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.
“We are the only nation in the world that was founded upon that premise,” Johnson said, emphasizing that America, at its founding, recognized that rights come from God, not the government. Those rights, he said, are “in our blood to defend.”
“And when other men seem to take our rights away from us, we have the obligation to stand and defend them,” he continued. “That was the premise of our country. And what we’re engaged in right now is between battle between worldviews. It’s a great struggle for the future of the republic.”
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.
“The thing is, we have to agree upon what those points are and begin to talk about it in simpler terms,” he said, urging conservatives to be “winsome warriors.”
“We don’t want to divide; we want to unify,” Johnson continued. “We want to bring people into the truth and into the light and to believe in America and that our best days are ahead because they are if we’ll turn to God.”
The NACL was founded in 2019 by former Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert, a Republican. It is said to be the first formal national association of Christian lawmakers in U.S. history. It seeks to unite Christian lawmakers to support biblical principles.
Other award recipients at the NACL event include husband and wife Glenn and Jenny Story, co-founders and executives of the Christian conservative wireless provider Patriot Mobile, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The organization gives a percentage of its proceeds to organizations that support the First Amendment, Second Amendment, sanctity of life, military, veterans and first responders.
The pair received the NACL Salt and Light Award For Christian Leadership and were honored for making a “huge difference in corporate America.”
“This company is God’s company,” Jenny Story said. “Every morning, we wake up, and we know we are His stewards. We have been truly blessed. … I really hope that other Christian leaders will take the stand and join with us. We see that happening. It is very inspirational what has been going on in this country.”
Andrew Wommack, founder of Wommack Ministries and Colorado’s Charis Bible College, received the George Washington Lifetime Christian Leadership Award.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
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