You may like Glenn Beck’s politics, you may like his antics, you may like his history lessons and respect for the USA’s founding fathers. Then again, you may dislike all of this and more about Glenn Beck. Yet, one thing is certain when it comes to theology, Glenn Beck has gone from bad to worse—and if you are not certain…read on. Whether it is the lay personages who think that “God” is “god” is “gods” is “spirit” is “energy” is “the universe” and it does not matter. Whether it is the undiscerning and unknowledgeable Christian who has been taken in by the commandments of the Politically Correct movement.
Whether it is the Mormons who know or do not know better.
One thing is for certain: pop-culture and media criticize Glenn Beck’s politics but not his theology. They seem to discern that his theology, while Mormon, is generic and thus, just as good, bad or worthy to be dismissed and ignored as any other.
Some think that Glenn Beck either really knows what he is doing/saying or he has no clue. Yet, with the advent of his book, with Keith Ablow, titled The 7: Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life it is crystal clear that his theology is utterly un-, non- and anti-biblical. And while this was clear already, at least to discerning Christians, due to his being a Mormon; we now learn that he has concocted an universalistic new age-like syncretistic spirituality and is selling it, to Christians mind you, in the name of a generic “g,” “o,” “d” (and the question to ask him, as a Mormon, is, “Which one of yours innumerable gods?”).
Brannon Howse, in Glenn Beck’s New Book Reveals He Embraces New Age Theology, Is a Knowledgeable Mormon, and a Universalist, notes:
In his new book Beck and Dr. Ablow promote psychologist Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, New Age authors Robert Pirsig and James Redfied, Buddha, Buddhist teacher Sogyal Rinpoche, Gandhi, The Bible and the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas.
Sadly, Glenn is confused and all Christians should pray that he will come to salvation in the Jesus of the Bible through faith and repentance.
And that is just for starters:
On page 56 Beck says he read A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman which is the Bible of the New Age Movement.
That he merely read it is one thing (Schucman spirit channeled an entity who helped her write the book) but the issue is that he is clearly influenced by such works. Howse has also provided a sampling of quotations from the book:
On page 79 Beck and Dr. Ablow promote transcendental meditation and Eastern Mysticism.
On 85 we read, “As you commit to unlocking and bringing forth the truth inside you, don’t be afraid to pray for help. Don’t be reticent to sit with yourself in silence and meditate. Connect with the miracle of spirit, of God, that has lived inside you from long before you were born.”…
Of course, this “before you were born” stuff is pure Mormonism.
On page 132 Beck and Ablow proclaim, “Pray to whatever higher power you believe in…Praying that God or Nature or the Cosmos or your own internal, immeasurable reservoir of spirit allows you the courage and faith to find and then face the truth…”
In several places readers are told it really does not matter what religion or religious leader they follow. On page 157 Beck writes, “Finding what worked for me made all the difference. Finding what works for you will do the same.”
On page 74 the reader is instructed “Just be sure you visit with a minister or therapist from a religion or healing discipline you actually have affinity for, or suspect you might.”
On page 236, reincarnation is promoted through the writings of Robert Pirsig’s book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, “…the ‘spirit’ of Chris or the ‘ghost’ of Chris, then you can say without further translation that the spirit or ghost of Chris is looking for a new body to enter.”
Glenn Beck has stated that he was willing to, and this is an actual quote, “drink the Kool-Aid” of Mormonism because he wanted a family such as the stereotypical Mormon family. In other words, his conversion to Mormonism was not theologically based.
He also claims that Mormons are Christians with just a few differences (think of any, any at all, Christian doctrine and Mormonism denies it) apparently not being aware that Joseph Smith drew an inalterable line of distinction between the two faiths (or, claims that God did so) when he retold (one of about 10 versions of) his first vision (see Mormonism is an Offensive Religion). Such statements have lead many to believe that Glenn Beck is simply ignorant of both Christian and Mormon theology. However, consider pp. 149-150:
“I questioned everything I could think to question about the faith. I went over my doubts again and again with the church bishop. I read everything there was to read on their website and every word of Mormon Doctrine…
I went to anti-Mormon literature for hints, but I found most of it to be unfair or just plain wrong. I tried every trick I could think of to find a contradiction. The problem was that I couldn’t.
Mormonism seemed to explain the world and my place in it better than any other faith I had looked at.”
But what about those doctrines that are traditional to Christianity, you know; biblical doctrines?:
“Latter-day Saints do not believe that your chances ever cease, even with death. They end only with the full understanding and denial of truth by your own exercise of real free will. And even then there is no ‘lake of fire.’” (Page 149)
“As Keith likes to say, ‘There’s no original sin left in the world. Everyone’s just recycling pain now.’” (Page 154.)
“There is no infant delivered evil, out of the womb. There never has been. Not even one…Charles Manson was not born evil. Ted Bundy wasn’t. The BTK killer wasn’t. Hitler wasn’t.” (Page 162)…
“People are inherently good.” (Page 165).
Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” and “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” (John 18:37-38). Little did he know that Jesus had stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Yet, in Glenn Beck’s mis-theology “truth” is not “true” but is whatever you want it to be:
“It is never too late to embrace your truth.” (Page 124)
“What is your truth whispering?” (Page 130)
“Use compassion to stay on the path to your own truth… (Page 161)
“…determination to unearth and embrace my truth.” (Page 215)
“The fact that I am always attempting to honor my truth… (Page 216)
“There is only your truth.” (Page 220)
“You must use courage and faith to empty the hard drive of your soul and then fill it with your truth.” (Page 288)
Moreover, his theology goes from bad to worse as does his exegesis:
“The third chapter of Exodus helped me start to understand how crucial it was that my focus be on finding God not just in the seas or the cosmos, but in myself.” (Page 57)
Yet, Exodus three is specifically about a God, YHVH, who is not automatically inside of us all. This is the God who had to reveal Himself to Moses. YHVH is a personal being outside of us. YHVH comes in to dwell in us when we are saved through Jesus, the Messiah:
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
This was written to believers.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:12)
We do not have to “become” that which we already are.
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20)
This is Jesus’ invitation.
Keep in mind that as a Mormon, Glenn Beck believes that his celestial parents were gods and that he can/will become a god in his after-earthly-life:
“If God is everything and everywhere and inside everyone, then I figured He had to be inside me, too.” (Page 58)
Well, that is a big IF, if there ever was one.
“Divine power is still inside you.” (Page 71)
“Reach out to people to steady them and enrich them and reflect back to them the light that comes from God inside them. (Page 283)
“You won’t doubt your ability to achieve what you want to achieve in this life because you won’t doubt that God is not only by your side, but inside you.” (Page 254)
Glenn Beck also subscribes to concepts that have gone by many names: positive thinking, Law of Attraction, name it claim it, blab it grab it, the Secret, etc.:
“You have a polestar inside you. It is connected with all the energy in the universe. When you begin to follow that star you align yourself with immeasurable, inexplicable forces that will actually help you manifest your best intentions.” (Page 79)
“The current energy that flows in your favor when you stop denying what you have lived through and how it has shaped you and how you must change is the immeasurable force that you can tap into to dramatically improve your existence.” (Page 113)
“…you will elicit the same positive energy from others. When you stop pretending to be just fine and start admitting that you have struggled, just as we all have, then spiritual energy will fill you.” (Page 117)
With these things in mind, you can no longer simply dismiss Glenn Beck’s un-, non- and anti-Biblical views as simply a slight variation of Christianity due to his Mormonism. Nor can you claim that he is a Christian-Mormon who simply does not know his Christian or Mormon theology.
He has now concocted and published his guide to spirituality and has done so after vast research into Christianity, Mormonism and, obviously, a vast array or miscellaneous new age, spiritualist, energy work and demonic beliefs and practices.
Consider Top 8 interesting books on Mormonism.
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