Pastor Jim Garlow thinks people need to wake up to a serious culture myth

People just assume that just because things are one way today, they will be that tomorrow. That's a huge cultural myth. You need to prepare for what is coming in the very near future, and Pastor Jim Garlow is hosting a conference in San Diego to help. On radio this morning, Pastor Garlow discussed the the Future Conference, the Black Robed Regiment, and more.

GLENN: Jim Garlow is a good friend of mine and was there with us at Restoring Honor. He is the pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego, which is not an easy place to be a pastor. He has been under attack and his church has been under attack for a very, very long time. But he has something going on. June 14th through the 17th. And it's free to attend. If you happen to be listening anywhere in California or you want to travel to California -- San Diego is not a bad place to vacation, especially in June -- you can find information on this at SkylineChurch.org. He has a conference, and I'll let him tell the idea behind it. But it's basically to start to empower you, people of faith, and empower the pulpits to do the same thing. It's called the Future Conference, and Jim is with us now. Hi, Jim.

JIM: Hey, Glenn. Good to be on with you, my friend.

GLENN: Thank you. Tell me about the conference. You have 50 people coming in, and you're covering everything.

JIM: It's 56 speakers, but who's counting? And we're covering all kind of topics: Poverty, racism, the Biblical foundations to economics, how to save Iraqi Christians, how to relate to millennials, human trafficking, the tragic loss of religious liberty in America, terrorism here, terrorism abroad, the role of Israel, radical Islam. Emergency preparedness, defending marriage, radical new evangelism, and even this topic, when biblical obedience requires civil disobedience, or principled resistance. So a lot of different topics, and it's designed to educate, embolden, and activate all of us.

GLENN: Jim, I have to tell you, I'm announcing something next week myself, and I think that the -- I think the Lord speaks through the multitudes. And we are -- we are at the time that none of us thought could happen or would happen, never again is now.

You're feeling that. Is that why you're doing this?

JIM: Absolutely. Absolutely. Morally and economically, we're at a crisis, and that's not just a euphemism. We have this cultural myth that many people follow. The cultural myth goes like this: The way things are, are the way things are always going to be. And that is not the case.

Any study of history knows that nations begin, and nations end. And some are saying we are at the end of the end. And they're not Chicken Little, just screaming the sky is falling. Even in the economic world -- I have a friend who lectures -- speaks at a prestigious east coast university to billionaires who told me last week that among the billionaire friends he has -- he's lectured every year for many years -- and he says, never have I seen them with this level of fear in just the economic arena. And in the moral collapse of our nation.

And so the Future Conference is one guy's way, and we all have our part. My way of saying, I take a stand here, and I want to raise up as many people as I can who really understand the biblical underpinnings. God's word has all the truth. The biblical underpinnings of all of these contemporary gutsy issues. Equip as many people as rapidly as I can in all these issues.

We have an incredible list of speakers. Congressman Bob McEwen. Bishop Harry Jackson from D.C. Star Parker. The Catholic Chaldean bishop, Bishop Mar Sarhad Jammo. Now, he's from Baghdad. He'll give us a report on how to save Iraqi Christians, his own friends.

Kendra Todd. She's going to speak on how to reach millennials with the truth. She happens to be the first female to ever be on Donald Trump's The Apprentice, the youngest ever to win it.

A man named Kasim Hafeez. Now, he is a radical -- was a radical Islamists and got spun around and lost his hatred for Israel and realizes how spectacular Israel is.

Another one is Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook. She's an Obama appointee. Was. She stepped out of the role now. But the religious liberty ambassador to all nations. And a host of others. There's 56 speakers total. That's just a few of them. Like Steve Riggle, for example. He's one of the pastors of the Houston five that was attacked by the mayor there recently when she went after five pastors and violated the First Amendment. So a host of speakers covering so many superb topics.

GLENN: Okay. You're hearing Jim Garlow. He's the pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego. Jim was one of the first to sign up for the Black Robe Regiment, when we went to Washington, DC, five years ago this summer, and has been a good friend ever since. And his -- somebody has just come up to me over the last three months, Glenn, do you remember those groups of guys that stood behind you on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial? Is that still going, and are those guys still active? Not only is that still going, the number in the Black Robe Regiment is about 70,000 now. The number that I think will walk through a wall of fire, you know, and possible death is anywhere between 17 and 10,000. That's an extraordinary number of people that are willing to lay it all down on the table and go to jail or go to death because they serve God and not man.

Jim is one of those men. So you are -- you're putting this together. Now, is this -- is this for pastors or is this for regular people?

JIM: We're saying it this way. It's for three categories. Pastors. Christian leaders. And serious followers of God. And so it's wide open to anybody who is serious about these things, who wants to learn.

It's interesting. The line of the speakers is so exceptional, so strong -- by the way, they can go to FutureConference2015.com, and they'll see the whole list of speakers, or SkylineChurch.org. Either place. And the list of speakers is so strong, that one of the major universities here in San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University is giving three hours' graduate credit for people who come to this conference and who will sign up of course through the university to get that.

But it's a goal -- you used some language here a moment ago, Glenn, that the uninitiated will understand. Willing to walk through the wall of fire and possibly death, that's what you just said.

And that's honestly where we are. I spoke to a group of about 350 pastors one time at Samford. Not Stanford. But Samford University down in Alabama. And behind me on the wall was a bust of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And I said to the pastors: Stop telling stories and illustrations about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and be willing to be Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

And we have come to that moment. You have wisely said, what you did a few moments ago, based upon an accurate reading of the cultural landscape. And people like you and me and, thank God, many others are digging in very deeply and laying the benchmark of where we're going to stand on these issues. And so I urge people to come to San Diego for four wonderful days, June 14 through 17. It starts off with Bob McEwen. He'll speak in our Sunday morning services. But it officially kicks off Sunday afternoon at 6:00 p.m. June 14th, ends Wednesday night, June 17th. There's no registration charge. No cost for coming. We do ask people to register though at FutureConference2015.com, or they can call the church office: 619-660-5000.

GLENN: Jim, can I ask you one last question?

JIM: Yes, sir.

GLENN: Compare what you believed or where you were five years ago to where you are today. I've known for five -- when we first stood on those stairs together, I knew where we were headed. Most did not. We all kind of hoped that it wouldn't come down. But I have had a growing feeling since last year. And unstoppable feeling this year. That it now is time and it has begun. Can you tell me the difference five years ago to today?

JIM: I will. And I'm going to take you back just three years ago. You were on the platform of our church. And I threw the question out to you and one other person in that Sunday night seminar format. And I said, where are we right now in America? And the other person said, the Titanic has not hit the iceberg yet. You leaned over to me and said: I want to answer first. I disagree. And you said, the Titanic has hit the iceberg. It's a case of now getting life jackets and lifeboats. I agreed with you that day. And I agree with you today.

You have and I have and others like us and some listening have what I call the disadvantage of the prophet. That's where you can see what other people cannot see. And you sound so alarmist. You sound so melodramatic. Other people are saying, we can play shuffleboard on the surface of the Titanic. It will be fine. You see what is happening, and you're trying to save lives. Here's how I know how much worse it has gotten. I record once a month, and I just finished moments ago recording one-minute commentaries. They're called the Garlow Perspective, and they air on 850 radio outlets once a day. And most of them are recordings of the state of lawsuits against Christians across America. I just finished that recording moments ago.

And every month, I get shocked. I get stunned at how much more severe the lawsuits are against being a follower of Jesus Christ in this nation. The rise of the anti-Christian sentiment and the rise globally of anti-Semitism. I just got back from Israel. It's my seventh trip. My wife's 53rd trip. We just got back a week ago from Israel. And what we're witnessing globally, what we're witnessing here, the world is on fire. Something is happening, and we want to urge as many people to be prepared to stand. I tell my own congregation. I can't tell you exactly what is coming, but I am preparing you for whatever it is that's coming.

GLENN: Jim, thank you for being one of those men. Thank you. Sincerely. It is a --

JIM: To you as well.

GLENN: It's rare to meet somebody and then know them as well as I know you and to know that you're not in this for the money. You're not in this for a book sale. You're not in this -- you really will stand till the end. And to hear you speak this way, you and I have spoken off-air over the years, and we have both said, well, maybe some day. But not quite now. And to hear you do this and put this together at the same time that I'm feeling the same things and I'm doing something myself, I am telling you, the Spirit speaks through the multitudes. And I'm grateful. I'm grateful for your willingness to stand.

JIM: Well, thank you. When Bruce Jenner, or Caitlyn, is lifted up and then a person who says that a child deserves to have a mommy and daddy is condemned and potentially fined and can be sentenced to jail, that is where we have gotten.

But the good news is, we're not budging. And we're not going anywhere. We're standing. And truth always eventually and righteousness always eventually emerges. My Ph.D. is in historical theology and church history, and truth always ultimately wins out.

GLENN: Jim, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

JIM: Blessings on you. And thank you, my friend.

GLENN: You too. Jim Garlow. Skyline Church. It's SkylineChurch.org. It's in San Diego. It's actually La Mesa, California. The Future Conference: What you thought was coming is here now. That's the name of it. SkylineChurch.org. Do you feel that, Pat? Or is that just me?

Episode 6 of Glenn’s new history podcast series The Beck Story releases this Saturday.

This latest installment explores the history of Left-wing bias in mainstream media. Like every episode of this series, episode 6 is jam-packed with historical detail, but you can’t squeeze in every story, so some inevitably get cut from the final version. Part of this episode involves the late Ben Bradlee, who was the legendary editor of the Washington Post. Bradlee is legendary mostly because of the Watergate investigation that was conducted on his watch by two young reporters named Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Bradlee, Woodward, and Bernstein became celebrities after the release of the book and movie based on their investigation called All the President’s Men.

But there is another true story about the Washington Post that you probably won’t see any time soon at a theater near you.

In 1980, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee wanted to expand the Post’s readership in the black community. The paper made an effort to hire more minority journalists, like Janet Cooke, a black female reporter from Ohio. Cooke was an aggressive reporter and a good writer. She was a fast-rising star on a staff already full of stars. The Post had a very competitive environment and Cooke desperately wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Readers were hooked. And outraged.

When Cooke was asked to work on a story about the D.C. area’s growing heroin problem, she saw her chance to win that Pulitzer. As she interviewed people in black neighborhoods that were hardest hit by the heroin epidemic, she was appalled to learn that even some children were heroin addicts. When she learned about an eight-year-old heroin addict named Jimmy, she knew she had her hook. His heartbreaking story would surely be her ticket to a Pulitzer.

Cooke wrote her feature story, titling it, “Jimmy’s World.” It blew away her editors at the Post, including Bob Woodward, who by then was Assistant Managing Editor. “Jimmy’s World” would be a front-page story:

'Jimmy is 8 years old and a third-generation heroin addict,' Cooke’s story began, 'a precocious little boy with sandy hair, velvety brown eyes and needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin brown arms. He nestles in a large, beige reclining chair in the living room of his comfortably furnished home in Southeast Washington. There is an almost cherubic expression on his small, round face as he talks about life – clothes, money, the Baltimore Orioles and heroin. He has been an addict since the age of 5.'

Readers were hooked. And outraged. The mayor’s office instructed the police to immediately search for Jimmy and get him medical treatment. But no one was able to locate Jimmy. Cooke wasn’t surprised. She told her editors at the Post that she had only been able to interview Jimmy and his mother by promising them anonymity. She also revealed that the mother’s boyfriend had threatened Cooke’s life if the police discovered Jimmy’s whereabouts.

A few months later, Cooke’s hard work paid off and her dream came true – her story was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. Cooke had to submit some autobiographical information to the Prize committee, but there was a slight snag. The committee contacted the Post when they couldn’t verify that Cooke had graduated magna cum laude from Vassar College. Turns out she only attended Vassar her freshman year. She actually graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. degree, not with a master’s degree as she told the Pulitzer committee.

Cooke’s editors summoned her for an explanation. Unfortunately for Cooke and the Washington Post, her resume flubs were the least of her lies. After hours of grilling, Cooke finally confessed that “Jimmy’s World” was entirely made up. Jimmy did not exist.

The Pulitzer committee withdrew its prize and Cooke resigned in shame. The Washington Post, the paper that uncovered Watergate – the biggest political scandal in American history – failed to even vet Cooke’s resume. Then it published a front-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning feature story that was 100 percent made up.

Remarkably, neither Ben Bradlee nor Bob Woodward resigned over the incident. It was a different time, but also, the halo of All the President’s Men probably saved them.

Don’t miss the first five episodes of The Beck Story, which are available now. And look for Episode 6 this Saturday, wherever you get your podcasts.


5 Democrats who have endorsed Kamala (and two who haven't)

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With Biden removed from the 2024 election and only a month to find a replacement before the DNC, Democrats continue to fall in line and back Vice President Kamala Harris to headline the party's ticket. Her proximity and familiarity with the Biden campaign along with an endorsement from Biden sets Harris up to step into Biden's shoes and preserve the momentum from his campaign.

Glenn doesn't think Kamala Harris is likely to survive as the assumed Democratic nominee, and once the DNC starts, anything could happen. Plenty of powerful and important Democrats have rallied around Harris over the last few days, but there have been some crucial exemptions. Here are five democrats that have thrown their name behind Harris, and two SHOCKING names that didn't...

Sen. Dick Durbin: ENDORSED

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High-ranking Senate Democrat Dick Durbin officially put in his support for Harris in a statement that came out the day after Biden stepped down: “I’m proud to endorse my former Senate colleague and good friend, Vice President Kamala Harris . . . our nation needs to continue moving forward with unity and not MAGA chaos. Vice President Harris was a critical partner in building the Biden record over the past four years . . . Count me in with Kamala Harris for President.”

Michigan Gov. Whitmer: ENDORSED

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The Monday after Biden stepped down from the presidential VP hopeful, Gretchen Whitmer released the following statement on X: “Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for president of the United States [...] In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ENDORSED

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Mere hours after Joe Biden made his announcement, AOC hopped on X and made the following post showing her support: "Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: ENDORSED

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Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is arguably one of the most influential democrats, backed Harris's campaign with the following statement given the day after Biden's decision: “I have full confidence she will lead us to victory in November . . . My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal, and political.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: ENDORSED

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Massasschesets Senator Elizabeth Warren was quick to endorse Kamala, releasing the following statement shortly after Harris placed her presidential bid: "I endorse Kamala Harris for President. She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."

Former President Barack Obama: DID NOT ENDORSE

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Former President Barack Obama wasted no time releasing the following statement which glaringly omits any support for Harris or any other candidate. Instead, he suggests someone will be chosen at the DNC in August: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."

Prominent Democratic Donor John Morgan: DID NOT ENDORSE

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Prominent and wealthy Florida lawyer and democrat donor John Morgan was clearly very pessimistic about Kamala's odds aginst Trump when he gave the following statement: “You have to be enthusiastic or hoping for a political appointment to be asking friends for money. I am neither. It’s others turn now . . . The donors holding the 90 million can release those funds in the morning. It’s all yours. You can keep my million. And good luck . . . [Harris] would not be my first choice, but it’s a done deal.”

How did Trump's would-be assassin get past Secret Service?

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Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday was targeted in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. It occurred just after 6:10 p.m. while Trump was delivering his speech.

Here are the details of the “official” story. The shooter was Thomas Matthew Crooks. He was 20 years old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He used an AR-15 rifle and managed to reach the rooftop of a nearby building unnoticed. The Secret Service's counter-response team responded swiftly, according to "the facts," killing Crooks and preventing further harm.

Did it though? That’s what the official story says, so far, but calling this a mere lapse in security by Secret Service doesn't add up. There are some glaring questions that need to be answered.

If Trump had been killed on Saturday, we would be in a civil war today. We would have seen for the first time the president's brains splattered on live television, and because of the details of this, I have a hard time thinking it wouldn't have been viewed as JFK 2.0.

How does someone sneak a rifle onto the rally grounds? How does someone even know that that building is there? How is it that Thomas Matthew Crooks was acting so weird and pacing in front of the metal detectors, and no one seemed to notice? People tried to follow him, but, oops, he got away.

How could the kid possibly even think that the highest ground at the venue wouldn't be watched? If I were Crooks, my first guess would be, "That’s the one place I shouldn't crawl up to with a rifle because there's most definitely going to be Secret Service there." Why wasn't anyone there? Why wasn't anyone watching it? Nobody except the shooter decided that the highest ground with the best view of the rally would be the greatest vulnerability to Trump’s safety.

Moreover, a handy ladder just happened to be there. Are we supposed to believe that nobody in the Secret Service, none of the drones, none of the things we pay millions of dollars for caught him? How did he get a ladder there? If the ladder was there, was it always there? Why was the ladder there? Secret Service welds manhole covers closed when a president drives down a road. How was there a ladder sitting around, ready to climb up to the highest ground at the venue, and the Secret Service failed to take it away?

There is plenty of video of eyewitnesses yelling that there was a guy with a rifle climbing up on a ladder to the roof for at least 120 seconds before the first shot was fired. Why were the police looking for him while Secret Service wasn't? Why did the sniper have him in his sights for over a minute before he took a shot? Why did a cop climb up the ladder to look around? When Thomas Matthew Cooks pointed a gun at him, he then ducked and came down off the ladder. Did he call anyone to warn that this young man had a rifle within range of the president?

How is it the Secret Service has a female bodyguard who doesn't even reach Trump's nipples? How was she going to guard the president's body with hers? How is it another female Secret Service agent pulled her gun out a good four minutes too late, then looked around, apparently not knowing what to do? She then couldn't even get the pistol back into the holster because she's a Melissa McCarthy body double. I don't think it's a good idea to have Melissa McCarthy guarding the president.

Here’s the critical question now: Who trusts the FBI with the shooter’s computer? Will his hard drive get filed with the Nashville manifesto? How is it that the Secret Service almost didn't have snipers at all but decided to supply them only one day before the rally because all the local resources were going to be put on Jill Biden? I want Jill Biden safe, of course. I want Jill Biden to have what the first lady should have for security, but you can’t hire a few extra guys to make sure our candidates are safe?

How is it that we have a Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, whose experience is literally guarding two liters of Squirt and spicy Doritos? Did you know that's her background? She's in charge of the United States Secret Service, and her last job was as the head of security for Pepsi.

This is a game, and that's what makes this sick. This is a joke. There are people in our country who thought it was OK to post themselves screaming about the shooter’s incompetence: “How do you miss that shot?” Do you realize how close we came to another JFK? If the president hadn't turned his head at the exact moment he did, it would have gone into the center of his head, and we would be a different country today.

Now, Joe Biden is also saying that we shouldn't make assumptions about the motive of the shooter. Well, I think we can assume one thing: He wanted to kill the Republican presidential candidate. Can we agree on that at least? Can we assume that much?

How can the media even think of blaming Trump for the rhetoric when the Democrats and the media constantly call him literally worse than Hitler who must be stopped at all costs?

These questions need to be answered if we want to know the truth behind what could have been one of the most consequential days in U.S. history. Yet, the FBI has its hands clasped on all the sources that could point to the truth. There must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of these glaring “mistakes.”

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

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It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?