A prominent political commentator says Hollywood and the media are attempting to divide the church with the debate over Christian nationalism -- and she is urging believers to pray for one another and “unite in our faith.”
Candace Owens wrote a column for The Daily Wire this week in which she argued Christianity is being “smeared, libeled, and attacked” and is “being presented in the same vein as white supremacy.” She referenced the new Rob Reiner-affiliated documentary God and Country and other mainstream media coverage of Christian nationalism, including on PBS and NPR and in The New York Times and Axios. The PBS story was titled, “What is Christian nationalism and why it raises concerns about threats to democracy.”
“I’m sure when you consider the myriad of issues facing our country today, what you’re really concerned about is that there might be some Christians who are also in love with our country. They are Christian nationalists,” she wrote, sarcastically. “When you see drug dealers, illegal immigrants, crime rates, gang violence, I’m sure you’re thinking, it’s the Christians we should be afraid of. It’s an absurd idea.
“I believe,” she wrote, “this is a further attempt to divide and brainwash Christians, which is something that has gone on for decades.”
Owens noted that decades ago, the “Bible was taught in classrooms all across the United States, and teachers and students prayed in school.”
“Then lawsuits were filed and all that went away, beginning in the 1960s,” she wrote. “Since then, there has been a concerted effort to divide Christians, to make them feel embarrassed about their religion. That push just continues with more force; that is exactly what is happening again with the topic of Christian nationalism.”
Hollywood, she argued, is “even going after Justin Bieber” over the issue.
“Bieber, as we all know, was young and innocent when he came onto the scene, so he had much potential to be a victim of evil in the industry,” she wrote. “Granted, he went through an intense period of partying, but in 2018, he married Hailey Baldwin -- and his world completely changed. He dropped the party-boy reputation, changed his ways, and started attending church. This was and still is not the kind of story that usually circulates in Hollywood. Hollywood has never been a fan of Christianity, so church-going people in the industry simply cannot be allowed.”
Bieber’s pastor, Victor Marx, posted on social media a request for “Christians to pray for wisdom and protection for Justin and Hailey, for them to draw close to the Lord, because people in the limelight often face ‘spiritual warfare,’” she wrote. Hailey’s father, Stephen Baldwin, then “shared the post which caused more questions in the comments,” she wrote.
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“He has since deleted the post, and though we don’t know more details, it is obvious that there is some kind of spiritual battle happening,” Owens wrote. “It seems that every time we get a glimpse of truth, forces unite and more evil occurs. I cannot imagine the pressure Justin is facing, and I am sure that the evil he has experienced and witnessed in the industry is weighing heavier and heavier on his heart, especially since he has strengthened his relationship with God over the years.”
Owens asked Christians to pray for and support one another.
“So, to any person going through this type of conflict, know that Christians will stand by you if and when you are ready to share the truth. We will be there with you,” she wrote. “We will pray for you -- and the entire world. Plus, people who are not Christians will thank you, even if silently, because they know that if Christians are being considered evil, something very sinister is going on. Pay attention, pray, and encourage each other. If we can unite in our faith, we can conquer more evil together than we can alone.”
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Moses Robinson/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
