Candace Owens, Sanballat and Tobiah

Public figures wield influence whether they intend to or not. When that influence is exercised with care and restraint, it can strengthen institutions, sharpen moral clarity, and expose genuine corruption. When it is exercised recklessly - especially without substantiated evidence - it does the opposite. It breeds confusion, fractures trust, and damages people and institutions that may, in fact, be acting in good faith.

In recent months, Candace Owens has used her platform to publicly level serious accusations against Turning Point USA and multiple governments, while offering little verifiable evidence to support those claims. In the course of this commentary, she has publicly implicated individuals closely associated with Charlie Kirk - including his widow, Erika Kirk - using language that directly labeled them as "complicit", "untrustworthy", or "unfit for leadership". These claims were not made privately, cautiously, or provisionally. They were made forcefully, repeatedly, and before millions of onlookers.

The result has been predictably explosive. Her podcast surged in popularity, outrage spread across the political right, and division deepened among Christians who should be unified by a shared commitment to truth. Viral reach, however, is not a substitute for moral responsibility.

To be clear, this article does not claim Candace Owens is acting out of malice or intentional deception. It does not speculate about her motives. What it does address -plainly and firmly - is her method. Public accusations of this magnitude, made without sufficient evidence - especially evidence formulated to the legal implications of her claims - are wrong. They are unethical. And they are unbiblical.

Scripture gives us a framework for evaluating moments like this, not through modern political loyalties, but through timeless moral wisdom. Nehemiah 4 offers a striking parallel.

Ridicule, Accusation, and the Undermining of Godly Work

As Nehemiah led the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall, opposition arose almost immediately. Sanballat and Tobiah did not begin with open violence. They began with ridicule, insinuation, and public doubt.

“What are these feeble Jews doing?” Sanballat scoffed. “Will they restore it for themselves?” (Nehemiah 4:2)

Tobiah followed with dismissive accusation: “What they are building - if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” (v. 3)

These were not evidence-based critiques. They were not sincere attempts at accountability. They were rhetorical attacks designed to erode confidence, fracture unity, and cast suspicion on the legitimacy of the work itself. They cloaked hostility in mockery and implication - much like what today is often excused as “just asking questions.”

Scripture does not treat this behavior neutrally. Sanballat and Tobiah are not portrayed as truth-seekers. They are portrayed as opponents who lacked proof but spoke loudly anyway.

Nehemiah’s response is instructive. He does not imitate their tactics. He does not retaliate with personal attacks. He prays, names the opposition honestly, fortifies the work, and presses forward with vigilance and resolve.

Influence Without Evidence Is Not Accountability

Candace Owens is not Sanballat or Tobiah. She is a modern political commentator operating in a different historical context. But Scripture allows - and requires - us to evaluate patterns of behavior, not merely intentions.

Among her public claims are allegations that Turning Point USA misrepresented Charlie Kirk’s faith for strategic purposes; that individuals Kirk trusted betrayed him; and that Erika Kirk is emotionally unfit to lead the organization. These are grave accusations directed at real people with real reputations, made to a massive audience, without the level of proof such claims morally require.

When a public figure levels allegations of this seriousness against organizations or individuals - especially in the midst of grief and instability - there is a clear biblical obligation to substantiate those claims before amplifying them. Accusations wrapped in “just asking questions” language do not escape this obligation. When evidence is absent, such speech ceases to be accountability and becomes destabilization.

The problem is not inquiry. Scripture welcomes inquiry. The problem is public conclusions asserted without proof, in a way that encourages suspicion and hostility among audiences already inclined to believe them.

Proverbs 18:13 is direct: “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” That warning applies with even greater force to those with large platforms.

Truth Requires Weight, Not Volume

Biblical truth is never advanced by personality, virality, or rhetorical force. It carries authority because it is grounded in reality, righteousness, and restraint. Jesus warned explicitly against bearing false witness - not only through outright lies, but through misrepresentation and reckless speech that harms others unjustly.

Scripture consistently places a heavy burden on accusation. The law required multiple witnesses. The New Testament warns against entertaining charges lightly. This principle protects everyone involved - those accused and those tempted to accuse.

When that standard is ignored, reputations are damaged, trust is corroded, and the Church’s witness suffers.

Guarding the Work Without Silencing Legitimate Critique

Nehemiah did not ignore opposition - but he refused to let unsubstantiated attacks derail the mission. He guarded the work, encouraged the people, and reminded them what was at stake. He understood that unchecked accusation weakens morale and fractures unity.

Christians today must make the same distinction. Critique is necessary. Accountability is essential. But accountability severed from evidence is not reform - it is division.

When influential voices speak recklessly, the damage is not confined to political factions. It spills into the Church, where truth should be handled with greater care than anywhere else.

A Call to Higher Standards

This is not a call for silence. It is a call for repentance, restraint, and responsibility.

Those who claim to speak for truth - especially those who invoke Christianity - must submit themselves to biblical standards of speech: slow to speak, careful in judgment, and uncompromising in truth. As James writes, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

Nehemiah’s wall was rebuilt not because opposition disappeared, but because leadership remained anchored in truth, prayer, and perseverance. God’s work has always required discernment - not only in what we oppose, but in how we speak.

Christians do not advance truth by amplifying every accusation. We advance it by testing claims, demanding evidence, and refusing to let suspicion masquerade as righteousness.

In every generation, the wall still needs building. The question is whether we will protect that work with wisdom - or weaken it by lending credibility to claims that cannot yet bear the weight of truth when truly tested.

(This article reflects our biblical assessment of Candace Owens’ public conduct and rhetoric. For a detailed, claim-by-claim examination of her assertions and how they align with available evidence, we recommend the independent analysis conducted by Paramount Tactical.)