I am frankly surprised that the President of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Franciscan Fr. Terence Henry, agreed to participate in one of Glenn Beck's radio shows, giving a morning prayer on the air. Now, of course, the Master dined with sinners and tax collectors, so there is a precedent. But, Fr. Henry went further, comparing Beck to Paul Revere "spreading the alarm." What alarm is that Father? The racist anti-Muslim alarm? The confused "socialism is everywhere" alarm? Or the "leave your church if the priest talks about social justice" alarm?
I know that Steubenville is not everyone's cup of tea, but I applaud them for their commitment to the church and their zeal for the faith. I am told that one gets a good education there, which is more than can be said for many colleges and universities. I would have no objection to his bringing Beck to campus to speak, in fact. But going to Beck-land and joining the creepily adoring masses who worship at Beck's feet is unseemly.
Here is my two if by sea warning to the world: Beck is a demagogue and demagogues are dangerous.
H/T to Joshua McElwee
Help us explore new ideas for the NCR website by taking this brief survey.




NCR Comment code:
We are not able to monitor every comment that comes through. If you see something objectionable, please click the "Report abuse" button. Once a comment has been flagged, an NCR staff member will investigate.
For more detailed guidelines, visit our User Guidelines page.
For help on how to post a comment, visit our reference page.