Facing the Candace Owens Cult – And Tucker Carlson’s as Well
- crossroadscaloundr
- Aug 18, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
When celebrity conservatives drift into conspiracy and hatred, Christians must choose truth over tribal loyalty, heed biblical warnings, and recover discernment in an age of cultish followings.
The Scandal That Shattered Conservative Discernment
When popular voices abandon truth for obsession and conspiracy, Christians face a sobering test of discernment, courage, and fidelity to Christ over celebrity. Let me start by saying this: Like millions of other conservatives and Christians, I once quite liked what both Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson were saying and doing. But over the past year or two, both have gone off the deep end, big time – not least of which, their virulent and irrational Jew-hatred.
So now I can no longer support them. Instead, all we can do is pray for them. I hope they come back to their senses and leave off their psychotic hatred and lying.
Here, I will mostly focus on Candace, who may be the worst of the pair. It is impossible to keep up with all the bizarre, unhinged and demented claims that she is making of late.
It seems every day, a new zinger is unleashed by her. And regrettably, her hordes of undiscerning fans lap it all up. Worse yet, that includes so many Christians who appear to have abandoned discernment and simply imbibe whatever she happens to say.
We now almost need book-length assessments just to cover all the baseless, completely false claims she makes. One of the most recent – and one just as nuts as the others – is the claim that Calvary Chapel has actually been just a CIA plot! I kid you not. See a calm, gracious pastoral response dismantling this conspiracy here:
Candace Owens and Charlie and Erika Kirk
It has gotten so bad – especially with all the horrific and despicable things Candace has said about Charlie and Erika Kirk, and about Turning Point USA – that Erika finally came out and told her haters and conspiracy theorists in a quite firm manner to just stop. See her impassioned plea here.
The line between reality and satire is now impossible to draw when it comes to this purveyor of lies, outlandish theories, and just plain absurd claims. I recently posted the following online, and one person actually asked if it was real – that tells you how far down the rabbit hole Candace is going (for the sake of clarity, this list is deliberate satire — yet tellingly plausible to some):
And today’s latest Candace claims: The apostle Paul was a lesbian. Trump is a Jewish secret agent Jesus once worked for the CIA. Taylor Swift is really Obama in drag. Oprah is actually a Martian Bing Crosby was a Satanist. Charlie Kirk is a reincarnation of Attila the Hun. The earth is just 5 years old. The moon is made of Swiss cheese and French onion dip. America’s founding was a Communist plot. The Bible was written by intelligent gerbils. All churches (except mine) are covers for Mossad. I am your long-awaited Messiah. You will live to be 200 if you send me money – now. And all her brainless groupies say: ‘Yes Queen Candace, keep speaking truth and keep asking questions! We love, worship and adore you! You are so brave, so wise, and so perfect!’
Indeed, let’s just cut to the quick: Candace killed Charlie Kirk so she could marry Erika and take over TPUSA. If you believe any of the other nonsense she espouses, you might as well believe this. Sadly, Candace is now serving deception rather than truth.
Thankfully, Frank Turek is one of many who have openly spoken out against the many things Owens has been saying. The only thing worse than cult leader Candace is the legion of her dedicated and deluded cult followers – including all the ‘Christians’ and ‘conservatives’ who cannot get enough of her and her unhinged bilge. This brings us to the deeper issue beneath the outrage: Scripture has long warned us about precisely this pattern.
Biblical Warnings Against Deception
Scripture does speak to all this. When you read the Pastoral Epistles especially, you see certain passages jumping out at you, especially in light of these recent events. This pair (who more or less claim to somehow be Christians) has stirred up more hatred, division and confusion in the Body of Christ and in the conservative movement than anyone else I know of.
The original biblical writers like Paul may not have had Candace and Tucker in mind when they wrote these things, but they certainly seem to apply. Consider just five relevant passages – and there would be many more that could be mentioned.
Here is one: When folks like Candace and Tucker and their legions of committed devotees keep saying, “We are just asking questions”, you can only shake your head and say, “Yeah, right”. I am reminded of 2 Timothy 3:7: “Always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Paul’s warning is not about curiosity, but about a posture that resists truth while pretending humility.
And given all the disunity, division and turmoil this pair is causing, the many other warnings Paul gives about these things must be taken seriously as well. Here are four more such passages:
“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels… God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil…” ~ 2 Timothy 2:23-26“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching… and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” ~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia… certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion… without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” ~ 1 Timothy 1:3-7“But avoid foolish controversies… As for a person who stirs up division… have nothing more to do with him…” ~ Titus 3:9-11
Each of these passages highlights the same pattern: arrogance masquerading as insight, and division justified as courage. Bear in mind that the key signs of a cult are deception, lies, and divisiveness. An arrogant and narcissistic leader who must always be seen as being right is another hallmark of a cult. The shocking thing is how many people who claim to be Christians seem to belong to the biggest cult in America right now – the Candace and Tucker cults.
I pray that they repent, get saved, and have a thorough spiritual transformation. And to be honest, those believers who are their dedicated devotees and zealous groupies also need to repent. They bring shame and scandal on the name of Christ and the cause of the kingdom. Instead of supporting these cult figures and their delusional claims, they should be rebuking their nonsense and praying that they return to reason – and return to Christ.
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The Truth About the Jews & Tucker Carlson:
When Tucker Carlson aired the episode “Here’s What It’s Really Like to Live as a Christian in the Holy Land” (Carlson, 2025), the optics were powerful. His guest, Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos, appeared cloaked in her black Orthodox veil, her very presence suggesting sanctity and authenticity. That she was also the sister of George Stephanopoulos, the long-time ABC political commentator, made the segment doubly compelling. The holy habit fused with the famous surname, preparing audiences to assume her words carried both religious authority and cultural weight. On the surface, she seemed to offer unfiltered truth about Christian suffering in the land of Christ’s birth. Yet behind these optics was an old distortion. Arab-world Christians have long learned to survive under Islam by deflecting blame from Muslim rulers and shifting it onto Jews, and Carlson’s stage gave this “dhimmi distortion” global reach.
The Habit as Symbol, Not Substance
In the Western imagination, the nun’s habit has long symbolized purity, moral authority, and spiritual integrity. Carlson framed Mother Agapia not as a political actor but as a “holy witness,” inviting viewers to hear her words with reverence rather than suspicion. This is what Barthes (1972) identified as a “mythological sign”—a symbol that communicates meaning before arguments are tested. Her veil thus became a credibility costume, giving her testimony the appearance of sacred authority. Yet symbols cannot substitute for substance, and the habit in this case became a shield for distortion. By cloaking political propaganda in religious garb, the broadcast invited audiences to confuse sanctity with truth. When distortion hides behind a veil, it desecrates the very sanctity it seeks to project.
Bethlehem vs. Israel: Two Divergent Realities
Mother Agapia emphasized that Christians are leaving Bethlehem because of Israel’s occupation. While the demographic collapse is undeniable, the cause she cited is misleading. In 1947, Christians comprised around 80% of Bethlehem’s population; today, they represent less than 15% (Middle East Forum, 2024). The decline stems from harassment by Islamist groups, discriminatory property laws, and economic pressures that favor Muslim families (Dalrymple, 2015). In striking contrast, the Christian population inside Israel has steadily grown since 1948. Christians in Israel enjoy legal protections, worship freely, and play prominent roles in politics, medicine, and education (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2023). Where Israel governs, Christians thrive; where Islamists dominate, Christians decline. By inverting this reality, Mother Agapia transformed a demographic tragedy into a political distortion.
The Dhimmi Reflex and Historical Continuity
This distortion is not a simple error but part of a long-standing survival reflex rooted in the system of dhimma. Under Islamic rule, Christians were tolerated but subordinated, and criticizing Muslims was dangerous. By contrast, scapegoating Jews was relatively safe, creating a predictable pattern in public rhetoric (Lewis, 1984). During the rise of Arab nationalism, Arab Christian leaders followed this reflex by loudly denouncing Zionism. At the 1948–49 World Council of Churches assemblies, they condemned Israel while remaining silent about Arab regimes that restricted Christian freedoms. In later decades, clerics such as Mitri Raheb and Elias Chacour gained global recognition by framing Israel as the source of Palestinian suffering while rarely confronting Islamist hostility (Raheb, 2014; Chacour, 2001). Mother Agapia’s narrative follows this same lineage, showing continuity with a reflex that prioritizes communal survival over prophetic truth.
A Record of Exaggeration and Media Exploitation
Mother Agapia’s credibility is further undermined by her record of exaggeration. During the 2002 Bethlehem siege, she alleged that Israeli soldiers desecrated churches and killed infants, claims that circulated widely but were later discredited (Israel365 News, 2025). Despite this record, Carlson presented her as a trustworthy witness, as if her religious title absolved her of scrutiny. The exchange illustrates the West’s appetite for “holy witnesses” who sanctify political narratives. On the left, clerics like Raheb are platformed to support anti-Israel activism. On the right, Carlson uses figures like Mother Agapia not to defend Palestinian Christians but to critique evangelicals who support Israel. In both cases, the habit becomes a theatrical prop, and the price is truth.
The Tragedy of False Witness
The deeper issue here is not political but theological. Scripture warns, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour” (Exodus 20:16, English Standard Version [ESV], 2016). The prophets denounced leaders who proclaimed peace where there was none and shepherds who misled the flock (Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 13, ESV, 2016). Jesus Himself tied truth to freedom when He declared, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, ESV, 2016). When a nun scapegoats Israel while ignoring Islamist persecution, she participates in the same pattern of deception condemned throughout Scripture. Her testimony misleads Western audiences while reinforcing the silence that keeps Arab Christians vulnerable. In the short term, such silence may preserve survival; in the long term, it ensures decline.
Conclusion: A False Prophet in a Habit
Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show was praised as bold truth-telling, but it was in fact another chapter in the dhimmi distortion. Her famous last name gave her visibility, her habit gave her credibility, and Carlson’s platform gave her amplification. Yet none of these trappings could sanctify distortion. She is not the fearless prophet she seemed to be, but a false witness in a habit—an emblem of how survival can masquerade as prophecy. The Church must learn from this spectacle. Discernment requires Christians to look past appearances and test all witness against the truth of Scripture. Where distortion is given the stage, believers are called to speak truth, even when it offends. To do otherwise is to trade the liberating freedom of the gospel for the false security of propaganda.
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