Meet the church leader hosting Glenn for the fifth anniversary of 8/28

Glenn announced this morning that on 8/28/2015, the fifth anniversary of “Restoring Honor,” he would be speaking at Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The “Restoring Honor” event was a pivotal moment for Glenn and everyone in attendance. It was on that day that Glenn called for people to turn back to God and unite as one. Now, it’s time to take the next step. Bishop James Lowe of Guiding Light Church joined Glenn on radio to discuss the movement and the role churches will play in the days to come.

GLENN: I have to tell you, we were just talking off the air. I have something -- that because of this illness that I have, it causes vocal cord paralysis from time to time. And I swear to you, I mean, Lord, what are you doing? You want me to say these things, and then this happens.

PAT: Well, now you said them. And so now he's like shut your mouth.

GLENN: Shut your mouth, Beck. All right. Whatever. If I got it wrong, shut it down. I don't want to do it anyway. Just shut it down. Bishop James Lowe is with us.

This is a preacher, a pastor from Birmingham, Alabama. Who is a very brave man. Now, I've only had two conversations with him. One was probably three or four minutes. Last week, we talked, I don't know, 20, 30 minutes. And this guy -- this guy is peel-the-skin-off-your-face brave and speaks the truth. If you don't like it, go find someplace else. Because he'll tell you the truth as he sees it.

Welcome to the program, Bishop Lowe.

JAMES: Good morning, and God bless you.

GLENN: God bless you. How are you, sir?

JAMES: I'm doing well today. I'm listening to your program, and I'm ready. Let's go forward to what we have to do for our people, our country, and our nation.

GLENN: Now, let me ask you something, Bishop, how much trouble personally do you see coming your way just for us getting together?

JAMES: You know, I don't know. But I do know this, that in this life, the Lord never promised us that we would have a peaceful life. He told us we would have trouble. And if I'm going to have trouble, then it has to be trouble for my Lord, something that I do for him that glorifies his name to bring his people together so that they understand that he is God of all gods. And if my master suffered persecution and trouble, then what options do I have? No servant is greater than his master.

GLENN: So we talked a little about things last week. And, you know, we both see the direction of the country. And we see the problems on the horizon. We see the problems in Ferguson and St. Louis. We see the problems with what's going to happen to our churches. I believe if the Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage and it becomes then federal law, what happens to churches that is, I don't want to marry homosexuals? Do they have a right to do that anymore? And I see trouble on the horizon. Real trouble on the horizon.

And we talked about how can we bring people together? How do you do that in a peaceful way while still standing for the truth?

JAMES: Well, I think if we recognize the truth and the only truth as God's word, then when we join together, we stand on God's word. We cannot talk about violence when our Lord has not told us that we're to be violent. We have to be able to come together and discuss with one another in peace. That's what Jesus was able to do. He didn't become violent. We do know he did overturn the moneychangers. But he didn't destroy anything. We have to have a fundamental foundation and a backbone to stand up for the foundation of -- of the teachings of Christ. If we don't do that, know we will fall apart. Even churches have that problem. But we must come together and stand for what is correct.

Listen, the homosexuals and what they do, they are people too. They have a right to life, as all human beings do. But there are authorities that we all must submit to. And those authorities are the authorities of the Word of God. We cannot change and redefine the definition of what marriage is. That's beyond man to do that. Marriage was defined by God, and marriage can only be redefined by God, the Creator. And he has not redefined it. The last I checked, it was between a man and a woman.

GLENN: What happens if -- and, you know, we're kind of getting into nuts and bolts here about this one topic.

JAMES: We can go anywhere you want to.

GLENN: No, no, no. I would like to say this. What happens if the Supreme Court says to you and your church, you have to perform gay marriages? What do you do?

JAMES: I stand by my convictions and the Word of God. I told my church in the late '90s that if they voted for a political party that was going to support things that were against God, I could no longer support that party. And if they were going to honor God, they would have to support what God said. And if the time came that my government said that I would have to violate my God, it would be better for me to obey my God than my government.

GLENN: How many people did you lose?

JAMES: I quite got quite a few folk that left. And when I told folks at the same time that you don't need to be defined by what White America has defined you as -- I refuse to be defined as a black person. I refuse to be defined by any person. The only person that has a right to define who I am is the Almighty God. And the ability to define is the ability to control. We have to understand that if I allow -- and don't be offended. But let me just say this. If I allow you people to define who I am, then you control me. And I don't mean that in a derogatory sense. I simply mean that no man has a right to define any other man. Because the ability to define is the ability to control. And only God has a right to define. Only the Creator of a thing has a right to define it. And so I don't want to be referred to as Afro-American. I don't want to be referred to as Black America. I just want to be defined as a child of God. And that's what I am. And if I define myself or people define themselves as children of God, then we understand that we are part of the brotherhood of man. And that God has put us together as one. Every life is valuable. Every life of every man is valuable. But when we start redefining ourselves, then we start dividing ourselves.

GLENN: Why are the churches silent on what's happening with the Christians and the Muslims who aren't Muslim enough and the homosexuals that, you know, won't stop being a homosexual so they're thrown off the roofs of buildings by ISIS, why are our churches so dead inside?

JAMES: I would probably have to say that those churches that do not speak out about those things and injustices being done in any part of the world are churches that are not connected with the spirit of the living God. Jesus was concerned about the poor. He was concerned about the ones that were being mistreated. He was concerned about the hungry. He was concerned about all mankind. God himself was so in love with the world that he gave his only son. We have to be concerned about the plight of the people in India, in Israel, in Arabia, Saudi Arabia, we have to be concerned about the people in Mississippi. Whenever any man suffers an injustice, all men do. We must in churches be connected to the spirit of the living God. And when we're connected to the spirit of the living God, then we have the power to bring about change because we submit to the one who is the life changer.

GLENN: Bishop Lowe, we want to thank you for making your church available to have us speak there in Birmingham, Alabama. And I look forward to shaking your hand and seeing you there on 8/28.

JAMES: Well, I hope I'm not alarming too much of your audience. But I think that it needs to be heard.

GLENN: I don't think you're alarming this audience.

JAMES: No, Glenn, people need to know that as a nation of America, we must stop dividing ourselves between race. We must see ourselves as a nation that was founded on principles that all men were created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have to stop separating ourselves. Because if we divide, we fall. If we unite, we stand.

GLENN: Well, we're there united on 8/28. And I thank you very much for your invitation. And I thank all --

JAMES: Are you ready for it, Glenn? Can you handle it?

GLENN: What you throwing down? Yes, I can, bishop. And we will see you then. God bless you.

JAMES: Bring it.

GLENN: God bless. Bishop James Lowe from the Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where we will be on 8/28.

[laughter]

PAT: That was a nice little challenge there at the end.

GLENN: I thought he was going to say, what's up, my cracker?

STU: I doubt that was the approach.

GLENN: You don't think --

PAT: No. I didn't think there was any danger of that at any point.

STU: No. Or anyone else in America saying it outside of you, who says it every day for no particular reason.

GLENN: What's up, my cracker?

PAT: Yeah. No.

GLENN: Maybe that's why the vocal cords are gone. Maybe God was like, okay, you said that. But I know you're going to say, what's up, my cracker, and I got to get you to stop saying it.

STU: Yes, we'd like you to abandon the catchphrase.

PAT: It's a sign.

GLENN: It's a sign?

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: Huh. Okay.

We would invite you to join us at mercuryone.org and look at the things that we are -- we have set out on today's program. Never again is now. And there are certain things that you can do to get involved. We will be telling you more about them here in the next few days. But it is time that we come together and we stand together for life. All life matters.

The Deep State's NEW plan to backstab Trump

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move.

In 2016, Donald Trump shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton. Conservatives cheered, believing we’d taken back the reins of our country. But we missed the bigger battle. We failed to recognize the extent of the damage caused by eight years of Barack Obama and decades of progressive entrenchment. The real war isn’t won at the ballot box. It’s being waged against an insidious force embedded deep within our institutions: the administrative state, or the “deep state.”

This isn’t a new problem. America’s founders foresaw it, though they didn’t have a term for “deep state” back in the 1700s. James Madison, in Federalist 48, warned us that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the same hands is “the very definition of tyranny.” Yet today, that’s exactly where we stand. Unelected bureaucrats in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice hold more power than the officials we vote for. They control the levers of government with impunity, dictating policies and stifling change.

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege.

We’ve felt the consequences of this growing tyranny firsthand. During COVID-19, so-called experts ran our lives, crushing civil liberties under the guise of public safety. Our intelligence agencies and justice system turned into weapons of political warfare, targeting a sitting president and his supporters. Meanwhile, actual criminals were given a pass, turning American cities into lawless war zones.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 that “the functionaries of every government have propensities to command at will the liberty and property of their constituents.” Today, we see Jefferson’s prophecy fulfilled. The deep state exercises unchecked power over our freedoms, and information itself is controlled by the fourth branch of government: the legacy media.

Even when we win elections, the deep state doesn’t concede defeat. It switches to survival mode. Trump’s first term proved this. Despite a historic mandate to dismantle the bureaucracy, the deep state fought back with everything it had: leaks, investigations, court rulings, and obstruction at every turn. And now, with the possibility of Trump returning to office, the deep state is preparing to do it again.

Progressives are laying out their attack plan — and they’re not even hiding it.

U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) recently boasted about forming a “shadow cabinet” to govern alongside the deep state, regardless of who’s in the White House. Nickel called it “democracy’s insurance policy.” Let’s be clear: This isn’t insurance. It’s sabotage.

They’ll employ a “top down, bottom up, inside out” strategy to overwhelm and collapse any effort to reform the system. From the top, federal judges and shadow officials will block Trump’s every move. Governors in blue states like California and New York are gearing up to resist federal authority. During Trump’s first term, California filed over 100 lawsuits against his administration. Expect more of the same starting January 20.

From the bottom, progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union will flood the streets with protesters, much as they did to oppose Trump’s first-term immigration reforms. They’ve refined their tactics since 2016 and are prepared to unleash a wave of civil unrest. These aren’t spontaneous movements; they’re coordinated assaults designed to destabilize the administration.

Finally, from the inside, the deep state will continue its mission of self-preservation. Agencies will drag their feet, leak sensitive information, and undermine policies from within. Their goal is to make everything a chaotic mess, so the heart of their power — the bureaucratic core — remains untouched and grows stronger.

We cannot make the same mistake we made in 2016 — celebrating victory while the deep state plots its next move. Progressives never see themselves as losing. When they’re out of power, they simply shift tactics, pumping more blood into their bureaucratic heart. We may win elections, but the war against the deep state will only intensify. As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force; and force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

This is the fight for the soul of our nation. The founders’ vision of a constitutional republic is under siege. The deep state has shown us its plan: to govern from the shadows, circumventing the will of the people. But now that the shadows have been exposed, we have a choice. Will we accept this silent tyranny, or will we demand accountability and reclaim our nation’s heart?

The battle is just beginning. We can’t afford to lose.

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

Drone mystery exposes GLARING government incompetence

Gary Hershorn / Contributor | Getty Images

The drone issue is getting way out of hand.

Earlier this month, Glenn first reported on the mysterious drones stalking the night sky over New Jersey, but the situation is increasingly concerning as the sightings have escalated. Not only have drones been seen across the Northeast Coast, including over New York City, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, but recently, they have been spotted over the night skies of San Diego and other parts of Southern California.

It doesn't take an expert to identify the potential dangers and risks that dozens of undetectable, unidentified six-foot or larger drones pose to national security. Yet, our government's response has been one of unimaginable incompetence, leaving us to speculate on the origin and intention of these drones and wonder in astonishment at the government's ineptitude. Here are three examples of the government's lackluster response to the mystery drones:

Iranian Mothership and Missing Nuclear Warheads

- / Stringer | Getty Images

After several weeks of hubbub, New Jersey Representative, Jeff Van Drew gave an interview on Fox News where he claimed that the drones originated from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States. This theory has since been disproven by satellite images, which show that all Iranian drone carriers are far from U.S. shores. Another theory suggests that drones may be equipped with sensors capable of detecting nuclear material and that they are looking for a nuclear warhead that recently went missing! With these apocalyptic theories gaining traction in the absence of any real answer from our government, one can't help but question the motive behind the silence.

Pentagon's Limp Wristed Response

Alex Wong / Staff | Getty Images

In a recent press conference, national security spokesman John Kirby responded to reporters demanding answers about the government's lack of transparency, which has caused increasing public anxiety. He insisted that the drones did not pose a threat and were not assets of a foreign power, such as from Iran or China--even though he is still uncertain about their identity and origin. He also claimed that many of the sightings were simply misidentifications of normal aircraft.

This lackluster answer has only further inflamed national anxieties and raised even more questions. If the government is unsure of the identity of the drones, how do they know if they are a threat or if they aren't foreign assets? If they aren't foreign, does that mean they are U.S. assets? If so, why not just say so?

The Pentagon has also stated that they are leaving it up to local law enforcement to spearhead the investigation after concluding that these drones pose no threat to any military installation. This has left many feeling like the federal government has turned a blind eye to a serious issue that many Americans are very concerned about.

Where's Pete Buttigieg?

Chip Somodevilla / Staff | Getty Images

We are in the closing weeks of the Biden administration, and with the finish line in sight, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg probably figured nothing else could go wrong on his watch—but boy was he wrong. As Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is in charge of the FAA, the agency responsible for managing all air traffic across the nation. One would think that mysterious, 6-foot-long, seemingly intractable drones are invisible on radar and flying above major cities would pose a serious threat to the myriad of legal aircraft that traverse our skies. Yet, Buttigieg has been silent on the issue, adding another failure to his resume which includes: malfunctioning airplanes, the train derailment in Ohio, and the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, just to name a few.

Glenn: How Alvin Bragg turned hero Daniel Penny into a villain

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We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty.

America no longer has a single, shared understanding of justice. Two Americas now exist, each applying justice differently depending on who you are and where you live. One America, ruled by common sense and individual courage, praises heroes who stand up to protect others. The other, driven by political agendas and corrupted institutions, punishes those same heroes for daring to act.

This stark division couldn’t be clearer than in the case of Daniel Penny, the Marine whose trial in New York City this week drew strong reactions from both sides across the divided line of justice.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare.

Penny was on a subway train last year when Jordan Neely — a man suffering from severe mental illness and reportedly high on drugs — began threatening passengers, saying, “I’m going to kill you all.” The fear on that subway car was palpable, but nobody moved. Nobody, that is, until Penny did what needed to be done. He took action to protect innocent lives.

In the America many of us used to believe in, Penny’s response would be heralded as heroic. His actions mirrored the courage of Todd Beamer on Flight 93, who, on September 11, 2001, rallied others with the words, “Let’s roll,” to prevent further tragedy. But in New York, courage doesn’t seem to count anymore. There, the system turns heroes into villains.

Penny subdued Neely using a chokehold, intending only to restrain him, not kill him. Tragically, Neely died. Penny, filled with remorse, told the police he never meant to hurt anyone. Yet, instead of being recognized for protecting others from a clear and present threat, Penny stood trial for criminally negligent homicide.

In Alvin Bragg’s New York, justice bends to ideology. The Manhattan district attorney has made a career of weaponizing the law, selectively prosecuting those who don’t fit his narrative. He’s the same prosecutor who twisted legal precedent to go after Donald Trump on business charges no one had ever faced before. Then, he turned his sights on Daniel Penny.

A jury may have acquitted Penny, but what happened in New York City this week isn’t justice. When the rule of law changes depending on the defendant’s identity or the prosecutor's political motives, we’re no longer living in a free country. We’re living in a state where justice is a game, and ordinary Americans are the pawns.

The system failed Jordan Neely

It’s worth asking: Where were activists like Alvin Bragg when Neely was suffering on the streets? Jordan Neely was a tragic figure — a man with a long history of mental illness and over 40 arrests, including violent assaults. The system failed him long before he stepped onto that subway train. Yet rather than confront that uncomfortable truth, Bragg’s office decided to target the man who stepped in to prevent a tragedy.

This isn’t about justice. It’s about power. It’s about advancing a narrative where race and identity matter more than truth and common sense.

It’s time to demand change

The Daniel Penny case — and others like it — is a wake-up call. We cannot allow corrupt institutions to punish those who act to protect life and liberty. Americans must demand an end to politically driven prosecutions, hold DAs like Alvin Bragg accountable, and stand up for the principle that true justice is blind, consistent, and fair.

If we let this slide, we accept a world in which heroes are treated as criminals and the law is a weapon for ideological warfare. It’s time to choose which America we want to live in.

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

CEO Brian Thompson's killer reveals COWARDICE of the far-left death cult

Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Early on the chilly morning of Wednesday, December 4th, Brian Thompson, CEO of health insurance giant, UnitedHealthcare, was walking through Midtown Manhattan on his way to a company conference. Suddenly, a masked and hooded figure silently allegedly stepped onto the sidewalk behind Thompson, drew a 3-D printed, silenced pistol, and without warning fired multiple shots into Thompson's back before fleeing the scene on an electric bicycle. After a multiple-day manhunt, a 26-year-old lead suspect was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania after being recognized by an employee.

This was not "vigilante justice." This was cold-blooded murder.

As horrific as the murder of a husband and father in broad daylight in the center of New York City is, the story only gets worse. Even before the murder suspect was arrested, left-wing extremists were already taking to X to call him a "hero" and a "vigilante" who "took matters into his own hands." Even the mainstream media joined in on the glorification, as Glenn pointed out on air recently, going out of the way to show how physically attractive the murder suspect was. This wave of revolting and nihilistic fanfare came in response to the findings of online investigators who surmised the murder suspect's motives to retaliate against healthcare companies for corruption and denied coverage. The murder suspect supposedly underwent a major back surgery that left him with back pain, and some of his internet fans apparently viewed his murder of Thompson as retribution for the mistreatment that he and many other Americans have suffered from healthcare companies.

The murder suspect and his lackeys don't seem to understand that, other than depriving two children of their father right before Christmas, he accomplished nothing.

The murder suspect failed to achieve his goal because he was too cowardly to try.

If the murder suspect's goals were truly to "right the wrongs" of the U.S. healthcare system, he had every tool available to him to do so in a constructive and meaningful manner. He came from a wealthy and prominent family in the Baltimore area, became the valedictorian at a prestigious all-boys prep school, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's in engineering. Clearly, the murder suspect was intelligent and capable, and if he had put his talent into creating solutions for the healthcare industry, who knows what he could have accomplished?

This is the kind of behavior the far-left idolizes, like communists on college campuses who wear shirts that celebrate the brutal Cuban warlord, Che Guevara. Merchandise celebrating the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect is already available, including shirts, hoodies, mugs, and even Christmas ornaments. Will they be sporting his face on their T-shirts too?

This macabre behavior does not breed creation, achievement, success, or life. It only brings death and risks more Americans falling into this dangerous paradigm. But we still have a chance to choose life. We just have to wake up and take it.