Day: September 3, 2010

Glenn Beck quoting Benjamin Franklin in order to support his (Beck’s) thesis of what the American Religion is

Benjamin Franklin writing Yale President Ezra Stiles,

“You desire to know something of my Religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it: But I do not take your Curiosity amiss, and shall endeavour in a few Words to gratify it. Here is my Creed: I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we can render to him, is doing Good to his other Children. That the Soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Principles of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do, in whatever Sect I meet with them.”

Beck stops with this segment of Franklin’s quote without giving what Franklin immediately wrote in the next sentence,

“As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity: tho’ it is a Question I do not dogmatise upon, having never studied it…

Beck, then summarizing Franklin, says on his national television show that the American religion that he is all about can be reduced to these four Franklin inspired points,

1.) There is a God
2.) God is going to judge us
3.) We should be good to each other
4.) Cause Daddy is going to be pissed in the end if we are not (good to each other)

Beck goes on to say that the reason that he had all faiths (Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons) represented on stage at his Rorschach Rally on 8/28 is that they can all agree on these four big principles.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/glenn_beck/

Start at about the 5 minute mark.

So, there you have it.

Of course this is utter nonsense that any Historic Protestant Christian would find reprehensible. God is going to judge us but if any of those who are going to be judged really believe that the success of passing that judgment is dependent upon our being good to each other then they are certain to be forever damned. Glen Beck will be forever damned if he thinks that his eternal judgment is based on his four principles.

It is precisely what Beck left out of Franklin’s quote that is the core of the matter. If man does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ he is lost because a non-divine Christ can not save anyone from their sins. Notice in those four principles there is no mention of Jesus Christ. Yet, any Historic Protestant Christian would tell you that without Christ there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved. If Evangelicals, in advance, knew that these four principles were supposed to be some kind of common ground on which all faiths in America can stand and hold hands on then they never should have participated in this blasphemous Rorschach rally.

Historic Protestant Christians you need to run away from Glen Beck and his syncretizing efforts.

“Paul begins his letter to the church at Corinth by reminding them of this same truth. Here was a group of believers caught up in worldliness. They were prideful, arrogant. They were powerful. But Paul, before explaining their poverty and nakedness explains how God works- “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (I Corinthians 1:26-27). That’s how God changes the world. Not by a long march through the institutions, not by preparing ourselves for positions of power and influence. Not by raising up children to seize the institutions of higher learning. Instead He uses those who beat their worthless breast, crying out, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

We have a world to conquer. We are to be about the business of being a help to our Husband as He brings all things under subjection. The first thing we must conquer is our own foolish pride. The first things we have to consign to the flames of hell is our strategies. And then, let us be followers, walking in His footsteps who set aside His glory for us.”

Observation by Bret

1.) Yes, God’s strategy begins and even continues with people crying out “God be merciful to me a sinner,” but then what? Does this reality that people must see their sin negate that upon seeing their sin God will require of His people to do their own long march through the institutions? Does the reality that we must constantly face our own sinfulness negate the necessity to be Sons of Issachar who know the times and what must be done? Is not the knowing of our times and what must be done naught but a preparing of ourselves for whatever position and influence God might grant us? Should the reality of rightly assessing that we are nothing but sinners keep us from raising our children to seek to extend the crown rights of King Jesus over every area of life?

Look, I agree that part of the problem of the Church is that it hasn’t come to grips with its sin but should it ever come to grips with its sin, it won’t be wrong to engage in a long march through the institutions, or to prepare ourselves for positions of influence and power or to raise a postmillennial seed. I agree that we have tried to do the latter (i.e. — long marches, carnal power, looking for success from un-catechized seed) apart from doing the former (being aware that we are sinners) but if, by God’s grace, we ever do the former we will still have to do the latter. God’s Kingdom will not be extended by a pietistic people who only beat their breasts and cry out “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

2.) If the first things we have to consign to the flames of hell is our strategies should not the strategy of the writer above be consigned to hell? I mean, all that is being done here is giving us a more superior strategy. Truth be told, I agree with him, but for him to suggest that strategies are in themselves wrong is for him to affirm a self defeating proposition.

For example, what if a person wanted to start a Church in rural Wyoming where people could come and live a life that is uncomplicated, distinct, and well thought out. Would it be wrong to strategize in such a way so that community would become a reality or should such a person’s strategy only be to cry out, “God me merciful to me a sinner?”

I agree that God only uses those who beat their worthless breast, crying out, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner,” but as they are beating their worthless breasts He uses them to do long marches through the institutions, and He uses them by preparing them, much like He did Daniel, for positions of power and influence, and He uses them by their raising up children to seize the institutions of higher learning.

Naturally, a sense of God’s grandeur and our sinfulness is the perquisite for any Kingdom use. I thoroughly agree that there are often times when people who call themselves Christians are carnal in the pursuance of influence. I agree that a proper estimation of God and self must precede strategy to take over the world. What I don’t agree on is that it is ever possible to be done with our own foolish pride and I don’t agree that we must wait till our foolish pride is finished before we begin to strategize or act. Were we to wait until our foolish pride was finished we wouldn’t do anything for the root sin of all creatures is pride and that root sin won’t be finished until we see Jesus as He is.

We are proud sinners. Regardless of how much sanctification we are given we will remain proud sinners. The palliative care for that is a vision of God’s Holiness but that vision of God’s Holiness and that palliative care must come in the context of long marches through the institutions, and preparing ourselves for positions of power and influence, and by raising up children to seize the institutions of higher learning, and by developing strategy on how we may assist in the subduing of all things.