By Todd E. Brady
Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana was finally elected Speaker of the House on October 25, and now some losing their minds. According to what you read in the media, Johnson is a wacko. An extreme and dangerous man. A nut job. Speaking about Johnson, Paul Krugman of the New York Times wrote an article titled “The GOP goes full on extremist.”
Some appeal to Johnson’s association with President Donald Trump and “his advocacy of particular issues after January 6, 202, but the primary reasons that folks are saying he’s crazy and extreme is because of other issues. For one, he actually believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. He also believes that babies should live—that they should not be killed in their mothers’ wombs. He defends religious liberty.
On her show Jen Rubin’s Green Room, Washington Post columnist said about Johnson, “This guy is a religious nut. And by that, I mean he subscribes to all the extreme Christian nationalist views, which is number one, there should be no abortion nationwide. Ban number two, he’s continually, I don’t want to say discriminated against, but certainly supported measures that have an adverse effect on LGBTQ Americans.”
So there you have it. Those who do not want abortion and do not support LGBQ ideology are “religious nuts” who hold “Christian nationalist views.”
Now let us remember that there are many, many people in America who are pro-life, who support marriage as an institution between a man and a woman, and who disagree with the LGBTQ agenda who are not “religious nuts.” Nor are they Christian nationalists.
Jen Rubin said the Speaker of the House “subscribes to all the extreme Christian nationalist views.” When describing those extreme views, the two subjects she mentioned were abortion issues and LGBTQ issues. So, this is what it takes to be considered an extremist?
If you advocate for the unborn, Jen Rubin and the progressives in society say you are an extremist. If you hold to a biblical understanding of sexual morality, you are an extremist. If you don’t believe a boy can become a girl or that a girl can become a boy, you are an extremist.
On her show Inside with Jen Psaki, the former White House Press Secretary in the Biden Administration recently played a clip of the new Speaker when he said “I’m a Bible-believing Christian. Someone asked me today in the media, they said, ‘It’s curious. People are curious. 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.'”
I don’t know Mike Johnson, but I know for a fact that he is a sinner like I am. He’s not perfect. He has failed. He will fail again. He is not the first Speaker of the House, and he won’t be the last.
The sad reality is that many in society see a Biblical Worldview as “extreme” and “dangerous.” They equate “evangelical Christian” with “extreme Christian nationalist.”
Evangelical Christian, you are not dangerous. You are not an extremist. But you must remember what Jesus said about you–“And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:13) You must also remember what he said in Luke 6:27, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
What do you mean by “his advocacy of particular issues after January 6, 202, [sic]”? Although you have an open-quote mark you never closed it. Obviously, the “particular issues” you refer to are the claims the election was stolen from Trump and that the January 6 assault on the Capitol were coordinated by the “deep state.” Why the euphemism “particular issues”? Trump like Hilary before him claimed the election was stolen because their narcissism would admit of no more reasons explanation. Speak and write plainly.
What do you mean by “his advocacy of particular issues after January 6, 202, [sic]”? Although you have an open-quote mark you never closed it. Obviously, the “particular issues” you refer to are the claims the election was stolen from Trump and that the January 6 assault on the Capitol were coordinated by the “deep state.” Why the euphemism “particular issues”? Trump like Hilary before him claimed the election was stolen because their narcissism would admit of no more reasonable explanation. Speak and write plainly.
“Reasonable” not “reasons”