Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church is drawing criticism for inviting Mormon speaker and author Glenn Beck to speak during his Sunday service as part of Young's Freedom Experience event.
A lot of Christians were miffed that a Mormon was invited to speak during a Southern Baptist Church service.
However, Andy Boyd, a spokesman for Fellowship Church, explained that Beck was invited since he is a known American historian. Boyd also cited Beck for having "shown his love for God in many ways."
"At Fellowship, we wanted to bring in one of the most qualified people to speak on that subject," he told the Christian Post. "Glenn Beck is a man who is undoubtedly an American patriot, loves this country, and has shown his love for God in many ways. His knowledge of our history and his understanding of our nation is unmatched, and we're excited to have him here."
For his part, Beck acknowledged the invitation's controversy and issued a statement of his own: "My topic is God's role in American history and how we always rise to the occasion as we turn back towards God. I am not speaking about theology this weekend and I do not wish to do anything but strengthen people's faith in one God — the God of their understanding."
Beck has classified himself as a "born again LDS [Latter-day Saints] Christian," and revealed that he actually attended fellowships with people of varying beliefs and does not show any religious discrimination.
"I speak about God and Jesus more than any other mainstream radio or television host in the last 70 years," he said. "I study the Torah with rabbis on a regular basis and met today with the Dalai Lama. Oh, I almost forgot, I was texting my atheist friend from the meeting with the DL."
According to Beck, religious discrimination can only be attributed to the devil. "Isolate and ridicule. It stops us from uniting. Abe Lincoln had it right, divided we fall," he said. "Darkness knows if we, the children of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, present a united front we can and will defeat any force on earth. If we are on God's side, who can stand against us?"
