Despite his longtime dishonest treatment of LGBT people — pretending to care about them despite repeatedly expressing his disdain and outright hatred of them — WorldNetDaily columnist Michael Brown does occasionally get things right (though it took him way too long to stop being such an enthusiasatic supporter of Donald Trump). In August, for example, Brown did denounce the anti-Semitism of Nick Fuentes. In his Nov. 17 column, though, Brown had a somewhat less forceful take on the apparent anti-Semitism of another right-wing figure:
What did commentator Candace Owens mean when she posted that “Christ is King” in the midst of a very public dispute with her Daily Wire employer Ben Shapiro? I’m not going to enter into the details of that dispute, other than to say I agree with Shapiro’s concerns.
Here, I want to focus on Owens posting the words “Christ is King” on X (formerly Twitter).
In a previous post, she quoted the words of Jesus that “you cannot serve both God and money,” causing many to wonder if this was a dig on Jewish people, who are allegedly money hungry.
But why, specifically, did she add, “Christ is King”? Others are wondering as well.
As reported in the Jerusalem Post, “The posts on the social media platform X appeared to some as an antisemitic dog-whistle, alluding to Shapiro’s comments and invoking ancient anti-Jewish tropes through its use of Biblical language and its appeal to the Christian faith. Yashar Ali, the prominent journalist with more than 700,000 followers on the site, shared a screenshot and said, ‘I know what Candace’s tweets mean.'”
Perhaps Candace Owens can clarify the issues herself.
For those wondering what could be wrong with proclaiming “Christ is King,” the unfortunate reality is that this beautiful, biblically based truth has been hijacked by elements of the extreme religious right, often with antisemitic implications.
Brown referenced his earlier criticism of Fuentes, then quoted a writer who noted that Capitol rioters and participants in the anti-abortion March for Life have also said “Christ Is King” and stated that “a proper theological understanding of ‘Christ is King’ ought to compel us to live at peace with our neighbors.” Still, Brown tried to give Owens the benefit of the doubt and wouldn’t directly criticize her:
Yes, Jesus is King and will always be King. He was born a King, died a King, reigns in heaven as King, and will return as King – in fact, as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). For myself, as Jewish follower of Jesus, I unashamedly proclaim Him as the Messianic King and the Savior and Lord of all. And yes, in His name and authority we are called to go and make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
But to use “Christ is King” as a political slogan, especially one with racist and antisemitic overtones, is to bring disgrace on that holy and beautiful name.
I certainly hope this is not what Candace Owens meant. A clarification is certainly called for.
We dare not mess with such sacred words.
It’s not that Brown is incapable of aggressively calling out anti-Semitism — he did so in the days after Hamas’ attack on Israel — but only when those perpetrating it are his political enemies and can be safely demonized. But Owens and Brown are fellow political travelers, so he’s holding his fire.