Is Kamala Harris an Antichrist?

Why Did Kamala Harris Tell Hecklers They Were at the Wrong Rally?

Anti-abortion protestors tried to shout over Kamala Harris as she spoke to an audience in Wisconsin recently, screaming, “Abortion is a sacrament to Satan.” As the hecklers were led out of the hall, they continued shouting, “Christ is King” and “Jesus is Lord.” Several video clips of the incident indicate that Harris likely could not hear them over the boos and clamor that immediately erupted. Close-up recordings make it sound like what could be heard on the stage was only the crowd drowning out the disruptors, with someone else shouting, “Lies! Lies! Liar!” Nevertheless, the encounter should be scrutinized because of the accusations left in its aftermath.

Since that moment, old acquaintances of mine have posted memes claiming the Vice President evicted the demonstrators because they proclaimed Jesus as Lord, telling them, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally. I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.” They conclude this makes the candidate an “antichrist” and a persecutor of Christians. Many comments on my Facebook page assert in one form or another that Harris hates Christians.

After my 45 years of Christian ministry, more than thirty of them spent, regrettably, in right-wing Christian political activism, I don’t see this campaign episode as religious or antireligious in its meaning. I see it as a pure political moment. And if there is any anti-Christian violation, I would not assign it to the Vice President but to the protestors at her rally who attempted to shout her down in Jesus’ name.

I’ll explain . . .

Invoking the Name of Jesus

The name of Jesus holds profound significance for Christians, serving as a cornerstone of their faith and a powerful symbol of salvation. In the Bible, the importance of

Jesus’ name is emphasized repeatedly. Acts 4:12 declares, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” This underscores the unique role of Jesus in Christian theology. Philippians 2:9-11 further elevates the name of Jesus, stating that God has given Him “the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” Christians believe that the name of Jesus carries divine authority, capable of healing the sick (Acts 3:6), casting out demons (Mark 16:17), and granting answers to prayers (John 14:13-14). The name embodies not just the historical figure of Jesus Christ but also His divine nature, redemptive work, and ongoing presence in the lives of believers. For Christians, invoking the name of Jesus is a powerful act of faith, worship, and connection to the Divine. So, it must be done respectfully, authentically, and carefully.

Christian theology would connect Jesus’ name to the Commandment given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, prohibiting the taking of the Lord’s name in vain. (See Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11) James Strong, the late 19th-century professor of exegetical theology at Drew University and author of the famous concordance named for him, defines the Hebrew phrase, לַשָּׁ֑וְא (laš·šāw), translated “in vain,” as, “emptiness, vanity, falsehood.” When applied to God’s name, it prohibits using it frivolously, falsely, or for deceptive purposes. This Commandment goes beyond mere profanity; it encompasses any misuse of God’s name that diminishes its sanctity or power. This includes false oaths, irreverent usage in daily speech, or invoking God’s name to support unrighteous causes. The phrase underscores the reverence and careful consideration with which the ancient Israelites, and by extension, modern believers, should approach a divine name, emphasizing the serious nature of casually or inappropriately invoking God’s authority or presence.

What Was Said at the Harris Rally

You cannot understand what the protesters were saying when listening to video and audio recordings of the incident, captured by the microphone at the podium where the Vice President was speaking. Somebody tries to disrupt the proceedings, but the crowd drowns them out with deafening jeers. Based on Ms. Harris’s response, it does appear she gets that they are against her and are saying something about abortion, to which she quickly quips, “Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally.” The crowd of thousands then roars, making it impossible to hear what the hecklers continue to say from a distance. Subsequent reports based on several smartphone video clips taken deep inside the cavernous hall capture them sauntering toward an exit with one throwing out, “Christ is King,” and “Jesus is Lord.” The audio for that is enhanced on a clip played on a Fox News segment entitled, “Harris Mocks Pro-Life Protestors at Rally.” Still, there is so much clamor in the massive gathering that it’s doubtful they could be heard beyond a few feet.

True Motives

In any case, the question here is the motive–of the hecklers and the Vice President. What exactly were the hecklers doing, and was Ms. Harris denouncing the Lord Jesus Christ, as Fox News and others claim?

Examining intent becomes critical when returning to the Commandment against misusing the Lord’s name. Why did those protestors invoke Christ and Jesus in their disruptive heckling of Ms. Harris as she was speaking at her own event? Was it to glorify God, draw others to the Savior, and convey Jesus’ message of God’s love for the whole world, His Commandments to Love God and Love others, and His grace and mercy? I argue, clearly not. I base my judgment on three things:

• The time, place, and manner of the hecklers’ disruptive shouting
• The clear intention of the two men in attempting to shout down the Vice President
• The effect that such intrusive, rude, and shocking behavior has on any audience

Time, Place, Manner

Suppose a follower of Jesus Christ wishes to bear witness to His Lordship. In that case, it must be done persuasively and convincingly. Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.“ (Matthew 7:21) Our Lord made clear what the will of His Father is when He gave His disciples unequivocal directives, including, “Love one another,” and “Love your enemy.” The actions of the Harris hecklers beg the question, was their intent to demonstrate God’s love in Christ to Ms. Harris and the thousands of souls at the event? The time, place, and manner of their ostensible “witness” leads me to conclude that the answer is no.

Time: Shouting out in a jam-packed hall of enthusiastic political supporters while they are focused on the candidate they have assembled for hours to support and listen to is not an effective way to convey Jesus’ message to them. First, the hecklers began not by bearing witness to Christ’s kingship or lordship but, according to one of them, instead pronouncing that “Abortion is a sacrament to Satan.” Besides being a peculiar way to express this idea (“sacrament” is a narrow, primarily Catholic term referring to a ceremony or ritual regarded as imparting divine grace), it has nothing to do with Jesus. Our Lord never made such a statement or anything close to it. No Bible verse reflects it, and no generally accepted Christian statement of faith says anything like it. This was one guy’s opinion barked out at a wholly inappropriate moment to stop the event’s host from being heard. It did not draw attention to anything but him.

Place: Again, this was Ms. Harris’ event, paid for by her supporters, intended to give thousands of them a chance to see and hear her. It was not an invitation for detractors to air their opposing opinions. Rallies like the one where this episode occurred are considered private events. As such, they are not First Amendment public forums where everyone gets to say what they want. If they were, that would mean anyone could get up during a sermon at your church and shout down the preacher. Just try that at your church this Sunday and see what happens.

Manner: The hecklers’ disruptive behavior at Ms. Harris’s rally was rude, likely frightening to some, and proved wholly ineffective. People are intelligent and discerning. It was clear from the way these two young men carried out their activities that they invaded the hall under false pretenses and were there not to promote Christ and His saving work but their own political opinions and preferences–namely, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican agenda. How they went about it drew attention away from the main speaker and unto themselves. In doing that, they did not glorify Christ but themselves and their political idol.

Calling Things as They Really Are

In calling them out, Kamala Harris exposed the farce of the Trump operatives and grounded the moment in reality. The young, brave, and brilliant World War II-era German church leader and Nazi resister, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, warned Christians against creating a fantasy world where everything is as they wish it to be instead of as it is in reality. Instead, Bonhoeffer reminds us that in the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem, God entered the real world as a real man. Reality is the realm in which God does His saving work in Christ. The moment the Trump supporters created at the Harris rally was unreal and contrary to God’s work in Christ.

What was real in Wisconsin on that day was that two young men who were for Donald Trump and against Kamala Harris tried to draw attention away from her and unto themselves to score a political point for their side. Later, other pro-Trump operatives at Fox News, in right-wing pro-Trump reels and memes, and in pro-Trump anti-Harris mass messaging, seized on the juxtaposition of the two scenes–their meaningless cries and her calling them out–to create a fictional narrative of helpless Christians declaring their faith in a modern-day lions’ den of deadly persecution. It was nothing of the sort.

Kamala Kept It Real

Kamala Harris spoke truth to the pretenders in Wisconsin. She said that pro-Trump supporters should be at a pro-Trump rally, not a pro-Harris rally. The pro-Trump rally was “the smaller one down the street,” where she told them they should be. (And all in good fun, by the way.)

Truth is reflected in reality, and Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Christ’s kingship and Jesus’ lordship must be presented within a framework of reality, not pretension, falsehood, and duplicity. The Christian hecklers were untruthful, while Kamala Harris kept it real.

In this instance, it wasn’t Kamala Harris’ humorous dismissal of the hecklers from her event that constituted a spirit of the antichrist; it was the hecklers’ knowing and blasphemous misuse of Jesus’ name.