Pastor Kap Chatfield says he avoids building a platform by tearing others down. But in a recent video that sparked backlash and unsubscribes, he made clear that silence becomes dangerous when confusion spreads through the church.
“So Candace Owens, a prominent conservative and Christian-adjacent influencer, has been promoting narratives that many believers are seeing as spiritual and it’s actually factually misleading a lot of people,” Chatfield said. “And it’s driving people away from the church and away from the truth.”
He framed the issue not as politics, but as discernment, warning that influence, algorithms and platform pressure can slowly distort judgment.
A Leadership Vacuum and a Dangerous Substitution
Chatfield pointed to the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a turning point many underestimated.
“You will know them by their fruits,” he said. “The fruit of that man’s work resulted in a spiritual revival in this country and across the world. It’s undeniable.”
But he warned that Kirk’s absence created a leadership vacuum now being filled by voices claiming Christian authority without biblical grounding.
“Right now, what you have is a lot of quote ‘conservative Christian influencers’ who are stepping into that vacuum,” Chatfield said. “And most of what these people are saying is unbiblical.”
He named Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and Tucker Carlson, warning that Christian language is being used as cover for deception.
“They’re hiding behind phrases like ‘Christ is King,’” he said. “That’s the problem with being deceived. You don’t actually know that you’re deceived.”
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Virality, Influence and Selling the Message
One of Chatfield’s strongest warnings centered on the business model of online influence.
“When your business model is purely built on ad revenue and virality, it is a cocktail that you’ve got to sip really slowly,” he said. “You can allow the algorithm to tell you what your message needs to be.”
He shared that he intentionally stepped back from reaction content after realizing he was drifting toward what would perform best rather than what the Holy Spirit was leading him to say.
“If it goes viral, great. If it doesn’t, it’s not affecting my paycheck. It’s not affecting my ministry,” he said.
Backlash, Unsubscribes and a Clear Line
Following the video, Chatfield addressed critics in a blunt social media post.
“It seems I have hit a nerve with my last video on Candace Owens,” he wrote. “Lots have unsubscribed.”
“Please let me apologize if you’re upset… because it’s going to get worse.”
He made his allegiance explicit. “My allegiance is to the Word and the Spirit of God for the sake of God’s flock. Not self-made arbiters of truth.”
Chatfield warned that many who believe they are exposing darkness are actually participating in deception.
“People want to ‘expose darkness’ but don’t realize they’re partnering with a false light,” he wrote, citing 2 Timothy 3:6–7 and 2 Corinthians 11:14.
A Call Back to Scripture and the Church
Despite the sharp tone, Chatfield said his aim is restoration, not destruction.
“My genuine prayer for Candace Owens is that she’s come to her senses,” he said. “But until then, my prayer for you is that you really start taking seriously where you’re consuming your content from.”
He warned that online content cannot replace biblical community.
“YouTube alone without being connected and submitted is not church,” Chatfield said. “You are susceptible to becoming deceived if you’re not planted in a church.”
Chatfield, who pastors at Love Church, closed with a call to discernment without fear.
“Get your discernment up. Don’t be afraid,” he said. “If I can point you to the Scriptures, it’s going to add clarity to your life and not confusion.”
In his follow-up post, he ended simply. “Regardless of whether you do or don’t, Jesus loves you. And I do, too.”
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
