Ted Cruz Says "Christ Is King" Shouldn't Be Used Because It Is Antisemitic

From the Daily Mail: "Ted Cruz sparks outrage as he claims the phrase 'Christ is King' is antisemitic." He instead would like people to use praises to "teddy bear Jesus":

    Cruz said he never heard the phrase at church while growing up, proposing other alternatives.

    'We would say things like "Jesus loves you, Jesus saves",' Cruz said.

    The GOP lawmaker added that 'Christ is King' appeared to have originated from the internet.

    'Christ is King is a phrase that seems to have originated online,' Cruz said. 'It summoned kind of the groyper folks. It almost sort of invokes images of the crusade that in the name of Jesus, we will conquer everyone else in a way that I don't think is right or biblical. '     

The phrase is not a creation of the Internet. Christ's kingship shows up in the New Testament, including in Luke 1:31-33 where Mary is told she will bear a son who will take the throne of David. Revelation 17:14 specifically declares Christ to be King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. As Wikipedia notes, "The concept of Christ as king was the subject of an address given by Eusebius about AD 314. Depictions of the imperial Christ arise in the later part of the 4th century. Christ Pantokrator ('Ruler of All') is one of the most common religious icons of Orthodox Christianity." Moving to more modern times, Wikipedia also notes that "[t]he liturgical feast 'Christ the King' was formally instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 through the encyclical Quas primas" in "response to rising secularism, atheism, and nationalism in the aftermath of World War I, with the first celebration occurring on October 31, 1926." 

    So it is not like "Christ is King" or similar is not supported by scripture or previously extolled by Christians. Rather, Cruz's objection to people proclaiming that Christ is King is that it might offend Jews. It is in that sense that he finds it "antisemitic". Yet Christ has warned us: "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Matt. 10:33.