Mike Johnson Uses Bible to Justify ‘Aggression,’ Urges Christians to Fight

A podcast recorded by House Speaker Mike Johnson shines renewed light on his religiosity, which was on full display before and after Wednesday’s confirmation vote.

Johnson claimed the gavel with resounding conformity in the House GOP conference after over three weeks of failed votes and backdoor meetings following the removal of Kevin McCarthy. Johnson did what others, including Representatives Tom Emmer, Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, could not—garnering enough votes from his colleagues to fill the void and focus again on governing.

The 51-year-old lawmaker from Louisiana, who was first elected in 2016, now must turn his attention towards galvanizing a polarized chamber while working with President Joe Biden and the Senate to prevent a government shutdown in November. Disagreements between Republican members in the House over budgets led to McCarthy’s eventual downfall.

An episode of the Truth Be Told podcast hosted by Johnson and his wife, Kelly, was recorded between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday in 2022 at the Christian-rooted “Answers for Women Conference” in Kentucky.

The new House speaker discussed “whether and how Christians should be engaged in the fateful battles being waged in our culture” and if they should ignore detractors or fight back against them. He referred to it as a “really desperate time” in the United States.

“Obviously, this is an increasingly hostile culture,” Johnson told the audience. “We all know that. We need to understand why that is, and we need to commit to do our part to confront it. The kingdom of God allows aggression.”

He then referenced Scripture from Matthew 11:12, which according to a more recent translation, states: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

“We are a people of hope…A real question for us and not a rhetorical one is, how should Christians respond to all of this?” Johnson said. “Let me ask it directly: In the face of all this chaos, how should a 21st-century follower of Christ respond? Should a Christian fight?

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding about this principle, right? Wait, I thought we were just supposed to turn the other cheek. Well, there’s a time to every purpose under heaven; there’s a time for war. There is a time when you must stand up and contend for the faith. You have to defend.

“You have to fight for the truth, you have to fight for your families, and we need to understand how we’re supposed to fight. But first, we have to ask this preliminary question: Should we?”

Johnson also cited Ephesians 6:11, which says: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The passage can be viewed as a metaphor for equipping oneself in armor for a spiritual battle of sorts.

“There’s nothing on Earth that is a greater threat to the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world than a bunch of well-equipped, well-prepared, highly motivated Christian soldiers who are charging forward with their blazing lights for the Kingdom,” Johnson added.

‘Single Greatest Threat’ to the U.S.

On the same day that Johnson received his 220 votes, Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and lead organizer of Christians Against Christian Nationalism, testified before Congress about global religious freedom and how the movement to reject such nationalism must begin domestically.

She called it “the single greatest threat” to religious liberty in the United States, describing it as a political ideology and cultural framework that forces others to adhere to their particular set of beliefs.

“A growing number of Christians, and I am one of them, feel a religious imperative to stand against Christian nationalism…Conflating religious authority with political authority is idolatrous.”

Tyler told Newsweek on Thursday that she is concerned about Johnson further pushing the U.S. in that direction based on his “long track record” of arguing against the institutional separation of church and state.

“In his first act as speaker, Johnson claimed God gave each member of the U.S. House authority,” Tyler said. “As a Christian, I reject Christian lawmakers using language that alienates and excludes lawmakers and Americans of different faiths from the political process.

“While it is common for people of faith to feel called to their vocations, Americans dedicated to religious freedom for all are understandably alarmed by elected officials claiming to be God’s chosen.”

Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, told Newsweek that Johnson’s position invokes a responsibility to create and uphold public policies that protect religious and nonreligious Americans alike, “not just those who share his personal views.”

“At Americans United, we have grave concerns about Representative Johnson’s willingness and ability to fulfill this constitutional duty,” Laser said. “From his time working at the Christian Nationalist legal group Alliance Defending Freedom and through his roles in state and federal office, Johnson has demonstrated hostility toward our country’s foundational promise of church-state separation and advanced policies that weaponize and undermine religious freedom.

“This country needs a national recommitment to separate church and state. Our democracy depends on it.”

A Comparison to a Fictional Dystopia

Prior to the floor vote on Wednesday that led to his speakership, Johnson posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) that contained no caption but just the words “In God We Trust” etched in the chamber.

“She’s spent the last couple of weeks on her knees in prayer to the Lord,” Johnson said of his wife post-vote. “And, um, she’s a little worn out.”

House Democrats have vilified Johnson for his past comments regarding reproductive rights, including a past speech about Roe v. Wade and how if women were intent on bringing more “able-bodied workers” into the world, then legislators would not have to deliberate cutting Social Security and Medicare.

Some online have compared to his newfound power to the Republic of Gilead, a fictional totalitarian Christian regime from Margaret Atwood’s best-selling 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale.

Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office via email for comment.