Democrats often sound condescending and presumptuous while hurling indefensible insults.
Fortunately, at least one talented young staffer in President Donald Trump’s administration knows how to deal with her misguided detractors.
On Saturday, according to the New York Post, 27-year-old White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt fired back at Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California, who called her a “fake Christian” last month on the social media platform X.
“I think it’s pitiful for an elected member of Congress to say that about a woman who he’s never even met,” Leavitt said.
At her first press briefing on Jan. 28, Leavitt wore a necklace with a gold cross.
“My Christian faith is a huge part of my life,” she told the Post. “My faith, my marriage, my family life — it’s everything to me.”
Leavitt’s dispute with Min dates to a Jan. 29 tweet regarding an Office and Management and Budget memo.
“This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented,” the press secretary wrote.
This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze.
It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo.
Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction.
The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 29, 2025
Min then used Leavitt’s faith to accuse her of lying and to attack Trump’s entire administration in a disgusting way.
“‘Thou shalt not bear false witness…’ @PressSec Karoline Leavitt is a Fake Christian, like so many in this Golden Calf administration,” Min wrote.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness…”@PressSec Karoline Leavitt is a Fake Christian, like so many in this Golden Calf administration. https://t.co/LGs2Rev6lO
— Dave Min (@DaveMinCA) January 29, 2025
To publicly accuse someone of lying is one thing, but to accuse them of falsely professing adherence to a faith tradition practiced by billions of people reaches depths of condescension and presumptuousness to which Democrats often sink.
One seldom thinks about the proper meaning of the word “Christian.” But that meaning, in light of Min’s epithet, deserves some consideration.
In 1952’s “Mere Christianity,” legendary author C.S. Lewis described a Christian as “one who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity.”
That definition — acceptance of Christianity’s “common doctrines” — precludes such prideful slanders as “fake Christian.”
Do you think Karoline Leavitt has done a good job so far?
“It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men’s hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge,” Lewis wrote.
Hence the condescending presumptuousness of Min’s statement.
Moreover, in light of that statement, it is also worth considering what acceptance of Christianity’s “common doctrines” means.
Here, I think, we can distinguish between those who truly accept those doctrines and those who regard them as simply one philosophical tradition among many.
For instance, do you believe in the virgin birth and the documented miracles of Jesus’ earthly ministry? Do you believe that His suffering, death, and resurrection redeemed sinners and gave us hope of eternal life?
If so, then you accept Christianity’s “common doctrines.”
On the other hand, do you deny Christianity’s supernatural elements? Do you regard it exclusively as a program of moral instruction that you can trot out whenever you wish to pose as a good person?
If so, then there is nothing particularly Christian about your view.
Christianity does warn us against lying, but so do many philosophies, and so does our own moral sense. After all, human beings knew that they should tell the truth long before Christ arrived.
Thus, in addition to hurling a presumptuous insult, Min exposed his ignorance when he called Leavitt a “fake Christian.”
In short, Leavitt did not lie, but even if she had done so, it would be impossible to call her a “fake Christian,” for the core of Christianity — what makes it unique — is not its moral admonitions, but its assertion that the Son of God came to Earth to offer us redemption from our sins.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.