Beck: My Thoughts

I started listening to Beck way before he became primarily a man enthralled with American history and politics.  In those days he was just comedic common man gold.  The man does have a gift at describing how life is experienced by most of us “normal” type people.  In those earlier days, he made his name by satirizing normal life mostly.  Oh, he always had some opinions, but he was most known for his humor and engaging nature than his opinions.

I still listen when I happen to be in the car in the morning.  And I catch the TV show probably once or twice a week either live or on the DVR.  So I thought I would comment on what I think Beck has right and what he has wrong.  Now I know it is rare for a person to take such a middle of the ground position on Beck.  Most either do as he suggests each time he opens his program and just “follow him” or otherwise they rail against him at every turn.  I don’t think he is worthy of either response.

What he has right:

• I believe Beck is mostly right on what is happening in politics these days.  I do believe he is right that there is a concentrated effort by many on the left to transform America into something drastically different that what is was founded to be.  I think liberty (as it is commonly understood by Americans) is being undermined in the process.   I think more and more of our lives are becoming controlled.   (I also think this is bad for the Kingdom of God on earth, but the seeds of that thought I have already posted.) I think each person in this movement has their own reason for such a desire.  For some it is power.   For others it is strong belief in an particular ideology regarding governance.  For others, a desire for what they perceive to be justice.  Still for others it is  a desire simply to love their neighbor.  But I do believe that the ones “directing” the movement are primarily driven by desire for power ultimately, whether they know it or not, and I fear most do know it.  (BTW I am not sure exactly who these people really are and do not mean to implicate or pardon the President by this statement).  I hope that we will not follow this path.  But I am also not a fan of what was formerly know as the “status quo.”  I have to admit that I do not have the wisdom to know what our country should look like.  I will trust God to provide other than me to lead in that way.  I will put my effort into shaping the church through the Word.

What he has wrong:

• There is no doubt that for Beck, Country is God.  Well perhaps that is too simple.  He believes that God’s primary manifestation of his activity and grace in the world is the creation and existence of the United States.  And you should understand that this flows out of his Mormon faith (although this view is all too common among many Christians in our country).  You see, Mormons believe that Jesus ministered among the American Indians, and while that initial ministry was not well received, eventually through Joseph Smith Mormonism was wrought here in America.  And so America and the Mormons are linked quite tightly.  This is why Beck can feel that the t-shirts below are appropriate (And yes, I know the Obama Hope shirt was first, but two wrongs…well you know).  I would hope most Christian could quickly see them for what they are, absolute, old fashioned, graven images.  Idolatry.  Faith, Hope, and Charity are God’s.

When one believes as Beck does, the stories of America and its founders become as much scripture as the old stories of Israel and its founders.

And I must make one more thing clear, I do believe many of our founders believed this way as well.  They believed God founded the country himself.  It was part of how they justified leaving the authorities that God had placed over them. ( I say this as recorded history, and not as trying to pass judgment on their actions.)

And why is all this wrong?  Wrong from Beck.  Wrong from Mormons.  Wrong from whoever spews this.  Well because while of course God set the boundaries and the times for all nations, those who believe as Beck are not asserting just the general sovereignty of God in the USA’s creation, but that this is a special creation of God, that the USA is the “new Israel.”

We have no prophetic scripture that would suggest such thought.  And furthermore, it undermines the fact that God’s primary manifestation of his activity and grace in the world is the creation and existence of his Church which is dispersed throughout all nations.  Jon Stewart did a spoof of Beck show in which he said the USA would be a theocracy if Beck had his way.  I fear he is right.  And it is not a bad thing to be a theocracy, but it is wrong to assume that this what God wants for this country specifically.  As I understand the bible, God gave up on the idea of ruling one country over and against others when Jesus came to bring the Kingdom.

So I will continue to listen, because Beck has his history mostly right and is also an interesting source to listen to on what the actions we see in government are really about.   But I listen with caution, because the only God I wish to have in the one who has sent his Son, the King to earth to die and rise that we might have life in his kingdom now and forever.  Even if country falls, the kingdom ours remaineth.

Let me end on this note.  “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed with what God makes right in his Church.”