Since being elected the 56th speaker of the House on Oct. 25, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana has endured an unprecedented level of religious persecution and bigotry, with opponents basically accusing him of advocating that America become a theocracy.
Calling Mr. Johnson a “Christian fundamentalist,” former White House press secretary Jen Psaki declared: “The Bible doesn’t just inform his worldview. It is his worldview.”
Other media outlets have called him “the new face of Christofascism” and a “Christian nationalist.” Other charges are too vile to print.
It’s true that Mr. Johnson claims to be a devout believer in Jesus Christ and a strong and patriotic defender of his country, but that doesn’t make him a religious nationalist — that is, someone who fuses his love of God with his country in idolatrous fashion.
The great irony unfolding in the national conversation is that just as most people rightly condemn the antisemitism raging on college campuses and elsewhere, an abiding anti-Christianism is going mainstream with a rise in attacks on the new speaker of the House.
In recent days, Mr. Johnson’s judgment and ability to lead the country have been questioned because he holds to foundational Christian beliefs that are thousands of years old — specifically, the sanctity of marriage, respect for human life, and the supremacy and exercise of religious freedom. That the speaker knelt with colleagues to pray on the House floor became ripe for mockery.
In other words, because Mr. Johnson espouses strong convictions on positions that millions of Americans profess today, he is somehow suspect and unqualified to wield the gavel.
Article VI of the Constitution specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” The Founding Fathers deliberately worked overtime to avoid what many of them had fled from overseas when government officials in Britain were required by law to take Communion in the Church of England.
Yet not requiring that a member hold to specific religious doctrines doesn’t mean they can’t — and historically, nearly all have done so. The religious composition of the 118th Congress is instructive.
Of those who responded, 303 members identify as Protestants, 148 are Catholic, 33 are Jewish, nine are Mormon, eight are Orthodox Christian, and 33 are either Buddhist, Muslim, Humanist or some other subgroup — or are not religious at all.
On the other side of the U.S. Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has wielded the gavel since 2021 and has been a member since 1999. A New York native, Mr. Schumer is listed as a staff member at Central Synagogue on Lexington Avenue at East 55th Street in Manhattan. He faithfully champions legislation and policies favorable to the Jewish people.
Has anyone ever accused him of leading a religious campaign? Of course not. The faith of elected officials is commendable, and it shapes them. But the vocation of politics requires a person to swear an oath to the Constitution.
Mr. Johnson has been advocating an America governed not by the Bible, but by the Constitution, which gives every U.S. citizen the right to participate in government regardless of their religion.
By God’s favor and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, Americans of all faiths — and no faith — are entitled to a voice in the public square.
It’s my hope and prayer that as anti-Christian sentiment grows and antagonists become more aggressive in their actions in the coming days, that Christian leaders like Mike Johnson will not be bullied — but instead freely exercise their rights as citizens and do so as Jesus-modeled, full of grace and truth.
Originally published by Washington Times. | 
