I know nothing about the Mormon religion I do know they used to knock on our door but left when we told them what our beliefs were. Why are there all these different religions?

Yvonne.

Gregg Metcalf said...

Yvonne - I am so glad you asked this question. It my be philosophically, politically, humanely, and socially accetable to say that "we all praise the same God in different ways" but it is not biblical. The bible is very clear on how one is given access to God, how one is to worship God, and how one is made righteous. That way (John 14:6) is Jesus Christ, who is exlusively the only way to God the Father. But we must understand who the Jesus of the bible is and not a Jesus of our own imagination or devising. The Mormons do not believe Jesus to be who he said he was nor do they believe Jesus accomplished the revealed will of the Father in the Bible. They have a completely differnt beieve structure that opposes what God revealed in the Scriptures.

The reason we have so many different faiths, religons, churches, and denominations is due to the deceptive, crafty, and deceitful work of Satan as he attempts to draw po]eople away from the truth into half truths or no truth in order to worship an imaginary God which is no God. Satan the bible says parades as an angel of light deceiving people. He doesn't care if we worship or are religious as long as we do not worship the God of the bible.

There are only two religions Yvonne. One which is biblical and reveals justification before God by faith and nothing else, and the religon contained in hundreds of difernt flavors and names that seeks to justify men before God by human works, exercises, efforts, or synergistically.

Sunday School may teach there is one God but many religions, but that doesn't make it true. Deception is deadly, deadly to the soul and leads men to hell. Satan is an artist and expert at deception.

Jesus Christ died according to an agreement or covenant that He made with the Father in eternity past in order to appease, propitiate or satisfy God the Father due to the sin of the human race. When one believes in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross by God given gift of faith, one is justified through the vehicle of faith. God forensically delcares that person just. Justification is not infused, earned, or obtained by any self effort or cooperation with God.

So many religions exist to mask, hide, destroy, or alter this truth. One must recognize their sin against God, repent of that sin - which involves turning from sin and turning to Christ as the only means of salvation, forsaking any and all human effort and energy.

Satan would love to have people beleive we are all going to the same place, just on differnt roads. This however is not true. The way to destruction is broad, the way to eternal life is narrow and there are (the bible says) few who find it.

If you want we can correspond privately in email to furthe this discussion.

Bob West said...

Greg great response to Yvonne. There is One God and hundreds of religions is a true statement. The idea that those hundreds of religions lead to God is one of Satans primary methods of deception.

Glen Beck noted the difference between Christianity and Mormonism on Fox News Sunday yesterday and further explained that many Christians do not believe he is a Christian. So Beck clearly knows the difference.

Unfortunately, some of the most successful "Christian" pastors in America do not. It is no wonder people are confused.

http://westbob.blogspot.com/2010/01/big-lies-poison-for-open-mind.html
God bless your work, Bob

IanH said...

Gregg, you are right on! The Bible says that in the coming end times that many will be deceived. I think this is one of the deceptions that we can look to seeing more of in the near future. If he is a Christian, ask him to pray to Jesus, and watch how fast he runs or is kicked out of the morman church.

Thi is another example of the deception that satan is using, right along with a mosque at ground zero saying that it is a "healing" process. We are at war on many front, a reminder lest people forget. I haven't heard of jihad being recalled!

Keep up the good work. We need to hear it!

Lisa said...

This is a great topic and comes on the heels of a visit from a popular political figure to our church yesterday. Governor of Texas Rick Perry was introduced and prayed over. John (my sweetie) seemed star-struck as he passed by us, but I wondered about the motivation behind his visit. Yeah, it's election year. Hmmmmm....

Thanks for another great post my friend. I hope to visit more frequently since I'm developing a new routine.

Have a blessed week!

Arlee Bird said...

I don't really watch or listen to Glenn Beck much at all. I've seen a few clips on Youtube and heard small bits of his radio show and liked what I've heard from him. But I had no idea he was a Mormon until I heard it mentioned on the radio this morning and now your mention. It's too bad because he's got the attention of a lot of people.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Solid Rock or Sinking Sand said...

I am just speechless and somewhat sickened by the way so called "Christians" can cheer Beck on when he is a professed and open LDS member. Beck does not worship the same GOD or JESUS that is proclaimed in the Holy Bible. May God have mercy on us. God bless, Lloyd

kc bob said...

I posted Moore's column on my FB page and got some grief from folks who felt that Beck was doing a good thing and that Moore was being a Pharisee. Hard to know what Beck's rally accomplished other than spending millions of dollars.

J Curtis said...

Mormons share many of the conservative positions held by the vast majority of evangelicals in this country and thus I don't mind that he is taking a leadership role through all of this.

But then again, if he starts spouting off about the angel Maroni or archeologically non-existant, Ancient America tall-tales, then the conservative movement will largely abandon him.

Gregg Metcalf said...

Bob West - Thanks Bob. You are right Satan deceives by giving us so many choices that seem right.

Beck knows the difference between Mormons and Christians - I am shocked many believers do not.

IanH - Thanks Ian! Many will be deceived and are now, it is so sad.

Lisa - thanks. I won't question your church or the Governor's motives, but one must wonder. We aren't called to be political. We are called to suffer as witnesses of the resurrection of Christ.

Lee - He does have the attention of a lot of people. I don't mind him getting the attention of the Mormons and the lost, I do mind when Christians blur the line and yoke up unequally with the lost.

Lloyd - I too am sickened. Too sing Amazing Grace together with believers blur the lines and cheapen grace.

KB - Sorry you caught grief, although I am not surprised. Prophets are never welcomed are they?

JD Curtis - I do mind he has taken the leadership role with believers. If believers (true) want to have a movement, let them have one with a believer and if the non-believers want a movement, fine, let them have one with an unbelieving leader.

J Curtis said...

A Black Man Goes to Glenn Beck's Rally

"At one point, some of the people attending the Rev. Al Sharpton's "counter rally," coined "Reclaiming King," stopped me. I guess they must have been judging me by the color of my skin not the content of my character, because they asked if I was going to come join them.

"No, I won't be there," I told them. "Why?" one of them asked with a grimace on his face. I looked at him and said, "I want to be where the Lord is and the Lord is in this place."

One of the older black women in the group asked me if I felt like I was "selling out" for being one of the "tokens" in the Beck rally crowd?

I laughed and said "Ma'am, Al Sharpton is a pretender. He is going to tell you to pretend that the color of your skin matters. He is going to ask you to ignore the now overwhelming proof that 50 years after the Civil Rights movement, blacks are now destroying each other faster than the KKK could have dreamed."

As I walked away, the group stood frozen, not knowing how to reply."

Link

Gregg Metcalf said...

JD Curtis - I read the article tied to the link - unbelievable! It was a great article and how revealing.

J Curtis said...

Wait! It gets better! Glenn Beck's Ecumenical Moment

J Curtis said...

Just so you know where I'm coming from Gregg, I was the moderator of Floridians For Romney via mittromney.com.

I knew Huckabee wouldn't get the nomination. Period. The leadership of his own denomination was a bit leary of the guy.

McCain was labeled a "maverick" which I understood to mean "headstrong" and knew he couldn't win in the general election.

Thus I got into numerous debates with conservatives who did little more than recite Mormon, Mormon, Mormon, and little else and meanwhile our Kenyan-American president usurped the throne.

If tomorrow were Election Day and your choices were either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, who would you vote for? I would vote for Romney, hands down, no questions asked and let God deal with him when it comes to his fairy-tale for adults that passes for his religion in the Great By and By.

Silly Goose said...

I agree with Beck politically but never Mormon-ly! ;-)

Michelle said...

I'm a little late. Just saw it poking out over their in you Top Post column. Enjoyed this post...my favorite quote was.

"Although America was founded by men of faith utilizing biblical principles and certainly by the grace of God, this country has been significantly blessed. There is no doubt about it. But there is no doubt that this nation was never a Christian nation and it never will be a Christian nation. We cannot legislate nor moralize it to be so"

Good stuff.