APPRISING MINISTRIES TO GLENN BECK
By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Aug 19, 2010 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:10-12)
You’d Want To Know If The Savior You Believed In Didn’t Exist
Being an online apologetics and discernment work Apprising Ministries does not involve itself in politics per se; however, there are times when those issues will cross, as is the case with popular conservative talk show host Glenn Beck and his upcoming Divine Destiny event. As you can see below Beck tells us that “nationally-known religious figures from all faiths will unite,” which then makes this a religious event; and in addition, Beck’s popularity means there are many following him who do think he is a Christian:
In a short post a while back Glenn Beck, a baptized and practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), responded to Focus on the Family (FotF) pulling their promotion piece for his supposedly Christian book. As you can see e.g. in Focus on the Family Promotes Mormonism, that particular post was taken down by FotF after some Christian ministries complained that FotF was promoting Mormonism by running it.
Here’s what Beck said in response over at his Glenn Beck – Faith & Inspiration website:
However, no one is arguing against “Christmas as a time for redemption and atonement.”; that understood, at the same time, the proper meanings of the words “redemption and atonement” are inextricably wound together with the “beliefs” of one’s “religion.” So that’s why the Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along” sentiment expressed by Glenn Beck, as sincere as his appeal is, concerning “the concept of religious tolerance [being] too important to be sacrificed” has such a hollow ring to it.
Beck’s statement, “it is my hope that all of those who believe in a loving and peaceful God would stand together on the universal message of hope and forgiveness, ” sound very heartfelt and noble. However, the truth remains. The Bible knows nothing of any “universal message of hope and forgiveness,” because all of those outside of a personal relationship with the one true and living God—as in the, singular and only, one which exists—found only in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, are lost.
This is where Beck’s eternal soul, as well as that of all those in the non-Christian cult of Mormonism, remains—right now—in perilous danger. Glenn Beck is obviously an intelligent man so he should know that “those who believe” in a god who doesn’t exist, no matter how “loving and peaceful” they imagine him to be, are essentially worshipping a phantom. And worse, God the Holy Spirit says that their devotion and worship is actually something they offer to demons and not to God (see—1 Corinthians 10:20).
AM has a post called Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?, which via a take-off of the old TV program To Tell the Truth, that introduces you to a few of the many Jesuses running around the contemporary landscape today. What I did in that article was take the benefit of my 22+ years of studying Comparative Religion and then distill the basic teachings of certain groups concerning Jesus so as to have their “Jesus” give you a synopsis of who he is according to that particular religion.
In this case of Glenn Beck, here now is the “Jesus of Mormonism” as he introduces himself to you:
I am the Jesus Christ of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). My original Church went through a total apostasy and I took the Priesthood from the earth. In 1820 by one account—as there are nine different accounts—I appeared with Heavenly Father to Joseph Smith who would be the prophet to restore my Church. I told him that everything the historic Christian Church had taught was an abomination in my sight and that all who believe in those doctrines are corrupt. I am the spirit child who was born first to Heavenly Father, whose name is Elohim, and who has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s.
Elohim was once a man who lived on the planet Kolob. He died and was resurrected by his father—after earning his way to godhood—as did his father before him and on back. Heavenly Father pro-created all of us through sexual relations with one of his celestial wives and we are all his spirit children. I was born first; next was Lucifer, and then on down the line comes you. When the head of the gods—of which there are countless numbers—called a council of the gods I came up with a better plan of salvation than my brother Lucifer did. So I became the Savior for Heavenly Father’s children on earth. I was conceived for my earthly mission when Heavenly Father came down and had sexual relations with his daughter the Virgin Mary.
I sweat great drops of blood for your sins in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then on the cross I finished my work; and because of that atonement, all persons on this earth are going to be resurrected. And so now you have a chance to earn your way to becoming a god just like me by working the Gospel Principles taught by the Mormon Church. But be careful because my blood was not sufficient to cover some of your sins my prophet Brigham Young once taught for me. He said, “There’s not a man or woman who violates the covenant made with their God that will not be required to pay that debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out. [And y]our own blood must atone for it.”
Now following below is the actual Jesus Christ of Nazareth as found in God’s Word—the Bible:
I am the Jesus of the historic, orthodox Christian Church, which I purchased with My Own blood. I Am the one true and eternal God incarnate—God the Son—second Person of the blessed and Holy Trinity. I am the very Creator of the entire universe and the only Savior of hopelessly lost mankind. There is never a time that I did not exist as I am the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
And in the fullness of time I was born of the Virgin Mary and clothed with human flesh. Then while on My planet I lived the sinless life necessary of you to come and be in the Presence of God the Father. In My Father’s will and for His glory, I willingly sacrificed My perfect life for yours, and shed My blood on the Cross as an offering for the sins of all who will be regenerated by God the Holy Spirit; who believe in Me.
I bore the wrath of Almighty God that you deserve and as I died in your place I said: “It is finished.” I was buried, but on the third day, I rose again from the dead in the same Body so that you could know that I am the One I claim to be. Now you can trust in Me because by My resurrection you know that I am able to save all those who by God’s grace alone, place their faith alone, in Me alone. I say that in all the universe there is only one God; you are not Him, nor will you ever be.”
Let me ask you; can those two claiming to be Jesus above truly be the same person? The answer is: No. Now they could both be false; but only one of them could actually be Christ Jesus of Nazareth. And since the Bible gives us eyewitness depositions aka Gospels from people who personally knew Jesus, the Apostles Matthew and John, we must conclude from the extant evidence the Mormon “Jesus” is not the real Jesus, but an impostor.
Therefore, he doesn’t exist; and I’m sure you can understand that a non-existant savior cannot provide “redemption and atonement” for Glen Beck, or for that matter, anyone else. And for Apprising Ministries—or any other genuine Christian ministry—to point that out to Focus on the Family, ostensibly a Protestant evangelical ministry, and to Mr. Beck is not anything even close to “censorship.”
Rather, it is most loving thing that we can possibly do. And Glenn Beck, please know that you are more than welcome to contact me anytime to discuss this matter further. Nothing would make me happier than to see you come to know the real Jesus; that said however, I would not be following God’s admonition to love you as I love myself if I was not willing to tell you the truth. May the Lord grant you repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name.
See also:
MORMONISM: PLEASE SPECIFY SOURCES FOR APPRISING MINISTRIES TO GLENN BECK
MORMON CHURCH: DEITY OF CHRIST
MORMON CHURCH: JESUS LITERALLY GOD’S CHILD
THE MORMON CHURCH’S VIEW OF THE BIBLE
CONTRADICTIONS IN MORMON “SCRIPTURES”
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS VS. THE GOSPEL
JOHN MACARTHUR: NO SPIRITUAL COMMON GROUND BETWEEN BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY AND MORMONISM