Whatever Happened to Discernment?

October 3, 2007

It is hard enough today as Christians to advance the cause of Christ without having to deal with the political forces that have hijacked Christianity for their own purposes. When those forces however continue to dupe well-intended Christians who then use their positions of authority to support such political ideologies it makes it that much more difficult. Case in point was a dramatic “urgent” email warning from Pastor Frances Lloyd of Texas. Pastor Lloyd who refers to herself as a “prophetess” sent the email because she had felt “something big” was going to happen and she urged her readers to “stay away from crowds and down town areas.” While admitting that several renowned “predictions” have recently failed to come to pass, Pastor Lloyd assured her readers that this time things were different.

The first such proof was a vague reference to consistent threats from the “enemy”, which government “insiders” considered credible. Never mind the blind acceptance that any reasonable enemy would broadcast their plans in such a manner. Never mind the blind acceptance of intelligence from a government that has consistently proven to manipulate intelligence and use fear as a weapon. The gullibility factor cannot be ignored. There needs to be discernment.

Her first example of support was a recent radio guest on the Glenn Beck Show, who was a supposed “US Security Expert.” She then details that the “expert” says they will attack our school children, especially 7th grade and below. Beck chimed in then about recent thefts of school buses and radios, despite the fact that this was a localized incident in the Houston area alone. Not content with just revealing this diabolical plot, Lloyd continued that there would be a secondary plot to kill the parents in parking lots with car bombs and additional shootings after they gathered together at the attacked schools.

The more frightening aspect of this is the blind acceptance of things people say and then the transference of it to something “God” is warning us about. Discernment is listed biblically as a gift. It is a gift that I wish people like Pastor Lloyd would wield more effectively. Well-intended Christians receive this email alert and send it out immediately to everyone they know, and so on and so on. The fear and panic that results are not biblical either.

Let us first take a closer look at her source. Glenn Beck is a shill for the government, not a reporter. His job is to parrot the administration line, period. Cut from the Sean Hannity mold, Beck is also a poor choice for a Christian to be believing let alone even listening to. Here are some of the documented highlights of Mr. Beck, who is Mormon for the record:

1) Referred to President Jimmy Carter as a “waste of skin.”

2) Referred to Mexican immigrants as “dirt bags.”

3) Referred to Katrina victims as “scumbags.”

4) Referred to Cindy Sheehan as a “prostitute.”

5) Suggested using nuclear weapons against parts of the Middle East and Venezuela.

6) Refers to Hillary Clinton as “The Antichrist” and a “stereotypical bitch.”

7) Was caught fabricating news about Clinton to smear her campaign.

Here are some notable quotes from Glenn Beck:

1) "I find this guy [Michael Berg, father of slain journalist Nick Berg] despicable. Everything in me says that. The want to be a better person today than I was yesterday says he's a dad, he's grieving, but I don't buy that. I'm sorry, I don't buy it. I think he is grieving, but I think he's a scumbag as well. I don't like this guy at all."

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