Pastor Warns Against Platforming Anti-Semitic Christian Podcast Hosts

Pastor Joel Ellis spent the night wide-eyed, feeling sick to his stomach. Early the next morning, he sat down at his computer and wrote a long email to a man he had only recently met, a newcomer at his church, Reformation Presbyterian Church in Apache Junction, Ariz.

The man, Will Spencer, runs a podcast on cultural and masculinity topics. Spencer, who is Jewish, was baptized into the Christian faith in 2020. Since then, he’s been “heading at high speed to a redeemed life,” he notes on his website.

But he was also headed down a road a growing number of highly online Christian men are taking—the road to anti-Semitism.

Spencer had recently invited on his podcast two of the most outspoken proponents of Jewish hatred in Christian circles: Corey Mahler and Ryan Dumperth. The duo have a podcast of their own, Stone Choir, that espouses a “theological lens to the world.” Under the guise of Christian nationalism, the hosts have promoted Holocaust revisionism and other anti-Semitic and racist messages. Mahler and Dumperth, who goes by the nickname “Woe,” say they are confessional Lutherans. But their former denomination has disavowed them. Dumperth claims he was pushed out of his Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod congregation. Mahler’s church excommunicated him in 2023.

When Ellis learned Spencer planned to air his interview with the Stone Choir hosts, he decided he couldn’t stay silent. In his email to Spencer, sent that morning in July 2024, Ellis warned he was making a serious error. Ellis chided Spencer for platforming and legitimizing an apostate and “men who are glad to embrace an identity as neo-Nazis.” He also warned Spencer in the email that he could inadvertently lure more young men to confound fidelity to Christ with explicit support of the Third Reich as a Christian regime, Hitler as a Christian prince, or persecuting fellow Christians for holding a different theology regarding the state of Israel and Jewish people. Ellis attached 25 screenshots of posts from Mahler’s public Telegram page to support his assertions—statements such as, “Adolf Hitler was a good man,” or “The Holocaust is literally incredible,” or “With only exceedingly rare exceptions, saying Jesus was a Jew is blasphemous.”

After getting his pastor’s email, Spencer immediately pulled the podcast episode and issued an apology. He called the Stone Choir debacle “one of the most humbling and sanctifying episodes of my life and career.” Spencer claimed he would not have featured Mahler and Dumperth had he known the extent of their views. He also expressed regret for any harm caused and committed to learning more about the Jewish faith and the history of the Holocaust.

The incident highlights the growing concern among some Christian leaders about the spread of anti-Semitic ideas within certain online Christian communities. These groups often frame their rhetoric in theological terms, claiming to be rooted in biblical principles, while promoting harmful narratives about Jews and the state of Israel. Such rhetoric can blur the line between legitimate theological debate and dangerous prejudice.

The case of Spencer and the Stone Choir underscores the need for vigilance in distinguishing between genuine Christian teaching and ideologies that distort Scripture to justify hatred. It also raises questions about the responsibility of Christian leaders and influencers to scrutinize the content they promote and the values they represent. As the story unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting the vulnerable and upholding truth and fairness in all our dealings.

Source: Read the original report