Glenn Beck's "Twelve Values": #12 Friendship

Paul Derengowski, ThM

Friendship. We all know what friendship is, but how many real friends do we have? We're researching out now in virtual friendships and everything else. We need to expand our circle of friendship. We need to start trusting one another again. We need to start seeing our neighbors again. We need to -- have you considered that if things melted down who your neighbors are? Do you trust them? Do they trust you? Can you count on each other? Our grandparents counted on each other. They counted on the neighbor. They would bring each other pies and they would share what they had. They would help each other. A lot of people would look at that, "Oh, my gosh, he was talking about, oh, it's going to break down so bad that it's going to be..." that's a good thing. As much as I hated that little street that I wrote about in my book The Christmas Sweater that my grandparents lived on, as much as I hated that when I was a kid, I'd give my right arm to live on that street again where everybody knew each other, everybody worked together. It was like a big family on that little street. While I don't have to move there, why aren't all of our streets like that now? In time I believe they're going to become those streets again and many will say that's a bad thing. Many will avoid it and they will stand in the bar there in the Titanic and you will just quietly be there to say, "Come on, into the boat. It's going to be okay." And then we will all go to shore, put our lives back in order and build a better boat.—Glenn Beck

The last of Glenn Beck's values is his rambling comments about friendship. When all is said and done, be a friend. No matter how many lies, distortions, or deceptions have been told, be a friend. Regardless if one has attempted to undermine the values, virtues, and verities of another through subtle equivocation, contradictory logic, and sleight of hand manipulation of words and meanings, be a friend. Even if the end of what one is telling another leads that person straight to hell, be a friend. That is the kind of friend that Glenn Beck wants to be to everyone.

Now, there are going to be those who will say, "But he's such a nice guy. How can you possibly say that he is not being sincere in his offer of friendship? Why cannot you just take him at his word?" First of all let me say that niceness and sincerity have nothing to do with genuineness, particularly if this nice, fun-loving, jovial person on the outside is speaking with a forked tongue. The writer E. C. McKenzie made this very point when he wrote, "A true friend is like a good book—the inside is better than the cover." So, it doesn't matter what Glenn Beck looks like on the outside; what matters is what's on the inside; and throughout this series of critiques he has been anything but friendly. Oh, friendly like a wolf in sheep's clothing, but that is hardly the kind of friend anyone in their right minds should be cherishing. People tend to get hurt, badly, with friends like that.

Another reason why a sensible person cannot take Glenn Beck seriously is because he has not been forthright in discussing the foundation of his beliefs. Instead, he has done all he could to speak Mormonese and then gloss it over with great sounding words of conservatism, patriotism, and the American way. In fact, he is doing what Mitt Romney did a few months ago when he was running for the Presidency of the United States. When asked about his Mormonism, he dodged, evaded, and obfuscated the questions. To me, anytime a person feels the needs to elude the truth, and then turn around and lie behind my back, then that person is not someone who can be trusted, much less can that person be a friend.

This, of course, does not mean that a Christian cannot be a friend to those who are not Christians. Jesus obviously associated with sinners, and we know that the apostle Paul had friends who were "of the Asiarchs" that were not Christians as well (Acts 19:31). But, that is the Christian making the decision based on wisdom and discernment. Neither Jesus nor his disciples compromised their standards to be friendly with those who were adversarial toward them and their message. In fact, James, Jesus' brother, warned against friendship with the world by stating that such friendship amounted to becoming an enemy of God's (James 4:4).

What it does mean is that since Glenn Beck, and those like him, cannot be upfront and truthful about what it is that they're otherwise covertly feeding people, then whatever friendship he and they are offering should be taken with a grain of salt. Moreover, no one should be afraid to question anyone's motives that are not clearly set forth at the outset, particularly when a Glenn Beck-type is trying to convince anyone about moral-ethical issues. Why? Because once again, a person's worldview will dictate the meaning behind the moral-ethical definitions he is intending to convey. There is no separation or division between that worldview and how he conducts his politics, his family life, or how he purchases a new car. It is all interrelated. And since Glenn Beck's worldview is heavily influenced by Mormonism, then as already seen, whatever he has to say about friends, friendliness, or friendship will be colored by that same worldview.

Therefore, in conclusion, while Glenn Beck advocates what appear to be two lists of principles and values that most normal people could agree upon, after going below the surface of general, if not simply incoherent, statements it is quite evident that those principles and values are anything but normal. Each and every point is loaded with ulterior meanings which ultimately go back to a worldview that is intimately connected to fantasies about gods and goddesses procreating humanoid figures, satanic beings filially related to Jesus, superstitious undergarments, Masonic symbolism, and on, and on, and on.

What is perhaps the worst aspect of all of this is the fact that Beck has failed miserably in divulging all of this to his audience. But, he still wants to be everyone's friend. Well, I have a suggestion. Until Beck comes clean, and then repents of his error, then please don't expect me, or anyone else, to be his friend. My friends don't pull the bait-n-switch on me, and they certainly don't have a problem telling me the truth. Glenn Beck, on the other hand, has not only pulled all kinds of switcheroos, but has a great aversion to telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, mainly because he doesn't know what the absolute truth is; and as the saying goes, "with friends like that, who needs enemies?"