Mar

8

Does Glenn Beck think Mennonites are Nazis? (Or: Of liberal churches and freedom of religion)

The Mennonites I grew up among had a consistent “pro-life” ethic that didn’t place them easily in the service of either major political party: Most of the folks I knew were very much against abortion — but they were also anti-war, anti-death penalty and for helping the poor. A number of them didn’t like to pay taxes, but not for any Ayn Rand-inspired reason; they just didn’t want their money used to pay for America’s wars. A lot of the church’s missions abroad have been done under the umbrella of the Mennonite Central Committee, which has — sometimes controversially within the churches — focused more on helping people and less on evangelizing.

Over the years, there was a phrase I heard used to describe this overall approach to the world: “Social justice.” And until this week, I had no idea that it meant that the Mennonites are secretly in league with the Nazis. Thank goodness we have Glenn Beck to set us straight.

On his daily radio and television shows last week, Fox News personality Glenn Beck set out to convince his audience that “social justice,” the term many Christian churches use to describe their efforts to address poverty and human rights, is a “code word” for communism and Nazism. Beck urged Christians to discuss the term with their priests and to leave their churches if leaders would not reconsider their emphasis on social justice.

“I’m begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words ’social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!”

Later, Beck held up cards, one with a hammer and sickle and other with a swastika. “Communists are on the left, and the Nazis are on the right. That’s what people say. But they both subscribe to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. . . . But on each banner, read the words, here in America: ’social justice.’ They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly, democracy.”

I’ll let Mennonites and other Christians decide if they really want to take theological advice from Beck, a Mormon whose adopted theology many mainstream Christians consider heretical, at best. I’m certainly not going to try to argue theology with the likes of Beck. And in any case, I doubt many adherents of churches that espouse “social justice” are taking their cues from Fox News, anyway.

Suffice it to say, though, I doubt that the answer to “WWJD?” would ever be to “Go Galt.”

What’s more disconcerting, though, is Beck’s framing device. He’s not merely asserting that left-leaning churches are wrong — that’s his right, though I think he’s mistaken. He’s suggesting that Americans, broadly, are about to see their freedom of religion come under assault. What’s his basis for this? He doesn’t have one, as far as I can tell. Is there some Bible-censoring program underway that I don’t know about?

Probably not.

And that’s what bugs me about Beck. It’s not that he has spectacularly wrongheaded opinions – it’s that he proceeds from spectacularly incorrect facts. And that he disseminates those spectacularly wrong facts from one of the highest-profile slots on television. It’s a real disservice to his audience, and to the country that has to put up with a debate influenced by so many of his acolytes.

Some of my conservative friends tell me they think Glenn Beck is full of crap. Obviously he is. But he’s influencing a large swatch of the conservative movement. And he’s doing so in a way that wrongly sows panic and fear among his audience, not thoughtfulness and vigorous debate. Glenn Beck, not churches who believe that pursuing “social justice” is the calling of Christ, is the real danger to our country.

Joel Mathis | 2:22 PM | 6 Comments

Uncategorized, barack obama, christianity, first amendment, glenn beck, mennonites, mormons, religion

Wry Mouth Says: Mar 8 3:59 PM

Captcha: “cities rafters,” which I interpret as only meaning that I should proclaim my comment “from the rafters:”

Another invigorating post, Joel. I usually try to enhance, rather than detract. Let me try again:

(1) Beck, originally Catholic by upbringing, converted to Mormonism at about the same time he sobered up, so although I personally think he took a step backward, theologically, I’m interested to see how it will turn out for him and his family.

(2) Him being ex-Catholic and all, is intriguing given this outburst against “social justice” programs in the church. I received much of my basic “social justice” training at a university-town Catholic church. But it turned out that most of their “progressive” ideas were at least 2000 years old, and I knew them all already.

(3) It may be that Beck cannot distinguish between Marxist “social justice” programs (which do try to infiltrate and dumb-down theologies in some settings) and the more conservative (ha!) “social justice” theories that have been around since — well — Moses, pretty much.

(4) That said, Beck does have a point. That’s what makes his screeds a bit nefarious — there is usually a nugget of truth in them. I admit I never watch him on TV anymore, after about season 1, as I find the show too strident for my taste, but I am a fairly regular radio listener (about 15 min a day). It appears that Beck is again painting with a broad brush; it would be up to the true “social justice” Christians to step up and portray the other side.

(5) Too often, however, the “other side” will be represented in the media by persons more interested in social justice than in Christianity, which will only exacerbate the problem.

(6) Roy Williams, liberal to an aggravating degree, and a former atheist/agnostic AND LAWYER TO BOOT, outlines a very nicely balanced political/Christian standpoint in the book “God, Actually.” His chapters on politics nicely point out that Christianity is no friend of left or right, but rather a life-changing POV that modifies one’s politics, whatever one’s original stance was. I quite agree with him, and I am sure he and I would disagree on at least a few things.
Josh Powers Says: Mar 8 4:36 PM

“That said, Beck does have a point.”

Um, no. He has an agenda, but no discernible point.
Problem Solved! Make Homosexuality A Crime! | If Bush Had Done That Says: Mar 8 11:00 PM

[...] Does Glenn Beck think Mennonites are Nazis? (Or: Of liberal … [...]
JDD Says: Mar 9 2:59 AM

The irony here is that, while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Mormon Church”) may not use the term “social justice,” they (we) are clearly involved in social-justice programs. See, for example:

http://pef.lds.org/?locale=eng

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/background-information/humanitarian-services

http://www.allaboutmormons.com/mormon_humanitarian_service.php

As a conservative-leaning independent who’s also Mormon, I think Glenn Beck is entertaining, but anyone who takes everything he says seriously is clearly missing a few brain cells…
Kelly Craft Says: Mar 10 7:39 PM

Joel,

A very fine entry on Benn Gleck (I did that on purpose for I really cannot dignify him with an accurate entry of his name). I perceive him as a dry alcoholic desperately trying to keep a gig which makes other dry (or not so dry) alcoholics who feel sorry for him at an unconscious level decide to take him seriously consciously and tune in to help him keep his job.

All of the entries above make good points. I especially like Wrymouth’s assessment of Christianity as a POV that will change your politics. He is absolutely correct. There is no more seditious statement than “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Therefore, the point of transformation comes when one really does learn to love God, self, neighbor, and enemy. I speak as ordained clergy and as one who was literally saved by love at an encounter with a BTK murderer. A power greater than yourself can really mess up your politics and your drinking.

Humanitarian services of the LDS could be considered social justice work in a very broad sense. I am grateful to the LDS for hiring me to conduct a recording session in 1979 for their sesquicentennial celebration in Springfield, MO. Because of this I can claim to be a professional conductor. Yet I know that it is highly unlikely that the LDS church will ever ordain a woman to preach, which is indeed a social justice issue in the greater body of the church. JDD is correct in that only those missing a few brain cells will take BG seriously – back to the alcoholics again!

Captcha: to engagement
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