Who is Glenn Beck's God?

This past weekend, Glenn Beck led a rally at the Lincoln Memorial where he declared before a crowd of nearly a hundred thousand (or as much as 300,000) followers, "America today begins to turn back to God."

This is a significant moment in the history of Christianity. And it's extremely disturbing. Far from merely "restoring honor" this rally marks a key juncture in the movement that is marrying the Tea Party right with apocalyptic neo-conservatism, leading to what I believe is the right wing's contribution to an authoritarian power the likes of which we have never seen.

For several years, Glenn Beck has been using his extraordinary talent and showmanship to gain a following until he is now arguably the single most potent force in politics in America. Whenever a political figure takes the name of God, I cringe. But even more-so when a person as powerful as Beck does so. And Beck's neo-conservative ideology makes this scenario downright chilling.

When Beck says that America is turning back to God, what does he mean, or more importantly, who is God according to Glenn Beck?

Is his God Jesus, who taught non-violence and taught his followers to avoid political power? Is Beck's God the God who is kind to the wicked and who loves his enemies? Or is his God the false God of the founding fathers and the civic God of the American political religion?

It gets worse, actually. Allying with Beck and Palin at this rally was arguably the greatest advocate of militant Christianity in America today, John Hagee, who has called for military strikes on Iran, which would bring about the so-called "rapture" of Christians from the earth.

Furthermore, it's quite telling that Beck and Sarah Palin held this rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Not to critique everything that has happened in front of that memorial, but it is indeed fitting that neo-conservatives who believe more in a god of warfare than in Jesus Christ, the suffering servant, would hold their religio-political service there. After all, the Lincoln Memorial, itself is styled after a Greek temple with Father Abraham as the honored god-saint. The Memorial's inscription above Abraham Lincoln’s statue reads: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” A temple where a statue of Abraham Lincoln resides? Interesting. A temple. Enshrined on our hearts? Hmm… According to biblical Christianity, the law of God and the glory of God, dwelt in the Tabernacle-Temple. And in the New Testament, that law is now written on the hearts and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. So God and His law are seen dwelling 1) in the Temple, and then 2) in our hearts, and also our deified Leaders are enshrined 1) in a temple, and reside 2) in our hearts.

Beck stated that this was a religious rally, not a political one. I'm afraid to say that he was partially right: it was definitely a religious rally. That's the scariest part of it all. It's a false religion, and Christians should stay as far away from the Glenn Beck movement as possible. I do agree with a lot of what Beck says; I agree that Christians should run from a Christianity that advocates the further empowerment of the government under the guise of "social justice." But I also believe Christians should run from Beck, who is the leader of a new movement of a false civic religion that will deceive Christians into advocating a right-wing version of war and further government power to counter that of the left.

The left and the right are merely two ideologies of the kingdoms of this world, and Christians should avoid both. They both compromise the church because in both cases, Christians join hands with the violent political power of the state. I believe that it will ultimately and perhaps primarily be so-called Christians on the right and the left who empower the most brutal police state in history following a series of crises that are coming in the last days upon the earth. Now is the time for Christians to divorce themselves from the false god of the state and the false religion of temporal political power.

Glenn Beck might be sincere and his conscience might be clear before God. I am not the judge of Glenn Beck. I may enjoy eternity in Heaven with him, and I love him as a child of God. But Christians should have nothing to do with his version of "returning to God," if that phrase means returning to another political god. Unfortunately, the political ideology of Beck, Palin, Hagee and others is associating Christianity with just another violent ideology of the kingdoms of this world. My advice is to stay away, speak lovingly but strongly against it, and live and preach the Kingdom of God.