Though not as bold as some of his colleagues, Mike Johnson has spent years advancing reportedly extremist beliefs.
The background
In early October, Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by a small group of far-right Republicans. That kicked off a three-week scuffle over who would replace him, with Republicans finally agreeing on their fourth choice, Mike Johnson.
Dark horse
Johnson was chosen, in part, because of his relative obscurity. His more reserved demeanor saved him from the press attention, scandal, and infamy that put in question the reputations of many of his Republican and House colleagues.
Underneath the mask
However, as reporters have dug into Johnson’s past, they’ve uncovered plenty of evidence that underneath the polite exterior lies a man dedicated to advancing extremist religious beliefs.
Johnson says so himself
Johnson doesn’t exactly attempt to hide his religiousness. He’s told reporters that people wanting to understand his worldview should read the Bible.
An expert weighs in
According to Peter Wehner, an editor at The Atlantic and senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, Johnson “believes in a literal reading of the Bible, including the book of Genesis.” That means he believes the Garden of Eden was real, that every human is descended from Adam and Eve, and that the Earth is only six millennia old.
Extremist views
That, in part, is why Wehner recently wrote that Johnson was a religious “zealot.” Much of Wehner’s work has focused on Christian ethics.
Johnson’s views
Over the years, Johnson has made a variety of controversial and often hateful statements and arguments based on his fundamentalist worldview. For example, he once suggested that teaching evolution in schools was the cause of school shootings.
Anti-LGBTQ+
Johnson has been open about his distaste for people in the LGBTQ community, falsely describing it as an unnatural lifestyle choice. He once claimed that homosexuality was equivalent to incest and bestiality.
More anti-LGBTQ+
Johnson has gone as far as to argue for the criminalization of gay sex. The church he belongs to, Cypress Baptist Church, claims to accept everyone but is explicit about its belief that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
Johnson’s connections
As Wehner noted, Johnson “is a close friend of Ken Ham, the CEO and founder of Answers in Genisis.” Johnson once attempted to make taxpayers contribute to the funding of Ham’s “Ark Encounter,” a creationist museum promoting a literal reading of the Bible over scientific understanding.
More suspicious connections
Wehner also wrote about Johnson’s connections with David Barton. Barton is an evangelical Christian who argues against the separation of church and state.
Johnson agrees
Johnson also appears to dislike the separation between church and state and has made statements that Wehner sees as influenced by Barton. “The Founders wanted to protect the church from an encroaching state,” Johnson once said, “not the other way around.”
What makes Johnson different
Johnson, unlike many of his Republican colleagues, seems “to be a true believer,” according to Wehner. In a way, that makes him more dangerous to those who disagree with his fundamentalist views.
Wehner summarizes
Johnson is a “polite and well-mannered zealot, to be sure, especially by MAGA standards,” Wehner summarized, “but [he is] a zealot nonetheless. And what makes this doubly painful for many of us is that he uses his Christian faith to sacralize his fanaticism and assault on truth. I can’t help thinking this isn’t quite what Jesus had in mind.”
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