Antifa, Groypers, and the Approaching Evil

I’m going to start out this article by blowing right by Godwin’s Law and drawing a straight line to the Nazis. In my defense, my intent is not to smear a political opponent with contrived similarities to der Fuehrer (So you like bratwurst, huh? You know who else liked bratwurst?). Rather, my aim is to point out something that happened in history, in hopes that we can avoid repeating it.

And for those who are wondering what this could possibly have to do with missions, keep reading.

There is an endless debate on the interwebs as to whether or not Hitler was on the right or the left of the political spectrum. Those on the left point to his strident anti-communist rhetoric. Those on the right point out the name “Socialist” in the National Socialist party, as well as his collectivist tendencies. In truth people, right or left, who engage in this pointless debate reveal that they have no clue what they are talking about.

For a primer in this subject, I would recommend two books: Hannah Arendt’s “The Origins of Totalitarianism” and William Shirer’s “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.”. The latter details Hitler’s rise to power, while the former examines the antisemitic underpinnings of his regime. And what is clear is that he was able to capitalize on the discontent of both right and left in the chaotic Weimar Republic and pin the blame on one group of people: The Jews. He was able to convince people across the political spectrum that they had been universally victimized by a Jewish plot, and that this justified all manner of violence against them.

And the rest, they say, is history. And also, I’m afraid, current events.

Antifa to the left of me.

The crowd that self-identifies as “Anti-Fascist” has, since 2020, amazed me with the degree to which they emulate the people they supposedly hate. Young men in black outfits and jackboots terrorizing neighborhoods? Check. Black and red flags? Check.

And now, even more tellingly, antisemitic rhetoric? Check and check.

I remember, back in those halcyon days of the pandemic, wondering how long it would take the jackbooted thugs to go from “Black Lives Matter” to “Death to the Jews”. As it turns out, roughly four years. And yes, I know that the actual slogan is “From the river to the sea.” Tomato, tomato.

Groypers to the right.

My first encounter with the group of ne-er-do-wells and social misfits known as the “groypers” was in 2016. Their full-throated support of Trump, and his failure to distance himself from them, was one of the reasons I came out so hard against him at that time. Led by a man-child online influencer named Nick Fuentes, they targeted Jews of all types for online harassment, up to and including “doxxing”.

During that election year I was repeatedly assured that the groypers were just harmless, fun-loving trolls who should be encouraged in their nascent “conservatism”. I didn’t buy it then, and I don’t buy it now.

In fact, recent events surrounding the departure of Candace Owens from the Daily Wire have demonstrated to me that Fuentes and his ilk have grown in influence, and have even brought some more mainstream conservatives into their Jew-baiting fold.

To put a finer point on it, I am dismayed at how many supposed believers have been seduced by Owens’ cheap and blasphemous use of the phrase “Christ is King” to affirm hateful attitudes towards the Jewish race.

Here I am, stuck in the middle with Jews.

So where does this leave me? It leaves me thinking back to the Weimar Republic, and seeing the same storm clouds brewing on our horizon as once brewed over Germany. What happens when Antifa and the Groypers find each other? What happens when someone comes along and convinces them that all their grievances can be pinned on one race of people?

Or, to put this in spiritual terms: were the demons that infected the Nazis, the same ones that have incited thousands of people to irrational hatred of the Jews ever since the days of Balaam, somehow annihilated in 1945?

Evidently not.

So, because it is sadly necessary, here is are some brief reminders, directed at Christians:

1. The Jews are God’s chosen people. The Abrahamic covenants are unconditional. Jesus Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of the promise, is Jewish, and is the Jewish messiah. The law and the prophets, which are part of our sacred writings, come from the Jews. The apostles were Jewish. The writers of the New Testament, save one, were Jewish. God has set aside the nation of Israel for a time, but not rejected her.

2. There is no Jewish plot to take over the world. Now, let me be clear: there is an evil plot to dominate the world. There has been since the Garden of Eden. And some of the people who serve Satan’s design are indeed Jewish. But there is a world of difference between criticizing George Soros, and targeting an entire race of people. To do so is to also serve Satan’s evil design.

Not only are Jewish world domination theories evil, they are also deeply irrational. You can take virtually any race and discover a number of people in places of power doing nefarious things.

Me? I’ve got my eyes on those sneaky Irishmen.

3. The Nation of Israel should generally be supported. It is important not to conflate the current state of Israel with the nation that will one day inhabit the land in belief. Even so, as the one Jewish refuge in an increasingly antisemitic world, the Jewish state has a right to exist, and it is in the interest of the world to protect that right. The modern Israeli state is not as pure as the driven snow. Neither is the United States. Neither one should be annihilated.

And here it is perhaps worthy of note that the current protests – purportedly in response to Israel’s response to the November 7 attacks – actually began before Israel lifted a finger in retaliation.

4. The Bible nowhere condones antisemitism. The statement of guilt by the Jews who were present at Christ’s trial is a) in no way binding on the nation as a whole and b) nowhere confirmed by God. In fact, on the cross, Christ himself expressed just the opposite. And if Christ is indeed our king, we should follow in His footsteps.

5. Jewish people need to be evangelized, not targeted. It is true, unsaved Jews are the enemies of Christ. You know who else was an enemy of Christ? Me, before God saved me. This is where Andrew Klavan’s recent video – very helpful in thinking through the way the phrase “Christ is King” is being used by Candace Owens and others – goes off the rails in suggesting that Ben Shapiro somehow doesn’t need Christ. Long before this brouhaha broke out, I wrote an open letter to Ben, urging him to accept Jesus as his Messiah (He, surprisingly, has yet to respond).

The idea that Jews should be singled out for abuse because Jewish people like Ben Shapiro reject Christ is ridiculous on the face of it. Should my unbelieving neighbor here in Brazil motivate me to target all Brazilians with online abuse or worse?

None other than the Apostle Paul, himself Jewish, expresses how we should feel towards our Jewish neighbors in Romans 9:1-5:

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Quite a different attitude than the one currently being demonstrated by the purported Christians currently screeching “Christ is King” on X.

Speaking of which…

6. Truth can be misused. Is Christ king? Of course He is. Do black lives matter? Indeed they do. Have both of these objective truths been hijacked to mean something completely different and excuse reprehensible behavior? Why yes, yes they have.

7. We should probably start making contingency plans. In talking to my friends who have visited the Holy Land there is an almost universal sense of solemnity and awe when they talk about visiting Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance memorial in Israel. They always mention the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, a place where those Gentiles who aided the Jews in the midst of the Nazi regime are memorialized. It features a list of names, which includes many Christians.

Given the perfect storm that seems to be brewing, it might be time to contemplate courses of action that will ultimately lead to our names being added to the list.

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And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.