The Gospel According To St. Beck

I come before you today not to bury Glenn Beck but the awkward task of defending Glenn Beck. Me thinks we take him too seriously. Big mistake.

Beck’s detractors may number more than his disciples. And the enemy is firing its best shots. Not with beebee guns. But everything from the stinging barbs of late night comedians to the howitzers of the nation’s most erudite, uh, progressives.

Hours after his Hollywood extravaganza on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Saturday, Beck was taped for an interview by Chris Wallace for the Fox News Sunday telecast.

Despite what you read from his critics, please watch the entire interview. Now read this judgment call from TMV’s Joe Gandelman and all the links he offers.

Thank you. Short quiz:

Is Beck disagreeing with President Obama’s interpretation as a Christian? Yes. “Blasted” Obama’s belief of religion? No.

I reviewed the tape six times just to be sure. It was Beck, not Obama, who framed the expression “libertarian theology.”

It was Beck, not Obama, who described the president’s beliefs as “collective salvation” rather than Beck’s assertion that salvation is of the individual and not of the masses which he called “Marxism.”

Beck, a Mormon, said “Jesus came for personal redemption.” Period. End of argument.

What we have here folks is an egomaniac who frames the theological discussion on his terms.

I suspect carrying this argument into Beck’s rejection that the civil rights movement was more for equal justice than economic equality would only belabor the point.

Who can argue with a mad scientist, or in this case, a recovering drunk with acute attention deficit disorder and all the chemical imbalanced delusions of granduer that go on in his head at any given moment dependent on whether he has taken his meds.

And that’s my point. Beck is sincere of what he speaks at that very moment. Hell, give him a lie detector test. Inject him with truth serum. He will pass with flying colors.

Whether he contradicts himself 10 minutes later is not at all surprising.

He is a carnival barker, Elmer Gantry and a voice of his vision of God all rolled up for the price of one. Oh, he is also rewriting U.S. history that smacks heavily of a socialist plot by Progressives who want to rule America if not the world.

With Glenn Beck, the key to understanding him is not only following the money but keeping track of his words. They keep coming back to haunt.

Millions of Americans share Beck’s views during his best performance by an actor in a leading role on Saturday and again on Sunday’s talk show with Fox.

So don’t castigate Beck that he is insincere and violates his plea for faith, hope and charity within hours after speaking such soul-searching words. Because at that given second on Saturday, he was speaking the truth and millions swallowed it.

Now, can we all move along with the rest of our lives and leave the theater of hypocrisy and rhetoric.

(Photo credits, top to bottom, thestyle.cafemom.com; AP; gawker.com; eurweb.com; thefuturetimes.com)