When Tucker Carlson called Christian Zionism a Mind Virus, Virgil Walker didn’t flinch. He nodded. Walker was referring to Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes.
Before rushing to cancel Tucker, he asks us to pause and reflect on what he’s saying,
Not because I agree with his phrasing—it was reckless and sure to ignite a firestorm—but because I know exactly what he was reacting to. I’ve sat in rooms with Christians who quote Genesis 12:3 like it’s (sic) foreign policy, men who can’t explain the verse but are certain it demands blind allegiance to a modern state. That’s not theology. That’s reflex. And Tucker, sloppy as he was, hit a nerve worth touching.
Walker is a Reformed brother in Christ and I’ve appreciated many of his observations. Not this one so much. He hails from a tradition which assumes the church is spiritual Israel. I don’t want to comb through his article yet one can see what he believes regarding Gen 12:3 under the heading “The Verse No One Can Explain.”
We addressed that particular verse several times on this site and more recently HERE. It is perfectly explainable. And it refers to Israel.
I want to add that I like some of what Walker wrote, but he painted with a broad brush and may harbor superficial assumptions about what is going on with the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Hopefully he’ll forgive me if I’m wrong.
Mind virus?
My position is that I don’t worship Israel as a Zionist, nor do I necessarily condone every action it undertakes. However, I’d like to point out that Israel has been under existential threat since becoming a state. It’s not just Hamas that wants to wipe it out “from the river to the sea” but it is a sentiment shared by most surrounding Islamic nations.
Anti-Israel propaganda from both secular and Christian sources often influences people. This is why I refer folk to CAMERA which constantly fact checks the media, and the Jewish Virtual Library.
My Christian Zionism is not due to some mind virus in Tucker Carlson’s imagination; it exists because God is a Zionist: Isaiah 60, Jeremiah 31:31-37, Ezekiel 36, Amos 9:14-14.
Other Thoughts
I want to take the opportunity to link to others who commented on the Carlson-Fuentes interview.
Rod Dreher shared his thoughts HERE. Note what he reveals about Ben Shapiro! The signs of our times! Jamie Glazov also commented on FrontPageMag. Following that exchange, Scott Pinsker from PJ Media issued a dire warning for the GOP HERE.
From a theological perspective, Gerald McDermott, Anglican priest and Distinguished Professor of Theology, defended Israel’s biblical right to the land in a 2023 article. He is not a dispensationalist, nor premillennial. In a 2025 YouTube interview titled “Christian Zionism is Biblical” he jokingly referred to the “crazy dispensationalists.” I’ll take that with a smile and encourage people to watch the video because he gets so much right, even if he’s wrong about dispensationalism.
Finally, Jack Hughes wrote an excellent piece called “Should Christians Bless Israel?” All Christians should read it.
Maranatha!
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