Not that I've ever cared much for his chalkboard act but Glenn Beck lost me when he said something like "The pulpits of America need to teach American values." Civil religion on display, on steroids, at the mall. Well, I'll pass, preferring to stick with Biblical values in the pulpit and hope Americans learn from that.
It was interesting to hear, however, Richard Land interviewed on public radio yesterday. He is always pretty smooth but I learned that Mormonism might be called "the fourth Abrahamic religion." Land eschewed the standard Southern Baptist term for Mormonism, a "cult," but I understand not wanting to be too inflammatory in a public setting. Land was absolutely ecumenical about it all. One might have thought that he was a rep from the World Council of Churches.
It was also interesting to hear Beck trumpet the black robed line of imams, pastors, priests, and rabbis that he trotted out at his rally. Nope. Nothing wrong with that.
Sorry, although I would probably line up with Beck on most political issues and candidates (I did vote for Mitt Romney, fellow Mormon but a lot sharper one than Beck, in the last presidential primary), he doesn't do a thing for me.
Another blog linked some salient commentary on Beck: here
1 comment:
William: It was also interesting to hear Beck trumpet the black robed line of imams, pastors, priests, and rabbis that he trotted out ....
Norm: How, then, does this square with his comments the next day questioning Obama for belief in liberation theology? Surely imans, priests, and rabbis advocate systems of beliefs that are different from which Beck is both knowledgeable and comfortable. I can only conclude, then, that the show of religion at the mall was either disingenuous or absent an understanding of the place of religion in American life, either which wins him no points for being czar evangelist, civil or otherwise.
I will say such again with different words:
It is one thing for Beck to suggest we need to be a better people – we do; it is one thing for him to admonish believers of whatever tradition to be more mindful of its teachings concerning higher-order living – kudos. But then to suggest the President is unfit to lead because of a supposed belief system that does not fit his belief system, which he has widely generalized to be the belief system of most, well, such undermines the very words he apparently wishes for history to praise him. The Constitution, thankfully, protects the religious, the atheist, and all people between. Beck cannot improve upon that; apparently, however, he is trying. This baptist is not accepting such Beckian nonsense.
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