Glenn Beck is a popular, political TV pundit who has a conservative outlook. Over the past couple of years he has increasingly incorporated religion into his vernacular. One of his favorite themes is the call to return America to its Christian roots.
By wrapping his patriotism in Christian talk, he has also managed to insert himself as a drum major in the current Christian march to magnify Israel. Additionally, public rallies called for by him to restore love, and to honor God and country, have been attended by millions. These are noble goals, chosen well, and Beck comes across as sincerely concerned. This, along with his boyish charm, is probably why he resonates with so many.
It’s the “many” that I’m concerned about. Glenn Beck’s messages are directly targeted at Christians. So far, he has been successful at hitting the mark. He has been able to insinuate himself among Christians by using a Christian vocabulary.
Yet, most of the Christians I’ve spoken to don’t know that the familiar Christian words he uses don’t have the same familiar Christian meaning. For instance—
- When Glenn Beck speaks of God, he is referring to a god that used to be a man on another planet.
- The term, God the Father, in Beck’s mind, is one who in turn had a father. And that father had a father. And that father had a father, and so on
- Beck has been taught that the Trinity is not one God. There are three separate gods instead.
- Beck uses the name Jesus a lot. His Jesus, though, is believed to have been begotten in heaven between god and his goddess wife. To Beck, Jesus is their creation, thought to be the first of their many spirit children who inhabit human bodies at birth.
- Satan, in Beck’s thinking, is Jesus’ spirit brother, and that it was Jesus’ offered plan of salvation that was accepted over Satan’s offered plan of salvation, thus angering Satan.
- Baptism, to Beck, includes baptizing each other in the place of non-Mormons who are now dead.
- Salvation in Beck’s theology means that man isn’t saved by grace alone. Good works are necessary for salvation.
These are but a few of many tenets that are antithetical to the Bible, and Beck learned them from his church. His church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons, in other words.
Glenn Beck will tell you in a minute that he’s a Mormon. But he says it in a way that, to the uninformed, would have them think Mormonism is acceptable as a Christian denomination because he speaks of Christian love.
It’s true – as the Mormon’s national advertising campaign has portrayed – that Mormons are regular, normal, everyday people. What is not true, though, is that their religious belief system even remotely agrees with Christianity. Mormonism’s plea for Christian acceptance and/or it’s contention that it is Christian should be rejected.
This writing is not questioning Beck’s affection for this country. But because he incorporates Christian terminology in his speeches, this writing is meant to simply contrast his spiritual beliefs with that of Christianity’s.
It is one thing to support the causes that Beck promotes because one politically agrees with those causes. It is quite another thing to support them because one safely thinks the promoter is being motivated by the same spiritual source.
I wrote this to warn Christians that Beck is being disingenuous when he flavors his presentations with Christian language. Christians, in spiritual matters, should always be aware of who it is they’re following and/or aligning themselves with.
The Gospel is that which we’ve been taught from the Bible. Mormons favor the Book of Mormon over the Bible.
We must guard the Christian Gospel, jealously, so as to prevent infiltration from wolves in sheep clothing.
Galatians 1: 8, 9
PS: By the way, this writing is not politically motivated. I mention this because, quite naturally, some will think of Mitt Romney’s Mormon affiliation. This hasn’t anything to do with the presidential race. It has everything to do with spiritual warfare.
My views on politics can be read by clicking here.