In this episode of Washington Watch, host Jody Heiss takes us through a myriad of discussions starting with the controversial American response to Venezuela’s narco-terrorism, a topic that divides U.S. politics along party lines. We get insights from various leaders, including Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, on the risks and actions being taken to mitigate these threats. The episode delves deeper into the nuances of anti-Semitism and the growing divide within conservative circles about Christian Zionism. Jody brings in experts to unpack these issues and their implications on international policy.
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from the heart of our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., bringing compelling interviews, insightful analysis, taking you beyond the headlines and soundbites into conversations with our nation’s leaders and newsmakers, all from a biblical worldview. Sitting in for Tony is today’s host, Jody Heiss.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, good afternoon. Welcome to this Monday edition of Washington Watch and this first Monday of the week of Christmas. I’m Jody Heiss, Senior Fellow here at the Family Research Council. An honor to be sitting in today for Tony and thank you as well for joining us. We’ve got a lot coming up on the program today. Among other things, we’ll talk about the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela’s disputed leader, Nicolas Maduro, All that continues to escalate with the seizure of yet another oil tanker over the weekend. And while Democrats have been strongly opposed to the escalation, Republicans have mostly been supportive of the president’s efforts, which the White House had originally billed as a war against drugs.
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President Trump promised to secure our nation from the scourge of narco drug trafficking. The kingpin in our backyard is Maduro in Venezuela. They’re poisoning America. They’re lying with Hezbollah. So I applaud President Trump of trying to bring down this narco terrorist state in Venezuela run by Maduro. They’re bad news.
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That was U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham yesterday on NBC’s Meet the Press, and I’ll be discussing this in just a few moments with New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. As the issue of anti-Semitism continues to draw attention following the deadly mass shooting in Sydney, Australia during a Hanukkah celebration, there is also a notable divide among conservatives on the issue. And that was certainly highlighted over the weekend when political commentator Tucker Carlson spoke at Turning Point USA’s America First conference. Now, you may recall these comments that Carlson made earlier in the year.
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The Christian Zionists who are, well, Christian Zionists, like, what is that? And I can just say for myself, I dislike them more than anybody, you know, because like, what? Because it’s Christian heresy, and I’m offended by that as a Christian.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow, incredible words. Well, the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu’s office was asked about the issue and here was their response.
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There is no distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. To be a Jew is to be tied to this land and you can’t take a Jew out of the land of Judea. This is not abstract. The murder of Jews in Australia on Bondi Beach in Sydney showed where unchecked incitement leads to.
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So what does the Bible tell us about Zionism? Well, we’ll discuss this when I’m joined later in the program by Dr. Gerald McDermott of Jerusalem Seminary. Also coming up today, I’ll discuss the traffic chaos that took place in San Francisco over the weekend because self-driving taxis didn’t know what to do when traffic lights were out. Jared Bridges, editor-in-chief of the Washington Stand, will join me later for that discussion. So as usual, we’ve got a lot coming your way today. You don’t want to miss any of it. But if in case you do, the website is TonyPerkins.com. I encourage you to visit that page for updates. Not only this, but other programs and for all sorts of resources there for you as well. Also, just real quickly, a reminder that as we enter into a new year, no better way to start it than standing on the Word and making a commitment to enhance and increase your biblical worldview. I encourage you to join us to Stand on the Word, a two-year program. Chronological study through the Bible, just 10 or so minutes a day will help you do that. To get more details, visit frc.org slash Bible, or simply text the word Bible to 67742. All right, now for our first item of discussion today, the US Coast Guard has been in active pursuit of a vessel in international waters near Venezuela following the seizure of a second oil tanker over the weekend. The Trump administration says the oil tanker seized on Saturday was part of a dark fleet of sanctioned cargo that’s funding narco-terrorism. In a tweet, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated, the United States will continue to pursue illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region. We will find you. We will stop you. So what can we make of the latest developments? Well, joining me now to discuss this and more is Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. She serves on several important committees, including the Ways and Means Committee, as well as the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She represents the 24th Congressional District of New York. Congresswoman Tenney, great to have you back on Washington Watch. Thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thank you. Great to see you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, so let’s just start with Ish, your take on the sweeping blockade, if we can put it that way, targeting illicit oil shipments.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, well, I think this is really important for people to understand. The president made a mission, and his mission was to stop narco-terrorism, to stop these dictatorships in our hemisphere. There’s been a new mission and focus on the Western Hemisphere, a place that we’ve kind of let go. And what’s happened during the vacuum is… You’ve seen China, Russia, Iran, everybody has moved in and taken advantage of these countries that really should have a close affinity to our country and also should be part of our allies list. And so with Venezuela, you have a country that is almost 100%, 90% dependent on oil that is shipped to China. 60% of the oil is purchased by China. The Russians are involved. Iran is involved. We know that the major terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas are involved in Venezuela and part of the cartel groups there. And also Cuba is providing some assistance right around the corner. They’re very close to our shores. It’s very important that we protect ourselves. And I applaud the president for taking this bold stand and for living up to the promise that he made to the American people when he ran for election.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and these are not just your average ships. I mean, these ships, as I understand it, they often disguise their location. They file all sorts of false paperwork. Why the deception for these ships?
SPEAKER 17 :
Look, they’re trying to bring drugs in. They’re making money. They don’t care about people. This is all about profit. They don’t care about anyone. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, it’s all about making money. They’re not legitimate democratic regimes. And by the way, a lot of these ships we haven’t been able to actually seize because, number one, they weren’t in international waters. They were still in territorial waters. And we also know, and you know our intelligence is very good, we know And we plan when we see these ships. We see them getting boarded and loaded. We know who’s on them. We know which ships are dangerous. All this goes through a command structure and also through legal counsel before we even make a strike or even talk about going after and seizing ships, especially the ones that are challenging and violating the embargo that we have right now and the export of the oil. We know that this is important. So when people are concerned about it, you see the Democrats talking about these poor innocent people or shipwreck sailors, as one of my colleagues once said. Look, these people are intent on selling drugs to us and our people, and they’ve caused more deaths than anything else in the entire country, these really illicit, dangerous drugs. And it’s a bold move, but we had to do it. And I’ll tell you right now, I was in Guatemala and Honduras recently. Those ships coming and those people, the cartel members and people that are all within Central and South America are not anxious to get on one of those ships with a mission to go to the United States and make hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, I bet. So, I mean, there’s no doubt that these seizures, the blockades are going to be impacting other nations as well. But overall, you would agree with the president’s labeling of Maduro as a foreign terrorist organization, his regime?
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. I mean, look what he does. I mean, there’s nothing there. I mean, he didn’t win election. He cheated and declared himself the winner, even though the evidence that we could actually ascertain proved that there was another winner, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, by the way. And also, you know, when you look at what Maduro is doing, I mean, when you talk about the money, 80% of the people in Venezuela are living in poverty, and 50% are in extreme poverty. This is what a communist, narco dictatorship does. They don’t care about people. It’s about profit for themselves and taking advantage. of our country and using these is really an evil force. And the president has got the courage to confront evil and our military service members are doing an amazing job and really going through, I think people think this is just some hit or miss thing, but as I just outlined for you, Jodi, this is a very elaborate operation. You don’t just go and just shoot off you know, very expensive weapons at any old ship. I mean, this takes weeks to determine who these ships are. It takes weeks to determine the cargo ships and which one of those ships is part of this blockade, where they’re destined to go. You know, one cargo ship has almost 2 million barrels of oil. That’s about $100 million for each ship. So we’ve already seized two. We’re going for three. When this country completely depends on China and Russia and some of our enemies buying oil from them, they’re not a legitimate regime. They’re not trading with the rest of the world. They’re certainly not trading with us like they used to back when we had different regimes in the past.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, great point. On other international news, I know there’s still big news coming out of Israel. In fact, they’re facing a potential strike by Iran. And who knows where that’s going to go? Although they’ve had a couple of months of relative peace, there’s still a lot of issues there. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be here in Washington in the next week or so. Any idea what you’re hearing regarding that meeting?
SPEAKER 17 :
Look, I think it’s really important that Israel continues to get our full support. We need to stop Hamas, stop the Iranian terrorist regime. That, by the way, look what they do to their own people. I mean, they clamp down on freedom. The people live in poverty. You know, Iran in the 70s, before the Ayatollah took over, was a very… sophisticated, well-educated population. And many of those people, especially those who stand up to the regime, are either murdered or maimed. They cut the eyes out of people who are attractive, who oppose the regime. I mean, it couldn’t be more cruel. They hold our hostages. And the money that they obtained from China for sale of oil, again, the sanctions we put in place under President Trump in his first term, which were reinstigating and taking out their nuclear sites, and the fact that they’re trying to re-up and go after Israel again. Well, they actually have two missions. The little Satan is to eliminate Israel. The big Satan is to eliminate the United States. And so they’re on that mission, and as long as they are, President Trump is correct to give Israel the power and the strength and the support that it needs to defend Israel and to defend Western civilization, which is really what Israel is doing and really what we’re all supporting.
SPEAKER 03 :
Absolutely. Last question. Just got a couple of minutes, but more in domestic news here. Senate Democrats are actually raising the threat of yet another government shutdown in late January, potentially. What have you been hearing regarding all of that and what may unfold next month?
SPEAKER 17 :
Look, the Democrats have absolutely nothing to run on. A recent poll, or actually it was last fall, poll was done by the New York Times of Democrats who thought that about 2% of the biggest, 2% of the most important issue was healthcare. It’s not an issue, but the Democrats are making an issue because it’s a winning issue for them. These subsidies that we’re talking about, that they want to increase only hurt small businesses so you look at a district like mine my district is actually 95 small businesses so 95 of the people that go to work are going into a small business having no choice having no transparency having all these subsidies go into these programs only helps big government and insurance companies, and they’re the ones pocketing it, and it’s forcing closure and elimination or the loss of businesses out of New York State. And this is happening in other states that actually play the subsidy game. The subsidies don’t actually help, but what they do is give temporary cover to certain Democrats, and in some cases, unfortunately, some Republicans who think this is the answer. I run a small business in New York. At least my family business is still there. I don’t get to run it anymore. But, you know, this is a huge problem. Health care is a huge cost along with energy. So I’m hoping they don’t do that again. But this is the only issue they have.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you, Congresswoman. Claudia Tinney, always great to have you. We love having you on Washington Watch. Wish you a Merry Christmas. Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER 17 :
Thanks so much, Jody. Merry Christmas to everyone out there and God bless.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you. All right. Coming up, we want to share an interview that Tony had over the weekend with U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. So don’t go away. We’ll bring that your way right after the break.
SPEAKER 07 :
Hello, I’m Tony Perkins, and I want to invite you to join me for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the Bible, 10 to 15 minutes a day. That’s all it takes. And in no time, you’ll have finished the entire Bible. And along the way, we’ll learn how to apply God’s truths to the world in which we live. As we’re about to start a new year and as our nation is about to celebrate 250 years, there’s never been a better time for a fresh start in the Word of God. To join us, text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742.
SPEAKER 05 :
Family Research Council, along with congressional friends of FRC, present the Christmas story, a reading from the Gospel of Luke.
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And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
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And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
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And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city.
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Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea.
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Unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.
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Because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.
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And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.
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Because there was no room for them in the inn.
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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
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Lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were sore afraid.
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And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people.
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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
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And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.
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Praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.
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And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even into Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
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And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.
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And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
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And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
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But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
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And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God.
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For all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas from FRC.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss, an honor to be filling in today for Tony, and thank you for joining us. Hope you’re ready for a Merry Christmas. Okay, although there’s certainly been at least a measured peace in Israel over the last couple of months, there’s also been some heightened concern in the Jewish nation over recent activity by Iran’s military. And on his recent weekend program this week on Capitol Hill, Tony talked about the tenuous ceasefire situation with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who urged people around the world to be praying for Israel during this holiday season. And we’d like to share that conversation with you now. So here’s how Tony got it started.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, Merry Christmas to you. And I know this is your first Christmas in Israel to actually be there for Christmas. So it’s got to be kind of exciting.
SPEAKER 12 :
It is going to be. Our family is going to go to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. We’ll be there for the midnight Christmas service at Church of the Nativity. Enjoy Manger Square. It’ll be a special time. And, you know, I hope around the world people will be praying that this will be a peaceful Christmas and that it will lead to a peaceful 2026.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, those words in that Christmas carol, peace on earth, goodwill to men, take kind of a, well, I think a very important, have a very important meaning this year.
SPEAKER 12 :
They really do. We have a ceasefire in Israel that has lasted just a little over a couple of months now. President Trump’s incredible leadership to get all the Arab nations to Sharm el-Sheikh to sign the agreement that says Hamas has to go and the hostages have to come home. Truly historic. It’s been a remarkable couple of months. No rockets, no missiles. Many Israelis for the first time in quite a while are experiencing peaceful evenings of sleep. And it’s something that they haven’t had in a long, long time. And I don’t think most Americans can understand what that’s like. It’s like having several tornado sirens go off night after night after night. And it has a cumulative effect. But there is a great relief and a great appreciation for President Trump in the U.S.
SPEAKER 07 :
So most of the hostage, all the hostages, but the body of one remaining hostage has not been released. When you look at what Israel has gone through over the last year, over the last two years, we now have peace. As you said, for two months now we’ve had this ceasefire has been held. Phase two of this agreement is upon us. But yet we’ve not seen Hamas disarm. Are they going to be disarmed? Is Hamas going to go away?
SPEAKER 12 :
I think they will because President Trump promised they would. And he’s pretty good at keeping his promises. So I’m confident that if they think that they can wait him out, they’re probably making as big a mistake as Iran did when Iran thought that he wasn’t serious when he told them they couldn’t have a nuclear weapon. and that they weren’t going to enrich uranium. He answered them with a B-2 bomber on a Saturday night, and I think maybe, I hope, it got their attention. If it didn’t, he knows how to do it again. Hamas has to understand they have no future there. The disarming of Hamas is the single most difficult part of the peace agreement, the most difficult part to implement. But I’m optimistic that we’re going to get there because even all the Arab nations signed on to a commitment that Hamas would be disarmed and they would be expelled and moved out of Gaza as they should be.
SPEAKER 07 :
As I understand the situation, Ambassador, Hamas is kind of being quarantined, if you will, into one part of Gaza, and reconstruction and cleaning up the other areas has already begun.
SPEAKER 12 :
There are two basic zones. The more western front of Gaza, facing the Mediterranean, is basically the red zone. That’s where Hamas has strength. They’re still there, mostly around Gaza City and Khan Yunus. The eastern part of Gaza, all the way down to the south, including Rafah, that area is considered the green zone. It’s the zone that has pretty well been demilitarized. The Israelis have control of it now. They don’t want to stay there. I hope people don’t think the Israelis want to. permanently own Gaza. They don’t. They would love just to get away from it, let others govern it, take care of it, rebuild it and let them go back to tending the land that is theirs. And that’s all they really wanted. But it is going to take some combinations of deprivation of resources getting to Hamas that’s underway. And then at some point it probably will require kinetic action on the part of a police or military force that basically says to Hamas, if you don’t lay down your weapons, we’ll lay them down for you. As President Trump said to them, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.
SPEAKER 07 :
You mentioned the international force, the stabilization force of the various Arab nations, Islamic nations coming in. There has been some concern expressed on behalf of Israel about Turkey in particular coming in to Gaza and being there on the ground. What are you hearing? What’s the latest on that?
SPEAKER 12 :
I don’t think Turkey is going to have a military role because it would be very difficult for the Israelis to ever say that’s OK. It would have been OK 10 years ago when Turkey and Israel had a very warm relationship. But as you know, President Erdogan has made some very incendiary comments regarding Israel, things like that they will restore the Ottoman Empire, they will take every inch of Jerusalem. You know, some people say, well, he’s just blustering. He really doesn’t mean it. That’s not serious. But let me tell you something. The mind of people in Israel is that they’ve listened to people tell them for all these years since they came back to this land that God gave them. And they keep being told, we’re going to kill you. We’re going to annihilate you. We’re going to take you out from the river to the sea. And they have to at some point start believing that when people tell you over and over they’re going to kill you, they probably are at least going to try. So don’t let them.
SPEAKER 07 :
Mr. Ambassador, just the events of this last weekend show us that that is the case. I know we’ve been talking about Israel and what’s been unfolding in Gaza, but even though there might be peace there, at least a managed peace, we’re seeing continued anti-Semitic attacks inspired this last weekend in Australia by ISIS. Just about 45 seconds left.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s a disgusting thing when you see the anti-Semitic activities that somewhat are an outgrowth of the attitudes and the silence. My speech teacher in high school used to tell us, silence is agreement. And when people see this Jew hatred across the world and they don’t say anything and they don’t do anything, you end up creating the atmosphere in which something happens like what happened in Australia. And we as Christians need to say, we’re not going to be silent. We will speak up.
SPEAKER 07 :
Ambassador Mike Huckabee, always great to see you, my friend. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And I look forward to seeing you in Israel in this coming year.
SPEAKER 12 :
Indeed. Next year in Jerusalem, Tony.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. I’ll see you there. Well, that was Tony’s conversation with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on This Week on Capitol Hill. Coming up, we’ll continue the conversation on Israel with Dr. Jerry McDermott of Jerusalem Seminary. So much more ahead on Washington Watch. Stick around.
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The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Stand on the Word is Family Research Council’s journey through the living and active Word of God. Follow the plan starting January 1st. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading God’s Word, and over the course of two years, discover that the Bible is one big story, a story of many words pointing to the Word, the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. because the Word is alive and His name is Jesus. Find our Bible reading plan and daily devotionals from Tony Perkins at frc.org slash Bible. Join us as we stand on the Word.
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What is God’s role in government? What does the separation of church and state really mean? And how does morality shape a nation? President John Adams said our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Join Family Research Council for God and Government, a powerful series that explores the connection between biblical principles and the American government, equipping you with truth to engage in today’s most pressing debates. We’ll uncover the foundations of our nation’s history and why it’s relevant for today. Join us to defend God’s plan for government because faith and freedom were never meant to be separate. You can view the course at prayvotestand.org slash God and government or on the Stand Firm app.
SPEAKER 03 :
You tuned in to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heist. Thank you so much for joining us today. An honor to have you. All right. Over the weekend, Turning Point USA held its first America Fest conference without, of course, the late Charlie Kirk. And there was some controversy over the stage time that was given to political commentator Tucker Carlson regarding a number of issues, but including, I guess, highlighted with an interview he had earlier in the year with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. now we’re not going to be covering that directly today but it is worth noting because we certainly have seen a growing divide among conservatives including christian conservatives for that matter over support for israel and so we wanted to tackle that today with my next guest and joining me now for this discussion is dr gerald mcdermott he teaches at the jerusalem seminary and reformed episcopal seminary in philadelphia And he’s written and co-authored a number of books, including Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity. Also, Israel Matters, How Christians Must Think Differently About the People and the Land. Dr. McDermott, welcome back to Washington & Watch. It’s always great to have you with us.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, thank you, Congressman. It’s my pleasure to be here.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, listen, I know that Tony had you on after Tucker Carlson made some of those remarks, critical remarks regarding Christian Zionism. So why don’t we just start there? What is specifically Christian Zionism?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, Christian Zionism is the Christian belief that Jews have a right to a homeland and, in fact, that the land of Israel goes back 4,000 years. Jews have always lived there. And that God has given the land of the Canaanites to the Jewish people. So Christian Zionism, there’s a movement called the New Christian Zionism and a book by that title that I edited. in which a number of us scholars go into great detail showing that this is not simply an Old Testament promise, that is repeated, by the way, 1,000 times in the Old Testament, but it’s also a New Testament promise. It shows up all over the New Testament that the authors of the New Testament also held to this land promise that God had given the land of the Canaanites to the descendants of Abraham and specifically to the Jewish descendants of Abraham.
SPEAKER 03 :
Interesting. So we are watching these days many Christians who are willing to say that God committed to the people of Israel, but at the same time as you’re bringing up right here this whole topic that many of them are wary of connecting the modern return to the land to biblical expectations. Why is that? Why are we seeing this shift among a good number of Christians?
SPEAKER 04 :
Congressman, I think we’re seeing the switch because people don’t read the Bible. Even evangelicals who claim to be all about the Bible don’t read the Bible typically. If you read the Bible and especially the Old Testament, which by the way is 77% of the Protestant Bible and 80% of the Anglican and Catholic Bible, you see the land promise all replaced. It’s repeated 1000 times. But most Christians have been told from the pulpit or in their college New Testament class or their university New Testament class that the land promise is not in the New Testament. I was told that even in my PhD studies. But then about 25 years ago, I had a wake-up call and I started to realize that the land promise, I started to see that the land promise is actually all over the New Testament. So Christians need to get back to reading the Bible. And they need to get off these podcasts by Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens, which are full of lies and absolute falsehoods.
SPEAKER 03 :
What do you think is behind that? What is the motive behind this transition?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, I think in part it’s anti-Semitism. The old serpent-led anti-Semitism. You know, the devil… uh i believe in the devil uh i’m one of those university phds who actually believes in the devil the devil um is very much alive and the devil knows that the jewish people are god’s chosen people that now that’s not the same thing as as as being saved necessarily but god has chosen the jewish people to be a light to the nations and and uh jesus as the messiah to be the perfect light to focus the Jewish truth for the sake of the rest of the world. And so it’s no surprise that the devil has inspired every major civilization to destroy the Jews because they are God’s chosen people. So I think that’s an anti-Semitism and is is really behind this denial of of the fact that the Bible promises and even the New Testament that the land of the Canaanites God gave to the Jewish people.
SPEAKER 03 :
So it really does boil down to a spiritual battle, a spiritual warfare against the people of Israel. Is that what you’re saying?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I think it does, Congressman. It’s a spiritual battle that we’re in. Most Christians who really want to follow the Lord recognize that. They sense that, that this world is enveloped in a massive spiritual battle. And our churches are often the center of this spiritual battle.
SPEAKER 03 :
Dr. McDermott, I’d like, if you would, to stay with us over the break. I want to continue this discussion, and when we come back, I want to get into the Christian Zionism a little bit more and have you unpack that. So coming up, we will discuss more with Dr. Gerald McDermott, Distinguished Professor of Theology at Jerusalem Seminary, right on the other side of the break. So stay with us.
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Should a Christian support Israel? That question has become one of the most emotionally charged issues of our time, both in the world and within the church. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins offers a clear biblical and prophetic answer. In his latest book, he examines Israel’s past, present, and future through the lens of Scripture, revealing why support for Israel is not rooted in politics, partisanship, or cultural sentiment, but in the unchanging promises of God. Drawing from Genesis to Revelation, Tony Perkins demonstrates that the ultimate rationale for a Christian’s support for Israel is spiritual. Should a Christian Support Israel invites believers to see beyond headlines and ideologies, returning to the foundation of God’s Word to understand His heart for His chosen people and the blessings that flow when we stand with what He has established forever. Text the word Israel to 67742 for more information.
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SPEAKER 19 :
To a future intern, I would say take advantage of the moment. There are so many opportunities that FRC provides that can grow you personally and professionally and spiritually. I would 100% recommend this internship to any peer or classmate.
SPEAKER 02 :
This internship has definitely helped me grow spiritually. The fellowship and the discipleship here just sets FRC apart from any other place I’ve worked at before.
SPEAKER 16 :
To apply, visit frc.org.
SPEAKER 07 :
In times like these, we need something solid to stand on. That’s why I’m inviting you to join me on January the 1st for Stand on the Word, a daily journey through the entire Bible. Each day, we’ll read God’s Word together, discuss how to apply His truths to our lives, 15 minutes that can transform your year. Join me and thousands of others as we stand strong by standing on the Word of God. Text BIBLE to 67742. That’s BIBLE to 67742.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, good afternoon. Welcome back to Washington Watch. I’m Jody Heiss filling in today for Tony. Thank you so much for joining us. All right, before I get into our final segment, a couple of real quick action items that I want to toss your way. First of all, of course, we’re about to begin a brand new year, and there is no better way to start a new year off than making a commitment to be in the Word of God more and more. We’ve even been talking about THAT WITH OUR CURRENT GUEST WHO WILL BE BACK WITH ME HERE IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS. BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING GROUNDED IN SCRIPTURE AND HAVING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN US AT THE FRC TEAM FOR OUR STAND ON THE WORD COMMITMENT. IT’S A TWO-YEAR CHRONOLOGICAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE ENTIRE BIBLE. Just 10 or 15 minutes a day is all it takes to go through the Bible in two years, and it will transform your life. And so we want to encourage you to join us. We want to encourage you to invite others to join us and make 2026 a year of the Bible personally. To get more details, visit frc.org slash Bible or simply text the word Bible to 67742. Then real quickly, second action item. Of course, next year is our 250th anniversary in America, and we here at Family Research Council will more than ever be a voice for the founding principles, protecting, defending the founding principles upon which our country was established. And right now, through the end of the year, through December 31st, you can help us by doubling any gift that you give. We’ve been granted a special challenge match, which we’re very appreciative of, but every gift you give between now and December 31st will be doubled. So come on board, help us out, and we’d appreciate it. Simply text the word AMERICA to 67742. All right. I want to continue now with the wonderful conversation I was having with my special guest, Dr. Gerald McBurman, who teaches at Jerusalem Seminary and the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia. As I mentioned, he’s written and co-written a number of books, including Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity. And also Israel matters. Why Christians must think differently about the people and the land. Dr. McDermott, thanks so much for staying over. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 04 :
You’re certainly welcome.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. I wanted to get in more and let you unpack a little bit more of this whole concept of Christian Zionism. Can you kind of unpack that for us a little bit more?
SPEAKER 04 :
Sure. It’s the belief by Christians that God has given the land of the Canaanites to the Jewish people. This is repeated 1,000 times in the Old Testament, and it’s all over the New Testament as well. And that second part, being in the New Testament, is what even a lot of Christian Zionists are not aware of. So let me give a little evidence of that, Congressman. Jesus in Matthew 5, 17 and 18, says that every stroke of the pen in the law and the prophets, and that was a Jewish shorthand for the whole Old Testament, is given by God. Every stroke of the pen. Now, that’s an extraordinary statement. He didn’t say just part of it, but every stroke of the pen. So, for instance, the the Old Testament promise that is stated most starkly in Genesis 17, verse 8. God says to Abraham, I am giving all the land of Canaan, all of it, to you and your seed, and that means all of your sons and grandsons, et cetera, for an everlasting possession. So this promise is repeated 1,000 times in the Old Testament. And Jesus is saying that those words were inspired by God. In fact, 1 Peter 1 suggests this. that it was the Spirit of Jesus that inspired all the writers of the Old Testament. So Jesus himself, in some senses, is repeating these 1,000 times of the land promise. And then, you know, many people, many Christians who deny Christian Zionism, who deny the land promise and say it’s not in the New Testament, they turn to Matthew 5, 5, the Beatitudes, as proof for their denial of Christian Zionism. And that’s the Beatitude where Jesus said, “‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'” But that Greek word there for earth, ge, can also be translated land. And it turns out more and more scholars are realizing that it turns out that Jesus is quoting word for word Psalm 3711. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the land. Now that phrase inherit the land is repeated five times in Psalm 37. And all scholars of the Old Testament believe they all agree that the best translation of the Hebrew word there is land, and it’s referring to the land of Israel. So Jesus is really affirming the land promise in that beatitude. He’s not talking about all the earth. He’s simply talking about the land of Israel. Now, Paul, I was told by my New Testament professors at the University of Chicago and at the University of Iowa that that Paul does not believe in the land promise anymore. So you can imagine my surprise when, years ago, I came upon Luke telling about Paul’s sermon in a synagogue in Antioch, Pisidia. That’s modern day Turkey. which was more than 20 years, maybe 25 years after Paul’s conversion. So it wasn’t simply a leftover from his pre-conversion days, but he still believes it and is teaching it 20 to 25 years later, where he tells this synagogue in modern day Turkey, after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, So Paul is not embarrassed by, he’s not ashamed of the conquest of Canaan. God gave this people, Israel, their land as an inheritance. You couldn’t be more clear. Paul could not have been more clear. And then same thing in the letter to the Hebrews. The author says God led Abraham to a place to receive as an inheritance. And Isaac and Jacob were heirs with him of the same promise. That’s Hebrews 11. And then in Hebrews 7, Deacon Stephen says God promised to give Abraham this land as a possession and to his offspring after him. So there you have it. It’s all over the New Testament. The land promised as concrete biblical evidence of Christian Zionism.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow, fascinating discussion there. I was not aware that it was mentioned over a thousand times in the Old Testament and so much in the New as well. So real quickly, we’ve only got a little over a minute left, but what’s your take then on how support for Israel among evangelicals has changed, especially over the last couple of years?
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s because evangelicals are not reading the Bible anymore. if they read the Bible, that would not be true. And particularly younger evangelicals are not reading the Bible and they’re listening to podcasts too much. They need to get rid of their cell phones and get their books out.
SPEAKER 03 :
I couldn’t agree with you more. Thank you so much, Dr. Gerald McDermott, the Distinguished Professor of Theology at Jerusalem Seminary. Fascinating discussion. Thank you so much for joining us on Washington Watch and wishing you and yours a wonderful Merry Christmas.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you, Congressman. My pleasure.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, by the way, everyone, Tony has a brand new e-book that addresses the question, should Christians support Israel? It’s an invitation to discover how support for Israel is not merely political or cultural. It is foundationally biblical. If you’d like to get a copy, simply text the word Israel to 67742. That’s Israel to 67742. All right, to close out today’s program, I want to cover some domestic news that unfolded over the weekend, not in Washington, D.C., but on the other side of the country. On Saturday, a power outage in San Francisco proved just how dependent we’ve all become on artificial intelligence. with stoplights out and self-driving taxis across the city coming to a standstill, which obviously caused even more traffic chaos. The AI-powered vehicles didn’t know what to do other than remain stopped in the middle of the roads when the traffic lights were out. So what can we glean today? from Saturday’s incident. Joining me now to discuss this is Jared Bridges. He’s the editor-in-chief at The Washington Stand. Jared, thanks for joining me. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER 14 :
Glad to be back, Jody.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, so you and your, yeah, let’s go on this. You and your team have covered AI quite extensively, so catch us up to speed on what you’ve been tracking.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, and just speaking to the incident over the weekend, I think I’m still going to stay with the one horse open sleigh more than a self-driving car. I don’t know about you, Jerry.
SPEAKER 03 :
Perfect timing to go that route, yes.
SPEAKER 14 :
But, yeah, we’ve had a lot happen this year in the world of artificial intelligence. And just as chat GPT just came on the scene just a few years ago, like a year’s time is almost decades with the way that this technology is advancing. And we’re trying to cover it. at the Washington Stand as best we can. And it’s like sometimes you start writing the article and by the time you’ve finished the article, the technology has already changed. And we’ve seen that a lot this year. And even if you’re not a, you know, massive user of AI, you’re probably seeing it in technologies just like your Google search, right? They’re giving you AI summaries of your search. So they’re trying to pull out the data, help you find what you’re looking for. So the growth has been explosive. It’s been integrated into almost everything now. We’re seeing a survey a few weeks ago of like pastors were a high percentage of pastors were using AI in their sermon preparation. So you’re not going to get away from it at all.
SPEAKER 03 :
No, we’re not. And as you talked about how rapidly this thing is growing, it really is stunning. But when you have anything that grows this rapidly, particularly something like AI, I would assume at the same time there’s something growing along with it that could be pretty dangerous in the long haul. So what are some of the concerns that you have that are growing out of this whole AI movement?
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, we’ve covered a lot of concerning things that are emerging because this is growing rapidly and you’ve got lots of different interested parties taking advantage of these swift changes. We saw earlier this year someone via the Signal messaging app, sending AI voice impersonations of Secretary of State Rubio to a U.S. Senator, to foreign ministers, and an American governor. I mean, imagine the chaos that that could cause if it didn’t automatically, wasn’t recognized for a fake as it happened. And And we’ve also seen a slew of headlines this year about, I mean, you could rightly call this AI induced psychosis, where AI chat bots were basically seducing people into You know, people who are mentally vulnerable and encouraging them to harmful actions, even as far as suicide, making them think they could fly. And I mean, they’re I mean, it was just headline after headline this summer of these things. And part of the problem on this is because these chat bots are Much like your social media is programmed to keep you going, it gives you that dopamine hit and keeps you using, much like drug dealers do. But they’re programmed to keep you using, so they’ll flatter you and tell you what you want to hear. And I think that is some of the biggest dangers we’ve seen over this past year coming out of AI.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, it really is frightening when you look at all those types of things. And, you know, as someone who’s served in Congress, we’re already seeing the influence of AI in policy as well. So there’s no telling where this goes. Jared, it all looks pretty grim, and we’ve only got a couple of minutes left. You know, I don’t want to I’ll just put it this way. It’s probably too strong to put it quite like this. But is there any hope for us humans as AI is coming in? It’s like it’s taking over everything. What kind of impact is this going to have on us?
SPEAKER 14 :
Well, I certainly think there is hope, and I think it’s going to be up to Christians and people with a biblical worldview to kind of process all of that stuff that’s coming in, filter it through the lens of scripture. and and try to keep people from harm and keep people focused on the right way without letting ai dictate that to us i mean i’ve interviewed a couple of groups this year christian groups who are trying to build ais with biblical guard rails around them and and even having tested those those do much better and they don’t try to keep you hooked and they try to give you a biblical perspective on any kind of issue, even like plumbing or something that you ask it about. So I think there is some hope from that perspective, and we’re certainly going to be keeping tabs on that at the Washington stand as this advances even further.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, there’s no telling where this is going to go. I mean, there’s a great fear out there that it’s going to impact the economy. People are going to be losing jobs because some sort of AI program or whatever can do it better than humans and all this kind of stuff. There’s no telling where this is going. But we must stay grounded in truth, stay grounded in Scripture now more than ever. All right. Jared Bridges, editor-in-chief of The Washington Stand, as always. Great to have you on Washington Watch. You do an outstanding job, you and your team at The Washington Stand. You who are watching and listening right now, do not take advantage of The Washington Stand. I want to strongly encourage you to do so. Jared, thanks for joining me. Merry Christmas to you. Merry Christmas. All right, friends, that wraps up this edition of Washington Watch. Thank you for joining us. Have a great evening. We’ll be with you again tomorrow.
SPEAKER 15 :
Washington Watch with Tony Perkins is brought to you by Family Research Council. To support our efforts to advance faith, family, and freedom, please text GIVE to 67742. That’s GIVE to 67742. Portions of the show discussing candidates are brought to you by Family Research Council Action. For more information, please visit TonyPerkins.com.
