At the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa over the weekend, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson shared insights he’s learned recently from reading through Scripture. The former Fox News host, who admitted he’s not been a “particularly faithful or virtuous” person, said he wanted to do something for Lent, back in February. “I already quit smoking,” he said, “so, like, what’s next?”

Carlson, an Episcopalian, decided to read through the Bible. So far, he’s finished the New Testament and is on Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Carlson opted against a Bible study with other people because “I’m a Protestant, so I feel like I kind of have the right to read [Scripture] myself.”

This may be one of the best 3 minutes of Tucker I’ve ever watched. pic.twitter.com/7AbKEbovQ8

— Jared Monroe (@TheJaredMonroe) July 15, 2023

Tucker Carlson Calls ‘Drama’ in the Bible ‘Unbelievable’

The experience, which Tucker Carlson called “the most interesting thing I think I’ve ever done,” has left him in awe. It’s “unbelievable,” he said, “the amount of drama in those books that has been hidden from me as a regular churchgoer…It’s like, wait, why did you never mention this?”

Carlson then shared two main takeaways from his time in God’s Word. First, everyone except Jesus is “flawed in a way where you’d be like, ‘I don’t know if I can be friends with that person.’” As an example, Carlson mentioned Abraham telling Abimelech to “take” Sarah, saying she was his sister, not his wife (Genesis 20). When Carlson asked his wife, who’s a religion teacher, about these flawed individuals, she said, “Maybe the point is that God takes people who are not perfect people…and uses them for these grander purposes.”

Second, Carlson said he’s now aware of how powerless people truly are. Although humans have free will and face consequences for their decisions, “they’re not really in charge of the arc of history at all,” he said. “They are being acted upon a lot.” As an American, Carlson said, he’s “never really appreciated that.” Referencing spiritual warfare, he added, “I feel like it’s really important to approach politics with that in mind—like, a lot of these issues are symbols of this much larger battle.”

Reading the Bible, Carlson said, makes him realize we need to stay humble while tackling tough questions. “I’ve got very strong feelings about all kinds of issues,” he said, “but it’s so important to be open to the possibility that I’m completely wrong and that what I’m espousing is actually destructive, not constructive.”

Tucker Carlson’s Controversial Interview With Andrew Tate

Carlson also made headlines last week for posting a lengthy interview with Andrew Tate, a social media influencer who’s now facing allegations in Romania that include human trafficking and rape. Tate, who has denied any wrongdoing, has made controversial statements about women, but insists he’s merely promoting traditional masculinity.

About the two-and-a-half-hour interview posted to his “Tucker on Twitter” account on July 11, Carlson told people to “make up your own mind” about Tate. Previously, Carlson has called Tate “really smart,” saying he supports the influencer’s “core message” of needing to “respect yourself.”