A few minutes ago Glenn Beck made a declaration that ought to cause some consternation in the executive suites of his employer, Fox News. It ought to, but it probably won’t. They have already dismissed his declarations concerning…

• The President being a racist.
• A Jewish leader being the cause of Nazi death camps.
• A major News Corp shareholder (Saudi Prince Alwaleed) being involved in 9/11.
• The Jews killing Jesus.
• The only hope for America being Osama Bin Laden deploying a weapon of mass destruction in the U.S.

That’s a long (and incomplete) list of astonishing and repulsive commentaries that Beck has gotten away with to date. The only conclusion is that Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes and the rest of the Fox News hierarchy agree with Beck. So presumably they agree with this as well:

Beck: “Terrorism, in its broadest form, is just designed to scare you into changing your way of life.”

That makes sense to me. And it works pretty well too. After 9/11, Americans, through fear, accepted changes to their way of life that included having their phones tapped without warrants; abandoning habeas corpus; restrictions on travel; and engaging in apparently endless wars that have nothing to do with national security.

But if you were to select someone in the American media that conforms best to Beck’s definition of terrorism, it would be none other than Beck himself. His program is a daily rant on fearsome policies, politicians, and prospects for the future. Beck believes that President Obama should be feared as a Marxist bent on destroying the country. He believes that Congress should feared for their alleged efforts to usher in Socialism. He believes progressives should be feared as a cancer that will “eat the Constitution.” He believes that the economy portends a future so frightening that you must liquidate your investments and buy gold and guns with the proceeds. He fervently believes that America is in grave danger, as are you and your family and all the values and principles you hold dear.

Beck’s entire raison d’etre is to incite fear and persuade his viewers to change their way of life. It goes far beyond his investment advice. Beck wants to shape your spiritual development. He warned his disciples to “run as fast you can” from any church that espouses social justice. He regularly condemns churches for abandoning what he regards as their mission. He even accuses them of perverting their faith. This may be the most terrifying example of Beck’s scare tactics because he is exploiting people’s fear of their relationship with God and eternity.

In pursuit of that goal, and in his role as a wannabe-Messiah, Beck is promoting a new event that promises to “heal your soul.” Is this some new ability he has acquired? Perhaps you can touch the hem of his robe if you buy his latest book. The event will be held on the evening before his DC rally on August 28, and is called “Glenn Beck’s Divine Destiny.” Seriously! This is a play for worship or martyrdom. Beck is plainly moving closer to becoming a full-fledged televangelist, or more accurately, a cult leader in the vein of Jim Jones or David Koresh, religious figures who also used fear to subjugate their followers. The pre-8/28 event is being advertised by Beck as…

“…an eye-opening evening at the historic Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C that will help heal your soul. Guided by uplifting music, nationally-known religious figures from all faiths will unite to deliver messages reminiscent to those given during the struggles of America’s earliest days. The event will leave you with a renewed determination to look past the partisan differences and petty problems that fill our airwaves and instead focus our shared values, principles and strong belief that faith can play an essential role in reuniting the country.”

I wonder if these “religious figures from all faiths” will include Muslims or Buddhists. And it will be interesting to see how Beck transcends “the partisan differences…that fill our airwaves” when his rhetoric is so weighted down with hatred for progressives and others with whom he disagrees. The notion of Beck placing himself in the position of “reuniting the country” is nothing short of surreal.

Glenn Beck is the archetypal fear monger. He has adapted the fire and brimstone model of spiritual revivalists to his brand of theo-political crusades. He routinely warns that if we do not quickly change our course, our way of life, we are doomed. If that doesn’t fit the profile of the terrorist that Beck spoke of today on his program, I don’t know what does.