House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., warned Tuesday night that the United States is engaged in a battle of worldviews and called on Christians to bring the truth about the country’s foundational principles to the younger generation.
A group of interfaith elected officials and supporters of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers attended the organization’s annual meeting and awards gala at the Museum of the Bible Tuesday night.
The event, titled “Save the Nation,” highlighted various issues at the center of many debates today, including abortion, sexuality, gender and restoring faith in America.
Johnson, a Baptist elected House speaker earlier this year, was presented with the NACL American Patriot Award for Christian Honor and Courage and delivered the keynote address.
During his speech, Johnson stated that the U.S. is facing the “greatest collection of challenges” since World War II and the Civil War due to competing worldviews held by the political left and right. Despite these challenges, Johnson urged attendees to continue trusting in God.
“Our hope is in the Lord; our hope and our trust is in God,” the House speaker said. “And that is our national motto, and it’s more than a bumper sticker slogan. It is who we are as a nation. It’s what makes us different; it’s what sets us apart.”
The 51-year-old lawmaker cited the British philosopher G.K. Chesterton, who stated in an account of his 1921 visit to America that it is “the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.” Johnson stated this creed is that “all men are created equal,” endowed by God with inalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as stated in The Declaration of Independence.
Johnson urged Christian conservatives to speak with “clarity” and “conviction” now more than ever, warning that the next generation has “no frame of reference to the great foundational truths.”
Johnson urged political leaders on the right to develop the ability to articulate the differences between a conservative worldview and a progressive one. He listed several principles of conservatism, including individual freedom, the rule of law and other subcategories, such as human dignity. But he noted that the list might look different for some of his colleagues.
