Christian Nationalism’s Mike Drop

“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. Equally important, however, his ascension reflects the strength of white evangelical voters’ influence in 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 revolution.” To many of us, Mike Johnson’s religious views are extreme. But that extreme has worked its way into to the top echelons of American power. Religion is a driving force from SCOTUS to the House to many corners of American society. And increasingly, those corners are on Main Street for the GOP. Thomas Edsall in the NYT (Gift Article): ‘The Embodiment of White Christian Nationalism in a Tailored Suit.’ “What is Christian nationalism? Christianity Today described it as the ‘belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a ‘Christian nation’ — not merely as an observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future.'”

+ It Be Lies Belief: And strange as it may seem, this movement is directly tied to Donald Trump and election lies. He’s a transactional politician who will trade policy and judicial picks for support. His individual behavior is a footnote. We know Johnson pushed to overturn the 2020 election. Now he’s filling out his team with likeminded folks. “Raj Shah, a former Fox Corp. executive who urged the network to stave off far-right competitors by promoting Donald Trump’s election lies, has been chosen to lead the communications effort for Speaker Mike Johnson.”