What Yes on CA Prop. 8 & Restore Honor Rally Have in Common

Wow! The following article written by Dr. Jim Garlow was quite lovely to read! I found it via One News Now - Perspectives: Evangelicals and Glenn Beck

[Editor's note: This column was originally posted before the "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, DC, on August 28, 2010]

Some has been said and written about evangelicals "compromising" by sharing the stage this weekend at Glenn Beck's Friday night Kennedy Center event (for approximately 2,000 pastors and Christian leaders) and being seated on the platform (nearly 200 seats) of the Lincoln Memorial during the "Restoring Honor" Rally on Saturday, August 28. This all stems from the fact of Beck's Mormon faith.

I have not been criticized for going to the rally (at least as of this date), but I have seen writing attacking two men in whom I believe: James Robison (who will not even be at the rally, but whose video might be) and David Barton. Both of these men have impeccable credentials in our biblical faith.

I recognize that people of good will and good faith might differ with each other on this. Yet there is no need to "de-Christianize" each other over the matter.

If I may, allow me to state how I dealt with the issue of evangelical-Mormon working partnerships during the Prop 8 battle here in California.

Lessons learned and guidelines followed from Prop 8
We, as evangelical pastors (primarily in San Diego), were one of the first groups to organize regarding the defense of marriage. We later learned what the Catholics were doing, and we worked side-by-side – with great synergy and effect. The relationship proved to be spectacular and continues to this day.

It was later that some of the hierarchy of the Mormon Church called and asked to meet with me. Candidly, I did not – at first – want to meet with them and did not want to work with them. My disagreement with Mormon belief is substantial. Yet I knew that the battle for marriage was so immense in scope. The Sacramento based Schubert-Flint Public Affairs, working with Ron Prentice of ProtectMarriage.com, had outlined what was needed. We needed to activate 25,000 persons to knock on doors immediately, and to organize 100,000 persons, "boots on the ground," by Election Day. In addition, many other webinars, satellite simulcasts and phone banks were planned, along with a 40-day prayer and fast period culminating with 33,000 persons in a 12-hour prayer meeting – 10 am to 10 pm – in Qualcomm Stadium three days before the election.

Several months before the election, three officials from the Mormon Church came to my office. The meeting was cordial, respectful and warm. We discussed ways to work along side each other in this battle.

Most of us are familiar with the term "co-belligerency," which means that people with diametrically opposing views on certain critical issues work together. It was in that role that we came together.

Towards the very end of the meeting, I was just ready to bring up a critical issue: the insistence of Mormons to proselytize and argue theology. Before I could bring up the obvious "elephant in the room," the highest ranking Mormon official present – a member of the Council of the Seventy – said (as nearly as I am able to re-construct the conversation), "Allow me to broach a topic that is likely on your mind. You will be concerned that our people will bring up discussions regarding their Mormon beliefs. I want to assure you that they will not bring up that topic in conversation."

I was surprised at his directness, thus I said, "Can I have your word on that?" He responded, "You can." I asked, "Even though you are over the Pacific Rim (approx. one-third of the world) in the Mormon Church, may I have your cell number and call you personally if I become aware of any violation of the promise?" He responded, "You can," and gave me his cell phone number.

I never called it. Not once. Because I never heard of one single violation. On our first weekend of knocking on doors across California, 25,000 persons showed up to work. Twenty four thousand of them were Mormons. They worked. They worked hard. They never brought up their faith. Not once. A letter had been sent instructing them to discuss only the defense of marriage – and they honored that policy.

Once we began working side by side, I received a call from a reporter with the Wall Street Journal. I have done over 775 interviews, so there was nothing particularly unusual about receiving such a call. However his questions were not about Prop 8 and marriage as such, but about the relationship between evangelicals and Mormons. As I was answering his questions, I stopped and said, "I am going to answer you as directly as I can. If you misquote me, you will do great harm to my standing as an evangelical, and you will harm the new and young friendship I have with some Mormon acquaintances, so I am going to talk slowly so you can write this verbatim and quote me correctly." I did talk slowly, and he did quote me correctly.

The quote: Key for understanding the issue
My quote was simply, "As evangelicals and Mormons, we are not theological brothers and sisters. But we are friends and neighbors. And on that basis we work together to defend marriage." At another time, the LA Times called, equally inquisitive of the "new relationship." I ended up making the same statement – "As evangelicals and Mormons, we are not theological brothers and sisters. But we are friends and neighbors. And on that basis we work to defend marriage" – repeatedly.

That became the mantra for our Prop 8 work together. Mormons make up 2% of the California population, yet contributed at least 40% of the funds to defend marriage. Of the workers that knocked on doors and called homes, I suspect that the LDS church provided the lion's share of the workers.

(They are not the only identifiable group or constituency to which we are indebted. There were ethnicities that were critical to defending marriage. Whites voted 49% in favor of Prop 8. Asians also voted 49%. Hispanics voted 53% to defend marriage. While blacks voted 70%. Thus marriage was saved in California by Hispanics and African Americans.)

But back specifically to the issue of evangelicals and the LDS Church. Notice the phrase – "friends and neighbors." That is exactly what they are. As such, I treat them (and all persons) with honor and dignity.

I later visited Salt Lake City and dialogued with two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell Ballard and Quentin Cook. One of them set the stage perfectly with this opening line, "Look, we are just going to have to tolerate each others' theology, so we can work together defending marriage." My sentiment exactly.

Because he had laid it out so clearly, we were able to focus on the matter at hand: defense of marriage. I later met with them for the same purpose. They are my "friends and neighbors." In addition, there are a host of members of the LDS church in San Diego and further up in the greater LA area that are my "friends and neighbors." I thoroughly enjoy my time with them. They are friends. I have not changed my theology one bit. Not at all. I suspect they have not as well, but we can work together on this important project.

In the aftermath of the November 2008 Prop 8 victory, there was a demonstrable backlash directed at the Mormon Church. Without hesitation, I called a meeting of evangelicals and Catholics – inviting the Mormon officials that I could gather on short notice – and we (Catholics and Evangelicals) affirmed that we would stand with them and speak out against the violence directed against them. In addition, I participated in a major press conference in which Evangelicals, Catholics, Muslims, Sikhs and others all defended the unwarranted and viscous attacks on the LDS Church.

The nature of alliances
In the Old Testament, there were times that Israel forged alliances out of desperation because they did not trust God. That distrust is sin. In addition, Israel compromised herself in those alliances, becoming like those with whom she joined.

However, there were other scenarios in which God used cultures outside Israel for his purposes. Those alliances seemed to have the approval of God.

Thus I developed a personal "grid" regarding the forming of alliance on the Prop 8 battle. It might not be helpful for you, but it is helpful for me. I asked my self two questions:

1. Am I joining with someone simply out of failure to trust God, or does this alliance seem to have the approval of God for this moment, to accomplish his will?
2. Am I compromising biblical truths and values in this alliance?

I concluded that the alliances were not out of failure to trust God, but out of an understanding of how (in this moment) to live out his will on earth, and that there was no compromise of biblical values.

I am not hesitant to say that – though they are not my theological brothers and sisters – the LDS members I have come to know truly are my good friends. We even laugh hard together. Yes, we even tease each other about each other's theological positions. Yes, I wish they would embrace what I believe. As yet, that has not happened. But in the meantime, we are unabashedly "friends and neighbors."

Glenn Beck
The Evangelical-LDS Prop 8 alliance provides some background to the issue of why an evangelical might attend the Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, DC.

(I am not expecting all persons to arrive at the same conclusion. There is a principle I learned decades ago, "Others may; you cannot." I have wondered for years why so-called Christians can do some of the things they do. For example, Christians who prided themselves in "doing all things in moderation," however, are finding that they are no longer doing those things in moderation. You name the taboo. They are almost all gone. What was called "sin" in the 1950's is quite cool in the new millennium. Has Evangelical Christianity improved? Grown up? Become so much more sophisticated? I doubt it. It seems a bit dull. Blunted. Muted. It has lost its "edge" – and we all know it. As I have observed these changes, I sensed that "the old way" – as out of step with contemporary culture as they might be – might just be better. So as others begin doing things I do not do, I attempt to override my first instinct to judge. Then I hear the "Others may; you cannot" principle and go my merry way. Why have I taken you on this detour? Because when it comes to the issue of "should I attend a rally led by a Mormon?" some may; others may not. There is room for amiable disagreement.)

As I have sorted this out, I have watched Glenn Beck as closely as I can. I do not have a lot of contact with him, but I do have some. I have been:

1. In his studio audience once
2. On his show once, interviewed very briefly
3. With him and a group of 20+ persons for a three-and-one-half-hour dinner and discussion
4. With him in his green room with a group of 10 for nearly half an hour
5. Conversed with him one-on-one very little, perhaps 5 minutes total
6. Led on his internet early morning (7:05 Eastern) 10-minute prayer and devotional time on one occasion

I have had some other email and phone contact with his staff, but only a dozen or so times. Bottom line: I have had some, but limited, contact.

I have listened and watched very carefully regarding clues to Glenn's spiritual condition. I have interviewed several people who have been with him and have talked very specifically with him regarding his own personal salvation. Glenn has said unequivocally that that he relies on the atonement of Jesus on the cross for forgiveness for his sins, and those are almost the exact words. Few people use the term atonement. Glenn did.

On one of his TV shows about a month ago, he laid out the gospel, using his well known blackboard, in the clearest explanation of the crucifixion and the resurrection that I have ever heard on national TV. I called James Robison, and asked, "Did you hear that?" James said, "Richard Land [Southern Baptist] just called me and said he never expected to hear the Gospel so clear on secular television." It was quite remarkable. A few days ago, Glenn laid out America's problems and then concluded, "We need God!"

I have interviewed persons who have talked specifically with Glenn about his personal salvation – persons extremely well known in Christianity – and they have affirmed (using language evangelicals understand), "Glenn is saved." He understands receiving Christ as savior. (Note: I have never discussed with Glenn this topic.)

On one occasion three of us were walking near the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. The person to my right asked the man to my left – who is with Glenn Beck a great deal – "I heard Glenn Beck is a Mormon. What is he?" The man to my left, without missing a beat, without even turning his head to look at the questioner said, "A Christian." That answer comes from a man who has been with Glenn often. At the risk of throwing a verbal grenade, there is no ambiguity about Glenn's faith, such as what we see in the "is he a Muslim / is he a Christian" discussion regarding our President.

But what about Glenn's Mormonism, many ask? That is a legitimate question. Glenn was raised, as I understand it, as a Catholic. He became a heavy drinker, destroying everything in his life. It was the Mormons that got him into the equivalent of a 12-step program. His life was turned around. His wife, as I understand it, is a strong Mormon. My personal read-out would be that Glenn's Mormon ties are not profoundly deep rooted. I am not saying that to denigrate his theological understanding. I simply do not see evidence that he has deep Mormon theological motifs.

But didn't he talk about some Hebrew stone tablet on his show recently? Yes. Frankly, I am not sure why he did it. It appeared for a moment that he might be – for the first time – pushing his Mormonism. But in further conversation with those I regard to be "in the know," that was apparently not the case.

Two statements by Beck have caused serious Bible believers serious heartburn. One was on an interview – I believe with Katie Couric – and the other was recently on the Bill O'Reilly show. In both cases, Glenn trivialized the dangers and harm of gay "marriage." Some defend him, saying he was merely saying that that issue is not his personal focus.

I am not certain how to interpret this one. I was on his show a couple months ago. He specifically asked Robby George (Princeton professor) to tell the audience about the Manhattan Declaration – which strongly affirms traditional, natural marriage. He then changed the conversation to the violence against those that defended Prop 8 in California. At that point, I spoke up, referencing the acts of violence and vandalism committed by those trying to advance the radical gay agenda.

I do not have an explanation for his comments on Bill O'Reilly. I need to know more of the background. It was, most assuredly, not his strongest moment. He may be in need of much more biblical truth and social science data.

One's theology
Let me ask you a question. Is your theology "off" at all? Even one percent? Only the most arrogant would say, "Oh, my theological understanding is 100% perfect." No, we all keep growing. God's Word does not change. God's truth does not change. But we grow in our understanding of spiritual, biblical truths.

I suspect my theology is off by 1% or 4% or 7%. And, I have news for you: yours is too.

Here is my question: if your theology is off slightly, but you still trust exclusively in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for your salvation, and in his resurrection, are you still saved? Going to heaven? Yes.

How far off might your theology be – and yet still trust exclusively in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for your salvation, and believe in his resurrection – and still be saved? Is it 10% or 15% or 20%? Or what?

My point is this: all of us are missing part of God's full truth. He knows all truth. I don't. I am striving to understand all truth, but it is a journey of maturing in the understanding of God's Word.

Someone might truly trust in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for one's salvation and believe in Jesus as Lord as demonstrated by the resurrection, yet be lacking in many points of doctrine.

Larry King likes to ask evangelicals on Larry King Live if one must believe in Jesus to go to heaven. If they say "yes," then he is likely to mention that he is Jewish, so will he go to hell? Evangelicals historically squirm at the thought of saying, "yes, you are going to hell." What is a better answer, I believe, is, "Everyone who is going to heaven will get there the same way: by the provision of Jesus." "But am I," Larry might persist, in this imaginary conversation, "going to hell?" We should respond politely, "All who are going to heaven will get there the same way: by the provision of Christ. It is not mine to judge who will be ‘in' or ‘out.' But I do know that all who gain heaven will get there the same way: by the provision of Christ."

Perhaps that Larry King illustration has some relevance to this discussion.

The 'Restoring Honor' rally
I am going to the events at the Kennedy Center on Friday and the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday. I go with no reservation. I go – as most are I suspect who have sorted through this issue – with a sensing of the blessing of the Lord.

To restate the obvious, not one single evangelical going to Washington, DC, is compromising their faith and beliefs. Not one of them is attempting to move Mormonism within historical Christianity. Not one is minimizing the stark differences between LDS views and orthodox Christianity. While not theologically brothers and sisters with Mormon views, we are uniting as friends and neighbors for cultural-sociological purposes, much like we did in Prop 8.

Candidly, I made a statement publically about three months ago, before I ever knew I would even meet Glenn Beck. The statement was (as nearly as I can reconstruct it from memory): "If this nation collapses in the 2010-2012 time frame, historians will have to report, if they are honest, that American fell because of silent pastors and inactive pews. If, on the other hand, this nation is saved from self-destruction in the 2010-2012 timeframe, those same historians will have to report that one of the major reasons for the turnaround was Glenn Beck." That was before I had ever been with him. I had no idea that two days later, I would receive a call to come meet with him.

I still believe that. Glenn Beck is being used by God – mightily. The left loves to slam him and do so viscerally and often with vulgarities. Glenn is not perfect. (For the record, neither are you or I.) But his expose on America's sins is stellar. I am convinced his motives are pure. His research department is profoundly skilled, checking footnotes down to the last detail. The left cannot "get" him – at least, not at this point. They have tried. Since they have no truth, and history is not on their side, they resort constantly to ad hominem attacks. He has withstood staggering scrutiny, disdain and attacks.

Based on all I know about him, I am proud to stand with him at the Restoring Honor Rally this weekend. Glenn does not see that this about him, because it is not. It is about Restoring Honor. That is the issue. It is much bigger than Glenn Beck and he knows it. And God knows, we need it.

Written by Dr. Jim Garlow

*******

I have been living through the Proposition 8 wars going on here in California. The radical homosexual advocates were brutal towards Mormons, Catholics, and various Christian denominations after the majority voted to keep marriage as the thousands-of-years-old definition: the union of one man and one woman.

Before the election, I noticed that my Mormon neighbor up the street had "Yes on Prop. 8" signs piled up alongside her garage. I rang her doorbell and asked if I could have a sign to put up in front of my house. Even one of the known liberal neighbors by me - a former elementary school teacher in the public school system - had a "Yes on Prop. 8" sign up on her lawn.

As we all know, the battle continues on this issue here in California. We must keep it in prayer and plead that God's idea and definition of marriage remains as the covenant created by Him - the union of one man and one woman.

Hat Tip:

One News Now

With Firm Reliance on Divine Providence

With Firm Reliance on Divine Providence..

Video of The Day

In the next 40 days, make a pledge to practice faith, hope and charity by doing three things..See the three things and Make the pledge at our new Facebook group "Glenn Beck's Challenge" here.




Glenn Beck Show- September 3, 2010

NewZeal.blogspot.com

With firm reliance on divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. That is the key. Tonight is all about Faith, Hope and Charity and the 40 day challenge. If you haven't group yet, check it out here. Tonight, Glenn talks with three incredible men who he believes will change this country: Miles McPherson, Pastor of "The Rock Church", Rabbi Daniel Lapin of The American Alliance of Christians and Jews and decorated Vietnam Vet Dave Roever.


Watch Glenn Beck.com

Agreeing On Restoring Honor, Faith, Hope, & Charity

Don Koenig of World and Church Trends and Bible Prophecy has a post up about Glenn Beck.

I can tell my readers that I had not heard the following particular statement by Glenn, but here is what Don has written regarding a quote he had obtained from Brannon Howse:

Want to hear the truth about Beck’s own beliefs from his own mouth? According to Brannon Howse Beck said this:

“Last week on his radio program Beck said “I Am That I Am is the most powerful phrase in any language as it is the name of god, never use it in vain; use it to create who you want to be. I AM blank.”

I agree. Beck certainly took that verse out of context. We could chalk it up to misapplication, but when it comes to knowledge about the Mormon religion, perhaps that might the culprit for the misinterpretation.

Nonetheless, I have written a comment in response to Don's post (which is excellent and I encourage you to read it in it's entirety) as to why I think that Bible-based Christian pastors, writers, and apologists should take advantage of Beck's national audience to get The Word of God out to the masses!


Excerpt from Don's post:

It is with mixed feelings that I am writing this post because most of what Glenn Beck says is as American as American pie. Nevertheless, most Christians leaders so love the sugar in the American pie that Beck is dishing out that they are also gobbling down the deadly crust that molds it. When Glenn Beck stays on politics he is pretty good but when he talks about God he is so far off the Christian reservation that he might as will be on planet Kolob (Where Father God of Mormons lives).


First let me once again comment on Mormonism in general. Don’t be confused just because they use the same terminology as Christians. They do not believe the doctrines of Christianity. They just put their own meaning on common Christian terms. For example, don’t confuse God the Father of Christianity with Father God of the Mormons. The Father God of Mormons was once a man just like us that progressed to become a God before us. Don’t confuse Jesus of Christianity with the Mormon Jesus who is the spirit brother of Lucifer and a God in the making like his brother. Don’t confuse the blood atonement of Jesus with the Mormon’s limited atonement that requires you to still work to achieve your godhood. Don’t confuse the Trinity of Christianity with the separate three gods of Mormonism.

Continue reading here:

World and Church Trends and Bible Prophecy
“I Am” beckoning by Glenn Beck - It is with mixed feelings that I am writing this post because most of what Glenn Beck says is as American as American pie. Nevertheless, most Christians le...

My comment there:

I can certainly understand your wariness about Beck because he is a Mormon. However, I disagree with Brannon Howse that Beck is turning evangelical Christians (the Bible-based ones, at least) towards Mormonism.

There were people of different faiths at the rally. There are people of different faiths watching his T.V. show and listening to the radio show. In particular, the huge audience that showed up at the rally were there for the purpose of agreeing with Beck on the need for us all to turn back to our Founding Principles - including faith, hope, and charity. These are three things that all can agree on.

I saw the same kind of caution being discussed in America when the Manhattan Declaration came about and people were being urged to sign on. Some Christians refused (e.g. John MacArthur - a Christian apologist and author whom I greatly admire) and others signed it (e.g. Albert Mohler). I have read a lot of the writings of both men and what they profess agrees with Biblical Christianity. However, they disagreed on the signing of that document. Is one correct and the other wrong to do so?

The Bible states that we are not to place a "stumbling block" in front of others - especially "baby" Christians - so that they veer off in the wrong direction away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is the "baby" Christians that must be warned and cautioned not to equate Mormon belief with Biblical Christianity.

In the case of Beck, the fact that he has given such a HUGE PLATFORM to Christian leaders and pastors on his T.V. show is enough reason (IMHO) to cheer him on. It doesn't meant that people are going to embrace Mormonism. Most Bible-based Christians will not be swayed in that direction. Recall the Bible verse that says:

Mar 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect.

The "if [it were] possible" clause informs us that it WON'T be done! The elect aren't fooled because they are forever sealed in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What I am seeing (including my own pastor who will be on Glenn's show this Friday) is a unique show giving Christian leaders a platform with a huge audience to express what they believe and how it all relates to our founding here in America; and how our people need a re-awakening to WORK towards restoring our nation.

I have read comments from other Christians stating that perhaps Glenn might be converted from Mormonism to Biblical Christianity. We can all pray for that, of course. I will admit that it is VERY DIFFICULT to change their minds. Been there, done that at my front door and sitting in my own living room having conversations with young "elders." However, there is always hope.
Pastor Miles McPherson was highly criticized by some evangelical leaders for attending and speaking at a convention for "The Secret" (if I recall correctly, I think that is Oprah's new religion?) Anyway, he stood up there and preached the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the audience and told them something like - 'that's the secret.' Ha! Of course, not every Christian pastor and/or apologist is geared up for such a presentation. It just happens to be one of Pastor Miles' gifts.

I sincerely hope that this political divide forming doesn't break the wonderful message that the Restore Honor rally presented to America on 8/28. That would be a most unfortunate development! Rather, I continue to hope and pray that people will go back to their homes and churches and apply the message that we all can agree on -
America needs to restore honor in our nation and we need to utilize faith, hope and charity in order to do so.

Don, you certainly pointed out the VERY important differences between Mormon belief and genuine Biblical Christianity. I am not trying to downplay your concerns. I just think that it would be a missed opportunity NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE of the national audience that Glenn has created via his show. If you think I am wrong - so be it. We will just need to agree to disagree.

In closing, I want to express how much I have appreciated your excellent post here. Because the message of distinction between what Mormons believe vs. Bible-based Christian belief is immensely important, I plan to link to your post today at my blog.

Christine

P.S. There are some Christian bloggers who used to post at my blog, but now do not visit or comment because they obviously don't like that I write about Glenn Beck's show. Some have abandoned my blog because of this. So be it. My blog is involved in both proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and applying the Word of God to everyday life - including political issues. During the very first God-Blog Conference back in 2004, a professor at Biola U. told me that mixing all of these goals might make for an impossible task. Perhaps, but I keep going anyway. God bless.

Hat tip:

World and Church Trends and Bible Prophecy

WSJ Op-Ed Piece and Beck Introduces "The Blaze"

While listening to Glenn's radio show this morning, I learned about an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled Glenn's Happy Warriors: You probably couldn't have found a more polite crowd at the opera.

Excerpt:

Pundits will debate whether the crowd at Glenn Beck's Saturday rally in Washington was the largest in recent political history, but it was certainly among the most impressive.

Mr. Beck is a television host and radio broadcaster with a checkered past and a penchant for incendiary remarks. But if he's judged by the quality of people of all colors that he attracted to the Lincoln Memorial, his stock can't help but rise.


Jason Riley discusses Glenn Beck's rally at the Lincoln Memorial.
One would not be able to find a more polite crowd at a political convention, certainly not at a professional sporting event, probably not even at an opera. In fact, judging by the behavior of the attendees following the event, you'd have a tough time finding churches in which people display more patience as others make their way to the exits.

This army of well-mannered folks that marched into Washington seemed comprised mainly of people who had once marched in the U.S. Army or other military branch, or at least had a family member who had. Perhaps that's not surprising, given that the event was a fund-raiser for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides scholarships to the children of elite troops killed in the performance of their duty. The day was largely devoted to expressions of gratitude for the sacrifices of U.S. soldiers, for great men of American history like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and for God.

Continue reading here.

I would have listed God first in that final sentence. However, it is very nice to finally have a positive piece of journalistic opinion about this awesome event shared by a mainstream media source.

Also, Glenn launched a new website called The Blaze. Just began exploring the site this morning. Check back for more information and commentary later.

Hat tips to both links.

*******
UPdate:

See the following blogs for comprehensive information, videos, photos, and opinions about the Restoring Honor Event:

Daily Thought Pad: 8.28 Not Accurately Reported… It Was All About Honor, Prayer and Saving America - Please Watch, Read and Decide for Yourself

New Zeal Blog: The Day Beck Shook America

Restore Honor Rally Draws Huge Crowd!

Well, it didn't take long for the spinmeisters to start their spinning about the Restore Honor event in Washington D.C. this morning.

Legal Insurrection: Subliminal Deception has the proof!

Go to link above and see the photo of the ACTUAL ATTENDANCE crowd at the rally.

The leftists only seem to know how to lie, disparage, mock, spread evil and play the race card in life. I truly feel sorry for them.

Legal Insurrection has more:


Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
Saturday Night Card Game (Think Progress Forced To Fold At Restoring Honor Rally) - This is the latest in a series on the use of the race card for political gain: Think Progress tried really, really hard to cover the Restoring Honor rally ...

Also see:

Texas for Sarah Palin
Text of Gov. Palin's 'Restoring Honor' Speech - * Via Facebook, Gov. Palin has released the text of the speech she delivered at Saturday's Restoring Honor rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C...

Gateway Pundit
CROWD ROARS at Restoring Honor Rally as MLK’s Niece Alveda King Declares: “I Too Have a Dream!” (Video) - Alveda Celeste King, a pro-life activist and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, gave a powerful and moving speech to the 500,000+ patriots gathered in Washin...

JammieWearingFool
Make Believe Media: WaPo Claims Al Sharpton Brings Thousands to DC - Hundreds of thousands of Americans showed up in Washington today to see a rally held by Glenn Beck. So what does the Washington Post report? That Al Sharpton...

Big Journalism
Beck Rally in Washington: The View from the Crowd -


NewsBusters.org - Exposing Liberal Media Bias
Glenn Beck Rally Picture Guaranteed to Drive Media Crazy - This picture of the crowd that attended Saturday's "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, D.C., is guaranteed to drive liberal media members crazy (h/t N...

Atlas Shrugs
America on the Mall - Kudos to all Americans who took to the streets, the highways, and the byways and stood for America up at Beck's Restore America rally on the mall. Photo hat ...

Lloyd Marcus
Black Conservative Supports Glenn Beck Rally - Alleged civil rights leaders, including Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, are having a cow because Glenn Beck had the audacity to sche...

Hat tips to all links!

*******
In between cooking and blogging, I am just starting to read the blogs and comments out there about the rally. I was sorry to read that Alan Keyes is apparently disgruntled with Beck. Oh well - can't please everybody!

I found this link interesting:

Solomonia: Huge Turnout For Beck

I think that the huge turnout was for God, Jesus Christ, and America! Anyway, it was interesting to read this blogger's non-Christian take on the event.

Excerpt:

I must say that though I have a healthy respect for religion in public life, and I acknowledge that there was a religious revival aspect to this event, and meaning absolutely no disrespect to our Christian friends, but I could have done with a few less blessings on behalf of everyone in the name of Jesus Christ. Once or twice, OK, but after a few more times you start to get that nagging feeling that "Maybe I don't belong here." At an event billed as a sort of all-purpose patriotic thing, a little more...ecumenical approach might be in order. This is much like Jewish communal events where, though the vast majority do not keep kosher, yet still dietary laws are observed out of respect for keeping the event appropriate for all. A little more respect on the part of some speakers that while professions of faith seemed to be welcome, they were not actually preaching inside their own churches, might have been in order.

I mean this as a nit, however. Imagine the consternation of the MSM, their subscribers dwindling, to see this huge turnout. The thrashing and slandering on the pages of the New York Times has already begun.

Home run, Beck.

Well - at least he used a positive baseball analogy at the end.

I think that one of the commentators at the site echos what I, and many hundreds of thousands of Americans feel about what occurred at the rally today:

EscapeVeolocity wrote:

I understand your point Solomon. However, part of the problem with Western Civilization these days is that Christians (and Christianity)have been driven from public life. This re-invigoration is good news for defenders of Western Civilization. This is the re-emergence of a healthy cultural expression/confidence. This country is still at least 80% Christian.

The problem is that you are used to Christianity being sidelined. When you listen to pre 68 political speeches, by the likes of JFK and FDR, you will quickly realize that this lack of Christian public expression since the 60s is an outlier. Christianity has been on the defensive.

This is good news for Western Civilization.

Although dr kill??? disliked hearing the name of Jesus Christ mentioned so much (as a small "a" atheist...what does that mean?) he still wrote:

But I would rather see a bunch of avowed Xtian [sic] conservatives running the USSA in a manner they feel is consistent with founding principle than this current dirty bunch of lieing [sic]Progs.

Heh!!

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Update on 8/29/10 @ 9:40 a.m. PT:

As many will notice I have now added a photo (H/T Legal Insurrection) to my blog post. I was having blogger photo uploading issues yesterday so that is why I was unable to include the photo until now.

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This is an interesting comparison.

Gateway Pundit: A Tale of Two Rallies on the Mall: Clean Conservatives vs. Filthy Libs (Video)

It's weird. The libs claim to be very much involved with the "green" issues like climate change, recycling, carbon emissions etc.; yet they can't even pick up their own garbage after the inauguration of "The Won."

A Willing Vessel Of Love For Reconciliation [Update 4]

UPDATE 4: Great news! The Restoring Honor event will be broadcast live on Facebook tomorrow! Go here for more information:

Glenn Beck.com - Watch Restoring Honor Live on Facebook

August 27, 2010 - 22:59 ET

8/28 Live! – Saturday, 10a-1p ET
Yes, 8/28 will be broadcast live on Facebook. We want as many people as possible to have the chance to view this event which is why it will be streamed FREE. Checkout our Facebook page on 8/28 to watch this event LIVE! Remember 10a ET. If you can’t be in Washington DC, join us on Facebook to watch it live!
Related: 8/28 Quick Links

Praying for safety and a great event for faith, hope, and charity to shine through despite all of the terrible vitriol that the left is spewing about Glenn Beck's 8/28/10 event - Restoring Honor rally in Washington D.C. this Saturday. I wish I could be there, but family obligations prevent me from attending. I will keep a close eye on the coverage of the event.

I find the criticisms of the rabid left against Glenn Beck, his guests, the distortions of his "reasons" for holding the event and the ugly rhetoric against him for having it at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s great speech there very disturbing, disheartening and quite sad.

Glenn interviewed Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King's niece on his show today. I cried throughout the program. How did our country become so messed up and mean spirited? To hear how she is being treated so horribly by the left is disgusting. She appears to be a wonderful, faithful Christian woman who is pro-life and runs an organization encouraging life for the unborn. Of course, she represents everything that the rabid left hates - including being a willing vessel of love for reconciliation between the races and all people.

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UPdate:

To watch today's show with guest Alveda King, go here:

Watch Glenn Beck: August 26, 2010 - Restoring Honor

Glenn Beck Show- August 26, 2010


Tonight: Glenn continues from D.C. as less than 40 hours remain until the Restoring Honor Rally. Tonight, Glenn will prepare you and lay out the real message behind the rally (despite what you might have heard in the media). Joining Glenn tonight for a good portion of the program is Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She has faced an enormous amount of criticism for agreeing to take part in and supporting the rally. We should keep her and all of those who have taken great risks to stand with Glenn in our prayers.

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Update 2:

A few weeks ago, I heard that Laura Ingraham may attend the rally on Saturday. I am currently reading her book, "The Obama Diaries" (it is EXCELLENT!) and on pages 324-325 she writes exactly why we need to keep up with the non-violent protests against the radical government agenda being hoisted upon us:

The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition - Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals

It is interesting that the very people who foment the anger in the country, the Democrats, are the ones wailing when the public reacts to their mischief. What did they think was going to happen when they refused to acknowledge the public outcry during the health-care debate?

It is hard to watch the persistent, radical agenda rolling out of this White House, whether it be health-care policy, immigration reform, cap-and-trade legislation, or the endless new taxes being proposed, without thinking that there is some plan underway. They are maliciously provoking a reaction, hoping for a violent response from the people, so they can use it to tarnish all dissent and finally silence criticism of their flawed policies. It is a textbook Saul Alinsky tactic.

Radical leftists thrive in conflict and chaos. In Rules for Radicals, Alinsky writes, "When those prominent in the status quo turn and label you an 'agitator,' they are completely correct, for that is, in one word, your function - to agitate to the point of conflict." In the midst of their premeditated conflicts, these leftists can do incredible damage. They will miss no opportunity to use the self-generated moments of strife to demonize their critics, restrain the people's freedom, and destroy their liberty. Should violence erupt or any social unrest break out as a result of their heinous policies, the liberals will proclaim themselves our protectors, and use the chaos as a justification to claim even greater control over our lives and our freedoms. For this reason, and so many others, violence must always be condemned and rejected, while every peaceful means of resistance should be utilized.

P.S. This blog post is currently listed here on the google blog search list, but I think that as posts on the Restoring Honor rally are added, the page number where it is listed may change.

I read some of the headlines and sentences from other blogs. The left-wing ones are doing EXACTLY what Laura Ingraham describes as the typical Saul Alinsky tactic (see quote and excerpt above in update 2) to cause the demonization of Beck and all who want to attend the event.

Knowing their tactics are a bogus attempt to cause strife and agitation takes the power away from their arguments and condemnation.

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Update 3:

I had to go three posts from the bottom of page 3 (at 9:15 a.m. PT) in order to find a blog post that wasn't disparaging the 8/28 Restoring Honor rally. What are these people so afraid of??

Will post the positive blog posts as I find them.

1. Mediaite: Glenn Beck Responds to Al Sharpton - What Part of Honor Are You Against?

2. MichNews: Black Conservatives Support Glenn Beck Event on MLK Anniversary

3. No Apologies

4. Facts Not Fairies: Glenn Beck 8/28 Rally - Its a Matter of Honor

5. Capitol Hill Blue (both positive and negative discussions).

6. Sirius XM News: Sirius XM Patriot to Broadcast Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally Live

7. Booker Rising: Lloyd Marcus on Glenn Beck Rally



More later...