Following Glenn Beck's Divine Destiny or God's Word

By Brannon S. Howse

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/

Would you approve or disapprove if some of America's evangelical pastors and religious leaders announced they were going to show up at "Oprah's Divine Destiny" meeting at the Kennedy Center for an evening that would include uplifting music and nationally-known religious figures from all faiths as they unite in prayer and recite historical speeches? Would it concern you if you knew that on her radio program Oprah has taught the book called A Course in Miracles written by Helen Schucman? This book and the workbook include such quotes as:

"A slain Christ has no meaning."

"The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."

"Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross'."

"My salvation comes from me."

True Bible-believing Christians would not approve of evangelical pastors and leaders uniting with Oprah in a self-described, religious and spiritual meeting. Why? Because most Biblically thinking Christians do not agree with Oprah's liberal politics and they know that the truth of God's Word and Oprah's pagan spirituality do not mix.

However, many of these same Christians will have no problem when some of America's evangelical pastors join radio personality and television host Glenn Beck for a spiritual program, because unlike Oprah, they share Beck's conservative, political views. To many it makes no matter that Beck is a self-described Mormon because his politically conservative views seem to trump his religious views and for this reason many will justify taking part in "Glenn Becks Divine Destiny" program at the Kennedy Center on August 27th.

The Apostle Paul warns Christians against uniting with unbelievers in spiritual endeavors in 2 Corinthians 6:14 where we read, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" In verse 16 Paul declares that Christians must be spiritually separate from non-believers. Remember Paul is talking about being spiritually separate. "Glenn Beck's Divine Destiny" program at the Kennedy Center on Friday evening August 27, 2010 has been specifically described by as "a unique spiritual event."

While I applaud and agree with many of Glenn Beck's conservative and constitutional views, that does not give me or any other Bible-believing Christian justification to compromise Biblical truth by spiritually joining Beck in an event, that according this his own website, will include an evening in which "nationally-known religious figures from all faiths will unite…". The website continues "The audience for the event will be overwhelmingly made up of pastors, ministers and clergy..." The event is also described as an evening "that will help heal your soul." This event is clearly a spiritual event with Glenn declaring on a video on his website that the hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save "is the message of 8/27". The problem is that as a Mormon, Glenn's definition of God the Father is not the same as that described by Jesus Christ Himself in the Bible. Glenn says, "I have been reaching out to the biggest names in faith for the last year…I have meet with the biggest leaders of faith in the country privately and I have asked them to help me put differences aside and to reach out with one another so we can remind people to get down on their knees for our brethren's shield in our dangerous hour."

Christians that want to be consistent in our commitment to Biblical truth cannot "put aside" the cross and Gospel of Jesus Christ nor the supremacy of Scripture by spiritually uniting with those that proclaim another Jesus, another gospel, and declare the cross foolishness.

Many American Christians will allow their commitment to reclaiming the country, reclaiming Congress, lowering taxes, and defeating the progressives trump their commitment to the Biblical mandate declared in 2 Corinthians 6 as well as the mandate of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 which commands Christians to expose every high and lofty thing lifted up against the principles of the Lord.

American Christians should not and cannot rate our success on whether or not we return our country and culture to its Christian roots. As Christians the cross must be higher than the flag. Our success or failure must be based on whether or not we have been faithful servants of the one and only true God and have earnestly contended for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

I, and millions of other Christians, appreciate the strong and courageous stands that Glenn has taken but Christians must understand that Glenn is now, by his own choice, promoting something that is not compatible with Biblical Christian doctrines. While Christians can join Glenn in opposing tyranny, socialism, cultural Marxism, and the like; we cannot join him spiritually. We can be co-belligerents on many moral issues with non-Christians but we cannot find common ground theologically, doctrinally, and spiritually. This is not according to me, Brannon Howse, but according to the Word of God. Christians must understand that the Jesus of the cults is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Please remember that I started the website http://www.keepglennbeck/.com to support Glenn when the radicals wanted his advertisers to stop advertising in his program because at the time he was not promoting spirituality but simply providing excellent information about what was happening in the arena of civil government and law. However, Glenn has now moved into an area where we must draw a clear line theologically, doctrinally and spiritually.

I have yet to see anything that would cause me to have a problem with the 8-28 event at the Lincoln Memorial because I have not seen that event described as a "spiritual event" or a "uniting of all faiths" for the purpose of "healing your soul." My concern is really focused on the 8/27 event for the reasons I have articulated.

Some misinformed Christians have e-mailed me Mark 9:38-41 to try and convince me that partnering with Glenn Beck for a "unique spiritual event" is acceptable Biblically even if Glenn Beck is not a Christian, but indeed a Mormon by his own admission. Verse 40 says "For he who is not against us is on our side." There is just one big problem; the people emailing me these verses are taking this scripture completely out of context. Mark 9 is not speaking of a non-Christian that is doing something good but it is clearly speaking of a true follower of Jesus Christ that was successful in casting out a demon.

If you do not think it is Biblically acceptable for a Biblically committed Christian to be united in a spiritual event with Oprah Winfrey then why is it not also unacceptable to unite spiritually in the 8/27 event with Glenn Beck or any other religious leaders that do not adhere to Biblical orthodoxy? How much different is the religious beliefs of Oprah and the beliefs of Mormons? According to Christian author Ed Decker who was a Mormon for 20 years of his adult life and was a member of the Melchizedek priesthood, a Temple Mormon and active in many church positions before becoming a Christian has revealed to me such facts as:

· Mormons believe the cross of Christ is foolishness and thus you will not find a cross in or on top of a Mormon temple. Thus a Mormon could say "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross'."


· Mormons believe the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross is not what saves and thus Mormons will not use red wine or red juice for communion but they use water. Thus a Mormon could say "A slain Christ has no meaning."


· Mormons believe that salvation is not found in repenting of your sins and placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone but in good works. Thus a Mormon could say "My salvation comes from me."


· Mormons believe that God is one of many gods and that every good Mormon man can become a god himself. This belief is called the law of eternal progression and is best described in this popular Mormon saying, "As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become." Thus a Mormon could say that "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."

Read full artilce here 

WORLDVIEW BOOTCAMP 2010: Summer Training Series DVD(s)

DID YOU MISS ANY OF THE TRAINING SESSIONS?

Worldview Bootcamp is currently in the process of producing DVD(s) of all four sessions from our summer training series.  We would like to make these resources available to as many individuals as possible.  In order to get an accurate count of how many DVD(s) we need to produce ... it is essential that we determine public interest.  Please contact Worldview Bootcamp and let us know if you are interested in purchasing any or all of the DVD(s).  We will be sending out pricing forms, along with order forms by the end of August 2010.  Please note, we will be offering single session DVD(s) and a box-set of all 4 keynote presentations.  In the meantime, scroll down to listen to each of the training sessions again.

The Coming Globalization - click here

What Happens Under the Dome Can Impact Your Home - click here

Truth Challenge - click here

Reclaiming Biblical Doctrine - click here

MUST LISTEN - Reclaiming Biblical Doctrine: Chris Rosebrough WVBC #4

KEYNOTE MESSAGE - "Reclaiming Biblical Doctrine: Fundamentals of Reading, Studying and Proclaiming the Word of God"

Chris Rosebrough of Pirate Christian Radio, presented a challenging message to the crowd gathered at Harbour Shores church on August 4th.  Chris was well versed on the subject matter and presented his position in a thoughtful and challenging way.  You can listen to the presentation by clicking here.  Also, do not forget about the Q and A that took place after Chris completed his keynote message.  You can catch Chris on his web-based radio program Fighting for the Faith - click here for more information.  Lastly, be sure to check back in with Chris towards the end of October 2010.  Chris will be debating Doug Pagitt on October 22-23 in Newberg, OR.  The debate is sure to be one for the ages. If you would like more information click here.  Chris has informed us that all the details and audio will be posted at his site after completion.

MUST LISTEN - "Truth Challenge?: Our Changing World and the Great Commission" Carl Teichrib - WVBC #3

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO

On July 14th, 2010 Carl Teichrib presented a thoughtful and challenging message to the crowd gathered at Harbour Shores Church.  Carl was the keynote presenter in a summer training series entitled Worldview Bootcamp.  The core principle of the training series is to equip, educate, prepare and train individuals for the perilous times in which all of us find ourselves living. 

Carl (http://www.forcingchange.org/) touched on a variety of topics and spiritual issues that included; the Great Commission, the rise of post-modernity, "Burning Man", Freemasonry, Social Justice, Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development.  Carl also went on to detail and explain what our Biblical response should be to such events.

It was a challenging and convicting night for all who were in attendance.  I encourage you to take the time to listen to the keynote given by Carl by clicking here.  Lastly, consider becoming a member of the "Forcing Change" family.  If you are interested, I encourage you to visit the website at http://www.forcingchange.org/

"Christian" Pastors - Useful Idiots?

Obama Would Use the Church in the Same Way as a Previous Leader on a Different Continent

By David Welch – US Pastor Council

I became aware the day before the event that President Obama was inviting pastors to his speech about immigration reform at American University on July 1. There was no surprise there, for clergy have been used and abused by politicians as props as long as there have been politics.

For example, well-known in the political world – shared and confirmed by Chuck Colson – is how Richard Nixon would "wine and dine" key pastors, give them the red carpet treatment and send them home to be good mouthpieces.

Much of what the president said in his speech in assessing the crisis will bring little disagreement – as always, the devil is in the details of the solution.

The rest of the speech, such as stating that he and the Democrats are ready for action if only the Republicans would just set aside "partisanship" to come outside and play, was typical Obama-speak.

My greatest disappointment was that Pastor Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church in Illinois took the stand to introduce the president and thereby gave Obama the cover he was looking for. Hybels is the driving force behind the "seeker friendly" phenomena that essentially neutralized the evangelical church as a moral force over the last 30 years.

I have met Pastor Hybels; I know many pastors who know him much better and believe him to be a decent man who loves God and is sincere. However, his admittance of the failure of the "Willow Creek Model" did not undo the massive damage "Christianity light" has done to the church and, as a result of the paralysis of godly influence, to the nation.

His willingness to use failed leaders like Jimmy Carter in his annual "Leadership Summit" as a model of such also reveals either no discernment or lack of consistent biblical standards in that widely viewed conference. My point?

When highly influential pastors like Hybels and Joel Osteen (e.g., his giving thanks to God for "raising up" activist lesbian mayor of Houston, Annise Parker) give cover to reprobate politicians, they yield not only their own moral high ground and influence, but that of pastors all over the nation whom they are perceived to represent.

The other concern is that pastors bitten with the market-driven, seeker-friendly, church-growth bug spread by Hybels and his progeny have established large churches, big budgets and big visibility but are so far removed from political decision making they are a joke when they step to the microphone in this manner.

Do you not think that Obama and his Chicago squad know very well that Hybels is never likely to risk any disfavor by exerting confrontational leadership on what we would define to be conservative issues and values?

Politicians like Obama use the same strategy employed by tyrants and regimes who routinely parade puppets representing the "opposition" to prove how benevolent and inclusive they are. That, of course, occurs after they have imprisoned, intimidated and/or killed those who are any threat.

Obama's anti-Christian, anti-life, anti-marriage, anti-constitutional and anti-American policies, in my opinion, prove he has no legitimate interest in hearing from pastors like Hybels. He in fact would use the church in the same way as a previous leader on a different continent.

As Erwin Lutzer illustrates magnificently in his must-read book, "Hitler's Cross," the theologically shallow and nationalistic nature of the German clergy proved easy pickings for Hitler. Lutzer states:

The swastika was, in effect, adopted as the new cross in the very cathedral where Luther has preached the cross of Christ four hundred years before!

The legitimate and proper role of the pulpits in relation to our governing leaders is as the prophetic voice of God's absolute truth upon which their authority rests. As we celebrate the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this weekend, we should heed the words uttered by the "Father of the American Revolution," Samuel Adams: We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.  Lest any be confused about to which Sovereign.”

Adams was referring, read his statement to the state legislature as governor of Massachusetts: “I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world … that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.”

I believe it right, appropriate and vital that the voice of pastors be heard on all issues of our day, serving as godly influences first to our congregants/citizens, then to public servants. However, the words of Solomon must be heeded to avoid snares:

When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, 
for it is deceptive food

(Proverbs 23:1-3, NASB).

We need patriot pastors holding elected officials accountable to God' standards, not serving as pawns by enemies of our faith and our country.

http://www.uspastorcouncil.org/

http://www.moodychurch.org/radio/