Watch: Daily Wire Host Claims that Saying 'Christ Is King' is Anti-Semitic, Gets Hit with Major Backlash
Christ is King.
The statement is very simple.
For Christians, it is an expression of reverence for Jesus Christ as the King of Kings, as stated in verses such as Matthew 21:5 or Revelation 17:14.
“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings — and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Revelation 17:14 reads.
Daily Wire host Andrew Klavan recently claimed that the groups who say “Christ is King” belong to an “anti-Semitic crowd.”
He brought up the conversation after the Daily Wire parted ways with controversial conservative personality Candace Owens, who previously had a verbal scuffle with Ben Shapiro and invoked the phrase as a sort of coda.
Klavan suggested that some people presently using that phrase are perverting it in a way that the Devil might.
Jewish Daily Wire host Andrew Klavan says “Christ is King” is an anti-Semitic dogwhistle, Jews are “God’s chosen people.”
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/7FtJwAZUcr
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 23, 2024
“When you use that phrase to mean that God has abandoned his chosen people, the Jews, through whom he came into this world incarnate, and that he’s broken his promise — his covenant with the Jews,” Klavan says. “You are quoting scripture like Satan does in the Bible.”
He goes on to call it “wicked” when people use the phrase in such a perverse way, however, he notes that he understands why people would want figures like Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson to find Christ.
“I understand this all. All of you who love Ben — I love Ben — and Jordan Peterson — you all want to see them find Jesus because you know what joy and freedom that gives you,” he states.
In response to Klavan’s comments, “Christ is King” quickly began to trend on X.
“Christ is King is trending worldwide. The media’s attempt to cross Him again has failed. Happy Sunday,” Owens shared.
Christ is King is trending worldwide. ✝️
The media’s attempt to cross Him again has failed.Happy Sunday.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 24, 2024
“It’s Palm Sunday and conservative Twitter is having a very serious meltdown over the controversial declaration that *checks notes* Christ is King,” The Blaze columnist Auron MacIntyre tweeted.
It’s Palm Sunday and conservative Twitter is having a very serious meltdown over the controversial declaration that *checks notes*
Christ is King
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) March 24, 2024
“Yeshua is King,” rapper Bryson Gray wrote.
Yeshua is King.
— CCG BRYSON (@RealBrysonGray) March 24, 2024
“Christ is King. This is for certain,” Twitch streamer Kangmin Lee tweeted. “Never be ashamed of this. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. But ‘Christ is King’ should be proclaimed for His glory, not our own. If you say it for your own gain, you crown yourself as king over your life, not Christ.”
Christ is King. This is for certain. Never be ashamed of this. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.
But “Christ is King” should be proclaimed for His glory, not our own. If you say it for your own gain, you crown yourself as king over your life, not Christ.
— Kangmin Lee | 이강민 (@kangminjlee) March 24, 2024
Columnist Jason Whitlock asked the question of how saying Christ is King is anti-Semitic, which spawned a conversation between him and former legal advisor to Trump Jenna Ellis.
Ellis responded, “That’s like asking how the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ doesn’t really mean that Black lives matter. Or the problem with the term “social justice” or ‘Christian Nationalism.’ These are all phrases designed to signal.”
That’s like asking how the phrase “Black Lives Matter” doesn’t really mean that Black lives matter. Or the problem with the term “social justice” or “Christian Nationalism.” These are all phrases designed to signal.
Of course Christ is King. But the phrase “Christ is King” is… https://t.co/FzUtfqWv4Q
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) March 24, 2024
“Of course Christ is King,” she continued in the same post, “But the phrase ‘Christ is King’ is used to describe an anti-Israel sentiment and false theology that God abandoned the Jews and Christians are the new ‘chosen people.'”
Whitlock countered her claim, responding “Hmm. Black Lives Matter, social justice and Christian nationalism are not biblically-based phrases. Jesus is proclaimed as the king of kings in the Bible. The foundation of ‘Christ is King’ is taken directly from the Bible. Thank you for responding, Jenna.”
Hmm. Black Lives Matter, social justice and Christian nationalism are not biblically-based phrases. Jesus is proclaimed as the king of kings in the Bible. The foundation of “Christ is King” is taken directly from the Bible. Thank you for responding, Jenna. https://t.co/J4QC68uHS4
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) March 24, 2024
That exchange gets at the difficulty of this discussion. Yes, of course “Christ is King.” That is so true that it’s essentially tautological. Christ is definitionally the ultimate king, and the ultimate king is definitionally Christ.
That’s not hard. The hard part is when that phrase is invoked as a sort of QED — a statement that’s supposed to sum up and demonstrate the truth of the claim preceding it. And “Christ is King” simply can’t be credibly used to suggest an unbiblical narrative that God has deserted the Jews.
At the very best that’s a non-sequitur. At the worst, it’s intentional misuse of God’s word, and we know what the penalty for that sort of blasphemy was in the Old Testament.
Paul clearly answers questions about the Jews’ status in relation to then-emerging Christians in Romans 11. In the English Standard Version, verse 18 reads, “[Gentile believers] do not be arrogant toward the branches [Jews]. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root [Christ], but the root that supports you.” Anticipating new Gentile believers’ wondering if the Jews who rejected Christ had been in turn rejected for good, Paul writes in verses 25 – 29, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved… for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
God called and gifted the Jews from Abraham’s day, and nothing will change that.
If we’re going to say “Christ is King,” let’s say it to glorify the one who died for all our sins and who plans to redeem those who believe on Him, Jew and gentile alike — not as a profane mic drop.
CORRECTION, March 26, 2024: An earlier version of this article unintentionally mischaracterized two of Klavan’s comments. Those errors have been corrected and the article updated. The Western Journal apologizes to Mr. Klavan and our readers for the error.
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