It grieves me that Beck has taken this position."
By Chuck Colson
On August 28
th hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall for what organizer Glenn Beck called a Restoring Honor" rally. The stated goal of the rally was to to pay tribute to Americas military personnel and others who embody our nations founding principles of integrity truth and honor."
Beck told the crowd that Something beyond imagination is happening ... America today begins to turn back to God."
While I hope and pray that is the case I do have some concerns.
Evangelicals figured prominently in the rally both in the crowd and on the podium. Thats not surprising: We value truth integrity and honor and of course pray for America to turn back to God."
But as theologian Russell Moore wrote the sight of a Mormon television star standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calling American Christians to revival" was to put it mildly disconcerting. Even worse Moore wrote was the fact that evangelicals are cheering that theyve heard the gospel right there in the nations capital."
Well Im not sure which gospel they heard.
Please understand Im not raining on anyones parade. And Im not here to criticize what Beck is trying to do. I love him as a television commentator and political critic. And I believe he is a man who loves his country and wants the best
for it.
But because Beck is not a Christian leader I couldnt help but wonder what the willingness of Christians to follow him says about the state of our own leadership.
Even setting aside his Mormonism Beck isnt exactly solid on issues we hold dear: the sanctity of life the traditional family and the erosion of religious freedom.
In Becks words we have bigger fish to fry" than these issues. He told Bill OReilly that America is a symphony." So those who raise these issues like signers of the Manhattan Declaration are insisting on playing their clarinets" to detriment of the country.
It grieves me that Beck has taken this position particularly because its out of step with his own church. The Mormon church has been a great ally in the fight to defend marriage.
Which leaves this question: what God" are we supposed to turn back" to? As Moore put it the answer Beck gives is at best a generically theistic civil religion."
And thats what the Restoring Honor rally was: an appeal to civil religion. And thats ok. Civil religion has its place. But its 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 its time for Christians to become leaders ourselves.
2 Chronicles 7:14 tells Gods people to humble themselves pray seek Gods face and turn from our wicked ways. This is the biblically-prescribed way for
transforming societies.
The Bible doesnt 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 thats a power that mere civil religion cannot possess.
