Political progressives apparently consider it a sin for Christians to believe in the biblical teaching of original sin. A decade-old quote in which Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated his belief in humanity’s sinfulness and the biblical purpose of government is drawing criticism and critique from mainstream media and individuals on the left.
The quote about original sin was uncovered by CNN in a review of his positions on abortion, same-sex marriage, Ten Commandments displays and LGBT issues, among other things. The news organization said it had gone back 20 years reviewing his comments on hundreds of issues.
Most, if not all, of his views are common among conservatives and his spiritual views fall well within mainstream Christianity. Johnson formerly worked for Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group.
“His staunchly conservative rhetoric is rooted in an era of ‘biblical morality,’ that he says was washed away with the counterculture in the 1960s,” the CNN story said.
CNN then quoted Johnson about sin. “One of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil,” he said. “We have to acknowledge collectively that man is inherently evil and needs to be restrained.”
CNN described his faith-guided views as a “particularly subtle brand of fire-and-brimstone.” The quote about humanity’s sinfulness even made it into the CNN headline: “Mike Johnson’s America: Revisit landmark SCOTUS decisions and use government to ‘restrain evil.’”
His comments about sin were ridiculed by the left-leaning website Daily Kos, which said his views are “not what most Americans believe, nor is it reality. The idea that human beings are ‘inherently evil’ is a fundamentalist Christian one; we are all depraved sinners without hope unless we accept our depravity and call on Jesus to save us,. This is Luther and Calvin. This is Jonathan Edwards thundering at ‘sinners in the hands of angry God.’”
Christians on social media defended Johnson. “Talk about speaking from ignorance,” one person wrote. “This is basic Christian theology. The most basic.”
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice