Friday, September 03, 2010

Glenn Beck's Rally & American Christian Leadership

Why would as many as a million American Christians go to Washington D.C. to be led by a Mormon? Is Glenn Beck filling a void of Roman Catholic and evangelical leadership in regards to leading America to God? Would God use a guy like Glenn Beck to teach a thing or two to America's priests and pastors?

-- From "Beck's faith troubles some fans" by Meredith Heagney, Columbus Dispatch 9/3/10

[Glenn Beck's] message - America must turn back to God and traditional values - resonates with the evangelicals who make up a large part of the Christian conservative movement.

Politics is largely about pragmatism, said John Green, an expert on religion and politics at the University of Akron.

"Christian conservatives are not the majority in this country," he said. "They really have to work together if they're going to achieve the policy goals they want, such as preventing the spread of same-sex marriage or limiting the availability of abortion.

"It's almost like what we're seeing with Glenn Beck is the further evolution of bringing together these conservative religious communities who still have theological disagreements with each other."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Which God Should We Turn To?" by Chuck Colson, BreakPoint 9/3/10

Evangelicals figured prominently in the rally, both in the crowd and on the podium. That’s not surprising: We value truth, integrity and honor and, of course, pray for America to “turn back to God.”

But because Beck is not a Christian leader, I couldn’t help but wonder what the willingness of Christians to follow him says about the state of our own leadership.

[The rally was] an appeal to civil religion. And that’s ok. Civil religion has its place. But it’s never to be confused with the real thing.

Glenn Beck is stepping into a leadership vacuum, and for that I applaud him. But folks, that means it’s time for Christians to become leaders ourselves. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells God’s people to humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. This is the biblically-prescribed way for transforming societies.

The Bible doesn’t specify how exactly God will “heal our land,” but part of the answer will be in our setting a godly example for others, and in our doing the gospel in every walk of life, and in defending truth. The power of transformed lives, of people who no longer live for themselves but for God and their neighbor, has been the way Christianity has always shaped societies throughout its history.

And that’s a power that mere civil religion cannot possess.

To read the entire commentary above, CLICK HERE.

Also read, Glenn Beck Stirs Fear in Mainstream Media