Steve Deace Show – "Why SCOTUS Is About to SCREW US on Birthright Citizenship"

Episode Date: April 2, 2026
Host: Steve Deace (with Todd Erzin, Aaron McIntyre)
Guest: Jon Harris

Episode Overview

The main theme of this episode centers on the Supreme Court’s imminent decision regarding birthright citizenship and the historical, legal, and cultural context of the 14th Amendment. The hosts express deep concern that SCOTUS may redefine citizenship in a way that, in their view, enables mass exploitation of America’s laws, with broader implications for immigration and national identity. In addition, the episode features a densely informative Theology Thursday segment with guest Jon Harris, who addresses the roots and trajectory of Christian attitudes toward Jews, Zionism, and interpretations of biblical covenant—responding especially to rising trends of Christian anti-Judaism and eschatological confusion. The host and guest emphasize the need for nuance and historical understanding in theological debates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SCOTUS and the Crisis of Birthright Citizenship

(Main segment begins ~03:30–29:02)

• Background Context:
  Oral arguments have begun in a case questioning if the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship clause means “100 million Chinese Communists can give birth in the United States and... children can claim American citizenship.”

  • John Roberts referenced "500 birth tourism companies in China" (03:30).
  • Justices debated whether 19th-century framers could foresee “8 billion people... one plane ride away” (04:11).

• Steve Deace’s Explanation of the 14th Amendment:

  • The 14th Amendment aimed to secure full legal status for Black Americans, clarifying with the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" that only those under full U.S. jurisdiction would confer citizenship to their children (09:20).
  • “It was not meant... that the 300,000 Chinese students... could all get pregnant here, have kids, and then those kids can just grow up to raise your taxes if they want. That’s not what it was supposed to mean.” (15:24)

• Historical Precedents:

  • Argument that in practice, citizenship-by-birth was always subject to the jurisdiction and invitation of the United States (14:45).
  • Analogy: French ambassador’s child born in NYC is not a U.S. citizen; Steve’s wife born abroad to a U.S. soldier is a citizen, showing intention behind jurisdiction (16:16).

• Legal and Political Prognosis:

  • Steve predicts the current court will rule “6-3 against us,” with Roberts and Barrett siding with liberal justices (19:40).
  • “A safe bet in life is whatever Ketanji Brown Jackson is saying or doing, do the exact opposite.” – Todd Erzin (21:12)
  • “John Roberts...sees himself as essentially America's referee.” – Steve Deace (22:04)

• Demand vs. Supply Side Solutions:

  • U.S. could fix the situation by denying public benefits to those without legitimate status (“attack on demand side”) or by revising birthright citizenship (“supply side”), but neither route has been seriously pursued (17:44).

• International Comparison:

  • Only a handful of countries (mainly in the Americas + Pakistan) grant unconditional birthright citizenship. “France has a tougher national abortion law than we do. ... France does not have right of soil citizenship.” (28:00)

Memorable Moment:

“No one else in the entire world believes in this policy.” – Todd Erzin (26:48)
“Matt Walsh is going to have an easier time doing the documentary, 'what's a Frenchman?' than 'what's an American?'" – Steve Deace (29:02)

2. Rapid-Fire Theology Thursday: Ten Questions for Resurrection Skeptics

(Begins ~31:35–47:48)

• Framework: Leading into Easter, Steve presents 10 questions every skeptic must answer to credibly reject the resurrection—and thus Christianity’s foundational claim.

• Key Questions:

  1. Where is the body of Jesus? (31:35)
  2. Why did the disciples turn from cowering to boldly proclaiming the resurrection? (34:10)
  3. Why would all the apostles endure brutal deaths for a lie? (36:46) 4–10. (Martyrdom, calendar/timekeeping changes, Gentile spread, uniqueness of Christ's followers, the disappearance of pagan gods, explaining the world's brokenness, needing to debunk all these at once).

• Supporting Arguments & Notable Quotes:

  • “No one dies for a lie.” – Mel Gibson (as referenced by Deace, 36:40)
  • “You have to satisfy all nine of the aforementioned questions simultaneously in order to debunk the Resurrection.… Not just one of them. All nine.” – Steve Deace (44:45)
  • “That last, that ninth question. Why is the world the way that it is? Why am I the way that I am? And what can be done about it?” – Aaron McIntyre (46:03)

3. Theology Thursday Deep Dive: Jon Harris on "The New Anti-Jewish Theology"

(Segment begins ~50:00; key theology discussion 54:18–91:23)

• Jon Harris’s Background:

  • Reformed theological background; formerly at Master Seminary and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (54:18).
  • “I tend to be disfavorable towards innovation... very guarded about orthodoxy.” (55:00)

• Dispensationalism and Zionism – Nuance Restored:

  • Popular claims that dispensational theology is the root cause of “Christian Zionism” are misplaced. “Christian Zionism does not start with dispensationalists... You can get rid of dispensationalism, you’re still going to have Christians who feel the same way about Israel.” (58:37)
  • Historic figures like Charles Spurgeon (Reformed, anti-dispensationalist) also predicted a Jewish return to Palestine (70:17).
  • Scofield and Darby (dispensationalist icons), “were not Zionists” as the term is now used (68:39).

• Online Christian Anti-Judaism:

  • Harris and Deace critique the “de-Judaization” of Christianity happening in some corners of the online right, warning against Marcionite heresies, which pit the God of the Old Testament against the New (62:10).
  • “We’re not going to start hating Jews or using them as a universal kind of sin category.” (66:46)

• Proper Reading of Genesis 12:3:

  • Blessing/cursing clause for Abraham’s descendants still has biblical significance, but does not dictate U.S. foreign policy (80:10).
  • Blessing Israel for Christians primarily means evangelizing Jewish neighbors, not unconditional governmental support (85:17).
  • "Hating Israel is forbidden and boasting against the branches is forbidden. ... Or you might learn the lesson that Haman got to learn in the Book of Esther." (89:14)

• Romans 9–11:

  • Both Deace and Harris stress Romans 11: “God has not forsaken [the Jews]... He will not reject you.” (77:32)
  • Paul’s argument is not that Jews are "uniquely cut off"—salvation is by Christ for all, and ethnic Israel still has a role to play.

Notable Quotes:

“The tone for Christendom in Europe is that there is something special about the Jewish people. … There’s a distinction that God makes.” – Jon Harris (89:50)
“Even a cursory study of Romans 9–11 makes it very clear. Salvation is achievable to Jew and Gentile alike through Jesus Christ…” – Steve Deace (76:00)

4. Segment Timestamps

• Opening & Preview: 00:21–02:12
• Aaron’s News Recap ("What Happened While We Were Away"): 01:56–06:46
• Main Discussion – Birthright Citizenship & SCOTUS: 06:51–29:02
• Theology Thursday – 10 Questions For Resurrection Skeptics: 31:35–47:48
• Theology Thursday (Hour 2) – Jon Harris Interview: 54:18–91:23
• Genesis 12:3 and Anti-Jewish Theologies: 79:56–90:39
• Panel Reflection & Wrap-Up: 91:24–95:50

Episode Highlights – Best Quotes & Moments

• On the Court’s Attitude:
  “John Roberts... is an institutionalist. He believes he is here to maintain the status quo and not permit any of the ideological wings of either side from gaining too much of a foothold.” – Steve Deace (22:04)

• On U.S. Citizenship by Birth:
  “This line [‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’] was added to the 14th Amendment in order to address this objection... The people you’re describing… would not be coming here under the jurisdiction of the United States. ... Therefore, they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to claim citizenship. And that’s exactly what that meant. Well, at least that’s what it used to mean. And now we’re unsure...” – Steve Deace (13:12)

• On New Anti-Jewish Theology:
  “There is a disconnection … There’s other sources online who have said things like, you can’t really trust the Hebrew translation of the Old Testament. You gotta trust the Septuagint, the Greek translation. … Could this be the beginning of [attempts to de-Judaize Christianity]? I don’t know. But I do want to create a wall. I do want to say we’re not doing that. That’s not biblical and it’s not within our Orthodox tradition.” – Jon Harris (64:46)

• On Christian Unity in Disagreement:
  “If building God’s kingdom is your motivation, then we can have all sorts of disagreements in good Christian faith with our brothers. We can. That’s good and healthy and something that’s unique about the Christian faith.” – Aaron McIntyre (93:55)

• On Cursing Israel:
  “One thing we aren't open, though, is hating the Jews... We don't.” – Todd Erzin (95:50)

Takeaways for Listeners

• The Supreme Court’s interpretation of birthright citizenship is pivotal: the hosts believe the Court is likely to uphold the status quo, which, in their view, undermines border sovereignty and common-sense citizenship policy.
• Nuanced, historically grounded theological perspectives are urgently needed, especially as online discourse becomes more tribal, simplistic, and prone to new forms of anti-Judaic thinking within certain segments of Christianity.
• The panel, especially in the exchange with Jon Harris, affirms that Scripture, tradition, and historical theology all militate against anti-Jewish sentiment and simplistic, clickbait interpretations of biblical covenants with Israel.
• Christian disagreement on eschatology and biblical prophecy is old, complex, and healthy—so long as it is rooted in good faith and mission, not narrative warfare or internet-fueled resentment.

Further Resources

• Jon Harris’s Substack, especially “The New Anti-Jewish Theology” (March 24, 2026)
• For a deep dive into the 14th Amendment’s historical/legal context: National Archives, Congressional Record (testimonies of Jacob Howard, Michigan Senator)

[End of Summary]