Mike Johnson 'says out loud' what other white Christian nationalists feel about America: sociologist

01 November 2023

The United State has had plenty of right-wing House speakers over the years, from Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) to John Boehner (R-Ohio) to Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin). And when Republicans have a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, they typically push religious right causes like abortion and school prayer.

But the New York Times' Thomas Edsall, in an essay/op-ed published by the New York Times on November 1, warns that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is especially extreme when it comes to pushing far-right "Christian nationalist" ideology.

"Mike Johnson is the first person to become speaker of the House who can be fairly described as a Christian nationalist — a major development in American history in and of itself," Edsall explains. "Equally important, however, his ascension reflects the strength of white evangelical voters' influence on the House Republican caucus — =voters who are determined to use the power of government to roll back the civil rights, women's rights and sexual revolutions."

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Public Religion Research Institute President Robert Jones considers Johnson "the embodiment of white Christian nationalism in a tailored suit."

Jones told the Times, "While Johnson is more polished than other right-wing leaders of the GOP who support this worldview, his record and previous public statements indicate that he's a near-textbook example of white Christian nationalism — the belief that God intended America to be a new promised land for European Christians."

Michael Podhorzer, former political director of the AFL-CIO, is warning that Christian nationalists are determined to purge the GOP of anyone who rejects their ideology.

In a Substack article published on October 29, Podhorzer wrote, "From 2010 through 2022, a historically high number of House Republicans were defeated in primaries, with the vast majority of successful challenges happening in the most evangelical districts…. Mike Johnson becoming speaker is better understood in terms of the ongoing white Christian nationalist takeover of the American government through MAGA."

Philip Gorski, a sociologist at Yale University in Connecticut, told the Times, "Johnson says out loud what most others just feel: that America was founded as a Christian nation; that the founders were 'evangelical' Christians; that the founding documents were based on 'biblical principles'; that God has entrusted America with a divine mission; that He has blessed America with unique power and prosperity; and that those blessings will be withdrawn if America strays off the straight and narrow path of Christian morality. And that it is every good Christian's duty to make America Christian again."

Read The New York Times' full report at this link (subscription required).

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