I was fascinated by the article yesterday posted at the Christian Science Monitor about a predicted collapse of the evangelical community. I think the author, Michael Spencer, is generally right, especially in citing as a top reason for the collapse, "We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith."

That was the first thing I thought about today when I happened across Glenn Beck's Nine Principles. Now, I've never for a moment liked Glenn Beck. I use some video clips from his show every year to demonstrate to my class the use of logical fallacies and to demonstrate how cruel and dehumanizing some of our very mainstream rhetoric is. I knew I wouldn't like his nine principles. But this was really bad.

What stuck out was the order. Number 1: America is good. Number 2: I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

He's honest at least. He knows his priorities.

"If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it." and "The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me." Yeah, those don't contradict.

It doesn't get much better: "Government cannot force me to be charitable." Yeah, why would anyone want to practice charity?