In an era where the voices of conservative Christians are often stifled by a combination of cultural elites and timid evangelical leaders, Andrew Isker’s recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program stands as a testament to the resilience of unapologetic faith. Isker, a Minnesota pastor and outspoken advocate for a robust, biblically grounded Christian worldview, has faced sharp criticism from what many of us in the conservative Christian camp might call "softer evangelicals"—those who prefer a gentler, more culturally accommodating approach to faith. These critics, often ensconced in suburban megachurches or progressive theological seminaries, have sought to marginalize Isker, branding him as too extreme, too divisive, or too politically engaged for their taste.
Some have even gone so far as to attempt a blacklist of sorts, warning their flocks against his influence and excluding him from the polite circles of evangelical discourse. Yet, despite their efforts, Isker broke through this attempted suppression to appear on one of the most watched platforms in conservative media today—Tucker Carlson’s show. This moment is more than just a personal victory for Isker; it’s a seismic shift that reveals how the modern media environment has dismantled the power of gatekeepers to dictate who Christians should or should not hear.
ANDREW ISKER AND THE SIN OF NOTICING
To understand the significance of this event, we must first know the man at its center. Andrew Isker is not a household name—at least not yet—but among those who value a muscular, uncompromising Christianity, he’s a rising figure. Isker leads a small congregation with a big vision: to reclaim a faith that engages the world head-on, rather than retreating into the safe confines of feel-good sermons and worship bands. He’s a graduate of the Greyfriars Hall ministry program, associated with Doug Wilson’s Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho—a connection that alone raises eyebrows among the evangelical establishment, given Wilson’s own reputation as a lightning rod for controversy.
Andrew Isker, a Minnesota pastor, and Doug Wilson, a prominent Idaho-based Reformed theologian, have collaborated in the past. For instance, Wilson blurbed Isker’s 2022 book on Christian nationalism co-authored with Andrew Torba, and they appeared together in a 2023 discussion titled "Right Wing Twitter vs Doug Wilson (feat. Andrew Isker)" alongside Joe Rigney and Jared Longshore.
However, differences in the perspectives of Isker and Wilson became apparent last year. In a November 2023 debate, Isker and Wilson clashed over the "Jewish Question" and antisemitism. Isker argued that Jewish influence in America, tied to a Democratic voting bloc and institutional control, could be critiqued as contributing to societal issues, while Wilson resisted this framing, emphasizing a broader definition of Jewish identity and rejecting envy-based critiques of Jewish success. Commentators, such as those at Evangelical Dark Web, suggested Isker won the debate, implying a sharper divergence in their views on this sensitive topic.
Further nuance emerges in Wilson’s response to Isker’s 2023 book, The Boniface Option. In a September 2023 YouTube video, Wilson cast shade at Isker, and distanced himself from Isker’s more confrontational stance toward modern culture compared to Dreher’s "Benedict Option" retreatism. This seems to mark the real beginning of his antipathy toward Isker.
Additionally, a December 2024 Evangelical Dark Web article highlights a broader tension…Wilson criticized "Noticing" (observing Jewish influence) as driven by sinful motives like envy or anger, a stance Isker implicitly countered by counseling men against despair over such observations. This indicates a real shift; people noticed Wilson’s take on Judaism to be divergent from his ‘No Quarter’ attitude on virtually every other issue.
Isker’s worldview is unapologetically rooted in Scripture and the historic Christian tradition. He believes that the church has a duty not just to save souls but to shape societies—to bring every sphere of life under the lordship of Christ. This isn’t the soft, therapeutic gospel of self-help and personal affirmation that dominates much of modern evangelicalism. Instead, it’s a call to arms, a challenge to men and women of faith to reject the idols of modernity—whether that’s radical individualism, secular progressivism, or the worship of comfort—and to rebuild a civilization that honors God. In books like The Boniface Option, he argued Christians must adopt a posture of resistance and renewal, much like the early church did in the face of Roman paganism. It’s a message that resonates with those of us who see the West sliding into moral and spiritual chaos, but it’s also one that rankles the sensibilities of evangelicals who’d rather not rock the boat.
THE GATEKEEPERS BAN ON ISKER
That boat-rocking is precisely why Isker has drawn the ire of what I’ll call the "softer evangelical" crowd. These are the folks who populate the leadership of many mainstream evangelical institutions—think Christianity Today, the Gospel Coalition, or the sprawling network of suburban churches with coffee bars in their lobbies (and also the former “right wing” of evangelicalism, chiefly Wilson and his counterpart in Phoenix, James White, who have been on a Jihad against those who “notice things.”
They’re not liberals, mind you; most would affirm orthodox doctrines like the Trinity or the resurrection. But they’ve adopted a posture of accommodation, a desire to be winsome and palatable to a culture that increasingly despises biblical truth. For them, Christianity is about building bridges, not burning them—about dialogue, not confrontation (at least with Jews).
Isker’s approach couldn’t be more different, and that’s where the friction begins. His critiques of feminism, his defense of traditional gender roles, and his willingness to wade into political waters—like his support for Christian nationalism—have made him a target. Articles and blog posts from these circles have painted him as a dangerous radical, someone whose rhetoric risks alienating the very people the church should be reaching. I’ve seen the whispers on social media, the subtle warnings from pastors and influencers: "Be careful of Andrew Isker. He’s too extreme. He’s divisive. He’s not one of us." Some have gone further, accusing him of aligning with unsavory figures like Torba, whose Gab platform has been a haven for far-right voices, or of promoting a vision of Christianity that’s more about power than grace.
This criticism isn’t just idle chatter—it’s an attempt to blacklist Isker from the evangelical conversation. In the old days, such a blacklist might have worked. If the gatekeepers of evangelical media—magazines, publishing houses, conference circuits—decided you were persona non grata, your voice could be effectively silenced. You’d be relegated to the fringes, preaching to a tiny choir while the mainstream marched on without you. And make no mistake, that’s what many of Isker’s detractors hoped for. They wanted him sidelined, his influence curtailed, his ideas kept out of the hands of impressionable Christians who might actually start asking hard questions about the state of the church and the world.
BREAKING THE BLACKLIST
But here’s the rub: the old gatekeepers don’t hold the power they once did. Enter Tucker Carlson, a man who needs no introduction to anyone with a pulse and a television. Once the king of Fox News’ primetime lineup, Carlson now commands a massive audience through his independent platform on X, where his interviews and monologues routinely rack up millions of views. He’s a polarizing figure, loved by conservatives for his willingness to challenge the establishment and loathed by progressives for the same reason. But what matters here is his reach—and his decision to give Andrew Isker a seat at the table.
Isker’s upcoming appearance on Carlson’s program isn’t just a guest spot—it was a statement. Carlson, a self-identified Episcopalian with a complicated relationship to evangelicalism, has made a habit of platforming voices that the cultural and religious elite would rather ignore. Pastors like Doug Wilson, controversial figures like Andrew Tate, and now Andrew Isker have all found a megaphone through Carlson’s show. For Isker, this was the moment the blacklist crumbled. No longer confined to the echo chambers of Gab or the small audiences of his podcast, he will be speaking to millions—many of them Christians hungry for something more than the watered-down gospel they’ve been fed.
What will they talk about? While we don’t know yet about the specifics of the interview, we can imagine it will follow Carlson’s usual pattern: a discussion of culture, politics, and faith, likely touching on Isker’s vision for a Christian resurgence in America. Isker’s message—raw, unfiltered, and unapologetic—will reach an audience that the evangelical gatekeepers could only dream of controlling. And they couldn’t stop it.
THE GATEKEEPERS ARE DYING
This is the heart of the story: today’s media environment has fundamentally altered the dynamics of influence within the Christian world. Once upon a time, if you wanted to be a voice in evangelicalism, you had to play by the rules. You needed a book deal from Zondervan or Thomas Nelson, a speaking slot at the big conferences, a nod from the right pastors. If you stepped out of line—if you were too bold, too political, too *unwinsome*—the gatekeepers could shut you out. They controlled the platforms, and thus they controlled the conversation.
But the rise of digital media has blown that system apart. Platforms like X, YouTube, and podcasting have democratized access to audiences in a way that’s unprecedented. Tucker Carlson’s show is a prime example: after leaving Fox News in 2023, he didn’t fade into obscurity. Instead, he pivoted to X, where his first episode garnered tens of millions of views. He’s not beholden to corporate sponsors or network executives—he answers only to his audience. And that audience, it turns out, includes a lot of Christians who are tired of being spoon-fed a sanitized version of their faith.
For someone like Andrew Isker, this new landscape is a godsend. The gatekeepers can criticize him all they want, but they can’t silence him. They can write their think pieces and issue their warnings, but they can’t stop millions of people from clicking "play" on Carlson’s interview. The blacklist only works if you control the channels of communication, and those channels are no longer in the hands of a select few. This isn’t to say that Isker’s appearance is going to be a flawless victory—his critics will no doubt double down, accusing Carlson of amplifying fringe voices or Isker of cozying up to secular power. But the point remains: the gatekeepers’ ability to enforce their will is slipping away.
WHY THIS MATTERS
So why should conservative Christians care about this? Because it’s a sign of hope—and a call to action. For too long, we’ve allowed our faith to be shaped by voices that prioritize cultural acceptance over biblical fidelity. The softer evangelicals, with their emphasis on "relevance" and "niceness," have led us into a cul-de-sac where the church is more concerned with PR than with proclaiming truth. Andrew Isker represents a different path—one that’s messy, confrontational, and deeply rooted in the conviction that Christianity isn’t meant to be a bystander in the world’s story.
His breakthrough onto Tucker Carlson’s platform shows that there’s an appetite for this kind of faith. Millions of Americans—many of them Christians—are tuning in to hear voices like his, not because they’re perfect, but because they’re real. They’re tired of the gatekeepers telling them who’s acceptable and who’s not. They want to hear from people who aren’t afraid to say what they think, even if it’s unpopular. And in a world where the culture is growing increasingly hostile to biblical values, that hunger is only going to grow.
This moment also challenges us to rethink how we engage with media as conservative Christians. The old institutions—magazines, publishing houses, denominational hierarchies—are losing their grip, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon discernment. Tucker Carlson isn’t a pastor, and his platform isn’t a church. We should celebrate Isker’s opportunity while recognizing that not every voice on X or YouTube deserves our ear. The gatekeepers may be weaker, but the responsibility to sift truth from error falls on us now more than ever.
A NEW ERA FOR INFLUENCE
Andrew Isker’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program isn’t the end of the story—it’s the beginning of a new chapter. The softer evangelicals will keep pushing back, clutching their pearls and warning of the dangers of "extremists" like him. But their influence is waning, and the rise of independent media ensures that voices like Isker’s will keep breaking through. This isn’t about one man’s triumph; it’s about a broader shift in how Christian ideas are shared and debated in the public square.
For those of us who long to see a revival of robust, conservative Christianity—one that doesn’t shrink from the challenges of our time—this is a moment to celebrate. The gatekeepers tried to blacklist Andrew Isker, but they failed. He stepped onto one of the biggest stages in America, and he did it without their permission. That’s a victory not just for him, but for every Christian who believes that our faith should shape the world, not be shaped by it. In this new media age, the power to decide who we listen to rests where it belongs: with us, the people of God.
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