Politically I am an Indedemlican. And...I'm highly interested in politics. My TV remote is trained to move from CNN to FOX to get both truths and both biases.
Something has happened recently that I have refrained from saying. Yet, as I was praying the other day about it again, I caught myself somewhat in hiding for fear I would be misunderstood or possibly offensive if I said. But God has done something recently and I will risk fall-out in order to give Him praise.
I have sought God for two years that He would show up in the media. I've asked Him over and over and over to place Himself in a position of being named "favorably" by some secular highly-visible personality. It has happened. Glenn Beck of FOX is calling all, day by day, to get our country back to God.
One can see why I would be hesitant. Would readers think I endorse everything of Beck? Would some find this article distasteful to the extent they would bail on reading any more....ever? By mentioning Beck would some assume I believe things I really don't believe? It has happened on many other fronts and might on this one.
However, I want you to know something. God is to be credited for putting someone in the front of America that dares acknowledge Him. Do I think Mr. Beck is ideal? No...nor does he. But...he surely is bold to insist America's hope is based upon God. Do I think he has an ideal grasp on all political issues? No. What I do think is it is very clear; Glenn Beck pleads with his audience to make a corrective move back to God.
Sometimes Mr. Beck is so outspoken and negative, I shut him off. Yet I have prayed for a long time for God to show up on TV through some spokesperson. Now that it has happened...I'm saying so...and thanking God.
Am I the only one who prayed for this? Surely not. It isn't about me. It is about God working from one or one hundred thousand prayers. The point? God works. Imagine. Dream. Pray. Reach. He is there.
And when you see God work....say so!
10 comments:
I am thrilled that you would share this post! As a matter of fact, I am putting together a message for Sunday called: Restoring Hope!
God is using Glenn Beck! You're right, Beck doesn't see himself as the great crusader, but rather, one to be used by God.
I am also thinking how our church can build on what Beck started when it comes to Restoring Honor. I would love to see the Churches of Christ for once set the pace of help shaping our nation and restoring Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Anyone on this blog with me? How can we come together and build on what Beck has started? REALLY, what Jesus started 2,000 years ago!
Terry, Are you aware that Glenn Beck is a Mormon and therefore does not hold to the same beliefs regarding God as Christians do? I have read LaTayne Scott's book called The Mormon Mirage, and heard her speak at Red River Encampment regarding Mormonism. It is very very different than Christianity. I have been praying that Glenn Beck will use his research skills to study his religion's tenets in depth, as LaTayne Scott did, and renounce those beliefs.
The event's website says the "Restoring Honor" rally is to pay tribute to America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." It urges citizens to attend and "help us restore the values that founded this great nation."
I believe that part of restoring honor must include admitting that we, as a nation, did bear false witness against Saddam Hussein and his government by claiming that they had acquired weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to us. Yes, it was a mistake on the part of our intelligence agencies. But lies were told, and they should be confessed and repented.
I know that Colin Powell was deeply remorseful in his vocal role. In an ABC interview, he said that felt "terrible" about the case for war that he made in his speech. Colin Powell was clearly repentant when he said, "I'm the one who presented it on behalf of the United States to the world, and [it] will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now."
Powell further confessed, "There were some people in the intelligence community who knew at that time that some of these sources were not good, and shouldn't be relied upon, and they didn't speak up. That devastated me."
That's how we restore honor. Not through self-righteous denial of truth and fact, but by frank admission of bearing false witness against others, accompanied by a contrite heart. Let's admit our mistake, and stop hiding behind a flag while talking about "honor." Words are cheap. Our actions in these matters count. We, as a nation, can be righteous in God's eyes, but not through self-righteousness.
Let's show the young people of this country what it means to be Christian as we publicly confess and repent for our wrongdoing, instead of trying to cover it with a tattered flag. It restores honor to our military to behave in a manner which pleases God.
I wrestle with this one. Jesus did say to leave alone the guys who were casting out demons in his name. What makes me question this is his general understanding of who God is and what Christianity is based on his being Mormon. So on one hand there is undoubtedly tremendous good being done. But on the other hand you have to wonder, at the core of it, who or what is he really calling us to. If I am going to err on one side or the other I typically err toward inclusivity.
Does anyone else find that difficult?
Here is a challenging take on this. I don't agree with everything in this article but it makes a few points that are worth considering. The biggest is at what point does healthy patriotism turn into unhealthy nationalism? At what point does our reliance on God get so blended with reliance on nation that we syncretize our faith out of existence or believe in something so generic that it is no longer relevant.
Here is the link - http://robertcargill.com/2010/09/01/excellent-article-on-glenn-becks-call-to-a-generic-american-civil-religion/
Does it really matter 'who' gets the credit? It shouldn't. Beck is promoting Faith, Hope and Love...in the name of God and no one else. Not Morman, Baptist, CofC, Methodist, etc. This is a call to look to God...an effort to turn the tide, if you will.
To me, it doesn't matter who the messenger is; what's important is the message. Beck's message is about restoring this country to all that God loves.
I pray that when I talk to others about what God stands for, about how I pray for this country to look to Him..they won't discount it because of my being a member of the Church of Christ.
It's like reading books; you may not be in sync with the author's background but pay attention to the message. Same goes for speakers; listen carefully to the message.
I'm with you Terry! We need...we crave having our nation in step with God.
This quote by Edmind Burke is on my calendar today,
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"....how about let's get busy.
The point of my article was one: I prayed someone in the media would speak up about God. One did.
I like the themes of restoring honor, faith, hope, and charity.
However, like some of your other readers, I'm concerned that the god of the Book of Mormon is a different God than the God of the Bible.
I look at it this way: God used at least two pagan kings in the OT to make sure His will was done. Why can't he use a Mormon?
I think we miss more important points when we zero in on Beck being a Mormon. Terry, I appreciate your desire for someone influential to speak up for God. That is needed. However, Glenn Beck's message is an ultimately dangerous mix of religiosity and nationalism - one that connects tenets of faith with a particular political ideology. There is a lot of nationalistic idolatry, historical revisionism, and political demogoguery heavily mixed with his religious message.
Yes, let's keep praying for strong voices for God to rise up among us. But let's pray that it is for the purposes of revealing God among us, not as a layer of a political agenda.
Post a Comment