More on why Christians must reject Glenn Beck

I hadn't been watching Glenn Beck lately but since I just wrote about his being a Mormon and how whatever he says about God has to be rejected by Christians for that reason, I did some more research to see how far he has been willing to go in following Mormon doctrine. I'd never heard him say anything specifically Mormon, mostly generic God talk that could place him as an evangelical Christian. It turns out he is indeed a good Mormon and does indeed advertise his acceptance of their false teachings.

Found This blog that gets into specifics.

Most know that he is a Mormon, as he is open about his LDS faith on his show. Most don’t care.

Should we?

Well, until the show which aired on August 18th, 2010, I didn’t. Sure, I knew he was a member of the Mormon church, but other than a few language oddities such as his constant reference to “Heavenly Father” and his consistent use of the phrase “the scriptures” instead of the Bible, I never really saw much LDS theology in his show.

That all changed yesterday.

Now, my point in writing this isn’t to go out of my way to pick a fight with the Mormon Church, but my role as an Elder in a Christian church compels me to defend the flock against wolves, and in this case, Beck has crossed the line into “wolfdom.” Because so many Christians watch and enjoy his show, including many in my own church, I was forced to offer a response.

The premise of his August 18th show was this:

“The Native Americans were descended from an ancient civilization that existed on this continent in pre-historic and Biblical times. This civilization, had large cities and a very advanced culture, including a writing system and higher religious thought”

Beck went so far as to say, “The ancient Indians actually had religious writings which were a proto-Hebrew Bible”. He also offered the “fact” that the Native Americans were descended from the Jews.

He went on to cite various “scholars”, “experts” and “archaeologists” who support this claim.

Not only that, but he mentioned a “shocking DVD”, a documentary, that tells us the true story, a story that has been covered up by mainstream science for political reasons. He even gave the web address for the DVD he was talking about. If history is any indication, he just made those filmmakers very wealthy.

This is powerful stuff. Where have I heard this before?

These are the beliefs held by the Mormon Church, and written about by Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon.

And if you read on you'll find a discussion of some of the main differences between Mormon belief and true Christian belief, such as the nature of God and Christ.

Now that I know just HOW Mormon he is I am even more certain that Christians MUST reject him. This lovely call to restore honor to America is very enticing to conservatives, including me. He's got a genuine patriotism, he's a sincere and likeable guy, he's putting up with a lot of unfair attacks on him too. I wish we could support his work BUT WE CAN'T!!!!

This is a test, people, this is the devil coming as an angel of light to deceive. In fact God is using this to separate the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. Do not be deceived. America is not our permanent home, our citizenship is elsewhere. It would be great if genuine Christians got up and did what Beck did, but I think the handwriting is on the wall myself. I believe it's Beck because God is judging this nation and He's not going to relent, He's going to force us to choose between Him and ANYTHING in this world, even good things.

2 John 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

RECEIVE HIM NOT INTO YOUR HOUSE, NEITHER BID HIM GOD SPEED!!!!!

Here's another briefer discussion of the implications of supporting Glenn Beck.

And while I'm at it I should collect a few links to discussions of what Mormons actually believe:

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/mormonism.html

http://www.thebereancall.org/search/node/Mormonism

That's enough for a start.

++++++

Later: Let me try to be clearer AGAIN: If Beck's rally had been merely political there would not be this problem. And on his show if he didn't argue for his religion at ALL -- which I wrongly thought was the case until I read what I quoted above -- we shouldn't have a problem with that either. But when he comes out with his religion as if it is fact and when he puts on a rally clearly aimed at blurring the distinctions between Mormonism and Christianity, THEN we have a BIG problem.

I'm sorry, Glenn Beck is not a Christian.

Well, I'm torn. Really torn. I saw a couple hours of the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor rally in Washington D.C. I thought Beck did a great job, I thought the overall presentation was coherent and effective, the patriotic themes moving and true. I was glad to see so many out for the event -- 500,000 or so it looked like to me just because the crowd covered the entire area around the reflecting pool, but of course I'm just guessing.

But Mormonism isn't Christianity and the fact that Beck is a Mormon just grates and grates and grates since he's up there doing this IN THE NAME OF GOD. Talking politics is one thing, but talking God is quite another. He never says anything objectionable, he uses Christian talk quite convincingly, but I know what Mormonism teaches and it's got heresies within heresies.

Is Beck duped and doesn't himself know what they teach? I do have to wonder, since he never spells out his theological position {Turns out I'm wrong about that. See next blog post}. But I've had conversations with Mormons enough to discover that they can talk it like any evangelical and then you find out those words don't mean the same thing to them they mean to evangelicals.

But even if he is duped he represents a heretical church, and a Christian CAN'T, I mean absolutely CAN NOT, fellowship -- as a Christian -- with a heretic. Scripture forbids it, Titus 3:10.*

That's got to be why there weren't any big name Christians up there with him. I love Alveda King and I'm sure those who did stand with him are quite sincere Christians. But they are playing with a compromise we are forbidden to play with. You CAN'T have unity with heresy. Can't can't can't.

This is a horrifically hard one because it puts one in the position of choosing between the best of conservative America and scripture, and I identify with conservative America, and with the tea party movement, and I want America to return to God. But not a false idea of God, not even if we are superficially united around "Amazing Grace" and other Christian themes. It's got to be scripture. But what a choice to have to make. I can't join with Catholics when it comes to God talk either. Or Jews. Or Muslims. As long as we stick to political patriotic themes I can join in, but not when we're talking God.

So now I guess even Glenn Beck and some of my favorite conservatives will have to classify me with the "haters." I wish it didn't have to be so.

* Here I must point out that the modern Bible versions obscure the real meaning of Titus 3:10, which is a warning against HERETICS. Most of the new versions, perhaps all of them, replace the KJV word HERETICK with "divisive man" or "factious man" which gives fuel to the heretics themselves to condemn those who would warn against them. I discussed this verse on my blog about the Bible versions.