Israeli Christians in the Crosshairs?

Mother Stephanopoulos unleashed the typical laundry list of evils: occupation; land theft; persecution and gross discrimination. Then she waded through a swamp of unsubstantiated claims and misrepresented realities—while Carlson nodded along. She dabbled in rewriting Christian history and promoted highly concerning supersessionist biblical interpretations. Carlson challenged none of it. Instead, he gave her narrative weight, later even summarizing it on Facebook: “Mother Agapia: Israel Is Killing Christianity…”

The interview aired in August 2025, alongside Carlson’s charge: “Self-described evangelicals…have no interest in how Israel treats Christians. Mother Agapia has spent years living in the region. They should listen to her.”

Listen they did. Within weeks, the video had racked up nearly two million views on YouTube alone.

But let’s pause here. Should Christians take Mother Stephanopoulos at her word, as Carlson insists? Does her voice reflect the reality of Christians in Israel?

Meet the Mother

Mother Stephanopoulos is an American-born Russian Orthodox nun who came to Israel in 1996. However, despite calling Israel as “home,” she does not live in the Jewish state, with some records suggesting she returned to the United States as early as 2007.

Over time, Mother Stephanopoulos has built a reputation for spreading anti-Israel propaganda. Among the most egregious examples was a grotesque story accusing Israeli soldiers of raping Palestinian girls—a claim later exposed as the invention of a Palestinian schoolboy and retracted by the media. Even the convent she oversees betrays her bias, listing its location as “Palestine” or “the Holy Land,” conspicuously omitting Israel altogether.

So, is Mother Stephanopoulos qualified to speak for believers in Israel? Or is it time we listen to the voices of those who actually live, worship and flourish here today?

Meet Maryam

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel is one of the only countries in the Middle East where the Christian community continues to grow: 1.4% in 2021, 2% in 2022, and 1.3% in 2023. By Christmas Eve 2024, Israel’s Christians numbered 180,300—just under 2% of the population. Arab Christians in Israel also stand out for high levels of education, and an overwhelming majority report being satisfied with life in the country.

One of these highly educated, thriving Christians is Maryam Younnes, a recent edition to Israel’s Forbes 30 Under 30. Among the 29 other entrepreneurs, artists and trailblazers, Maryam—a self-described Christian Lebanese–Israeli—was honored for her advocacy on behalf of minorities in the Middle East, her work in bridging cultures and her efforts to highlight Israel’s role in protecting Christian communities.

Maryam was born in Lebanon, the daughter of a South Lebanon Army (SLA) commander. During the Lebanese Civil War and its aftermath, Israel helped this Christian defense force take a stand against the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Hezbollah. But when Israel withdrew in 2000, Hezbollah vowed to slaughter every man, woman and child who had sided with the Jewish state. So the Younnes family—like thousands of others—fled for safety across the border.

Five-year-old Maryam remembers that night. Her father’s urgent call: “Take the girls and come to the border. We’re going to Israel.” Her mother with three little girls—one three years old, one only twenty days. A single backpack. The piercing cold. The long hours of waiting. Her mother’s tears.

Amid the fear and chaos, Israel opened its arms to the Lebanese Christians. “The Arab communities shunned us. To them, we were traitors,” she recalls. “But our Jewish neighbors embraced us.”

She remembers how Israeli schools welcomed the children. “They went out of their way to help us integrate. They introduced us to the class, shared our story. I made friends easily. Today, I speak better Hebrew than Arabic,” she laughs.

Life soon settled into a new rhythm. Her father started a business. The family went to church on Sundays. At Christmas, their Orthodox Jewish neighbors brought sweets; at Hanukkah, they returned the favor. Twenty-five years later, the Younnes family—like thousands of others—has become part of the fabric of Israeli society while maintaining their Christian identity.

“As a Christian in a Jewish state, I’ve never felt restricted in living out my faith,” Maryam says. “I wear my cross openly. I travel often to Jerusalem to pray. We have many churches and thriving Christian communities. Christians run some of Israel’s largest hospitals. We even have a Christian ambassador in Azerbaijan. Whatever we set our minds to, we can achieve here.”

Of course, Israel has challenges, she admits. “Like anywhere else, there are problems. But I also believe Christians can—and should—take more responsibility. If we’re willing to work at it, we can solve them.”

Listen to Her Instead

Today, Maryam is pursuing her MA in political science at Bar-Ilan University. She works in the university’s media office and hopes to one day serve in foreign relations. In her spare time, she uses her platform as a social media influencer to champion causes close to her heart.

One of those causes is correcting misconceptions about Israel. “I’m grateful to live here. Israel is an open, modern society where I’m completely accepted. This country gave me the opportunity to succeed and become the woman I am today. As an Israeli Christian, I tell people: don’t believe everything you see in the media. The media highlights the 1% of extremists—but there are extremists in every country. That’s not the Israel I live in. To Christians abroad I say: come see for yourself.”

Tucker Carlson presented Mother Stephanopoulos as the voice of Christians in Israel—a nun who lived behind convent walls and left the country years ago. But perhaps the world should hear instead from someone who knows Israel inside and out. Someone who has grown up here, studied here, built her life here, who is thriving here.

Perhaps they should listen to Maryam.