Jerry Falwell Jr, Glen Beck, Social Justice, and the Mockery of The Poor
http://www.yesumulungi.com/index.php/commentaries/410-jerry-falwell-jr-glen-beck-social-justice-and-the-mockery-of-the-poor.html
Kato Mivule | March 15, 2010
This past week saw one of America's popular conservative Radio and TV Talk Show host and one of the forerunners of the Tea Bag Party Movement, Glen Beck, lecture the Church of Jesus Christ concerning Social and Economic Justice.
Glen Beck claimed that social justice was a code word for Communism and Nazism and argued his listeners to leave such churches that preach or practice Social Justice. The comments have caused outrage among many Christian Groups that focus on helping the poor and fighting poverty.
Yet what is more revealing is the number of Christians who choose to have Glen Beck as a repository for truth. This large number of Christians who choose to buy Glen Beck's “Truth” as Bible Truth is what should be alarming, to the point that Glen Beck addresses them and targets his message to them as a viable audience is even more troubling.
The truth of the matter is that Glen Beck cares nothing about the helping the poor, orphans, and widows as the Bible stipulates. Above all, Glen Beck cares nothing about the message of Jesus Christ and nothing about Christianity apart from using it as a launch pad for insinuation and making money thereof. To Glen Beck, his Christian Audience is just another political block. His speech was an overt mockery of the poor.
Secondly, this goes as far as revealing what some American Christians are up to insofar as what their ideology is, that seems to be so contradicting to the Bible Teachings on helping the poor. As soon as Glen Beck preached his sermon to his Christian Congregation, Jerry Falwell Jr, the son of the late Jerry Falwell the political and controversial Pastor and founder of Liberty University rose to the occasion to backup Glen Beck's claims...
“...Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, a Christian college in Virginia, says Jesus wasn't interested in politics. He says that those pastors who preach economic and social justice "are trying to twist the gospel to say the gospel supported socialism." "Jesus taught that we should give to the poor and support widows, but he never said that we should elect a government that would take money from our neighbor's hand and give it to the poor," Falwell says. Falwell says that Jesus believed that individuals, not governments, should help the poor. "If we all did as Jesus did when he helped the poor, we wouldn't need the government," says Falwell, the son of the late evangelical leader, the Rev. Jerry Falwell...” CNN| http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/12/beck.boycott/
At first glance Jerry Falwell Jr who seems not to be backing down from his late father's Political Christianity controversies, seems to make a point that Christians should not be forced into helping the poor. However, reading the whole context of his message shows that Jerry Falwell Jr seems to turn political while claiming to uphold that Jesus Christ was not political, and with the troubling similarities of an anarchist 'Tea Bagger' that we don't need government...and that governments have no role in helping the poor. Jerry Falwell Jr engaged in a subtle but yet a strong mockery of the poor. The hypocrisy of the Christian Right shows itself as 'Tea Baggers' seem to be frustrating the agitations of the Christian Religious Right for a Christian Utopia...
“...And while health care legislation has brought social and economic conservatives together to fight government funding of abortion, some social conservative leaders have begun to express concern that tea party leaders don’t care about their issues, while others object to the personal vitriol against President Barack Obama, whose personal conduct many conservative Christians applaud...“People didn’t come out into the streets to protest gay marriage or abortion,” said Steinhauser, who said that he hoped the Republican Party would follow the contract’s cue and “stop bringing up flag-burning amendments and the gay marriage thing when they’re not what people are focused on.”...”
Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34291.html
Such ideology from a President of a conservative evangelical University is largely troubling and one wonders what type of “Christian” Education students are receiving. In other words what Jerry Falwell Jr is promoting is pure Extreme Capitalism as defined by the radical right of the republican party, that views the poor and weak as enemies of the capitalist system and therefore any help or outcry to help the injustice inflicted by greedy Capitalists is deemed Satanic. This is very disturbing and Jerry Falwell Jr knows better than channeling the talking points of the Religious Right and the Republican Party who have made it a principle to always blame the poor for their predicaments. Ironically if God in the Bible stands for justice for the poor and weak, the Religious Right and Republican Politicians, many who hypocritically claim to be Christians, seem to oppose God in the face.
Yet still even the mere mention of the idea that “we don't need government” is totally unbiblical. The New Testament contains many scriptures that speak about government and that Christians are supposed to pay taxes to these secular governments, an idea that Jerry Falwell Jr would find troubling assuming he has accepted the Religious Right's views and his late father's political Christianity ideologies.
Romans 13:1-7 KJV Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (2) Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (3) For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: (4) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (5) Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. (6) For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. (7) Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Interestingly, Jerry Falwell Jr's late father championed the Political Christian Movement in America and sought a Christian Government and Christian Laws. In other words, as long as Government is “Christian”, exercises Christian Laws, and promotes Extreme Capitalism, then Jerry Falwell Jr would have no trouble with it, it would be deemed Christian even if such a government allowed social and economic injustice.
Mark 12:15-17 KJV Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. (16) And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. (17) And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.
The governments in the days of Jesus Christ and Paul were not Christian and yet Paul nor Jesus Christ called for no government nor did they subscribe to Anarchism. Therefore Jerry Falwell Jr combines both truth and error to sell his extreme capitalist christian political views that totally contradict scripture.
While it is true that no one should be forced to give or help the poor, yet calling for no government and any form of anarchy is unbiblical and diabolical. There is no doubt that God has instituted governments regardless of if they are favorable to Evangelical Christians or not. Yet still Jerry Falwell Jr knows better that numerous verses in the Old Testament address the issue of Social and Economic Justice especially when it comes to how Governments and the Rich treat the poor.
Yet at the same time Christians and Churches that push for social and economic justice don't go without criticism. Many Churches have forsaken the Gospel in the name of helping the poor and as such only engage in Social issues but not with a Christian Perspective but rather a Secular Perspective...which is no issue but surely becomes a problem when one defines themselves as a Christian NGO and yet cast aside the tenets of the Christian Faith, even in some cases denying The Lord Jesus Christ while claiming to feed the poor in Jesus' Name. It is this group of Christian Churches and organizations, sometimes referred to as Liberal Christians, that the far left political extreme has exploited by turning them political pawns and pushing the left's Political agendas while watering down the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we have it in the New Testament. Therefore the extreme religious right reacts by going political and embracing extreme capitalist ideologies that have largely been responsible for the current global economic crisis. Therefore any Christian Charity group cannot claim to be defined as Christian when Charity is without The Cross.
While it is true that Jesus Christ and His Apostles were not Political yet their Gospel themes did not at anyone time favor the rich but always sought justice for the poor, widows, orphans, down trodden, and the weak of society. Jesus Christ never mandated or forced anyone to care for the poor but it seems that the story of poor Lazarus and the Rich Man seems to depict the current economic disparities between the rich religious right who champion extreme capitalism and the poor...
Luke 16:19-26 KJV There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: (20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, (21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (25) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. (26) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
On a much more serious spiritual note, it seems that the economic and social disparity and chasms between the rich and poor is carried on in the afterlife, only this time it is an eternal inverse of the one on earth, and those who support Greed, Extreme Capitalism, and the consistent mocking of the poor had better take heed.
Kato Mivule
Notes:
Glenn Beck's Advice on 'Social Justice' Churches Sparks Outrage | Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100310/glenn-beck-s-church-advice-sparks-outrage/index.html
Evangelical leader takes on Beck for assailing social justice churches | CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/12/beck.boycott/
Tea parties stir evangelicals' fears |Politico
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34291.html
Why Does Glenn Beck Hate Jesus? |Time
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/14/why-does-glenn-beck-hate-jesus/?xid=huffpo-direct
