How far Christians can join hands in political efforts with those of other faiths is, admittedly, a matter of debate. Some insist that no such alliances should ever be made, while others take the position that a limited form of “co-beligerancy” to advance a cause does not violate New Testament principles.
Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck brought this discussion to the forefront at his August 28, 2010 “Restoring Honor Rally,” held in Washington, D.C. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Beck announced, “I said that this would be a non-political event. . . I said the message would be about restoring honor and turning to God.” This was a game-changer for many Christians. Instead of coming together for political and social issues that many conservatives share, Beck now added religious inclusivism into the mix.
It is no secret that Beck is unabashedly Mormon. Because he has said things that an average Mormon will not say, some evangelicals have assumed he should be considered a fellow Christian believer. Based on what little we really know about Beck’s personal beliefs, I think it is extremely premature to draw such a conclusion at this time. If Glenn Beck is still very much immersed in the false teachings of Mormonism, assuming he is a Christian, “in the New Testament sense of the word” (to take a phrase from Brigham Young), will not help him in the long run. For me, Glenn Beck is still much of an enigma, and because of this I have many questions I wish he would answer. Below are just a few from among others on that list.
- At your Restoring Honor Rally you called on Americans to turn back to God and restore the honor we once had. Which God should we turn to? The eternal God of the Bible who was always God, or the God of Mormonism who was once a man and became God at a designated point in time? Mormon President Spencer W. Kimball claimed the God of the majority of professing Christians in America was “invented” at the Council of Nicaea (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.426). Does your God honor those who believe in an “invented” God?
- If a Muslim imam called on our country to get back to the faith it had in the beginning, wouldn’t you remind him that Islam had no discernable influence in our religious heritage? That being the case, can you provide any evidence that shows Christians who fought and died to found this great nation believed like Mormons?
- On your July 13, 2010 broadcast, you stated mankind was saved by “grace alone.” Yet, James Faust, once a member of your church’s First Presidency, said, “Many people think they need only confess that Jesus is the Christ and then they are saved by grace alone. We cannot be saved by grace alone, ‘for we know that it is by grace that we are saved after all we can do’” (James Faust, Ensign (Conference Edition), November 2001, p.18). Was James Faust leading people astray when he made the above comment?
- You also claimed on July 13, 2010 that you have the forgiveness of sins. Why do you think the majority of Mormons don’t share that same assurance?
- You have often criticized the failed policies of socialism. Are you aware that Joseph Smith not only instituted socialism via his “Law of Consecration” and “United Order,” he claimed God ordained it? (See D&C 104.) If you lived during the time of Joseph Smith, do you think you would have been as vocal about this socialistic system as you are about modern socialism?
- In your DVD, An Unlikely Mormon: The Conversion Story of Glenn Beck, you mention reading Bruce McConkie’s Mormon Doctrine while you were investigating the LDS Church. I assume you read page 578 where he references polygamy and says, “Obviously the holy practice will commence again after the Second Coming of the Son of Man and the ushering in of the millennium.” How comfortable are you and your wife Tania with the notion that you can take on more wives in the afterlife?
- You have asked professing Christians to join you in asking God to restore our land, yet your church officially declares that all professing Christians outside of the LDS Church are part of a “great apostasy.” McConkie even went so far as to say the “church of the devil” (1 Nephi 14:10) included “modern Christianity in all its parts” (The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, pp.54-55). Do you believe God hears the prayers of alleged apostates, especially those who are quite content to attend what your church calls the “church of the devil?”
- McConkie also said in Mormon Doctrine, “And virtually all the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they vainly suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit” (pg.269). Do you think the Christians that you are trying to recruit should know this? Do you support what this apostle of your church said?
- In your conversion story you also likened investigating the LDS Church to that of buying a car. Basically you said if seeking a Ford you should rightfully ask the Ford dealer about their car, and “then you let the Chevy dealer tell you about the Ford, but then you go back to the Ford dealer and say, ‘what about this stuff?'” and you let the dealer explain it. “You don’t go to some fourth source and let them sell you down the river.” While I certainly support the idea of hearing both sides of the issue, does that analogy also work for a person considering smoking? Should such a person go to a tobacco company to hear their story, and then to a doctor, and then back to the tobacco company, assuming the doctor was selling them down the river?
- You also said that a person’s agenda in asking questions should be truth. In saying this, don’t you imply that all those who don’t reach your conclusion (that Mormonism is true) somehow have a different agenda and aren’t really seeking truth?
- You often tell your listeners that they should “question with boldness.” In your conversion story you explain how you had many questions and concerns about LDS doctrine and ran Mormon missionaries “through the ringer” before becoming a member. Have you ever been so bold as to personally bring those same questions to a person who is not LDS, but who has studied LDS history and doctrine, to hear their side of the story? If not, please allow me the honor of taking you to lunch. The meal will be on me.