CNN is back at it, spreading more lies than you can count. In fact, its recent article titled “An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy” was so bad, it made Glenn’s eyes bleed. CNN supports the article’s premise — that American Christianity is being overrun by radical, White Christian nationalists — with far-left thinkers and biased New York Times’ bestsellers. So, Glenn debunks it all, conducting an EPIC TAKEDOWN of the article with facts from history that PROVE ‘everything CNN Is contending here is WRONG.’

You can access Glenn's supporting documents and research here.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Right now, I want to do part one of the article written by CNN. It has been trending all week. The article. An imposter Christianity is threatening American democracy. And I read it Sunday. And my eyes started to bleed. So I went to our Mercury Museum. And started doing some research. Asked Tim Barton. David Barton. And the research staff. To be able to -- can we compile some evidence that everything CNN is contending here is wrong? And, gee, after nine pages of footnotes, yeah. We can do that. We can do that. So I'm going to start today. Probably end it tomorrow in this hour. And I'll make it tomorrow, available in our newsletter. So subscribe, at GlennBeck.com for our free newsletter. So here we go. An imposter Christianity is threatening American democracy. The insurrection marked the first time. What is the insurrection? January 6th. The insurrection marked the first time many Americans realized, the U.S. is facing a burgeoning white Christian nationalist movement. This movement uses Christian language to cloak sexism and hostility to black people, and non-white immigrants in its quest to create a white Christian America. Oh, my gosh. Now we really know what happened on January 6th. It was white Christians that were trying to get anybody -- but they were colored. Get them out of here. Because that's what Jesus says, according to CNN. The media is so busy looking for anyone and anything to blame for January 6th. And also, at the same time, serve two masters. Also, take down not just the country. Not just conservatives. But also Christianity. And if you have faith, now you are on trial. If you believe in God, free game. And the way they do it is by taking your faith, and assigning a false label to it. Your faith, as you will see in this article, is now white Christian nationalist. Do you know of a church that promotes sexism and hostility to black people and non-white immigrants. If you do, please call, because you're probably proud. I don't know of a church that is preaching that, even in the language of dog whistles. Now, if you might be thinking that CNN is referring to their random offshoot of Christianity. A minority, whose relevancy must be called out, because the article goes on to elaborate. White Christian nationals believe, have infiltrated the religious mainstream. Thoroughly, so thoroughly that virtually any conservative Christian pastor, who challenges their ideology, risks their career. Says Kristen Du Mez. Now, who is Kristen Du Mez? She's got a fancy name, she must be smart. Well, she's the author of the New York Times' best-seller Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

She says, these ideas are so widespread, that any individual pastor or Christian leader who tries to turn the tide and say, let's look again at Jesus and Scripture, are going to be tossed aside. My gosh, I'm terrified now.

Okay. So first, CNN is clearly not talking about some random minority offshoot here. They're insinuating that every church in America, especially if you have a white pastor, is infected. Quote, virtually any conservative Christian pastor. And any individual pastor, or Christian leader. Well, I think that pretty much encapsulates almost all Christian churches. But funny enough, you're probably still grouped on to this label, even if you're not white. If you believe in Christian doctrine to these people, you're the enemy. You know what they're really talking about here, right? Homosexuality and abortion. The doctrine on these issues is clear, and no true Christian pastor will tell you that either is not a sin. They will love the sinner. They will say, that is your choice, but it is something that you need to deal with God with, because this is what God says. But I'm not going to hate you. Oh, my gosh! They want to overthrow the government with stuff like that. Doctrine cannot be changed due to the politics of the time. I'm sorry. But then again, not sorry at all. CNN brings out the big guns, they bring out the experts here to help them. And the one I just quoted is Christian Du Mez. What a -- she is a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University. Now, Calvin University, that's a Christian university. Calvin is. I don't know about Hobbs University, but Calvin is definitely a Christian, which gives her a basis as a Christian authority, to criticize other Christians, and to point out, they're all off-based. She's referenced six times in the article. It's an amazing high number. But she is a Du Mez, huh? And she has a view of Christianity. And whether she has a good authority on Christian beliefs, I don't know. But we should consider her viewpoint on the subject, such as her work on the faith of Hillary Clinton. Now, here's her description of her admiration for Hillary Clinton's faith. What she says -- she says she's a big fan of, and that should tell us, whether she's a qualified expert on Christian beliefs or not. Because listen to what she says. And I quote. Having spent a lot a lot of time, reading the sermons and the diaries of intrepid Methodist women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I couldn't help, but see Hillary Clinton as a torch bearer of this vibrant tradition of progressive faith and activism. Yet, it puzzles me, that so many people on the left and the right, saw her as secular. Or even a pagan. The more I begin to dig into her story, the more I begin to realize, to tell her story is to tell the story of Christianity itself, in recent American history.
(music)
And the heavens open. And the sunbeams down on the truth. By the way, CNN also fails to acknowledge, that Du Mez is currently openly contending against the university's Christian beliefs in important areas, such as sexuality. She is currently the leader in opposition to the Christian beliefs in her church, in that area. Not only debating the university's position, but also being photographed, in front of a pride flag. Now, just this one source alone, it's pretty clear, CNN -- we know what they have a problem with here. The Christian faith. What bothers them, gets them so hot, and, oh, my gosh. They're after us. Is the doctrine of the Bible. Which is on trial here. And anyone willing to pervert it, is an expert. A theologian or a historian. The article goes on to identify the key beliefs, three key beliefs associated with the a white Christian nationalist. Oh, well. I'm going to take a break. Because you need to have a sip of water. Because you're going to realize, pretty darn quickly, that you have been calling for the overthrow of this government, all because of black and Hispanic people, or people of another color, which I shan't express at this time.

Hmm. Oh, yeah. So we're going back now into the religion and theology! Raise your hands and praise the Lord for CNN. Gang, stop the music. They have caught us. They have caught us. CNN says that we're all worshiping an imposter Christianity. And they have somebody named Christiane Amanpour, that kind of has Christ in the name so I think we should pay attention. The article released on Sunday, identifies three key beliefs associated with the white Christian nationalists. And here they are. And ask yourself right now, do I belong to a hate group? Belief number one. A belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.
(laughter)
Gotcha! You're in a hate group. For this section, CNN rolls out their expert of experts on this topic. Yale professor, Philip Gorski. Is he a historian? Is he a theologian? No, he's neither. He's a sociology professor, which is code for, I'm a radical leftist, practicing in a -- in a -- a role here, that was designed by Karl Marx. Yeah. Yeah. Sociology. Karl Marx. Look it up. Anyway, he's just looking to indoctrinate as many young minds as he can. And so CNN says, let's find the best and the brightest for this little thesis. CNN refers to him 12 times in this article. He says, erasing the lines separating piety from politics is a key characteristic of white Christian nationalism. Wow. Aren't I told every day, that I am just somebody that is just a horrible, horrible person, unless I apply the politics of this new woke religion? Anyway, erasing the lines separating piety from politics is a key characteristic of white Christian nationalism. Many want to reduce or erase the separation of church and state say those who study the movement. Who are they? Who are those who are studying the movement? Why aren't you quoting them? What is separation of church and state? Well, according to our court and public policy decisions, it includes an individually -- an individual personally expressing his faith and beliefs in public. So they believe Christians are theocrats, for wanting to see individuals receive the Constitution's guaranteed protection for free speech and religious expression, that many courts have ignored recently. Now, consider some of the separation of church and state restrictions that CNN and this Yale professor, just think as nonsense. For instance, a student was prohibited from writing a research paper on a religious topic. Or drawing religious artwork in class. Or carry a personal Bible on to the school grounds. School forbade a Bible for being placed in its reference library. Wow. Try to understand Shakespeare without a Bible. Cadets at a state military academy were banned for praying over their meals. Individually. A state employee in Minnesota was barred from parking his car in the state parking lot because of a religious sticker on his bumper. Five-year-old kindergarten student in Saratoga Springs, New York, was forbidden to say a prayer over lunch and was scolded by the teacher for doing so. Senior citizens who regularly gathered at a community center in Balch Springs, Texas, prohibited for praying over their meals. A library employee, in Russellville, Kentucky, was barred for wearing her necklace because it had a small cross on it. College students serving residential assistance in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, prohibited from holding Bible studies in their own personal dorm rooms. A school lunch official in St. Louis, Missouri, caught an elementary student praying over his lunch, lifted the student from his seat. Reprimanded him from other students. Took him to the principal, who ordered him, stop praying! Now, there are hundreds of these examples. And that's what they claim is the separation of church and state. So what does the separation of church and state actually mean in a historic sense?

Well, the only founder that talked about the separation of church and state, was Thomas Jefferson. So we should ask him! Because the progressives credit him with the -- the origin of that phrase. And they love it so much. So it was Jefferson's firm position, that the federal government had no authority, to interfere, limit, regulate, or prohibit public religious expressions. You mean like praying over lunch? Yes. Exactly. And he stated that, on multiple occasions. Oh. I wish I had ten or 12 examples. Oh, I do. I do. Oh, it's going to take us more than two days to get through all of this. But by gum, we'll do it.

GLENN: All right. So we're debunking the CNN article that America has a real problem. Because Christianity, all the churches have been taken hostage. And now they're white nationalist churches. So they've gone on to identify the three key beliefs associated with the white Christian nationalist. The first one is I believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation. Okay. So we -- we told you about this. And then the separation of church and state. We showed you what was being passed. But I want to get real quickly, to what separation of church and state actually means, okay? We have to go to Thomas Jefferson. Because he's the only one that said this. It was Jefferson's firm position, that the federal government had no authority to interfere with, limit, regulate, or prohibit public religious expressions. A position he stated on many occasions like this. Quote, no power over the freedom of religion is delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, First Amendment. In the matter of religion, I have considered -- considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution, independent of the powers of the federal government. Quote, our excellent Constitution, has not placed our religious rights under the power of any public functionary. Now, none of these statements or other statements by Jefferson, contain even the slightest hint that religion shall be isolated or removed from public square. Or that the public square should be secularized. Rather, that the government could not limit or regulate any religious expressions. So now, let's understand the concern here. Jefferson wrote about the separation of church and state, to people of faith, who were saying, I don't trust this government. I don't trust -- we -- they will find a way to stop us. Jefferson replied to them, January 1st, 1802. Assuring them that they had nothing to fear. Quote, the government would not meddle with your religious expression. Whether it occurs in public or private. Quoting, a contemplate with sovereign reverence, that at of the whole American people, which declared in the First Amendment, that their legislature, should, quote, make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Thus, building a wall of separation between church and state. So he was using that as a metaphor, saying, don't worry about it. They're not going to touch religion, because they're not able to touch religion. It is beyond their reach. The exact opposite of what the Yale professor, who is neither a theologian nor a historian is saying in this lovely CNN article. Let me move on. There's more. But you'll get it in our newsletter. Well, I have to take a breath. I really hate completely blowing up CNN's first key belief of white Christian nationalists, right at the beginning. But maybe they're just ignorant. Or they're being completely dishonest. You'll have to figure out, the article and ignorance goes on. One of the most popular beliefs, writes CNN, among white Christian nationalists, is that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation. The Founding Fathers were all orthodox evangelical Christians. And that God has chosen the U.S. for a special role in history. But the notion that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation is bad history and bad theology, says Philip Gorski, the sociologist who is neither again a theologian or a historian. But he is the coauthor of The Flag and The Cross: White christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy. So it makes him an authority on his opinion. He says it's a half-truth. A mythological version of American history. So saith the Yale sociology professor. Amen. Well, since I didn't get any real historians to comment for this article. Let me give you some very well documented footnotes and quotes, that are actually historically accurate. On literally hundreds of occasions, in the past two centuries, state and federal courts have routinely declared America as a Christian nation. For starters in a unanimous decision in 1844, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed America as, quote, a Christian country. 1892, Supreme Court did it again. Delivered a unanimous ruling, declaring America is, quote, a Christian nation. In 1931, Supreme Court reaffirmed the same position for a third time. Stating we are, quote, a Christian people. Now, I know you have no respect for the Supreme Court, unless it agrees with you. But that's what the Supreme Court has said. But maybe we can go for some presidents. Because presidents have all made comments on this, including John Adams. Thomas Jefferson. John Quincy Adams. John Taylor. Zachary Taylor. James Buchanan. Abraham Lincoln. Ulysses S. Grant. William McKinley. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Dwight Eisenhower. Richard Nixon.

Hey, here's one from Lyndon Baines Johnson, that you'll like if you're a progressive. In these last 200 years, we have guided the building of our nation and our society by those principles and precepts brought to earth nearly 2,000 years ago. On that first Christmas. Oh. And then if I may quote, America was born as a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of holy Scripture. Who said that? Oh, it gives me great joy to say Woodrow freaking Wilson. Your God on the left. But let's go back even further on our history.

1606, Virginia charter declared the colony was started for the propagation of Christian religion to such people as yet live in ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God and Jesus Christ. The Mayflower Compact of 1620, declared their endeavor was undertaken for the glory of God. And advancement of the Christian faith. 1629. Charter of Massachusetts Bay Colony, declared that winning the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only one true God and savior of mankind and the Christian faith is the principle end of this plantation or colony. 1639. Do I need to go on? I mean, I can do this all day long. Get it in the newsletter. Okay. Let me -- let me just give you one more. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren. I believe no one can read history of our country without realizing the good book and the spirit of the savior. Have from the beginning, been our -- what are we looking at the first charter of Virginia? Or the charter of New England. The charter of Massachusetts Bay, the fundamental order of Connecticut. Same objective is present. A Christian land governed by Christian principles.

Congress has also said, 1852, 1853. When a group sought to complete secularization of the public square, House judiciary committee, half the people, during the Revolution had a suspicion of any attempt, to war against Christianity. That revolution would have been strangled in its cradle. At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, and the universal sentiment, that it was Christianity that should be encouraged.

Not any one sect or denomination. In this age, there could be no substitute for Christianity. The judiciary committee, we are Christians, not because the law demands it. Not to gain exclusive benefits or to avoid legal disabilities, but from choice and education. And this, in a land, thus universally Christian. Which is what to be -- which is what is expected, what is desired, and what we shall pay due regard to Christianity. House of Representatives said the same thing.

Now, they made a counter with -- yeah. But you really don't need to go any further. I mean, none of -- virtually, I'm quoting. Virtually none of the Founding Fathers could be classified as evangelical Christians. Really? John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence: The holy ghost carries with it the whole Christian system in this earth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a sacrament can be administered but by through the Holy Ghost, and the authority religious, blah, blah, blah. Samuel Adams. I rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins. I conceive I can -- we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the supreme rule of the world. And promoting the speedy bringing up of the holy and happy period with the kingdoms of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. Do I need to go on? Joshua Bartlett, signer of the Declaration of Independence. I confess before God our grave transgressions and implore his pardon and forgiveness through the merits and meditation of Jesus Christ. Cutting Bedford, signer of the Constitution. To the Tribune of God, the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Be ascribed all honor and dominion forevermore, amen. Charles Carol, signer of the declaration. On the mercy of my redeemer. I rely for salvation. On his merits. Not the works I have done. I hope that through and by merit sufferings and meditation of my only savior and Jesus Christ, I may be admitted to the kingdom, blah, blah. How about Alexander Hamilton. If I rap it, maybe you'll hear it. I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of Lord Jesus Christ. Hamilton also recommended the formation of what he titled the Christian constitutional society. And listed two goals for its foundation. First, the support of the Christian religion. And second, support of the Constitution. John Hancock, Hancock called on the state of Massachusetts to pray that all nations may bow down to the scepter of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. John Hart, signer of the declaration. I give and recommend my soul to the hands of the Almighty God, who gave me my body to be here on the earth, to be buried in a decent and Christian-like manner. Patrick Henry, being a Christian is a character which I prize far above all this world, has or can boast. Samuel Huntington, signer of the declaration. It becomes a people publicly to supplicate the pardon that we must obtain forgiveness through the merits and meditations of our Lord savior Jesus Christ. James Madison, you know, the guy who wrote the Constitution. And the signer of the Constitution. A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves, lest while we are building ideal monuments, of renowned and bliss here, we might neglect to have our name to be enrolled in the annals of heaven. Robert Payne, signer of the Declaration -- do I need to go on? Because I have like 12 more? You know what, get them in the nine pages of footnotes, that you can look up yourself. But the article goes on at CNN. For evidence the United States was founded as a secular nation, look no further than the 1797 treaty of Tripoli. As an agreement, the U.S. negotiated with a country in present day Libya, to end the practice of pirates attacking American ships. And it was ratified unanimously by a Senate, still half filled with the signers of the Constitution. That declared, the government of the United States of America, is not in any sense, founded on a Christian religion. Now, I want you to notice that little gotcha quote. Because it is a little quote. In fact, it has a period, where there is no period. Now, is this seriously the only thing CNN has that they can say -- separation of church and state. Which is absolutely the opposite of what they say it is. And then this one. I mean, I'm sure, you know, you've seen how people talk bang those days. The Gettysburg address was very short, compared to how they talked in George Washington Times. They went on and on and on. Okay. I got it. You don't have a television. So what's with the short sentence? Do you think maybe CNN could have pulled this out of context? No. We'll find out next.