▶ Key Takeaways
- Tucker Carlson – a self-appointed “Christian Theologian” – is deceiving Conservatives and Christians about God and the Jews.
- Tucker Carlson states authoritatively that God doesn’t choose people based on their DNA; therefore, the belief that the Jews are God’s chosen people is heresy.
- Carlson’s view is that the “chosen people” are those who choose Jesus.
- God chooses people and nations for other purposes besides salvation.
- Jesus taught that no one can come to him, i.e., choose him, unless God draws the person to Jesus.
- The New Testament provides evidence that Christians have not replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people; God has not rejected Israel.
- Christianity is historically and geographically rooted in Judaism and Jerusalem.
- The Jews were central in early Christianity and will also be central in God’s end-time evangelism and judgment.
- Six facts will help you discern error from truth regarding Christianity and the Jews.
Tucker Carlson has a reputation as a conservative voice in American politics.
He campaigned for Donald Trump and JD Vance in the 2024 elections.
He has a large following on his TCN cable news channel.
In the past year or so, Carlson has turned against President Trump, against Israel, and even against conservative moral values.
Carlson claims to be a Christian; he claims he has read the Bible once, and has been curious about Christianity for the past 5 years.
So when he claims that New Testament Christians have replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people, his followers listen…
And those who don’t know the Bible tend to believe him because he sounds authoritative… and says emphatically that anyone who disagrees with him is wrong.
But should Christians believe him?
Should anyone believe him?
Not unless he provides evidence to back up his claims.
But here’s the problem: He doesn’t provide evidence – and he can’t provide evidence, because the evidence isn’t there.
Here are 6 Facts you should know about what Tucker Carlson believes, and why his beliefs are not supported by Scripture:
Fact #1: Tucker Carlson claims the Jews are not God’s chosen people.
Carlson believes that God doesn’t choose people based on their DNA.
Thus, he believes that the Jews never were God’s chosen people.
Does he provide any Biblical evidence for this view?
No, he does not. He simply feels that God wouldn’t be so exclusive and “unfair” as to choose one race of people over all other races of people.
Perhaps someone should ask Carlson to explain:
- Why God chose Abram over his brother Nahor, and over all the other clans living in Ur of the Chaldees at the time
- Why God chose Isaac over Ishmael
- Why God chose Jacob – the deceiver – over Esau, the firstborn
- Why God chose the Israelites over the Egyptians
What we learn from Scripture is that God makes choices of people and nations that often surpass the limits of our finite human understanding.
Yet Tucker Carlson seems to think he completely understands the mind of God.
Here are Carlson’s beliefs about who is and is not chosen:
- The Old Testament covenant between God and Abraham is no longer in effect – it was replaced by a “new covenant.”
- There is no “chosen” people. The chosen people are the people who choose Jesus.
- This is the core Christian message.
- Anyone who preaches a different message about God’s chosen people is not preaching Christianity, but a heresy.
Strong words from someone who has had no formal theological training, nor any training in biblical interpretation – and who hasn’t studied God’s word in depth.
He is stating his own personal opinions as if they are settled Biblical doctrines.
Why should anyone believe him or trust him?
Answer: They shouldn’t.
Fact #2: Tucker Carlson redefines what “chosen” means.
Carlson makes the false assumption that when people say the Jews are God’s chosen people, they mean that the Jews are exclusively chosen by God for salvation.
But the concept of “chosen” in Scripture does not always mean chosen for salvation.
Queen Esther was chosen by God to thwart a plot to annihilate the Jews during the reign of King Xerxes of Persia (Esther 4:14).
Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:1-8).
God chose to give the descendants of Abraham — through Isaac and Jacob — several responsibilities, among which were:
- to be a holy nation – set apart from other nations – in their worship and behavior
- to be a light to the nations, proclaiming God’s existence and His righteousness to the world
- to produce the Messiah — the Savior of all mankind
God also promised to give Abraham’s descendants the title deed to land described in Genesis 15:17-20.
By the way, the covenant that God established with Abraham and his descendants regarding the land is an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:7).
Either God is a liar, or His covenant with Abraham’s descendants is still in effect.
The fact that the Jews didn’t fulfill their terms of the covenant did not annul it or cancel it.
How do we know this?
Two reasons:
(1) When God ratified the covenant with Abraham, He did so while Abraham was in a deep sleep. His performed an ancient ritual that in Eastern cultures symbolized that the covenant was guaranteed by the one initiating the covenant, not by the party agreeing to it. (Genesis 15:12–19)
(2) The only promise that God made to Abraham that was conditional on the obedience of his descendants was their possession of the land, not their title deed to the land. (Deuteronomy 28:15, 36, 63-64)
Fact #3: Tucker Carlson misunderstands what it means to choose Jesus.
Carlson believes that God “chooses” those who choose Jesus.
But we are only capable of choosing Jesus when God enables us to do so.
Jesus said to the Jews in the synagogue in Capernaum, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” (John 6:44).
Again in John 6:65 he repeated the same statement: “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Carlson also doesn’t define what he believes “choosing” Jesus means.
Does he mean choosing to believe that Jesus existed?
Does he mean choosing to place one’s faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus as sufficient for the forgiveness of one’s sin?
He doesn’t say.
It’s clear from the gospels that choosing Jesus means choosing not only to believe:
- that he is the Son of God,
- that he is God in human form,
- that he gave his life as the just punishment for our sins,
- that he rose from the dead in triumph over sin, judgment and hell,
- and that God offers total forgiveness of our sins when we repent and accept – or receive – His gift of salvation (John 1:12-13),
… but it also means choosing to follow him by denying our own ambitions and by dying to self. (Luke 9:23-25)
It involves a level of faith and trust that only God can provide because it’s beyond human will power.
Fact #4: According to the New Testament, God is not finished with the Jews or with Israel.
Tucker Carlson relies on the New Testament to support his belief that Christians have replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people.
He should study the New Testament more thoroughly.
Luke begins the book of Acts with a statement that during the 40 days Jesus was with his disciples – now called apostles – after his resurrection, he spoke to them “of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
Shortly before his ascension back to heaven, the apostles asked Jesus this question:
“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)
The apostles were not confused outsiders.
They had been instructed by Jesus himself for the past 40 days.
They understood from the Master Teacher that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Israel were not mutually exclusive.
Jesus’ answer should inform all Christians today: “It is not for you to know times or epochs,” he said, “which the Father has fixed by His own authority…” (Acts 1:7).
Notice that Jesus did not say, “You misunderstand … Israel no longer matters. The Church is now the true Israel.”
Instead, the answer Jesus gave confirms that their expectation about restoring Israel was correct.
He told them that the timing was not theirs to know.
Fact #5: Israel and the Jews are central to the birth of Christianity and to the spread of the gospel.
The book of Acts tells the story of the early days of Christianity.
The first people to “choose Jesus” – to use Tucker Carlson’s terminology – were Jews.
Christianity was birthed in Jerusalem – the Jewish capital of Israel – on a Jewish feast day – Pentecost.
Peter, a Jewish apostle, preached from Jewish Scripture to a Jewish audience, proclaiming a Jewish Messiah.
The first 3,000 converts to Christianity were Jews. (Acts 2:1-41)
In fact, the Gospel was preached exclusively to the Jews until Peter was led by the Holy Spirit to visit Cornelius – a Gentile who lived in Caesarea.
The apostle Paul – who was called by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles – nevertheless said in his letter to Christians in Rome:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
While Gentiles are welcomed into the people of God, Israel is never described as replaced, rejected or obsolete.[1]
Fact #6: Israel and the Jews are the centerpieces of God’s end-time plans.
When Jesus ascended back to heaven 40 days after his resurrection, he departed from the Mount of Olives – just east of the city of Jerusalem.
As the apostles watched him disappear from their view, two angels appeared.
They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
The angels declare that the future of Christianity is tied geographically to the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem.
By the way, the prophet Zechariah also prophesied that the Messiah’s feet would stand on the Mount of Olives on the day of His second coming. (Zechariah 14:4)
Doug Reed – a pastor in Buffalo, NY for 20 years and cohost of the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast with a Jewish Rabbi – writes,
“The Kingdom of God has a past rooted in Israel, a present expressed through the Church, and a future that, according to Jesus and His angels, returns to Jerusalem.”[2]
The book of Acts does not allow us to believe that God has replaced Israel with the Church.
Neither does the book of Romans.
In Romans 11, the apostle Paul explains in explicit detail that God has not rejected the Jewish nation of Israel.
Their disobedience has led to the salvation of the Gentiles…
And the mercy that God has shown to Gentile Christians will eventually lead to the salvation of the Jews.
Both the Jewish people AND Gentile Christians have been chosen by God.
Paul explains it this way:
“From the standpoint of the gospel they [the Jews] 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.” (Romans 11:28-29)
During the Great Tribulation –the final 7 years of human history before the Second Coming of Jesus – the Jews will be the Christian evangelists of the world.
Revelation 7 describes 144,000” bond-servants of our God.”
They are “from every tribe of the sons of Israel:” 12,000 from each tribe. (Revelation 7:4-8).
Far from being replaced, the Jews are still God’s “chosen people” – along with all people everywhere, who – by the grace of God through faith – have chosen Jesus.
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
Action Items:
- Read the Scripture passages cited in this article. Become familiar with the evidence in the New Testament that the Jews are still God’s chosen people.
- Get my book, The Christian Voter: 7 Non-Negotiables for Voting For, Not Against ,Your Values. Read chapter 11 regarding the protection of Israel to learn more about how important the nation of Israel is to God. Click HERE to order the book online.
You can order the book on Amazon HERE.Or get the audiobook version HERE, or on Kindle HERE.
You can also get an autographed edition online HERE or by phone at 615-814-6633 (M-F 10am to 3pm).
You can also send a check for $26.13 (includes shipping) payable to Media Specialists and send it to this address:Media Specialists
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FAQs:
- Who is Tucker Carlson and why are his views influential?
A. Tucker Carlson is a well-known media figure with a large conservative audience. Because he presents his views confidently and claims a Christian perspective, many listeners may assume his theological statements are biblically grounded—even when they are debated or unsupported. - What does Carlson claim about God’s “chosen people”?
A. He believes that the Jews are not God’s chosen people because God doesn’t choose people based on their DNA. The “chosen” people, in his view, are the people who choose Jesus. - How does the Bible’s use of “chosen” differ from how Carlson uses the word?
A. Carlson views the word “chosen” as referring only to salvation. In addition to salvation, the Bible uses “chosen” to mean: (a) chosen for a specific role or purpose; (b) chosen for a mission such as a battle; (c) to fulfil covenantal responsibilities. - Does the New Testament indicate that Christians have replaced the Jews as God’s chosen people, or that the Church has replaced Israel?
A. No. Acts, Romans, and Revelation in particular clearly teach that God has not rejected Israel, but that the Jews were key to the spread of Christianity in the first century, and will be pivotal in the end-time events. - What does it mean to “choose Jesus?”
A. Choosing Jesus means more just belief in his life, death and resurrection. The demons believe and shudder. It means making a commitment to follow him by denying self. It involves faith and trust that can only be enabled by God, not by human will alone.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a longtime direct-response marketing strategist and publisher who focuses on the intersection of faith, politics, culture, and economic freedom. He is president of ElectionForum.org and the founder of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG), where his team has tested thousands of marketing variables and earned more than 100 industry awards. Craig publishes commentary at CraigHuey.com and co-hosts media projects that equip Americans to understand what’s happening—and what to do next.
[1] Doug Reed, https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-question-jesus-didnt-correct-is-about-israel.html [1] Ibid.________________________________________
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