Posted on 05/15/2010 7:58:57 AM PDT by Colofornian
Glenn Beck is a darling of Fox News viewers and a must-see for legions of religious conservatives. So given his profile and right-of-center views, it was no surprise when it was announced that Beck would be a featured speaker at this Sunday's commencement at Baptist-run Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., the brainchild of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority.
Falwell's son, Jerry Jr., is the current president of Liberty. In a statement explaining the invitation, he called Beck "one of the few courageous voices in the national media standing up for the principles upon which this nation was founded."
Yet if conservative Christians share Beck's political and social views, many of them also remain extremely suspicious of Beck's Mormon faith. Beck became a Mormon as an adult and credits his faith with turning his life around. But evangelicals generally consider Mormonism a "cult" and not Christian.
As a result, Beck's appearance at Liberty has generated an unusual amount of public infighting among evangelicals -- and creating the kind of controversy that is often associated with Catholic colleges, such as Notre Dame experienced last year when President Obama was invited to be the commencement speaker.
Ryan Begue, a Florida pastor who is in this year's graduating class from Liberty's theological seminary, said he was "shocked and disappointed" at Falwell's invitation to Beck.
"It seems that the leadership's decision in this matter gives the impression that it is more committed to conservatism than the Gospel," Begue wrote in the Florida Baptist Witness. "I have no beef with Glenn Beck as a person, but I certainly do with his religious beliefs. Why does Liberty not invite a Christian?"
Liberty University's Facebook page also lit up with the debate, while prominent Christian conservatives also weighed in.
"Alliances such as these are not glorifying to God, in that what association has God with false religions?" wrote John Ferguson, founder of the Voice of Truth blog. "The tangential dangers when the evangelical community unites with the secular world for the sake of social or political agendas are numerous because it leads to a dilution of truths from the Word of God, opens the door to give credence to non-believers within evangelical circles and ultimately leads to the eternal destruction of lost people."
A 2007 Pew Forum survey showed 25 percent of Americans would be less likely to vote for a Mormon candidate for president, with only Muslims and atheists earning higher negatives. But among white evangelicals who attend church weekly -- the GOP base and the dominant demographic of Liberty University -- the number rises to above 40 percent. In 2008, Focus on the Family, a leading lobby of the Christian right, pulled an interview with Beck over concerns that they would appear to be sanctioning his Mormon faith.
And during his 2008 bid, Romney faced a serious pushback from evangelicals who even opposed the idea of John McCain selecting him as his running mate on the Republican ticket, one of the factors that led McCain to finally choose Sarah Palin.
(Mormons insist they are Christians because they believe in Jesus Christ and consider the Bible Holy Scripture. But most traditional Christian churches do not accept the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints -- the formal name for Mormons -- as Christian because of the religion's beliefs on the nature of God, salvation, the Trinity and their scriptures, such as the Book of Mormon, and other texts discovered by founding prophet Joseph Smith in upstate New York in the 1800s.)
Falwell seemed to anticipate the risks of the Beck invitation when he noted in his statement that Liberty University has always held two end-of-year ceremonies -- a baccalaureate ceremony to confer degrees that "always includes a gospel message brought by someone who is in complete theological alignment with the university" and a separate commencement ceremony that "has always featured leaders from all walks of life and all faiths who share the university's social values and traditional family values."
"Commencement speakers," he noted, "have included representatives from the following faiths: Roman Catholicism, Judaism, mainline Protestant denominations such as the Episcopal Church, and even some speakers with no religious affiliation at all."
Falwell's effort did not forestall the controversy, however.
"We are not to put politics first and the Lord second," wrote Steve McConkey, another prominent Christian conservative, who is upset at the Beck invitation. "If this country is to have another revival, we need to get back to the basics, just like an athlete who has to go back to the basics to learn proper skills. We join Glenn Beck in many of his viewpoints, however, we do not endorse his Mormon beliefs."
There has arguably been some softening, at least among the Southern Baptist leadership, in their view of Mormonism, perhaps influenced by the "ecumenism of the trenches" -- that in a culture war, all social conservatives must stick together. That is part of the reason that evangelicals and Roman Catholics now collaborate on fights against abortion and gay marriage despite their historical cultural divide and their ongoing doctrinal differences.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints used to be listed under "cults and sects" by the Southern Baptist Convention, but today is categorized among "newly developed religions" by the SBC's North American Mission Board. Similarly, some Southern Baptist leaders, such as Richard Land, have referred to Mormonism as the "fourth Abrahamic religion" after Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
But as the Glenn Beck commencement controversy shows, even fourth place isn't enough to overcome such long-held suspicions
I recall Tammy Baker did pretty well with the phony tears and she wasn’t a Mormon !
Done what before? Invite a non-Christian speaker? (Yes)
Invite somebody who is by faith somebody who believes in many gods? (No)
Yea can you imagine Beck with all that makeup running down his face?
Wait a minute. What a great idea!
Hey Beck. Get some fake eyelashes and paint on some makeup that runs down your face.
(Jim Jones did)
Does Beck believe in a different Jesus & a different gospel? Yes. Does Gingrich believe in doctrines of men? Yes. Does Stein deny the Messiah has come? Yes.
I don’t distinguish, and apparently Liberty doesn’t discern.
She wasnt a drunk either...
Thanks for the info. Don’t see how Glen Beck would be a problem then. I suppose that there is at least one other speaker who will provide a distictively Christian message or charge top the graduating senors.
So why present an opportunity for the Dims to discredit Patriots even further?
You "challenge" Beck, but don't listen?
==8-O
That's because no conservative campus bodies would give Reid a platform to speak.
You know. One where Reid might get up there and say something like: "They are the most anti-Christian people I can imagine, the people from the Christian far right."
Oh wait.
Reid was invited to such a campus.
Reid did make such a comment on such a conservative campus.
And the host university was...(drum roll)
...the same faith as that of Beck:
Reid also told reporters the Republican Party has been driven by evangelical Christians for 20 years. "They are the most anti-Christian people I can imagine, the people from the Christian far right." (Deseret News, Oct. 10, 2007) See Reid Gets Warm Reception at BYU
I guess I was "rash" to have that initial thought shoot unchecked through my brain.
My bad.
At least Beck is honest with his shortcomings. And as for alcohol being a sin. That is a manmade rule which is what is wrong with so much religion today.
Does Beck believe that a man, (Joey Smith) will decide whether he gets into the afterlife ??? Yes. Does Gingrich believe believe that a man, will decide whether he gets into the afterlife ??? No.. Does Stein believe that a man will decide whether he gets into the afterlife ??? No.
Not at all. I just wonder how in-depth his “faith” is in Mormon teaching/doctrine.
But as this all relates to the original article and the bru-haha over the speaker at a commencement event. Did the other guests speakers over the years get this sort of “outrage”? Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and even non-aligned folks (which could mean a whole lot of things).
I once heard a fellow give a motivational and encouraging speech - he was Hindu. The speech had nothing to do specifically with faith - but with taking on the world. Is my sincere enjoyment of that speech an endorsement of Hinduism?
LIberty didn’t invite Beck to preach from the pulpit, nor to share doctrinal beliefs, but to speak to core conservative values (which are actually common to Mormons and all Bible-believing Christians).
You “challenge” Beck, but don’t listen?
______________________________________________
I dont listen to Obama either...
What ITO does that make me ???
At least Beck is honest with his shortcomings
_________________________________________
But such a person would not need protectinbg by atacking a dead person who has nothing to do with the conversation...
Why did you hide Beck’s so calloed “shortcomings behind Tammy Faye Bakker ???
BTW drinking alcohol is not a small thing in mormonism...
It keeps mrmons out of the temple and therefore out of future godhood asnd from there out of the mormnon afterlife...
Unloess the mormon lies about the imbibing at the temple recommend interview...
What the bishop (and the mormon god) doesnt know doesnt hurt the mormon interviewee...
Does Stein pay 10% of his wages every year to go into an organization that spends millions of dollars online, in publishing, in translating into hundreds the languages, the ideas that...
...Christianity is a false church? (implied; Lds doctrine & covenants 1:30);
...All Christians are "apostates" and spiritual or literal descendents of "apostates"? [standard Mormon doctrine -- no different Muslims who believe Christians are "infidels"];
...ALL (not some) Christian creeds are an "abomination" to his God?; (Pearl of Great Price)
...ALL (not some) Christian professors are "corrupt"? *(Pearl of Great Price)
...that ALL non-"Lamb" churches (those that aren't Mormon) are under the banner of the Church of Satan? (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 14:9-10)
See, that's the big difference.
If Stein says he adheres to the Old Testament, then that's not offensive to Christians.
If Stein says 10% of his income goes to promote the Old Testament, that's not offensive to Christians.
If Beck says he adheres to his "standard works" of Mormon "scriptures" -- the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Book of Mormon, then, yes, that's offensive to Christians.
If Beck has 10% of his income going to promote the above, and tithing Mormons do, then yes, that's offensive to Christians.
Exactly, but then their president has been found to be a liar so what else should we expect?
This issue here is a common one in America. Though not distinguished in the dictionary, the typical American distinguishes “ethics” from “morality”, and it is important to understand the distinction.
America was unique in its founding, because it took exception to the European practice of asserting that their nobility was appointed “by God”, to rule. This meant that those who disagreed with the nobility had also committed a religious offense, for which they could be punished.
So though the founding fathers believed in God, they asserted, as was best stated many years later, that ours is a government, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” While on the surface this seems to reject religious faith, in truth it shows it higher respect to religion, by saying, “We the people wrote these laws, so we the people can change and repeal them, without insulting heaven.”
And this caused a split between morality and ethics, which is the real “separation of church and state.”
In the mind of the typical American, an ethical person, or politician, is one who obeys the written law. The law written by the people.
A moral person is one who obeys the laws of God and heaven.
But the written law is codified, you can look it up to see if it has been broken or not, fairly objectively. Morality, however, is based on what church you attend, and what are your religious beliefs.
This is why typical Americans like ethical politicians. Their saying that they have obeyed the law, and will continue to obey the law, are good references to hold public office.
But when a politician asserts they are moral, there is confusion about what they mean by that. A moral “liberal Episcopalian” does not have the same morality as a moral “conservative Baptist”, nor as that of an Orthodox Jew, a Roman Catholic, a Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist.
Politicians are aware of this ambiguity, and try to hide behind it, calling themselves moral, but not explaining what that means. No doubt such people as Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy would quickly assert that they were “moral Catholics”, though they were neither.
But if you look at their ethics, you leave holding your nose.
So back to Glenn Beck. Though he is a Mormon, and speaking to Baptists, the issue is, is he speaking ethically, or morally?
If he is speaking of ethics, the laws of America, and our shared ethos, the Baptists should not find him objectionable at all, for they likely are in full agreement with 98% of what he says. Objections are not based on his message, or even him as messenger, but as to his faith. This should not matter.
However, if he is to speak of morality, specifically of the Mormon version of morality, with considerable distance from the Baptist version of morality, this they could find objectionable.
But that is not likely. In a manner of speaking, what he has to say, from the Baptist point of view, will be pretty much “preaching to the choir”. “Nihil Obstat”, as the Catholics used to say, “Not Objectionable.”
He subtly pushes his doctrine.. but the issue is this “Christian” college is giving legitimacy to mormonism
Thanks for sharing.
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