Tucker Carlson, the right-wing firebrand turned theological ponderer, has evangelicals clutching their Scofield Bibles in panic. In a recent interview, he asked Texas Senator Ted Cruz a deceptively simple question: “What is Israel?” Cruz, the Ivy League lawyer and son of a New Apostolic Reformation preacher, fumbled like a freshman at a pop quiz. “The nation of Israel,” he stammered, doubling down with, “Yes, the nation founded in 1948.” Carlson, a recent re-convert to Christianity after years of agnosticism, pressed further after Cruz admitted to not knowing the verse, chapter, book, or testament of the quote: “So you’re quoting a Bible phrase. You don’t have context for it, and you don’t know where in the Bible it is, but that’s, like, your theology? I’m confused.”
Cruz’s meltdown wasn’t just a personal embarrassment. It exposed a theological fault line in evangelicalism, where Dispensational Zionism—born of John Darby’s 19th-century fever dreams and bankrolled by Zionist publishers at Oxford—has convinced millions that God’s covenant with Abraham demands blind allegiance to a secular state. Carlson’s question, “What is Israel?”, is the new “What is a woman?” for squishy evangelicals. They can’t answer it honestly without unraveling their entire worldview.
In the best of times, it’s important for Christians to be set free from the Dispensationalist delusion and understand that God’s covenant is fulfilled in Christ alone who has one chosen people, not two. But in the worst of times, its essential to understand these things when the world is on the verge of a third World War, all because Christians have a distorted sense of God’s Covenant with his chosen people (Christians).
EVANGELICALS MOCK TUCKER’S THEOLOGY—AND MISS THE POINT
Tucker Carlson’s return to faith has been met with eye-rolls from evangelical elites. Michael O’Fallon, a sovereignty-minded evangelical thinker, has criticized Carlson’s “sloppy theology,” accusing him of cherry-picking scriptures to fit his anti-Zionist narrative. Owen Strachan, a Southern Baptist theologian, took to X, sniffing that Carlson’s “quasi-Catholic leanings” and “infantile grasp of doctrine” make him unfit to challenge evangelical orthodoxy. Strachan, wielding his Ph.D. like a cudgel, mocked Carlson’s promotion of a Catholic prayer app, Hallow, as evidence of his drift from Protestant rigor. Other Protestants pile on, deriding Carlson’s Episcopalian roots—a denomination they view as a theological swamp, thanks to figures like John Shelby Spong, who questioned God’s very existence.
They’re not entirely wrong. Carlson’s theology is a work in progress, a patchwork quilt stitched together from recent conversion zeal and a journalist’s instinct for sniffing out nonsense. He’s admitted to being an Episcopalian, once calling it “the most lowly and humble” tradition, a self-deprecating nod to its liberal drift. His biblical knowledge is shaky—more vibes than verses. Yet, as Scripture says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27). Or, as the psalmist put it, “Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have established strength” (Psalm 8:2). Carlson, in his theological diapers, has stumbled onto a question that exposes the wise as fools.
Take Ted Cruz. A Harvard-trained attorney, reportedly brilliant, and son of Rafael Cruz, a pastor tied to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), he should’ve aced Carlson’s query. The NAR, a charismatic movement blending apostolic authority with dominionist dreams, teaches that Christians must seize cultural “mountains” (like government) to usher in God’s kingdom. Rafael Cruz has preached that his son is anointed for such a role, aligning with NAR’s vision of a theocratic revival. Yet, when Carlson asked, “What is Israel?”, Ted floundered, unable to cite Genesis 12:3 (“I will bless those who bless you”) or its context. He didn’t know if it was Old Testament or New. He just knew evangelicals love Israel.
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Carlson’s question didn’t just stump Cruz. It’s a grenade lobbed at every evangelical who equates biblical Israel with the 1948 nation-state. Strachan, O’Fallon, and their ilk demand support for Israel as a litmus test of orthodoxy. But when pressed to define “Israel,” they’d likely fare no better than Cruz. Greg Locke, the fire-breathing Tennessee pastor, might shout about end-times prophecy, but could he parse Romans 9? John Hagee, the Christian Zionist titan, might invoke Scofield’s notes, but could he square them with Galatians 3? Carlson, the theological novice, has made them all look like stammering leftists asked, “What is a woman?”
DISPENSATIONAL ZIONISM: A THEOLOGICAL NOVELTY
To understand why evangelicals fumble “What is Israel?”, we must trace their obsession to its source: Dispensationalism, a 19th-century interpretive framework that reshaped American Christianity. Concocted by John Nelson Darby, an Anglo-Irish preacher, Dispensationalism divides history into “dispensations”—distinct eras where God deals differently with humanity. Darby taught that God has two peoples: Israel (the Jews) and the Church (Christians), with separate covenants and destinies. For Darby, God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3—to make him a great nation, bless those who bless him, and curse those who curse him—applies to ethnic Jews and their modern nation-state, not the Church.
Darby’s ideas might’ve stayed fringe if not for Cyrus I. Scofield, whose 1909 Scofield Reference Bible mainstreamed Dispensationalism. Scofield’s notes, printed alongside the King James text, taught that God’s covenant with Abraham guarantees a literal, future restoration of Israel, complete with a rebuilt temple and restored sacrifices. This was no grassroots effort. The Scofield Bible was funded and published by Oxford University Press, influenced by Zionist sympathizers like Samuel Untermeyer, a Jewish lawyer and activist. As Insight to Incite’s three-part series argues, this was a deliberate push to align evangelical theology with Zionist goals.
Dispensationalists claim God’s covenant with Abraham is unconditional and eternal, irrespective of faith in Jesus. They point to Genesis 17:7: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you.” They argue that Romans 11:26—“All Israel will be saved”—means a future mass conversion of Jews, tied to their return to the land. This fuels Christian Zionism, the belief that supporting Israel fulfills God’s plan and hastens Christ’s return.
This is a radical departure from historic Christian doctrine, which sees the Abrahamic covenant fulfilled in Christ. For 1,800 years, the Church taught that God has one covenant, one people, and one plan of salvation. Galatians 3:16 is crystal clear: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.” Christians, through faith, become Abraham’s heirs: “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
Romans 9 demolishes the idea that ethnicity alone secures God’s favor. Paul writes, “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children” (Romans 9:6-7). He adds, “It is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring” (Romans 9:8). Faith, not blood, defines God’s people.
Peter applies Israel’s titles to the Church: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9). This isn’t a body politic but a spiritual community of believers. The promise that Abraham’s descendants would be “as numerous as the stars” (Genesis 15:5) isn’t fulfilled by Israel’s ~7 million Jews (1% of the world’s population) but by the 2 billion Christians worldwide. The historic Church—from Augustine to Calvin—affirmed this, rejecting the notion of a separate covenant for Jews. Dispensationalism, barely 200 years old, is the theological upstart.
Romans 11, often cited by Dispensationalists, actually undermines their case. Paul says unbelieving Jews were “broken off” from God’s olive tree, and Gentiles were “grafted in” (Romans 11:17-20). While God may graft some Jews back in, the tree is one, rooted in Christ. The Church, not a secular state, is the true Israel. Hebrews 11:10 says Abraham looked for a “city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God”—not a geopolitical nation but the heavenly Jerusalem.
TUCKER VS. CRUZ: MAKING FOOLISH THE WISDOM OF THE WISE
Enter Tucker Carlson, the unlikely theologian. In his interview with Ted Cruz, Carlson zeroed in on Cruz’s evangelical boilerplate: “God blesses those who bless Israel.” When Cruz tied this to the 1948 nation-state, Carlson pounced: “The nation founded in 1948?” Cruz nodded, oblivious to the trap. Carlson, incredulous, pressed: “You don’t have context for it, and you don’t know where in the Bible it is, but that’s, like, your theology?” Cruz, the supposed genius, couldn’t name the verse, book, or testament. He just knew it was evangelical dogma.
Carlson’s question—“What is Israel?”—is a theological landmine. Cruz’s answer, equating Israel with a modern nation, is a Dispensationalist reflex, not a biblical one. If “Israel” is the 1948 state, then God’s promise was dormant for 1,900 years, from Jerusalem’s fall in 70 AD to Israel’s founding. That’s absurd. If it’s the ancient Israel re-established, where’s the king? The temple? The priests? Modern Israel is a secular democracy, not a Mosaic theocracy. It doesn’t follow the Torah’s judicial code. It’s just a country with a familiar name and zip code.
Cruz’s flailing mirrors the left’s response to “What is a woman?” A leftist mumbles, “A woman is whoever identifies as one.” A Dispensationalist says, “Israel is whatever claims to be Israel.” Both dodge reality. Carlson, with his “quasi-Catholic” simplicity, exposed this. He didn’t need a seminary degree to see that Cruz’s theology was a house of cards. Evangelicals like Strachan or Locke, if pressed, would likely fare no better. The question must be asked relentlessly: What is Israel?
WHO IS ISRAEL, ANYWAY?
If “Israel” isn’t a nation-state, is it the Jewish people? If the Abrahamic promise is for Abraham’s physical descendants, who qualifies? Not Ashkenazi or Sephardic Jews, who dominate Israel’s population. Ashkenazi Jews, from Eastern Europe, trace their roots to 2nd-century BC converts in Turkey, not Palestine. Sephardic Jews, from Spain, are similarly converts, not Semitic. Genetic studies confirm Ashkenazi Jews share more DNA with Europeans than Middle Easterners. Only Mizrahi and Yishuv Jews, a tiny fraction of Israel’s population, have plausible ties to ancient Israel.
Consider Beachwood, Ohio, where ~90% of residents are Jewish, many Mizrahi or Yishuv by descent. Is Beachwood God’s chosen nation? The idea’s laughable. Yet Israel, with fewer Mizrahi Jews per capita, claims divine status. If bloodlines don’t cut it, is it religion? Modern Judaism, rooted in the Talmud, diverges sharply from Mosaic Judaism. The Talmud, codified in the 4th century AD, adapted Judaism to a post-temple world, prioritizing rabbinic tradition over Torah. Jesus clashed with early Mishnah adherents, calling their traditions “the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). Talmudic Judaism isn’t Abraham’s faith.
If not blood or religion, is it “Judeo-Christian” values? This term is a myth. Jewish leaders have disproportionately backed progressive causes—LGBTQ rights, transgender ideology, abortion, and pornography. A rabbi owns OnlyFans, a platform synonymous with moral decay. These aren’t the values of Christianity or Mosaic Judaism. The “Judeo-Christian” label is a political fiction, not a theological truth.
THE TRUE ISRAEL: CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH
The Bible’s answer to “What is Israel?” is unambiguous: it’s Christ and His Church. Galatians 3:7 says, “Those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Ephesians 2:19-20 calls Gentile believers “fellow citizens with God’s people,” built on the foundation of Christ. The Church isn’t a replacement for Israel but its fulfillment. Jesus is the true Israel, the “vine” (John 15:1) from which all branches grow. Unbelieving Jews, per Romans 11:20, were “broken off because of unbelief,” while believers—Jew and Gentile—are grafted in.
Psalm 2:8 declares that God gave Christ “the nations” as His inheritance, including Israel’s land. Hebrews 1:2 says Christ is “heir of all things.” The land promises to Abraham find their ultimate fulfillment in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1). Romans 11:29 says God’s gifts are irrevocable, but they’re fulfilled in Christ, not a secular state. The Church, as 1 Peter 2:9 says, is the “chosen nation” God blesses.
Mizrahi and Yishuv Jews, with closer ties to Abraham’s bloodline, deserve respect, as Romans 11:18 warns against arrogance toward the “natural branches.” But their salvation, like all, comes through faith in Christ, not ethnicity. Samaritans, with purer bloodlines than most modern Jews, were outcasts in Jesus’ day, proving blood alone never sufficed (John 4:9). The true Israel is spiritual, not geopolitical.
TUCKER’S TRIUMPH
Back to Tucker Carlson, the bumbling convert who schooled a senator. His critics—in the evangelical intelligentsia—scoff at his doctrinal clumsiness. They sneer at his prayer app and Episcopalian past. Yet, in one interview, Carlson did what they couldn’t: he asked a question that laid bare the folly of Dispensational Zionism. Cruz, the NAR heir, looked like a leftist professor dodging “What is a woman?” His answer—“Israel is the nation founded in 1948”—was as vacuous as “A woman is a feeling.”
Carlson’s victory wasn’t theological finesse. It was raw curiosity, unburdened by evangelical groupthink. He didn’t need to quote Romans 9 or Galatians 3. He just asked, “What is Israel?” and watched Cruz implode. The question is now a litmus test. Pro-Israel theologian must face it. If they say “the nation,” they admit God’s promise lapsed for centuries. If they say “the Jews,” they ignore biology and theology. If they dodge, they’re as spineless as gender ideologues. And if they tell you you’re an anti-semite for asking a genuinely theologically sincere question, they’re scared. If they ignore that you’ve asked it altogether, they’re running.
In the end, Carlson’s triumph mirrors 1 Corinthians 1:20: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” Tucker, the theological babe, made fools of the wise. The question “What is Israel?” will haunt evangelicalism until it abandons Darby’s fiction and embraces Christ’s truth. Until then, it’s the new “What is a woman?”—and Dispensationalists are stammering.
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