Banning the New Testament? A number of Christian conservatives, including Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, and Andrew Torba, have raised concerns that a new House bill opposing antisemitism may outlaw quoting parts of the New Testament.

The New Testament: House of Representatives

Kirk, a strong supporter of Israel, questioned whether the House of Representatives had made parts of the Bible illegal. Carlson, who has faced accusations of harboring antisemitic views, responded affirmatively, specifically referring to the New Testament.

The New Testament: Antisemitism

Torba, who himself is often accused of antisemitism, sent out an email warning about the potential threat to the Christian faith posed by the bill. Torba claimed that the bill adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which includes the belief that the Jews killed Jesus Christ as “classic antisemitism.”

Criminalize Pastors Preaching?

He argued that this could potentially criminalize pastors preaching biblical passages that assert the Jews’ responsibility for Jesus’ death. These concerns are being raised by Christians who believe their First Amendment rights are being threatened.

The concerns raised by these individuals are based on the fact that the House bill uses the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which includes examples of Jew hatred such as accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

It also includes accusing Jews or Israel of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust, as well as using symbols associated with classic antisemitism to characterize Israel or Israelis.

Based on the example of using claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel to characterize Israel or Israelis, concerned Christians argue that quoting passages from the New Testament that mention Jewish involvement in Jesus’ crucifixion may be deemed illegal under the bill.

Illegal Bible Verses?

Based on this last example, concerned Christians are claiming that this bill will make it illegal to quote passages such as these:

• “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36, Peter, preaching to a Jewish crowd in Jerusalem).
• “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses” (Acts 3:13–15, again, Peter, preaching to a Jewish crowd in Jerusalem).
• “For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved — so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!” (1 Thessalonians 2:14–16, Paul writing to Gentile Christians in Thessalonica)