WIND I is now available on Kindle, as well as in standard book form. Order copies for your children and grandchildren--there is no greater gift than the roadmap to revival.

A note to Glenn Beck, and other viral revivalists

I am convinced that for this Third Great Awakening to be realized to its full potential, it must be viral. It must belong totally to God. No human being should be able to puff out his chest and say afterward, "Look at me, I'm the Big Revival Kahuna, I did this." God is a jealous god, and He will not allow this to happen.

That is one of the reasons I am so pleased to see men outside organized religion, like Glenn Beck, stand up for revival. Glenn Beck realizes that God alone must be given credit. And for that to happen, it must be viral.

While some viral revivalists have access to the big stage, not all do. And they are just as significant in God's eyes (if not more) than are major personalities. Take, for instance, that brand new college freshman. She sees what is going on in this country, and in her lecture halls, and she knows that it's not right. And she thinks she is powerless to turn things around. I am happy to tell her that she is wrong about her weakness. The prayer meetings that she can start have the power to change the world. I promise her that. It has happened before. And it will happen this time.

The prayers of one little girl, one little freshman, one busy mom, one concerned businessman, one TV personality, one simple anyone, can change the world. And not only can they (your prayers) change the world, if offered unrelenting, they will change the world.

World-changing revivals have always been rooted outside the organized Church. This time will be no different—this time it will be a viral-based revival.

It is up to you to seek it, and to do so with all of your heart.

I do have a serious word of warning, however. As we are ushered into this Third Great Awakening, you must not expect your pastor to be excited about it with you. Be ready for opposition. Do not be discouraged when your pastor chastises you for seeking it, and ridicules men like Glenn Beck for speaking the words of revival.

It is a simple (but unfortunate) fact, pastors fear revival. They fear what it will do to their church. Revival is a lot of extra work for them. It will force a change from the normal schedule of events, and disrupt all their plans. Pastors, as a whole, are dedicated people. They are good people. But they do not like revival. They fear it.

So, as you fast and pray for revival, be prepared for your pastor to beat you up for it (figuratively, of course). Get ready for an attack on your credibility, credentials, and your motives. Unless he is a revival pastor, I can almost guarantee that he will come out against you with both fists flying (again, figuratively).

But there is too much at stake now for you to go weak. Be strong and diligent as you seek God’s face for revival. If your pastor speaks out against it, find a pastor who does not.

Glenn Beck has called for forty days of intense prayer for revival. I am going to answer that call. Not because I think that Glenn Beck is now the head of the “God Squad” (as suggested in a recent Chris Wallace interview), but because I believe the time is right for revival, and Beck is simply stating the obvious.

I would suggest that we all comply with this call for intense prayer for revival in America. But, at the same time, I would warn you again that you should not expect support from your church. It probably will not come. And get ready for opposition (much like the opposition I faced in my church, as outlined below).

I would offer this specific advice to Glenn Beck, and others outside the Church, who have heard the call of God for revival: Do not think you need the approval of Church leaders. If they (Church leaders) had their ears open to what God is saying, they would be leading the way. But they are not. And, not only are they running from their responsibilities, many of them will do everything in their power to destroy you and your message. Now, that is not to say that all pastors are insensitive to what God is doing. But many are.

In the recent case of attacks against Glenn Beck, I have heard that some Church leaders have harshly criticized him for his refusal to take a strong stand on abortion. Shame on them. They would rather see this wonderful country disappear, and the world slip into a new Dark Age, than to humble themselves, repent, pray, and seek God's face.

I am not suggesting that abortion ought to be tolerated in this country, but attacking Glenn Beck for his silence on it is like swatting at gnats. Had abortion procedures never been perpetrated in America, while there would certainly be a lot more of us, we would still not have revival.

Abortion is a fruit of an unrevived Church. It is not the agent of evil. We must first seek God's face for revival, then these other things will cease to be issues.

And, not only would I warn the Glenn Becks against seeking Church approval, I would warn them regarding the motives of Christian leaders who wish to co-opt their message. There is a lot of money and prestige to be gained by the unscrupulous "revivalists" within the Church. Take care when dealing with them.

It is important that the Glenn Becks stay on message, obey what their hearts are telling them, and not allow their message to be co-opted.

As noted above, here is the unfortunate account of what happened just recently to me in my church:

On Independence Day, 2010, I was nearly blown off my pew by my pastor. After having received a complimentary copy of my new book, WIND, he made this startling announcement from the pulpit: "Contrary to what some are saying, there is really nothing special about the heritage of America;  America is not nor ever was a Christian nation. Our Founding Fathers were not Christians as some would have us believe, but Deists. Yes, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were Deists, not Christians. The only thing really special about this country is its special need to get saved."

Now, I admit that I am paraphrasing his words from memory, but the gist of what I have written is correct. And, when I finally had the chance to sit down with him, he did not deny saying these things.

My guess is that he was reacting to WIND, but I do not know that for a fact because he did not specifically allude to the book. But the three main points of his attack were totally counter to what I had written in WIND.

I was unable to let his errors stand, so I wrote him the following letter:

Dear Pastor:

I was more than a little surprised to hear your comments Sunday regarding the secular nature of the founding of America, and the religious beliefs of our Founding Fathers—particularly with regard to so-called Deist beliefs held by Franklin and Jefferson.

While it is true that almost every history book published after the early 1900s reflects that notion, those published before the onslaught of the progressive movement state otherwise. Whatever the source of your information, it is erroneous. It is sad that you chose to further that liberal fallacy, particularly on Independence weekend.

What is a Deist, anyway? Generally, Deists believe that a supreme being created the universe, but they reject the idea that God intervenes in human affairs; furthermore, they choose to depend on reason over organized religion. In fact, they typically had an aversion to churches in general. If Franklin and Jefferson were Deists, as you stated, then their writings ought to indicate such.

First, let’s take a look at my favorite Founding Father: Thomas Jefferson. As a leader of Virginia, Jefferson introduced a resolution for a Day of Fasting and Prayer; as President of the University of Virginia, he set up a Christian Education program, and built a chapel in which to worship Christ; as School Board President of DC, he authored a curriculum using the Bible and Watt’s Christian Hymnal as the only reading texts; he signed into law an act “for Propagating the Gospel Among the heathen;” he proposed treaties that built churches and hired and supported Christian preachers for Native Americans; he called the Bible the “cornerstone of liberty;” and he translated the Bible into easy, condensed English, to serve as a simple textbook for the education and conversion of Native Americans.

Deists have no interest in converting anyone. It could be said that conversion was against their religion.

Of his personal beliefs, Jefferson wrote with his own hand: “My views are very different from that anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian.”

Patrick Henry knew Jefferson and the other founders personally. He wrote: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

(There was one real Deist among the Founding Fathers—that was James Wilson. Thomas Payne, of course, was neither Christian, nor Deist.)

Jefferson said he was a Christian, he did a lot of “Christian things,” and Patrick Henry supported his contention that he (Jefferson) was, indeed, a Christian. I, for one, believe them both! …And, Pastor, I think you should as well.

Now, regarding the Founding Father with whom I most closely identify, Benjamin Franklin, I can promise you that he was not a Deist either. Here are some of the things Franklin had to say regarding his beliefs:

“I think that nothing is of more importance for the public weal, than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue. I think, moreover, that talents for the education of youth are the gift of God; and that he on whom they are bestowed, whenever a way is opened for the use of them, is as strongly called as if he heard a voice from heaven.”

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

Regarding what he considered to be the pillars of that virtue, Franklin wrote:

“A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district—all studied and appreciated as they merit—are the principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty.”

Regarding his specific religious beliefs, Franklin said:

“I never doubted the existence of the Deity; that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence; that the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our souls are immortal, and that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter.” Deists do not believe in punishments or rewards. [The following was not part of my original letter: If a person has a problem understanding that Franklin was not a Deist, he need read no more than Franklin's words stated above. It would have been impossible for a Deist to have written them.]

“It is the duty of mankind on all suitable occasions to acknowledge their dependence on the Divine Being, [that] Almighty God would mercifully interpose and still the rage of war among the nations, [and that] He would take this province under His protection, confound the designs and defeat the attempts of its enemies, and unite our hearts and strengthen our hands in every undertaking that may be for the public good, and for our defense and security in this time of danger.” Deists do not believe God intervenes into the affairs of mankind.

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

“We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages.” Those are not the thoughts of a Deist.

Many do not realize that Benjamin Franklin was a very close friend of revivalist George Whitefield. Regarding the work of revivalists (such as Whitefield), Franklin said: “It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.”

“I sometimes wish that he (George Whitefield) and I had been jointly employed by the Crown to settle a colony on the Ohio, to settle in that fine country a strong body of religious and industrious people! Might it not greatly have facilitated the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly saw in our Indian traders?”

At another point, still discussing revival, Franklin said: “Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.”

Pastor, did you know that as much as 90% of the US Constitution was based either on the Bible, or on biblical principles? And, were you aware that 106 out of the first 108 institutions of higher learning in this country started out as Bible colleges? French Historian Alexis DeTocqueville wrote in the mid 1800s that the secret to America’s greatness was to be found in its churches. Furthermore, were you aware that the manner for dissemination of copies of the Declaration of Independence was to send them to the pastors of the churches throughout the colonies? The pastors then posted them in their churches.

There is something very special about the heritage of this great country.  Sure, the Founding Fathers were sinners (but aren’t we all?), but they were not Deists.

You are correct when you say, “America needs to get saved!” But it is not the fault of the sinners in this country that they are still sinners. It is the fault of a lazy and unrevived Church—a Church afraid of (or just unwilling to do) the hard work of revival. Unless, of course, we do not believe that the Holy Spirit is able anymore—that, perhaps, He has grown weary.

These, Pastor, are the facts. You will continue to be in error if you do not go back to original source material (regarding US History). Virtually everything published after 1900 is based on the progressive ideology, which espouses revisionism. These errors rule in our educational system, going back four and five generations. They are very deeply entrenched, even in the hearts of the well-meaning. (Regarding this, you ought to keep an eye on the Texas School Board, as it is taking a stand against this progressive revisionism.)

I do not think you intended to mislead your flock. But you did. . . .

Sincerely, Mike Carrier

My assumption was that my pastor would correctly appreciate the information. Were I in his position, and had I made such grievous errors, I would want to know about it, so I could fix what I had done.

However, such was not to be. Instead, he responded only with a little note indicating that he would take my information "under consideration." Not finding that acceptable, I wrote a second letter:

Dear Pastor:

Thank you for your response to my note referencing your recent misstatement. Had your comment been merely a matter of interpretation, or a statement of vision for the church, I would have remained silent. But it was not.

I suspect that you have simply fallen victim to the progressives’ revisionist history. Please don’t let that continue. The progressives and humanists have systematically re-written our history to eliminate our heritage. The quotes I provide are accurate. They clearly demonstrate that Franklin and Jefferson were not Deists, and that America does have a glorious heritage.

Perhaps what has happened to you will become clearer when you read what Paul Blanchard, noted Humanist author and educator (follower of Dewey), said: "Our schools may not teach Johnny to read properly, but the very fact that Johnny is in school until he is 16 tends to lead toward the elimination of religious superstition." I am not suggesting that your education is inadequate; but it is skewed. You did not make that mistake by accident. You have bought into generations of progressive revisionism. It is pervasive and well crafted.

I am sorry that my letter was harsh, but I needed to get your attention. What you said was an untruth—certainly an unintentional one, but an untruth just the same.  And you delivered it harshly—it was not a passing comment.

When I make a similar mistake, I correct it—even if I find it embarrassing. On the WIND website I have a whole section set aside for correcting errors. I once had a mistake [on an earlier blog] pointed out to me by detractors. (I still feel my face get warm when I think about it). I was humiliated—but I corrected it, apologized, and moved on. For me to have let my error stand would have moved it from mistake to lie. Were it I who made the statement you did, I would feel it necessary to correct it. Even a little note in the bulletin would suffice. There are a lot of us out here who know you screwed up, and we would like to be able to respect your integrity. America is on the edge of a cliff. It will be revival, or revolution. Mistakes such as yours are harmful. But they can be corrected.

Sincerely, Mike Carrier.

Soon after that note was sent, I received a phone call from my church requesting that I meet with the pastor. My thought was that he wanted the opportunity to discuss what I had written, and sought to correct his mistake.

Instead, it was an ambush. Not only did he defend his statement, (which he did not deny making, and offered to make no correction regarding it), he chastised me severely for taking him to task for it. When I pointed out that by any acceptable definition of the term (Deist), neither Franklin nor Jefferson could possibly be defined as such, he stated that those facts did not matter to him, and that he was choosing to believe otherwise. When I suggested that clear facts should not be a matter of belief, he bristled, and said something like "that's just what I choose to think."

I am convinced that his position was thought through before he even mouthed those words from the pulpit, and certainly before he attacked me. I believe that he was staking his position against revival. He was very much aware of my passion for it, and he was trying to "protect" his flock against revival, and against me.

While not asked to surrender my membership, I felt constrained to do so—principle dictated it. It was not an easy thing to do. Aside from a short period of transition a decade earlier, my family and I had been members of that congregation for thirty years. But there was simply not a way for me to remain sitting under the ministry of a man not willing to acknowledge or correct his mistakes; and even more importantly, I could not continue to accept the ministry of a man taking a stand against revival. After praying about it, my wife and I have found a wonderful congregation to worship with, one that does not suffer from an aversion to revival.

Accept the challenge—pray for national revival, now!
Click here to buy Volume 1 of WIND from Amazon.
Send copies to your children and grandchildren—there really is no greater gift.

Return to Home Page