Christian leaders petition Angel Studios to pull ads from Tucker Carlson over guest's socialism claim
A group of Christian clergy, leaders and laity have signed a letter petitioning Angel Studios, a faith-based entertainment company, to pull advertising from the Tucker Carlson Network in response to a recent interview Carlson conducted with a guest who claimed Christianity is fundamentally socialist.
The letter, shared by email with The Christian Post and distributed by the Philos Project Executive Director Luke Moon's organization 2Hammers, expressed gratitude to Angel Studios for "content that seeks to uplift, inspire, and proclaim the message of Christ," such as The Chosen, Sound of Freedom and David.
"It is precisely because of this influence that we feel compelled to express our concern regarding your company's decision to advertise alongside programming hosted by Tucker Carlson," the letter continued.
Noting that Angel Studios is promoting an animated film adaptation of Animal Farm, which the letter said "explicitly challenges the fundamental ideas of Communism," it singled out Carlson's recent interview with filmmaker Nathan Apffel, who sparked criticism earlier this month for claiming that "Christianity is socialism at its core."
"This claim is not only historically and theologically inaccurate, but it also risks confusing and misleading viewers about the nature of the Christian faith," the letter said. "Christianity transcends modern political ideologies. While it calls believers to care for widows, orphans, the poor, and the oppressed, Christianity does not support compulsive generosity managed by state bureaucracies."
"Our concern is not merely about a single statement, but about the broader implications of associating Christian media with platforms where such misrepresentations are presented without clear correction. As a company that has earned the trust of millions of Christians, your partnerships and advertising placements carry weight and signal implicit alignment or endorsement," it added.
In addition to Moon, there are more than 70 signatories, several of whom have ties to Christian advocacy or Israel-related work.
Some of the more prominent names include: Christian author Eric Metaxas; Institute on Religion and Democracy President Mark Tooley; Summit Ministries President Jeff Myers; Todd Morehead of Grafted Ministries; Thomas Lambrecht, who serves as General Conference Secretary of the Global Methodist Church; and Judith Mendelsohn Rood, who is professor emerita of History and Middle East Studies at Biola University.
Apffel, whose multi-part documentary The Religion Business probed the lack of transparency and oversight in some religious nonprofits, made his remarks about Christianity and socialism during a lengthy discussion with Carlson about the alleged financial excesses of some ministries, and named figures such as Paula White-Cain and Franklin Graham.
Apffel, who has been critical of the institutionalized church, suggested the prosperity gospel — which Carlson called a "perfect inversion" of the true Gospel — is an example of "capitalism creeping into the church."
Arguing that while "the democratic republic is the greatest government experiment in the history of humanity," Apffel said, "Capitalism should not be anywhere near Christianity."
"You think?" Carlson replied sarcastically.
"Christianity is more — and I don't like the word 'socialist' with the weight it carries — but Christianity is socialism at its core," Apffel continued, in an apparent reference to the communal nature of the early church in Acts 4:32-35.
"Non-authoritarian," Carlson cut in. He also appeared to gently push back on Apffel's claim that American capitalism and "rugged individualism" were to blame for church corruption, suggesting instead that sinful greed was at the root of it.
"How about greed? I mean, it just looks like greed to me," he said. He also earlier corrected Apffel's misquotation of 1 Timothy 6:10, noting that money itself was not called "the root of all evil," but rather the love of it.
The exchange prompted significant backlash from some Christians who accused Carlson of effectively promoting socialism. Carlson has been consistently critical of socialism throughout his career, but warned in a 2019 Daily Caller opinion piece that it appears increasingly attractive to young people who are impoverished by crushing debt.
While the text of the 2Hammers letter made no mention of Carlson's ongoing criticism of Zionism and Israel, the email from 2Hammers to subscribers prefaced it by accusing Carlson of an "increasing volume of vitriolic, libelous, and un-Christian messaging against Jews, American values, and fellow believers inside and outside of the Trump Administration."
"At this critical moment for the fight of the soul of the Christian Right, we must be vigilant to call out the charlatans, demagogues, and grifters who seek to profit by hijacking the venerable tradition and influence of American Christianity and using it to subvert our movement and denigrate our values," the email said.
"We have faith that Angel Studios seeks to continue to be a powerful, positive force for truth in culture. Therefore, separating from scurrilous and destructive deceivers like Tucker Carlson will only amplify their mission and aid in the battle for our civilization."
Angel Studios, which was founded by Mormons, did not respond to CP's request for comment. Mormonism, also known as LDS, is not a Christian denomination.
While the Utah-based entertainment company did not create the Animal Farm adaptation of George Orwell's 1945 novella, it has sparked backlash for distributing the film, which critics have claimed sanitizes and even inverts Orwell's original critique of the hopelessly cyclical nature of Stalinist communism, according to The Daily Mail.
Detractors have accused the film, which was directed by Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, of turning the story into a child-friendly critique of capitalism and corporate greed, with a happy ending that depicts a successful revolution. Such contrasts sharply with the book's bleak ending of the revolutionary pigs transforming into the totalitarian humans they first sought to overthrow.
Angel Studios has pushed back on the criticism, claiming the film retains the anti-communist spirit of its source material.
"While the title is the same as the classic book, updates were made to make it relevant to a broad-based, values-centric, family-friendly audience," the company said in a statement. "This is an anti-communism film, and the Angel Guild will ensure that it stands by the principles of our members."
