"The abnegation of reason is not the evidence of faith, but the confession of despair."
- J.B. Lightfoot
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
I am currently getting my first exposure to Glenn Beck.
He reminds me of the guy in classes at high school that we all didn't necessarily disagree with but we rolled our eyes when he started talking anyway. I think the word insufferable comes to mind.
I sort of want to punch him. (In the love of Jesus, of course.)
He's apparently about to tell us where god is. (Lower-case because his god used to be a man, and my God -- the real one -- did not.)
Update:
He's now talking about putting God back into whatever, and is saying that God told the Israelites if they'd only follow the Ten Commandments, they'd be free.
This is not only wrong, it leads to damnation.
But I'm willing to bet, that as he's appealing to the concerns about the Ten Commandments being taken out of national monuments, etc., that a lot of his evangelical viewers agree with him.
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Comments on "Can't Say I Care For It":
2. Wickle
- 11/25/2009 9:54 pm CST
Beck is very scary to me. The guy sounds like a Christian, but he's not. Since he talks politics in a way that appeals to a lot of Christians, he does lead them astray. He definitely teaches an idolatry of nationalism, and I know many people who are drinking it up.
That, and his facts are often wrong. He's deeply paranoid, and a lover of Ayn Rand's thinking (which seems strange for a Mormon, but Beck is certainly strange ...).
In other words, I agree completely.
3. Trevor
- 11/26/2009 6:18 am CST
I kind of agree, but at least he covers some news that the main stream press wont.
I've often wondered which is worse, a believer (not necessarily Beck) leading people astray, or a plain old non-believer...or is there even a difference?
Happy Thanksgiving All! Turkey (not me) in here at 630am
4. Wickle
- 11/26/2009 7:14 am CST
I think that the misleading believer is worse than the non-believer, for a very simple reason -- the non-believer is honest, open, and we can see what we're dealing with.
Dawkins, for example, presents a godless world. Beck, on the other hand, conceals the paranoia and idolatry he offers within what could be confused for Christian thinking. Even the least-savvy Christian, hearing Dawkins, knows that there's something wrong. It takes much more discernment to see what's wrong with Beck.
That's my take on it, anyway.
5. imonk
- 11/26/2009 11:35 am CST
What is it with Christians and the pundit media? These people are entertainers. They create ratings to sell ads. Where in the ---- did we get so gullible that we started actually taking them seriously and - GOD help us- defending them as some voice of Christianity in the culture.
Beck is a shock jock of the lowest order. I don't care about his politics or his Mormonism. He's a shock jock. He's a sideshow. Christians- your collective cultural IQ is dropping like a meteor the longer you hitch your wagon to these people.
Better to be out of the water cooler/blogosphere loop than to actually believe Beck etc are the definition of political/cultural dialog.
It's a circus. Turn it off.
7. Bill
- 11/27/2009 3:39 pm CST
I don't much like the left-wing ones either.
The best thing to do, echoing an earlier commenter, is just turn it off.
I follow the same principle for blogs that trouble me. It's Bill's Principle of Blog Object Permanence™. It's like if you show an infant a red ball and then move it out of their line of sight. The infant doesn't realize the ball still exists. I follow that principle for a number of blogs I used to fret about, and I'm now much happier.
I am not a regular listener of any radio or TV talking-heads of any stripe. I'm probably not as negative on them as most of you, but I understand where you're coming from.
Don't fret. Turn it off.
8. Bill
- 11/27/2009 3:48 pm CST
I realize I'm probably just being pedantic here, but I'm curious.
Jared, you wrote: "and is saying that God told the Israelites if they'd only follow the Ten Commandments, they'd be free.
This is not only wrong, it leads to damnation."
Please don't read too much into this question: I am not defending Beck, am not a huge fan, and I do understand that following the ten commandments is both impossible and not the Gospel.
But is it not true that God's message to the Israelites was "Follow my commandments, and you will be blessed"? The whole I set a blessing and a curse before you, choose life, etc.?
Again, just a question. Not taking to task, not defending Beck, not attacking the post, etc. Just curious as to your thoughts.
9. Jared
- 11/27/2009 4:09 pm CST
"By the works of the law will no man be justified."
The 10 Commandments came after freedom from Egyptian bondage, not before.
We are saved to good works, not through or by them. Christ sets us free, and then we can obey.
I think it's an important point. And a lot of Christians don't understand it. But a Mormon like Beck certainly doesn't.
10. Bill
- 11/27/2009 4:24 pm CST
Thanks - and please understand, I completely agree with you. I was thinking more of how an Israelite in the OT would have understood God's commands. I agree that many of us don't quite have the best understanding where works fit in to everything - although I believe (certainly hope) that most Christians understand they're saved by grace through faith, not works. This probably relates to my earlier and controversial "better?" post - are we freer when we are following God's ways versus when we are not?
Probably not something to discuss here, because I don't think we'd disagree with each other but I think there are key semantic points to work through.
As you can see, I'm working through all these things myself . . .
11. Jared
- 11/27/2009 4:46 pm CST
We can save it for Moot.
I am coming off a depressing several-week convo about law/gospel at Evangel and elsewhere, and I am this close to self-applying that whole post-evangelical thing. :-)
A convo along those lines with my close friend might just send me over the deep end.
The Law never brought freedom. The Law helps us know how free people live and also frustrates us in our inability to keep it, so that we will trust that our freedom did not come from the Law, but from the saving election of God (in the OT through the Passover and passing through the Red Sea, promises of Christ's work, in the NT through Christ's work).
I am only saying that God's gift of the Law to the Israelites is a historical-theological "thing," and Beck turned it into a socio-political thing and in the process botched the theology.
I have serious concerns that many of his evangelical viewers/fans even caught that. And knowing this makes me want to do over-reactive things like not vote in elections or swear off the Internet altogether. ;-)
12. Bill
- 11/27/2009 7:08 pm CST
We can save it for Moot.
Well, it might be better to just talk about zombies :-)
I wasn't aware of the context of your other conversations and the frustrations there. I don't want to add to that, and I probably would in discussing this, even if we fundamentally agree. Sorry, again.
13. Jared
- 11/27/2009 7:11 pm CST
You don't have to apologize. :-) It's not you, it's me.
I just quit blogging at Evangel, largely because of repeated hammering from some who didn't like the way I talked about the gospel. Or how often I did it.
But they were conversing disingenuously. I know better of you, so I don't fear the conversation. Just not up for it right now. :-)
Love ya, Bill.
14. Bill
- 11/27/2009 10:26 pm CST
Love ya too, Jared.
Man, I admit I haven't been reading Evangel recently (and no need to read it now, evidently, although I'm tempted to get some popcorn and go read some of the action :-)
15. Cara
- 11/28/2009 3:58 pm CST
Please, Jared, don't stop blogging here. I really appreciate your thoughts on these issues, and how clearly you present them, and back them up with Scripture and history.
I'm just a chick in Canada, no one important, but this site has really really helped me over the last few years I've been reading here. I appreciate all you guys.
Leave a Comment:
Yep Jared......I think between O'Reilly, Hannity, and Beck, there's enough older-brother moralism on Fox News to choke a horse. The mind-numbing younger-brotherness on VH1 might actually be better for us.
Ironically - I find O'Reilly the most "sufferable" of the 3.......he's at least entertaining.....and I've seen Beck have Ted Nugent on a few times - that's entertaining too.
On the bright side, Mike Huckabee is actually pretty decent on Fox - he talks about grace, mercy, and forgiveness....novel concepts for a lot of Fox News fans. (NHE ducks for cover)