The Significance of the “Restoring Honor” Rally
- Sep 9, 2010 - 3 -
What is the significance of Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28? You really had to be there (and I was) to fully appreciate the nature of the gathering. If I were pressed to describe it, I would say it best resembled a peculiar blend of church picnic and 4th of July block party.
Over 300,000 people gathered from across the nation in response to Beck’s call to come to a “Restoring Honor” rally in the nation’s capital. Why did they come?
They did not come because of politics. The rally and the crowd generated were not driven by politics. The deep concerns that brought them to Washington will be reflected in, but were not driven by politics. Their concerns are much deeper and broader than the political process. Their concerns are spiritual and cultural.
These were almost universally people of faith⎯Evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Mormon, and Muslim (all of whom were represented in the program).
While they adhere to differing faiths, their common concern is a country they fervently believe has taken a drastically wrong turn spiritually and culturally. And, they don’t think the wrong turn occurred in 2008, but began much, much earlier in the tumultuous decade of the 1960s.
They acknowledge gladly that many good things happened in the ‘60s such as the Civil Rights movement. Every mention of Dr. King’s name elicited sustained applause at the rally. They do believe the ‘60s ushered in an era in which Americans began to emphasize their rights and privileges at the expense of their obligations and responsibilities. They further believe that the consequences of this change in emphasis have been catastrophic, especially for children. The meteoric rise in illegitimacy from five percent in the early ‘60s to 41 percent today is but one example to which they would point as illustrative of their lament.
Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally called for people to go back to their communities and allow their faith to make a difference in themselves, and how they live their lives in their families, and to make a difference in their churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples and to transform civil society one family, one place of worship, one community at a time.
Millions of Americans believe their God had impressed upon them a similar mission long before Glenn Beck began to articulate it on radio and television. For example, the vision statement of the Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is “An American society that affirms and practices Judeo-Christian values rooted in biblical authority.” The mission statement to achieve that vision is “To awaken, inform, energize, equip, and mobilize Christians to be the catalysts for the Biblically-based transformation of their families, churches, communities, and the nation.”
These mission and vision statements were adopted more than a decade ago and make no mention of government, or politics, but society as a whole. Increasingly, the people gathered at the mall and the tens of millions of people they represent understand that politics and government are lagging societal indicators. When the country changes, then the government will change in a system of government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
As stated earlier, however, it will impact politics. When President Obama was running for president, he stated on several occasions that he wanted to “remake” America. The people gathered at the mall came to rally for restoring honor to America. They do not want to remake, but rather to restore an America where obligations and responsibilities and promises are honored and taken seriously. They have declared their intent to restore America, not remake it. Their vision, and the President’s vision, for America’s future differ greatly. That will impact the political process.
This article originally appeared online at The Hill.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, National,
The comment thread for this article is now closed. Please use our contact form.
{comment_total} comments
1 On Sep 13th, 2010, at 10:00pm, David Pitman wrote:
Thank you for this report and for your perspective. I agree.
2 On Sep 20th, 2010, at 5:44pm, jan wrote:
I supported rally and have supported Glenn Beck. I am a long-time evangelical. I supported and Mitt Romney and still like him. . .really appreciated your statements on the Mormon issue regarding choosing a president-extremely helpful. I am becoming more and more bothered by Beck—especially last fri program - lumping Jesus Christ with Moses, Gandi and Dr, King. In past Beck really was sounding like Christian (and I think he thinks he is) bothers me when he says some Christian’s don’t think I am a Christian (smile wink wink). How can he be reading OT as well as NT and not see where the book of Mormon stands and his won faith?
Yes, God has used non Christians and this could be the case, but mixing error with Truth bothers me. He is just getting too please with himself—he is really in a dangerious place right now. I would really appreciate your take on this. (I have to quit yelling at the program! ha)
3 On Sep 30th, 2010, at 1:46am, Vernona Hearne wrote:
Not everyone who sits and eats at the church picnic will be at the Marriage Feast of The Lamb.
Jude 3,4 “I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Wrap the 2 prior verses and the following 21 verses around 3 and 4 .... and pray!
I love my birth country America. Yearning for my eternal home.
In His great love,
Vernona
______________________________________________________