by Dr. Russell Moore reprinted here by permission
A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they’ve heard the gospel, right there in the nation’s capital.
The news media pronounces him the new leader of America’s Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America’s Christian conservatives have no problem with that.
If you’d told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it’s not. It’s from this week’s headlines. And it is a scandal.
Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, of course, is that Mormon at the center of all this. Beck isn’t the problem. He’s an entrepreneur, he’s brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I’m quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the “Tea Party” or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.
It’s taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined “revival” and “turning America back to God” that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.
Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good (which would have, by necessity, been nuanced enough to put us sometimes at odds with our political allies), we’ve relied on populist God-and-country sloganeering and outrage-generating talking heads. We’ve tolerated heresy and buffoonery in our leadership as long as with it there is sufficient political “conservatism” and a sufficient commercial venue to sell our books and products.
Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah.
Leaders will always be tempted to bypass the problem behind the problems: captivity to sin, bondage to the accusations of the demonic powers, the sentence of death. That’s why so many of our Christian superstars smile at crowds of thousands, reassuring them that they don’t like to talk about sin. That’s why other Christian celebrities are seen to be courageous for fighting their culture wars, while they carefully leave out the sins most likely to be endemic to the people paying the bills in their movements.
Where there is no gospel, something else will fill the void: therapy, consumerism, racial or class resentment, utopian politics, crazy conspiracy theories of the left, crazy conspiracy theories of the right; anything will do. The prophet Isaiah warned us of such conspiracies replacing the Word of God centuries ago (Is. 8:12–20). As long as the Serpent’s voice is heard, “You shall not surely die,” the powers are comfortable.
This is, of course, not new. Our Lord Jesus faced this test when Satan took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and their glory. Satan did not mind surrendering his authority to Jesus. He didn’t mind a universe without pornography or Islam or abortion or nuclear weaponry. Satan did not mind Judeo-Christian values. He wasn’t worried about “revival” or “getting back to God.” What he opposes was the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of the world.
We used to sing that old gospel song, “I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.” The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.
Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any “revival” that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a “revival” of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).
The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.
It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.
And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer.
by Dr. Russell Moore reprinted here by permission
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I have been a Christian for many years, and I was dismayed by this commentary by Mr. Moore, who did not sway me by logic, reason, or the ability to use scripture to prove his point.
But what concerned me most of all was that Mr. Moore arrogantly assumes He knows how God works.
I quote: “Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish”.
Mr. Moore, are you certain that you know the mind of the Lord? Are you so certain that God cannot use Americans, because America is too materialistic, or too powerful? Why do you surmise that the gospel will more likely flourish in Haiti or in the Sudan or in China? “Who can know the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
Jesus came to the most powerful empire on earth — the Roman Empire. Paving the way was the Greek Empire, which gave a common language so that people could understand the gospel. Jesus did not come to some obscure, out-of-the-way area, although (and I hope you blush at this, Mr. Moore) the Mormons teach that.
God will use whom he will use, at the time of His choosing, and it will be all for his glory. It’s totally up to God. Even if American Christians are too arrogant, or too rich, or too right-wing, He can choose to use them, too. Don’t assume that he can’t.
And this statement makes little sense: “Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good” . .. . what on earth is that? Every person is justly condemned to eternal death. God’s mercy grants us eternal life through Jesus. But as far as earthly justice goes, there is nothing in Christianity about the virtue of forced redistribution of wealth through excessive taxation and the malice of greedy politicians. Paul said every one in his group would work, or they would not eat.
Mr. Beck’s rally raised $5 million for orphans of brave soldiers killed in action. Mr. Moore, can you name me one evangelical leader who, in recent times, has done so much for orphans? Can you at least give him credit for that?
Additionally, there is such a thing as common grace, Mr. Moore. God provides common grace that even unbelievers can receive benefits from and acknowledge exists.
Finally, Mr. Moore quoted: “It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ” . . Did you personally ask them if they were confused, or are you assuming that simply by showing up there they were confused? I had many Christian friends who attended who were in no way confused about their personal salvation vs. the need to render honor where it’s due (Romans 13). Perhaps you should be careful not to pre-judge your fellow Christians about their muddled heads. Also, I do encourage everyone to watch Mr. Beck’s presentation on liberation theology in July 13th. Google it – I think you will be surprised. Mr. Beck argues that Christians believe in individual salvation, based on grace, and not in collective salvation or salvation based in politics or any form of nationalism whatsoever.
Mr. Moore accused his fellow Christians who attended the event of worshiping mammon. Nothing could be further from the truth. The liberation theology of left worships mammon – there is greed in every human and especially in the “let them eat cake” crowd among our leftists in America. And fighting off Rome? The liberation theology of the left fights off Rome? The liberation theology of the left *is* Rome. The liberation theology of Beck worships — liberty.
Mr. Beck’s philosophy reminds me more of John Locke or Alexis de Tocqueville’s, and less of Joseph Smith’s. I don’t think “so many Christians” are confused about apples and oranges, but I think Mr. Moore might be.
Dr. Moore is dead on the mark. The problem I fear however, in correcting our nation’s course is that Christians are ill-equipped at the present moment to do so; and this is because too many of our churches are sick with the same Mammonism. We hear feel-good-about-ourselves sermons; we learn schmaltzy ‘topical’ lessons in our Bible Studies; contemporary praise songs are so devoid of true praise that one rarely if ever mentions the name of Jesus – one could just as easily be hearing a love-stricken teen-age boy singing to his girl in some of the lyrics.
I’ll stack a lyric like ‘When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in him be found; dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne’ against ‘you took my fear away’ any day of the week. I’ll take a ‘let’s dust off the Bible, crack it open and study the Acts of the Apostles’ to a ‘topical study about family dynamics’ any day of the week.
If we are going to change America for the better, perhaps the first thing we need to do is change our churches for the better.
Hi Jane,
I think that the point that Dr. Moore was making is that when you begin to meld politics with religion (as Glenn Beck clearly did at his rally) and when that religion is not Christian even though Mr. Beck calls it that then just what god are we praying to? While we’d like to think so, it is impossible to separate one’s philosophy from their theology – no matter how much we may agree with their philosophical or political stance.
Thanks for visiting and taking the time to leave a comment. I rarely post items like this on my blog and frankly I wanted to see what kind of reaction folks would have.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Randy,
I could not agree with you more! Well said.
- Jay