March 25, 2024 - 8:00pm
Infighting on the Right has heated up between Christian and Jewish conservatives over the phrase “Christ is King”. It illustrates growing fissures on the Judaeo-Christian Right over the Israel-Palestine conflict, despite it being one of the strongest alliances in American politics until this point.
The latest round of arguing came the weekend of Palm Sunday and Purim. During an episode of the Daily Wire’s Andrew Klavan Show, Klavan argued that using Christ’s name as a cudgel against Jews was heretical. “When you use that phrase to mean God has abandoned his chosen people, the Jews, through whom he came into this world incarnate… you are quoting scripture like Satan does in the Bible,” he said. “You are quoting scripture to your purposes and that to me is specifically wicked.”
His comments were in response to the company parting ways with Candace Owens following a months-long public dispute over the war in Gaza. Owens used the phrase in November as tensions flared between her and her colleague at the Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro, drawing accusations of antisemitic dog whistling. The Right-wing commentator parted ways with the platform late last week, before which she defended Kanye West, suggested that a ring of Jews in Hollywood is covering up “sinister” activities, and liked a tweet accusing a Jew of drinking Christian children’s blood.
Owens’s views are by no means representative of the Christian Right, but they do point to a rift that has been widening since 7 October. Joined by the likes of Tucker Carlson, the war in Gaza reveals a growing divide between isolationists, many of whom are Christian, and interventionists, the strongest of which are Jewish conservatives passionately supporting Israel.
But the divide runs deeper than Middle Eastern fighting. Some observant Christians are frustrated with a movement they feel appropriates their beliefs for political ends: to them, “Christ is King” is being co-opted as a political means to an end by people who do not take Christianity or its moral demands seriously. This dynamic was evident in December when many Christian conservatives objected to a pin-up calendar that was billed as Right-wing – in one case displaying a crucifix in the background of a photo.
Others believe, with frustration, that conservatism refuses to take on an explicitly Christian identity, viewing this reluctance as a concession to Jewish influence and political correctness. “On the long list of things conservatism couldn’t conserve we’ve finally reached basic affirmations of Christianity”, the pseudonymous commentator Auron MacIntyre wrote of the Christ is King debate.
It’s long been conservative dogma that culture is upstream of politics, a point Shapiro helped popularise among his young audience. But some religious conservatives are warming up to the idea of using government to influence culture, in part by allowing religion to inform and influence policies. It’s but one divide between the establishment and the New Right.
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SubscribeThe Jews refuse to notice that Israel is following a script based on the Christian book of Revelation. This is unimportant. They are not scheduled to realize their error until the Christians depart for heaved in the rapture of the church. Then the stumbling stone will be removed, and the Jews will realize their error. Jews will then be given 7 years to lead the world to Christ.
I see you subscribe to the sola scriptura (plus made up rapture crap) branch of Christianity.
UnHerd gained a truly broad audience
The breadth on view doesn’t hide the narrow-mindedness of individuals, unable to think for themselves and therefore slavishly following ancient scriptures.
Biblical “End Times” are full of competing interpretations. One of them is as described above. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong. We all follow “ancient scriptures” to some degree. Some follow the Bible . Others follow secular “scriptures”.
Okay then
“On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.” Zachariah
It does seem to be the way of the world lately. I wonder if rampant anti-Semitism is a marker of societal toxicity.
Revelation is a hard nut to crack.
Politics makes strange bedfellows. Alliances of expedience are as old as the Hittites, often odd, and seldom static.. So what? There are many intellectually formidable spokespeople–Christian, Jewish, Secular–who are conservative and affiliate themselves with reputable organizations such as the Hoover Institute or the Claremont Review or the Federalist Society. Candace Owens does not begin to rise to the level of those commenters. She traffics in the outrageous and should not be cited by reputable journalists as an exemplar of anything save her own nuttiness. Of course, the left loves Candace because identifying her with conservatism relieves them of the duty to actually cogently reply to the issues conservatives raise.
As for characterizing the relationship between Jews and Christians, there are more varieties of both than choices on a Chinese take-out menu. Plucking out flamboyant and idiosyncratic examples of either doesn’t really signify much about the overall relationship between the two faiths or give insight into changing dynamics. When one says someone speaks as a “Jew” are they Ultraorthodox, Orthodox, Reformed, Secular, Israeli or something else? And if you say a Jew is “conservative” do you mean religiously or politically? The “Christian Right” is likewise too non-specific to generalize about except for those who enjoy stereotypical invective. Terms like “Evangelical”, “Fundamentalist”, and “Pentecostal” get tossed around without definition by people whose study of or experience with any of it is nil to superficial.
Mary was a Virgin
Believe that &
you will believe anything >
Say it enough
& it becomes true !o!
As a born-again agnostic I’m highly skeptical of, not just virgin birth, but much of the fantastical claims of all religions. However, the historical impact of Jesus and his followers over two millennia and the Hebrews who preceded them are profound. To be educated and informed it necessary to give consideration to the entire spectrum of what those two religions include, good and bad. Christ’s teachings were transformational for Western humanity and not because of superstitial incidentals. Anyone who professes with a glib little syllogism that these two traditions can be easily dismissed is trafficking in lazy pseudo-intelligence.
You know, Science and the Enlightenment are at least a couple of centuries old. I don’t think we need to equivocate about what has been more transformational.
Virtually every significant figure of the Enlightenment was a Christian and many devoutly so. You’ve not ventured beyond your skeptic secular education far enough to have an appreciation for the true nature and milieu that birthed Science.
If you say so
Candace Owens is not nutty. She’s a fantastic voice for black conservatives and explains very cogently how Democrat social welfare policies have been harmful to the Black American population. But like many Christians, she is uncomfortable with what’s happening in Gaza. I’m not Jewish and Im more realpolitik than most Christians. I think Christians haven’t worked out quite how fundamentally antithetical fundamental Islam is to the West. It’s now a war for the survival of Israel. I have huge sympathy for the Palestinian people but I cannot stand Hamas and everything they represent. The Free Press (Bari Weiss et al) writes brilliantly on this. Arab Israelis now support Israel more than ever. Arab Israelis like these, are the ones whose opinions should influence the West. Hamas is a death cult that seeks to destroy all Jews and after that the West. It does not care about the Palestinians. Wake up everyone!
Ms Owens came onto my radar when she attracted the attention of conservatives for her opinions vis a vis African-Americans and welfare, etc. I also found this refreshing and remarkable at the time, especially because she had the courage to defy what “the Black Community” is supposed to believe; however, she has since promoted a wide range of nutcase ideas that disqualify her as a credible spokesperson for thoughtful people and make her a net detriment to conservatism. Perhaps you should spend some time with a broader sample of her podcasts. She is militantly anti-vaccination–not just Covid, but ALL vaccination–and promotes a variety of outrageous conspiracy theories. Her version of Christianity is arrogant and closed-minded. Perhaps yours is as well?
‘I think Christians haven’t worked out quite how fundamentally antithetical fundamental Islam is to the West.’
Christians have known this for the best part of 1300 years.
There’s not a “fissure” between Christians and Jews on the Right anymore than there was a fissure between Trump and DeSantis supporters. They’re almost all going to vote straight ticket Republican.
If you can find a Republican that doesn’t want to dramatically reduce the reach of the Central Planner, you’ve actually found a Democrat.
How to make money if Jesus was a mendicant.
Duality – the body is separate from the soul
If one is chosen they are already going to heaven
Protestantism has been called Europes version of Islam
Max Weber ‘The Protestant Work Ethic”
Or the Sabbatines (want to be Jews)
Descartes, Calvin, Dawkins, Weber and Zevi. How many more Philosopher Cliches do you want to string together?
Woke religion is closest to Islam.
The behaviour of the adherents of the “progressive religion” is often actually uncannily similar to that of 4th century Christians. After Constantine converted they were enabled to subborn and take over the Roman Empire, despite being a small minority for many decades. These people were utter fanatics and often very brutal. Of course this is very unlikely to be a coincidence. Read Tom Holland or an interesting book called ‘The Darkening Age”.
There was also the wholesale destruction of much classical culture. We have a tiny fragment left – much of it only incorporated in Christian accounts to dismiss and attack it. Plus of course statue destruction! Of course latter-day western Christians don’t want to see this obvious comparison.
Your comments aren’t exactly nuanced! A better way of putting it would be just say that among broad political tribes there are “fissures” on some issues and not others.
It is amazing that you believe that the “Central Planner” is the key problem for Trump voting Republicans. The “government getting out of the way” is a key reason we have massive offshoring of industry in huge areas of the West Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher? A bit more efficient planning in some areas, not least on immigration and skills, might be welcome.
Many Trump supporters want government intervention to support their interests and not solely those of globalist international capital.
Talk about a lack of nuance! Ok I have to respond to both posts you made. First off the idea that the Roman Plebs were highly Christianized in the 4th century is absurd. Any religion controlled by the State is nothing more than coerced behavior. None of the Plebs were even allowed to read the Bible. It was a Magisterial control structure. As far as toppling statues, they weren’t toppling the statues of Roman politicians, soldiers or historical figures. They were toppling the statues of Polytheistic Deities. Was it excessively unruly? Probably. I’m not endorsing it but let’s not act like it was the same thing as tearing down a statue of Thomas Jefferson.
As far as Central Planning, are you not familiar with the Trumpian phrase “Drain the Swamp.” The belief that the Administrative Bureacracy is an unelected 4th branch of government undemocratically imposing itself on the population is consistent across the Right.
The “offshoring” problem is a problem of Monopolization. When a nation places too many regulations on business, it inflates the cost of production. It also leads to a compliance environment where those companies that can afford to hire all the lawyers and officers can meet the central planner’s regulatory requirements. Those that can’t simply go out of business. In a Monopoly environment, its crushing when the Monopoly outsources its work.
Here’s a thought. Instead of crushing regulations, how about you allow startups to compete with the bigger firms thereby driving up wages naturally and eliminating the crushing consequences of international offshoring
Trump is King for conservatives.
Comical.
Trump is a burkean
Not to take anything away from Ben Shapiro, but it was Andrew Breitbart who popularized “politics is downstream from culture.”
Christ is King occurs frequently in the New Testament. When Pontius asked Jesus was he the King of the Jews he did not reply though he wasn’t and never said he was, his calling being far greater than an earthly crown. With that question going unanswered, the beatings began with the torture and Crucifixion following. Jews undergo persecution and pogroms not mainly anymore from religious hatred aside from Islamists but because their brains, hard work and giving one another a hand up from a sense of tribe raises them like cream to the top of every culture. This creates envy and jealousy and then continues on to murderous hatred. It was the same on a far lesser scale for Indians in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa until they wised up and laid low, were kicked out, or voluntarily left for countries where meritocracy was not punished.