During an exclusive interview in his office on Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz delivered a striking warning about what he sees as a dangerous theological distortion being spread online – one that mixes Christian language with hostility toward Jews and support for controversial ideas about Israel. This is the antithesis of true biblical Christianity.
At the center of the debate is a phrase that many Christians would seemingly embrace. But Senator Cruz believes its use online has taken on a darker tone.
“I’m really troubled by how the phrase ‘Christ is King’ is being used,” Cruz told me during our conversation. “Look, I agree with the statement Christ is King, although it is being used online in a way that is meant to say, screw you, Jew. It is being used in a context very directly to say, I hate Jews.”
That may sound shocking to many Christians who view the phrase simply as a declaration of faith. But Cruz argues that context matters. “Because you see the people who are saying it and they’re saying it in that context,” he explained. “They’re saying Jews are horrible, like they’re attacking Jews, and they end with Christ is King to make it sound like somehow there’s a biblical basis for attacking Jews.”