5 Things Christians Need to Know about the Faith of Speaker Mike Johnson

Johnson is one of 57 Baptists within Congress, which is the second largest religious group in Congress. The Catholics are the largest with 122.

Johnson claims that his faith both informs his politics and is woven within them. "It is what you are — you can't separate it," he said on his podcast last year, which was picked up by Equality.House.Gov. "There is not a distinction or dichotomy between your 'religion and your religious life' and the rest of your life. It is all one." 

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During a recent interview with Focus on the Family's Jim Daly, Johnson shared that his parents were teen parents who didn't plan for him. His mom was 17 when she became pregnant with him, and that's when she and his dad decided to get married. His mom and dad came from families that are pro-life, and they encouraged his parents to take responsibility for creating a baby.

Daly said that since abortion has been left to the state level, a total of nearly 85,000 babies were allowed to live. 

Johnson said he believes every life has "inestimable dignity and value, [and] our declaration for our country, our nation's birth certificate, states that so clearly… that's what makes our nation different and distinct is we boldly proclaimed what we said was a self-evident truth; that all of us are created by God…Your value is inherent because it's given to you by your creator." 

He added that over time, America has been abandoning being a culture of life and that he's pushing back on that and trying to support and pass policy that embraces life again.

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Johnson's journey to the position was one that was rather rapid and unexpected. He just became a member of Congress in 2016, and was simply trying to be loyal to the position he had. However, when the turmoil among the GOP and Kevin McCarthy began, Johnson told Daly that the Lord began to speak to his heart to be prepared to take the position when it came to him. 

When his colleagues voted him in for the first time, it was the first unanimous vote the party had in decades. His time between being elected to Congress and then appointed to Speaker of the House is the second shortest in history. 

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Back in 2016, during his first congressional campaign, Johnson said to the crowd at the Louisiana Baptist Message, "Some people are called to pastoral ministry and others to music ministry. I was called to legal ministry, and I've been out on the front lines of the 'culture war' defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage and other ideals like these when they've been under assault," according to Equality.House.Gov.

He also said that American citizens are "established as one nation under God. We are perilously close to forgetting that principle now — and we desperately need to return to this fundamental understanding."

Shortly after he stepped into the speaker role for the first time, he received the opportunity to be interviewed by Sean Hannity on his show, and Hannity asked him where he stood on the issues. 

"Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That's my worldview." Johnson said.

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When he first stepped into the speaker role, Tony Perkins of Family Research Council interviewed him. One of the topics they discussed was Israel.

Johnson said the first act under his speakership was "the resolution to declare our commitment to Israel, our great friend and ally." 

The first bill that the House passed under his speakership was the Israel supplemental funding package. However, the Senate wouldn't pass the bill because they don't want to spend the money.

Photo Credit: ©YouTube/Tony Perkins