The Christian Worldview

David Wheaton: The dark spiritual contagion of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish enmity. That is our topic of discussion today on The Christian Worldview radio program, where the mission is to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. I'm David Wheaton, the host. The Christian Worldview is a nonprofit, listener-supported radio ministry. Our website is thechristianworldview.org, and the rest of our contact information will be given throughout today's program. As always, thank you for your notes of encouragement, financial support, and lifting us up in prayer.

Hostility or hatred of the Jews and Israel is an age-old scourge of mankind, and it always ends badly for those who get seduced into it. The Egyptian Pharaoh attempted to kill all the male Jewish babies in the land, and his country was destroyed by God's plagues. Haman in Persia, modern-day Iran, plotted to exterminate all Jews in the kingdom, and he and his 10 sons were executed. Less than 100 years ago, Adolf Hitler tried to genocide the Jews, and he died, and Germany lost World War II.

There have been many more examples of enmity toward the Jews throughout history, and yet the Jewish people continue to survive and even prosper. Anti-Israel, anti-Jewish hostility is inspired by Satan himself. How so? Satan is driven to thwart God's plan. So, to exterminate the Jews before the coming of Jesus Christ, who himself was a Jew, would be to foil God's promise of a Savior. To destroy Israel now would be to derail God's promise to save Israel in the lead-up to the return of Christ.

If you think about it, fundamentally, the lack of peace in the Middle East is about Israel's neighbors' open hostility toward the Jewish people's presence there. The Jews did not take back their historic homeland in Israel through force of arms in 1948, but it was through declarations by Britain and the United Nations, of all organizations. But that didn't matter. The newly established state of Israel was attacked immediately by her Arab neighbors.

This helps explain why Iran and its proxies across the Middle East—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen—who, although holding to differing Islamic beliefs, are united by an unquenchable hatred and motive to destroy the Jews and Israel. But it's not just the Middle East. The spiritual contagion of enmity toward the Jews and Israel has infected many in the West. The political and theological left, which are basically one and the same, are characterized by this.

But what is troubling is that the political and theological right, conservatives, are succumbing as well. Notable conservative influencers like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes, along with many others, openly and loudly deride Israel and the Jews. And here's what they assert: the modern-day people in Israel aren't actually Jews, or the Jews control America and the US does Israel's bidding in the Middle East, or the Jews are the great corrupters in the world and they seek global dominance, or Israel is a genocidal oppressor.

Even if there was any truth to these defamations, none of it would cancel God's unbreakable promise. Romans 11: "God has not rejected His people, has He?" the Apostle Paul writes. Answer: "May it never be! From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." That's Romans chapter 11, verse one, and then also verses 28 and 29.

So this weekend on The Christian Worldview, Chris Katulka, host of Friends of Israel Today radio program and vice president of North American Ministries, joins us to discuss the dark spiritual contagion of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish enmity. Now, before we get to the interview with Chris, just a few quotes and audio clips of what this battle for hearts and minds over Israel and the Jews sounds like that rages every day online, in media, on podcasts, and on the streets around the world.

This first audio clip is from Anna Kasparian. Wikipedia calls her an American independent political commentator, media host, and journalist. She is a host and producer of the online news show called The Young Turks. Listen to what she has to say.

Anna Kasparian: And for any Israelis watching this right now, I want you to be clear. I want you to understand this, okay? You are hated internationally. Hated. The whole international community loathes you. Young American citizens in this country, both left and right, loathe you. And eventually, these are the people who are going to come into power.

And it's not because you're Jewish. It's because you think you're God's chosen people when you act like absolute demons. You guys like to slaughter people and steal land, and you think you're better than everyone else. You think that you're entitled to everything, including our tax dollars. It's disgusting.

David Wheaton: Now, that may be shocking, but keep in mind that Kasparian is more on the left. But what is alarming, and what we'll discuss today, is this kind of anti-Israel, anti-Jew sentiment is also now coming from the right. Consider Candace Owens. Here's what she posted this past month that received 3 million views on X, or Twitter:

"Yes, we are ruled by satanic pedophiles who work for Israel. Everyone needs to digest that fact now. Pray and prepare yourselves to continue this fight against those who are working to protect them in government, media, and church. This is the synagogue of Satan we are up against," referring to Israel. Or even more recently, after the United States allegedly struck an Iranian girls' school with a missile, killing over 150 schoolgirls tragically, Candace Owens posted, "It was not a mistake. Israel is required to mass murder children because they worship Baal. Trump does as he is instructed to by Jared Kushner, Jewish son-in-law of Donald Trump, and Bibi Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel."

Now, if you think she's just some crackpot Roman Catholic, consider Joel Webbon. He's a pastor and president of Right Response Ministries, with over 100,000 followers on X. In this audio clip, he's interviewing Jake Shields, who, according to an online bio, is a right-wing activist and he's a mixed martial arts fighter. And he's not a believer. Joel Webbon asks him about the new right. Listen where this discussion goes.

Joel Webbon: On the new right, there are Christians, there are non-Christians. From your perspective, who do you think's going to win out when it's all said and done? Because I look at some of these guys who they have some similar conclusions on Israel, some similar conclusions on nationalism, similar conclusions on immigration, all those kinds of things, but they are like, they don't like Christianity. They even would go so far as to say Christianity is a Jewish psyop to weaken the West.

Jake Shields: Yeah, there is a big push against that right now from a lot of white people. I've talked to some of these guys and I'm trying to tell them, bro, you're not going the right approach. Just say he's not Jewish. Like, he's the Son of God. How is the Son of God a Jew? This is like, I don't think the Bible ever says Mary's Jewish, does it?

Joel Webbon: I, you know, it's genealogies are very complicated. You have Ruth, you have Rahab, you have different people in the genealogy of Christ that weren't Israelites. And then it gets into like, well, how do you define Jew? Does it mean Judean, or is it just stand-in synonymous for a Hebrew? Yeah, I know the guys who make the arguments about, well, the Jews were Edomites, you know, or there's this other sect.

Jake Shields: No, I understand the argument, but I refuse to say Jesus is Jewish. I'm just not going to, I'm just not going to say it. They can make the argument, but I'm not going to say Jesus is Jewish. It's like, no.

Joel Webbon: Yeah, that's fine. I, to me, it doesn't really matter. It's like if Jesus is Jewish, fine. But in AD 70, Christ spiritually returned in judgment through the human agency of Titus and destroyed the temple, destroyed all Jerusalem. So if he was Jewish, he still came back and judged his own people, indicting them for their unbelief, their rejection of him, the fact that they shouted and demanded that he be crucified. So either way, it's like an excellent point. Yeah, if you're going to say Jesus is Jewish and therefore Jews are special, it's like the whole New Testament basically tells us that Jews aren't special. What matters is faith. Do you trust in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile? So to me, it's a moot point.

David Wheaton: So what did you hear there? Jesus isn't Jewish? It doesn't matter if he is? And Christ already returned to judge the Jews in AD 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem? Joel Webbon, this pastor, attempted to clarify what was said in that sound clip, but it only led to more misdirection. "Yes, Jesus is a true Israelite," he said, "from the line of Judah. But no, Jesus was not an Ashkenazi Talmudic Jew." See there what he's doing? The Jews in Israel today are not really Jewish as they were back in the historical time of Israel. Now, we could spend the whole program going from quote to quote, soundbite to soundbite, with similar anti-Israel sentiment. This is exploding, and it's very serious. Sadly, Christians and conservatives, maybe even some of your own friends and family, are imbibing and repeating this kind of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish unbiblical enmity. And it leads to not just delusion in that person, but you know where it really leads? To standing in opposition to God. And that is the worst place to be. Our guest today will help us think through what is taking place. So let's get to the interview with Chris Katulka from Friends of Israel.

Chris, thank you for coming on The Christian Worldview radio program today. Do you agree that this anti-Israel, anti-Jewish sentiment is increasing in our country, particularly with younger conservatives and Christians? And if so, why is that, and what does that mean for the future?

Chris Katulka: It's definitely increasing, and it's becoming quite scary, actually. I've often said, number one, we're talking about a political issue. I think what we like to do, David, is to move our biblical first and then political, but I think what's happening is that we're dealing with a strictly political issue and the Bible is getting pushed out. That's the issue. What's happening is a lot of times people see politics from your conservative to your liberal, progressive, however you want to look at it in this line. What politics is anymore is almost like a circle, and what we're seeing is the progressive left and this incredibly alt-right group are almost touching one another when it comes to the issue of Israel.

I personally think we're seeing with the social media, the spread of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred that's going on, that almost sounds like the 1930s all over again coming out of Germany. And at the same time, what's happening is, I think these young adults, David, what they're looking for is an answer to their problems. They're looking for something to target. And these podcasters, these social media influencers are specifically targeting Israel and really the Jewish people as the problem. And this is what I believe is bringing a lot of animosity even among the young conservatives toward Israel. They want to blame somebody, and who are they going to blame? Well, they're going to blame Israel and the Jewish people.

But the problem that these young adults don't have is they're not the biggest fans of history. And what's happening is history is just repeating itself again. And it's not just the history from the 20th century with the rise of Nazism and the rise of Hitler; it's also the anti-Semitism of the 19th century and the 18th century, and every century since the day God called Abraham is that somebody's always been looking for someone to blame for their problems. And really, the Jewish people become the target. And right now we're seeing that on a rise, not just among the progressive left as you're saying, but even more significantly among the conservative young adults as well.

David Wheaton: Yes, that's very true. I don't know who made this video, Chris, but it's basically what you just explained about scapegoating the Jews.

Guest (Male): This is a crash course on how to become a Jew-hater according to Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. If a government is strong, that means the Jews control the government. But if a government is weak, that means the Jews undermine that government. If Jews are poor, that means that they're parasites, leeches off the government. And if Jews are rich, that means that they're exploiters who took advantage of you to build their own wealth.

If Jews have no power, they deserve exactly what happens to them. If Jews have power, they're aggressors and they're the cause of the problem. If Jews are stateless, they're rootless and untrustworthy. If they have a state in the country, they're occupiers and colonizers. If they are victims, then they're exaggerating what happened. But if they survive, they are manipulating your sympathy. There is no winning or pleasing anyone who is a Jew-hater. They don't hate you because they have reasons; they will make reasons to hate you. And people like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, whichever way the wind blows, they will find a way to blame every problem on the Jewish people.

David Wheaton: This blaming of the Jews doesn't just come from the left; it now is coming from the right. Candace Owens, she's very well known. I think she has the number one podcast in the world. She was formerly a very good friend of Charlie Kirk, involved in TPUSA, very popular podcaster, influencer online. She said recently in a post on X, she said, "Do not join or remain in the United States military. Trump has betrayed America and expects you to die for Israel. Zionists," she said, "are having a meltdown about what I said with regard to the military, so let me reiterate: do not sign up for or continue to fight for the US military. This war is on behalf of satanic pedophiles." I'm assuming she's referring to Israel there and the Jewish people. "Find the legal means to exit the military. Do not fight for child rapists."

That truly is an unbelievable message from someone who is as prominent as she is. And this term, Christian Zionists, this term is turned into a pejorative. What do you make of what Candace Owens is saying in that particular post? And explain why the term Zionists, what it's about, and whether it's a negative or a positive the way a Christian should think about it.

Chris Katulka: If a Christian reads the Bible, David, then they can't help but get away from the fact that God is a Zionist. And that might be a shock to Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, who claim to be Christians. I know that Candace recently converted to Catholicism, I think from evangelicalism, and I think that Tucker has always been an Episcopalian. But if you read the Bible, the land of Israel, the Jewish people, and the promise that God made to them, the blessing that God would bless them with and the purpose that God would give them—"I'll bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you"—and the purpose of all of that is that Abraham, through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. The reason why they are the chosen people—so land, people, and descendants are always wrapped up together.

So you can't remove Zionism from the Bible. It doesn't just magically disappear as much as they want it to. And you're right, Zionism just means that you believe, whether you're a secular or you're a Jewish or you're a Christian or whatever you are, if you're a Zionist, then you believe that the Jewish people have a right to exist in their ancient homeland. Period. That's it, okay? And Jewish people have been living in Israel for thousands and thousands of years. It's amazing that it's become a pejorative term. It's like saying Americanism to believe that we're an exceptional country. Nobody would doubt that. We're all Americans; we value who we are and we appreciate our citizens. Zionism is just the belief that Jewish people have a right to exist in their ancient homeland. And if you're a Christian Zionist, then you believe that the Bible is the deed to the land. Like you're saying, this is God's Word, and God's Word says that this is the land that He gave the Jewish people.

But what happens is, again, Candace needs a target. Candace needs an enemy. And what happens with Candace is she comes along and she uses these terms. And the question is this: Candace, who are you talking to? When you're talking about Israeli Zionists, well, there are Arab Christian Zionists that live in Israel. There are Arab Muslim Zionists that live in Israel. They're all citizens of Israel. There are Jewish citizens that are Zionists. Are you talking about Jews? Are you talking about all Israelis? Because 20% of Israelis aren't even Jewish; they're other religions, they're other ethnicities. Who are you talking to? I know who she's talking to, David. She's talking to Jewish people because she uses that term pedophile and she uses these terms to condemn the Jewish person.

And then you know what she does? She goes, "Oh, you're going to call me an anti-Semite next? You're going to call me a Jew-hater next?" Yes! You can't do that. You can't have your cake and eat it too. And so she is specifically targeting the Jewish people globally, and she's targeting the Jewish state, the only Jewish state in the world that's the size of New Jersey that only has 9 million people that live in the state, in order to make an enemy for herself.

And I'll say this even more, David. I don't know what's in the heart of Candace, but I do believe this. Every time she talks about Jews, every time she talks about Israel, you know what happens? Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click. Clicks go through the roof. And you know what she gets? Money, money, money, money, money, money, money. And so I think for her, I don't know how much of it is genuinely her hatred toward the Jewish people and her hatred toward Israel, and how much of it is also, "I'm going to keep talking about this because every time I do, it brings two people to my table: the ones who agree with me and the ones who absolutely hate what I have to say and are going to listen." So here we are talking about it, and you know what happens? It brings in clicks. So I believe that that is a real issue, and I believe that's really what's driving Candace. But yes, this term that's supposed to be a good thing is becoming a pejorative term, which is that hatred. Zionism is equal to colonialism, is equal to all this hatred, when really, the Jewish people back in their ancient homeland is just a promise that God made in the Bible thousands of years ago.

David Wheaton: Chris Katulka is our guest today. He's the host of Friends of Israel Today radio program, also the vice president for North American Ministries in the US, Canada, and Mexico for Friends of Israel. We have links to them at our website, thechristianworldview.org. We'll take a short break to tell you about some ministry updates, including the new digital version of The Christian Worldview Journal. Next segment, Chris Katulka will explain anti-Semitism and why it's a doorway into spiritual darkness. I'm David Wheaton, and you are listening to The Christian Worldview radio program.

We are excited to announce that The Christian Worldview Journal is now available in digital format, meaning that it can be read on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. For the March/April issue, all Christian Worldview partners will be sent both the print version of the journal by mail and a link to the digital version by email. For future issues, you can choose to receive only one format, print or digital, or continue to receive both. The Christian Worldview Journal is a bimonthly publication with compelling articles on current events and issues of the faith. It is sent to all Christian Worldview partners as a thank you for their support of this radio ministry. To become a Christian Worldview partner and receive the journal, or to update your print and/or digital preferences, call us at 1-888-646-2233, email us at support@thechristianworldview.org, or return the resource insert form in the March/April issue.

Joe Rigney: This is where the left has really discovered the one-two punch. If they can define empathy and compassion according to their definitions, and then this next step is they can accuse you of not having it unless you go along. Then they've got you. You don't want to be called a hater, you don't want to be called callous and heartless because you think, I want to be known as a compassionate person. But you're not using the Bible's definition of compassion; you've now adopted this progressive leftist worldly definition and you're being steered by it.

David Wheaton: That was Pastor Joe Rigney, explaining how the left manipulates Christians through twisting empathy. For a limited time, you can order his book, Leadership and the Sin of Empathy, for a donation of any amount to The Christian Worldview. The book is hardcover, 164 pages, and retails for $22. To order, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 1-888-646-2233 or write to Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331. Welcome back to The Christian Worldview. I'm David Wheaton. Be sure to visit thechristianworldview.org, where you can sign up for our weekly email and The Christian Worldview Journal print publication, order resources for adults and children, and support the ministry.

Our topic today is the dark spiritual contagion of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish enmity, and our guest is Chris Katulka, host of the Friends of Israel Today radio program. Chris, you mentioned the term anti-Semitism. This has become a loaded term as well. And the two we've talked about so far, Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, both very prominent conservatives who used to be really highly respected, all over Fox News. And there has been a change with them over the last several years. And maybe you can tell us why. You mentioned maybe potentially because of the financial benefit of doing so, but maybe there's other reasons. Both of them would deny that they're anti-Semitic. So how should that term anti-Semitic be understood? And then how would you describe people like Carlson and Candace Owens?

Chris Katulka: Anti-Semitism is just Jew hatred. That's what it is; it's targeted Jew hatred. I'll use that word specifically: targeted. Because that's what I think is so interesting about the Tuckers and the Candaces of the world, because they sit there and they'll tell you we don't hate the Jewish people, but then they'll sit there and call the Jewish people pedophiles. You can't do that. That's targeting the Jewish people. Or claiming that, as Candace Owens did, she'll say things like we shouldn't blame the white man for European slavery coming over into America, that was actually Jews that did that. You're not even talking about Israel at that point; there was no Israel during the 17th and 18th century. The slave trade and blaming the Jews, that's targeting the Jewish people, like historically we know that's just not true. That's propaganda. That's like hate speech, you know what I mean?

But she's not an anti-Semite, you know, she doesn't hate the Jewish people. Same thing with Tucker. Tucker sat down with Ambassador Mike Huckabee not long ago, and he started talking about taking DNA from Jewish people in Israel to find out if they're really Jewish. What? Like, I mean, that is targeting Jewish people who are citizens of the state of Israel. So again, there's this ability for them to go, "See, anytime somebody simply criticizes Israel, they're labeled anti-Semites or Jew-haters." I don't believe that. You can criticize the state of Israel all day long. They're a secular government. They make choices just like our government makes choices. They elect politicians just like we elect politicians. And there are times I like what my politicians do, and there are times I disagree with what my politicians do.

I'll tell you this right now: if you go to Israel, there's a saying, "you put two rabbis in a room and you leave with three opinions." So if you can imagine what it's like in Israel where they have dozens of political parties, not two like us, they have dozens of political parties in the Knesset. They have so many opinions in Israel. So many opinions. So of course they disagree with their government. That's all they do all day is disagree with their government. It's not bad to disagree with the government of Israel. Fine. But they aren't disagreeing with the government of Israel. They are actually targeting Jewish people and blaming them and accusing them of being pedophiles or controlling the media or dominating the economy and things of this nature for their benefit.

And that is the classic tropes once again that go back to the 1930s once again, where you're actually just targeting people to blame because there's problems that you have. And again, what we've seen over the years, these last few years, especially since COVID, is that the economy went down, inflation went up. It's been hard for young people to make it in this world. It's been economically difficult. Getting a job, all of these things add up. Trying to buy a home is almost impossible. Interest rates are through the roof. And you know what you do? You have to blame somebody. So who can you blame? Well, the Tuckers and the Candaces of the world and the Nick Fuenteses as well, they all decide to blame Israel.

And this is what's so amazing to me. David, there's only 15 million Jewish people in a sea of almost 8 billion people. That means they make up less than 1% of the world's population. I'm going to argue they're probably not your problem. The thing is, is that these people every single day, a new podcast comes out and it's Israel. Why? Because it genuinely generates the clicks that they need and brings in the audience that fall on both sides of the aisle to hear what's being said. Trust me, David, there are plenty of Jew-haters in the world. I mean, right now in the Arab world, in the Middle East, there's a lot of peace going on between nations between what the Abraham Accords, the Saudis, those from Bahrain and the UAE, they're all looking to form partnerships with Israel. It's the most amazing thing we've seen in decades in the Middle East.

But if you go to mainstream Middle East, those people, more than 90% of Muslims in the Arab world do not believe the Jewish people should be in the land of Israel. 90%. So there is a lot of Jew hatred in the world. That's just the Middle East. And so she's got an audience, and Tucker and Nick have an audience on another side that just bring them to the table and allow them to sit back and to simply poke at less than 1% of the world's population as if these are the problem with the world. I keep coming back to that because I think they have found a niche. It wasn't their niche before, because they were able to make the money and have their audience in Daily Wire, in Fox News. And now they're all hanging out there on their own and they have to make a way. And another one that's kind of come up the ranks that I think has seen a benefit from it as well is Megyn Kelly. She's not as outspoken as Tucker or Candace or Nick, but she definitely flirts with it as well. And that's a problem. And so people listen to this and it's changing the hearts of these younger people who would consider themselves followers of Jesus. That's what's so interesting.

David Wheaton: Yeah. And there are many within the Christian realm who may get the gospel right, but someone like—I don't know if you've seen Joel Webbon online—

Chris Katulka: Oh yeah.

David Wheaton: He's very anti-Israel. And I'm going to read something from Chuck Baldwin here in a second, who is a the founder of Crossroads Baptist Church. But before I get there, I want to follow up on what you just said there about why people become this way. So my observation or thesis for our program today, Chris, is that when a person develops this strong animosity, this hatred for Israel and the Jewish people—you could call it anti-Semitism—believing that they are the core problem in the world and totally unworthy of our support as an ally, that person, it's almost like descends into a kind of delusion and spiritual darkness and even judgment.

And you see it beyond Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, others you've mentioned, Nick Fuentes, but even from history too. I mean, look at someone like Hitler. I mean, he was just a crazed, insane person. Haman in the Old Testament was just possessed with the spiritual darkness and delusion to destroy the Jewish people. Is there something really deeply spiritual, delusional, beyond the money-making profitability of this, that people once they go across this tripwire, you can't understand even where they're coming from?

Chris Katulka: I've been giving messages in churches about this issue, and I think I've kind of found a connection here that I think helps make sense for people about what's going on. Because what you'll often hear the critics say is Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." So does that mean that that passage still applies to the Jewish people in Israel today? And I would argue that there is a continuity, there is a common thread that runs not only throughout the Bible but throughout history to show that yes, if you bless Israel, you will be blessed; if you curse Israel, you will be cursed. The Bible explains it and then also history explains it as well. That passage, Genesis 12:1-3, I mentioned this earlier, it promises Abraham three things.

It promises Abraham land, the land of Israel. It promises Abraham descendants, the Jewish people. And it promises Abraham a blessing, a multifaceted blessing. I'll bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you—that's protection. It promises that Abraham's name would be always associated with blessing. And then finally, the fact that Abraham, the reason God chose the Jewish people was that they would become a blessing to the world; they would bring salvation to the world. Okay, if you look at anti-Semitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, the targeted hatred of the Jewish people, it's actually boiled down to three different things in history.

One is religious anti-Semitism. You had mentioned Haman earlier. Haman targeted the Jewish people because Mordecai wouldn't bow. He got frustrated that Mordecai the Jew wouldn't bow, and he recognized something: no Jew will ever bow because they don't follow the law of the Persians, they follow the Torah. And the Torah, divine revelation and law from God, restricts Jewish people from ever bowing to anybody. So not only do we need to get rid of Mordecai, we gotta get rid of all of them. Okay? And so there's this religious anti-Semitism. That happened during the story of Hanukkah with Antiochus Epiphanes. That happens during the Crusader period. That happens during the Spanish Inquisition. It happens during the pogroms. There's this religious anti-Semitism that has happened throughout history. Okay?

The second one is this, and it came up in the 19th and 20th century, and it's called social Darwinism. And it's not even the fact that it's religious anymore, David. It's the fact that if you're a Jew, a Jew, then guess what? You are the problem. It's in your DNA. See, at least with religious anti-Semitism, if you converted to Christianity, welcome to the family, you know what I mean? But if you don't, you might die or you'll be kicked out. Okay? But in this type of anti-Semitism that's connected to social Darwinism, it's saying that actually the very DNA of the Jewish people means you can't trust them because they're slimy people, okay? And they're always trying to rip you off and they're untrustworthy.

If you ever notice in Nazi propaganda, they do things—they enlarge the nose in pictures to identify the Jewish people. That's a DNA marker, even though science will tell you Jewish schnozzes are no bigger than Gentile schnozzes, okay? It's just a social or a DNA marker. Okay, so there was the fact that no matter what you were—secular, religious, you could even be a Christian Jewish person—you're all destined for the same place: the gas chamber and death.

The last one that we're seeing today, the modern anti-Semitism that we're seeing in the 21st century, really ramped up after October 7th, and that is called statehood anti-Semitism. The fact that the Jewish people have a homeland and guess what? Now that they have a homeland, they need to be targeted. It's the Jewish people, they're the problem with the world, it's the state of Israel that's the problem with the world. And that's why a kid going to college in Columbia University that may have never stepped foot in Israel is getting targeted for something that's happening all the way around the world in the Middle East in the land of Israel. That's statehood anti-Semitism.

And here's the connection. Notice how anti-Semitism, what Tucker, what Candace, what Nick do, is they're deconstructing the promise that God made to Abraham. God promised a land, and guess what? Statehood anti-Semitism tries to deconstruct, tries to eliminate the need for a land. God promised a people from Abraham, the descendants—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 sons of Israel—and guess what they try to do? What is a Jew? What does it even matter? Should we check their DNA? Who cares about Jews? And then even to the point where if you're Jewish, it doesn't matter who you are, put them in the gas chamber—the very essence of the people. And then finally, the religious component, that God would try to stamp out their Judaism or that these anti-Semites would try to stamp out their Judaism once and for all and call it an evil, a scourge on the earth.

And so ultimately what's happening is, I think when you hear Candace talk and when you hear Tucker talk and when you hear Nick Fuentes talk, what are they saying? They're ultimately deconstructing a promise that God never intended to be broken, the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: land, descendants, and blessing. You can't break it. It's unconditional. That goes back to the very beginning of the Bible.

David Wheaton: That's a very interesting connection you're making there, Chris. Chris Katulka is our guest today here on The Christian Worldview, the host of the Friends of Israel Today radio program. We have links to him at our website and their ministry at our website, thechristianworldview.org. We'll take a short break to tell you about some ministry updates. Next segment, Chris Katulka will answer the charges that the people living in Israel today are not descendants of the ancient Jews and that Israel controls the United States. I'm David Wheaton, and you are listening to The Christian Worldview radio program.

The March/April issue of The Christian Worldview Journal features a special section on Easter and the resurrection of Christ, an article by Pastor Joe Rigney on how untethered empathy is used to manipulate and advance leftist power, and journalist Alex Newman writes about the godless globalist tentacles of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The Christian Worldview Journal is a bimonthly print and digital publication designed to sharpen your biblical worldview on current events and issues of the faith. It also includes a resource catalog and ministry updates. The journal is sent to Christian Worldview partners as a thank you for their support of this radio ministry. To become a Christian Worldview partner or order an individual issue of the journal, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 1-888-646-2233 or write to Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331.

Jared Moore: Knowing all that we know about God, His beauty, His value, we're headed to eternity. Our sins have been taken care of. My greatest problem in life is my sin, and it's been taken care of forever. I'm no longer a child of the devil. God has given me so much and blessed me so much. How could I possibly return to what the devil likes or what the devil loves? How could I give my life to that which reflects the evil one rather than God?

David Wheaton: That was Pastor Jared Moore, exhorting Christians to love God more than their own lusts. For a limited time, you can order Pastor Moore's devotional book, 33 Days to Freedom from Lust, for a donation of any amount to The Christian Worldview. The book is softcover, 246 pages, and retails for $15. To order, go to thechristianworldview.org or call 1-888-646-2233 or write to Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331. Thanks for joining us on The Christian Worldview. I'm David Wheaton. Today's program and past programs, along with transcripts and shorttakes, are available at thechristianworldview.org. While there, you can also sign up for our weekly email and The Christian Worldview Journal print publication, order resources, and support the ministry.

Our topic today is the dark spiritual contagion of anti-Israel, anti-Jewish enmity, and our guest is Chris Katulka, vice president of North American Ministries at Friends of Israel. I want to get into a few more assertions that are so commonly made, Chris. And one of them is that the modern-day Jews—and you've already mentioned this a couple different times because I know you've seen this—that modern-day Jews are actually not Jewish. They're not descendants of ancient Old Testament Jews. And so Nick Fuentes, who you mentioned, has over a million followers on X. The followers are called Groypers. I'm not sure why they're called that, but anyway, he doesn't even want conservatives to vote in the next election. He's so anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Here's what he had to say about this issue of modern Jews not being real Jews.

Nick Fuentes: If you go out there and say, "Oh, Netanyahu's not a real Jew. As a matter of fact, none of the Israelis are." Who's the number one beneficiary of that narrative? Well, it would be Orthodox Jews. It would be some group of Jews who believe that they are the real Jews, and they feel that they are being blamed for what Israel is doing or what Netanyahu is doing. Doesn't that sort of fit neatly?

David Wheaton: He's always sort of spinning these tales on his program and behind the scenes. What's going on here? Netanyahu is probably not a real Jew, he's from Poland, and so forth, and who benefits from that? Are the modern-day Jews descendants of the Jews from the Old Testament time?

Chris Katulka: Yeah, I believe they are. Again, we live in a 21st century and we're talking as Americans where we are called the melting pot. I'm Polish, I'm Italian, I'm Irish and British, I'm a mutt. But you know what? My colleague, Steve Herzig, he's a Jewish believer. He's an Ashkenazi Jewish person. His family comes from the area of Eastern Europe, specifically Poland. If you did a DNA test on him, he is actually, according to ancestry.com, 100% Jewish. 100%, okay? Do you know what you have to do to maintain 100% Jewishness in your DNA? And it's funny because he was 99% and as, you know, if you ever get your DNA done by ancestry, it's constantly reworking how these things, you know, it's getting better data and all this and it will change your profile over time. And it only went up more Jewish; it went from like 99 to 100 percent. We were laughing about that.

It's only within the last maybe 50 or 60 years where Jewish people, especially in the more liberal world, begin to intermarry with others here in America. But if you go over to Israel, Israelis come from all areas of the world: Ashkenazi, which come from, as I said, Eastern Europe; Sephardic Jewish people come from Northern Africa and Spain; and then Mizrahi Jews come from the Middle East. And they all converged, especially after 1948, into Israel. And so, yes, they are descendants. In fact, there's been DNA tests done recently within the past 10 years that have found that from even Ashkenazi Jewish people that immigrated—they immigrated out of Israel around the first and second century AD, and they made their way up to Rome, and then from Rome to Germany, and from Germany to Poland. And they can identify the fact that they probably came from like less than 30 different families that would have left from that area and over time just continued to grow over the centuries. So the DNA will trace Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews, and Mizrahi Jews what? Back to the Levant, back to Israel itself. So we have the DNA testing that says that these people that might be spread all around the world actually have a history in Israel, in ancient Israel.

So we have the proof. So when they sit there and they go, "Oh, these Labavitches, these Orthodox, the Ashkenazi," they're just getting themselves all wrapped up into conspiracy theories. They're just Jewish people that migrated over the years. Do you know why they migrated, Nick Fuentes? Because they were forced to migrate. Because they were persecuted. And here you are again, and these podcasters again, are persecuting Jewish people. And you know what Jewish people are saying to themselves? Maybe it's time to go. They're doing it in Europe, they're doing it even here in the United States. The only safe place that they know is not America anymore. They're questioning. I think a lot of Jewish people are questioning the validity of living in America. The Golden Medina, the safest place for Jewish people to live—anti-Semitism, the hatred of Jewish people, is up 300% since October 7th.

So of course they're concerned and where do they find safety? Well, even now Jewish people are making aliyah to Israel, they're immigrating to Israel, the only Jewish state that allows them to be Jewish without persecution and will defend themselves. So again, what's moved Jewish people all around the world for centuries? It's anti-Semitism. And here we are, listening to these people behind microphones persecute the Jewish people once again.

David Wheaton: Well, we might be seeing quite a bit of that moving out of one particular city in this country in New York City with their new radical Muslim mayor. And that's got the highest population of Jews in America, and that's going to be a tinderbox and it already has been to a certain degree. Chris Katulka with us today here on The Christian Worldview. Chris, you probably know who Chuck Baldwin is. I mentioned him just a minute ago. He's a pastor. He was a leader in the Moral Majority, just reading his bio here. Radio talk show host, columnist, and author. In 2004, he ran as a vice presidential candidate alongside Michael Peroutka under the Constitution Party. He ran in 2008 as the actual presidential candidate. So this isn't someone who's just some obscure person.

I read a column by him the other day and it's just really hard to even believe as you read paragraph after paragraph of this column. Now, I'll just read a couple paragraphs for you and again, you're going to have a chance to answer some of the false assertions he's making here about the US and Israel. He said, "No US president has the authority to take America to war with another nation without a declaration of war from Congress." That's actually not true. There hasn't been a declaration of war since World War II; we've gone to many wars since then. Okay, but going on from that, "That means Trump's war with Iran is exactly that: it is Donald Trump's war illegally using the US military for his own purposes, or should I say for Israel's purposes? The man who promised the American people that he would stop America's 'stupid' wars, perpetual regime-change wars, lied to us. He knew he was lying when he said it because he knew that his entire presidential campaign was sponsored by the," here we go, "Epstein Zionist billionaire class, epitomized by Mossad asset Miriam Adelson. Most US presidents," Chuck Baldwin says, "just as most of the US Congress, are overly influenced and manipulated by the state of Israel, thanks to the Zionist billionaire donors using the Israeli lobby group AIPAC, which as a conduit of unlimited cash with which to bribe these criminals called politicians."

Last paragraph. He's hitting all the high points here just in a few paragraphs. "But without a doubt, Donald Trump is far and away the most BEHOLDEN and most CONTROLLED US president ever," and "ever" in capital letters. "Donald Trump is owned lock, stock, and barrel by Benjamin Netanyahu and the antichrist Zionists in Tel Aviv. And Trump's unwarranted, unprovoked, and unconstitutional attack against Iran proves it." And the article just goes on from there, Chris. So he's said many things we've been ticking off today as we've been talking about, but one of the big ones is the big assertions you hear from anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, anti-Jewish people is that basically the Jews control America and America just does Israel's bidding in the world and specifically the Middle East. How would you respond?

Chris Katulka: This war against Iran is the first time that America and Israel have partnered together against a foe. It's words like what you just read that kind of conjure up, I've heard this before too, we're always fighting Israel's wars. We didn't fight in the 1948 independence war, we didn't fight in the '67 war, we didn't fight in the '73 war, '82, we didn't fight in the intifadas, we didn't fight in the wars leading up with Iran and Hamas and Hezbollah—we didn't fight in those wars. We supported our ally, but we didn't fight in those wars. It's only now since 12-day war in June to today that Israel and America have partnered together, I think, for the common good. I don't think Donald Trump is beholden to Netanyahu at all. In fact, I would argue it might be more the other way around: that Netanyahu is constantly trying to get Donald Trump's attention and to not make him go into war, but to build a partnership and alliance with America.

In my humble opinion, I don't think Donald Trump is in Iran for Israel. Do you know where the reason why I think Donald Trump is in Iran? In order to not only justify the deaths of hundreds of our own military that Iran has killed over the years since 1979—they started a war with us a long, long, long time ago. I think Donald Trump is finishing it. But even bigger than that is not just liberating the Iranian people. I think he wants to control the spigot of oil that flows into China. I think his mind is not down in my humble opinion, not down in Israel. I think his mind is over in China saying I'm going to put pressure on China, because 90% of Iranian oil goes over to China, which makes up anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of their oil reserves that come in to feed that behemoth. And so when you're able to control that area, guess what? You've got China behind you now. And I think he's got a different strategy.

I don't think Israel's using the US. I would say they're in a partnership for similar ambitions to put an end to a dictatorial religious regime that oppresses its people and constantly threatens the world. They're the leading state sponsor of terrorism. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis—the terrorism that's happening around the world can often be traced back to Tehran and the Ayatollahs. So again, this mentality that it's the tail wagging the dog, it just doesn't add up. America has been an ally of Israel because they're a democracy in the Middle East, and you know what? It's always been a way in order to have our greatest friend help us in an area where the neighbors aren't that pleasant in the Middle East.

And what we're seeing is a dynamic change for the positive in the Middle East. That's why I don't understand. There's a change happening in the Middle East that we've never seen since 1948, since the big changes that have happened. That there's actually some peace that's going on in the Middle East. And I don't understand these people. They think Israel controls everything. It's the size of New Jersey. So again, I think that there's a misunderstanding. Again, a desire to kind of just point the finger and blame somebody in order to give some type of context for events that are happening in the world. To me, you can still attack Iran and be America first, because the Ayatollahs have attacked Americans since 1979. There's a laundry list of things that they've done against us that we've ignored over the years. And so I think it's finally putting to bed the threat of a nuclear ambitious country with a religious fanatical leader once and for all, and Israel is the one helping us.

David Wheaton: Again, Chris Katulka from the Friends of Israel Ministry has been our guest today. If you missed any of the program, you can hear it again at our website, thechristianworldview.org, or just go to your podcast app on your device and search for this program. Friends of Israel is an excellent ministry with lots of resources. Just go to our website, thechristianworldview.org, for links to them or go directly to their website at foi.org. And be sure to join us next week for part two of the interview with Chris.

In closing, let me say this. If it were proved that the leaders of Israel are working to control America, are running a pedophile ring as some are saying, are trying to take over the Middle East and even the world, or are the "synagogue of Satan" as some charge that persecutes believers, it would only prove that the leaders are wicked sinners, just like other leaders in the world who are out for their own self-interest. But it wouldn't change God's word that He has a plan for judgment and for salvation for the Jews and Israel. And that, as He promised in Genesis 12, "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." A believer can vehemently oppose Israel's ungodliness and their rejection of Christ. After all, rebellion against God has marked their history. But then, Romans 11: "God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!" And that should be our perspective with the Jewish people and with Israel.

Thank you for joining us today on The Christian Worldview and for your support of this nonprofit radio ministry. Until next time, think biblically, live accordingly, and stand firm.

The mission of The Christian Worldview is to sharpen the biblical worldview of Christians and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We hope today's broadcast encouraged you toward that end. To hear a replay of today's program, order a transcript, or find out what must I do to be saved, go to thechristianworldview.org or call toll-free 1-888-646-2233. The Christian Worldview is a listener-supported nonprofit radio ministry furnished by the Overcomer Foundation. To make a donation, order resources, become a Christian Worldview partner, sign up for our weekly email or The Christian Worldview Journal print publication, or to contact us, go to thechristianworldview.org, call 1-888-646-2233, or write to Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331. Thanks for listening to The Christian Worldview.