New House Speaker’s Views Cause Stir Among the Left
The October 3, 2023, ouster of Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the U.S House of Representatives led to a contentious 22-day battle in the GOP before the party could agree on a replacement.
After a number of popular candidates failed to amass enough support to secure the position, a Louisiana lawmaker with little name recognition emerged as the only person who could coalesce the votes necessary to assume the role.
With a slim GOP House majority, affording any candidate only a few opposing votes, Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the speakership with a 220-209 vote.
Providence of God
He wasn’t well known among political ranks, so questions began circulating: “Who is Mike Johnson, and what are his beliefs? How will he govern?”
Speaking to Congress following his election and before being sworn in, Johnson gave early insights into those questions.
“I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this,” Johnson said. “I believe that Scripture … is very clear that God is the One Who raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time.”
Johnson’s worldview
If Johnson’s speech did not offer enough clarity, his first exclusive interview after becoming speaker clearly defined his beliefs.
Speaking with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Johnson answered a host of questions concerning his conservative views on issues such as abortion and homosexuality.
Early in the interview, however, it was his remarks about his worldview that were met with shock and condescension from the political and ideological Left.
“I am a Bible-believing Christian,” Johnson told Hannity. “Someone asked me, today, in the media, … ‘What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’ … I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.’”
The Left reacts
Former White House press secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki, a mouthpiece for her liberal counterparts, made her opinion known concerning Johnson’s beliefs.
“You heard that right,” Psaki said on her show, Inside with Jen Psaki. “The Bible doesn’t just inform his worldview; it is his worldview.”
Additionally, in an article Psaki wrote for MSNBC, she said, “It’s not just his political ideology that should scare us. Johnson is basically a Christian fundamentalist.”
Responses are revealing
Psaki’s response to Johnson’s beliefs and basis for his worldview reveals this nation’s departure from its founding principles and indicates current America’s general ignorance of what Christianity really is.
Should it be so surprising that a Christian actually believes the Bible, and that it not only informs his worldview, but is his worldview?
On the one hand, the scorn toward Johnson unveils a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to follow Christ. On the other hand, it is an indictment against the church and Christianity.
When a believer is viewed as radical or a fundamentalist simply because he trusts and follows the Word of God, it manifests the unfortunate reality that far too few believers are actually living in light of what they profess to believe.
Clearly, Johnson has his work cut out for him. But apparently, so do Christians.
(Digital Editor's Note: This article was published first in the January/February print edition of The Stand).
