Mike Johnson Says America Deserves God's Wrath During Jim Garlow Calls
By: Tim Dickinson (Rolling Stone)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Citing the increase in queer youth, Johnson called American culture "dark and depraved" on a call with a Christian nationalist pastor.
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In an October prayer call hosted by a Christian-nationalist MAGA pastor, Rep. Mike Johnson was troubled that America's wickedness was inviting God's wrath.
Talking to pastor Jim Garlow on a broadcast of the World Prayer Network, Johnson spoke ominously of America facing a "civilizational moment." He said, "The only question is: Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins? … Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?"
The segment was filmed Oct. 3, just weeks before Johnson's unexpected rise to become speaker of the House. Garlow pressed the clean-cut Louisiana congressman to say "more about this 'time of judgment' for America." Johnson replied: "The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable." He cited, as supposed evidence, the decline of national church attendance and the rise of LGBTQ youth — the fact, Johnson lamented, that "one-in-four high school students identifies as something other than straight."
Discussing the risk of divine retribution, Johnson invoked Sodom, the Old Testament city destroyed by God for its wickedness with a rain of burning sulfur. Johnson is a polished orator, but in a closing prayer with Garlow he grew tearful. Johnson intoned, "We repent for our sins individually and collectively. And we ask that You not give us the judgment that we clearly deserve."
Remarkably, this was not the first time Johnson brought up his fear of biblical retribution on a broadcast with Garlow. During a WPN appearance last December, Johnson likewise declared that he'd been "burdened" by the need for America to "recognize there's so much to repent for." The future speaker elaborated, "We're violating His commands. We're inventing new ways to do evil." He added, "We have to ask ourselves: How long can His mercy and His grace be held back?"
The prayer calls underscore the new House speaker's alarming alignment with Christian nationalism — the extremist movement that holds America is not a secular democracy but was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed to uphold a fundamentalist morality. They also provide fresh evidence of Johnson's apocalyptic worldview, in which he sees America as existing in "disastrous, calamitous" times and "hanging by a thread." It raises questions about whether the Republican, who's now second in line for the presidency, is leveraging his power not just to avoid a government shutdown, but to appease an angry deity — and avoid a more permanent Heavenly Shutdown.
Pastor Jim Garlow is not a household name, but he's a national figure. A Christian nationalist based out of the San Diego area, Garlow is viewed as an "apostle" within the New Apostolic Reformation, a strain of Charismatic Christianity that holds that gifts of the spirit — including prophecy — are not biblical bygones, but alive in our time. NAR differentiates itself from other strains of evangelical Christianity in its obsession with earthly power. NAR leaders embrace "dominionism," the concept that Christians are supposed to rise and rule over "the nations," in order to bring the globe into a biblical alignment, in preparation for the second coming of Jesus.
To Garlow, this transformation is to be achieved through the "Seven Mountains Mandate" — with Christians ascending to the tops of seven cultural mountains (also referred to as "spheres of influence"): religion, family, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. "We're the ones called the disciple the nation," Garlow has said, teaching on the concept, "and we disciple the nations through those seven spheres of influence."
Johnson is a professed Baptist. But the 51-year-old has known Garlow for "two decades or more," he revealed on a third WPN call from 2021. Johnson calls Garlow a "profound influence" on "my life and my walk with Christ." Garlow, using similar language, calls Johnson "a special brother."(Neither the speaker's office nor Garlow have responded to questions from Rolling Stone.)
In the prayer call videos, Johnson appears unfazed — in fact delighted — by the shofar-bleating theatrics featured on Garlow's broadcast. NAR Christians not only fetishize the practices of the Old Testament, they believe in spiritual warfare — an ongoing battle between demons and angels that influences current events. Johnson speaks fluently in this faith language on the call. He salutes the "prayer warriors" in the audience, and calls for "supernatural intervention" from God, to "withhold the wrath of our enemies here on the Earth" and also to "restrain The Enemy, the one that prowls around like a roaring lion." Johnson even offers a special shout-out for "all those who are leading out in the field, in their spheres of influence."
Matthew Taylor is a religion scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies, as well as an NAR expert who first highlighted Johnson's links to Garlow. Taylor describes Garlow as "one of the frontline people for the NAR." But he confesses it is challenging to know what to make of Johnson's invocation of the movement's argot. "Is he speaking the local vernacular when he's hanging out with Jim Garlow? Does he really believe in spiritual warfare? I don't know. Jim Garlow really believes this stuff."
Taylor leaves open the possibility that Johnson's embrace of NAR rhetoric may be more like religious pandering. "He seems to be signaling that he sees himself in affiliation or an alliance with them," Taylor says, emphasizing that such outreach has paid off in the embrace Johnson has received from NAR leaders since becoming Speaker. "They very much see Johnson as somebody who is with them and their agenda," Taylor says.
Now in his mid-70s, Garlow describes himself as having received a "governmental annointing" when he was just a child, and has long preached politics from the pulpit. In 2008, he played a leading role in promoting the passage of Prop 8 — a California initiative, rooted in anti-gay bigotry that for a time outlawed same-sex marriages in the state. In 2010, he joined on as chairman of a Newt Gingrich project called Renewing American Leadership, dedicated to "preserving" America's "Judeo-Christian heritage." In 2018, Garlow departed his megachurch to focus on a new project, Well Versed, a group dedicated to ministering to members of Congress and the United Nations. The ministry carries an overtly Christian nationalist message, insisting that politics "need to conform to God's Word, since He is the one who established government and establishes nations."
Johnson and Garlow are fellow travelers in many key respects — including in that they're both unabashed Trump boosters and election deniers. Johnson first won office in the 2016 election, the same year Trump took the presidency, and infamously helped propagate the Big Lie about the 2020 election from inside Capitol Hill. Garlow was part of a small circle of pastors around Trump during his administration, even laying hands on the president during Oval Office prayer. In November 2020, Garlow penned an op-ed for Charisma News endorsing Trump, writing, "God has put him in this position at this time. We need to keep him there."
In the December aftermath of that election, Garlow was the lead author of an open letter to Trump declaring that "God's ordained assignment remains unfinished," because "God's will is for you to serve for a second term." The letter concluded with a prophetic call for vengeance: "Mr. President, the Lord is telling you to pursue the enemies of our Republic. Our enemies are God's enemies. And with the power of God and the global praying church behind you, you shall recover all that the enemies have stolen." (Separately, Garlow was dismissing the ideology of the incoming Biden-Harris ticket as "anti-Christ, anti-Biblical to its core.")
During this post-election period, Garlow began a series of "Prayer Calls for Election Integrity" seeking divine intervention to keep Trump in power. These calls became a "hub of gathering, radicalisation, and planning," recalls Taylor. The calls included borderline-seditious rhetoric in advance of the unrest at the Capitol, including a call by then-Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano for MAGA Republicans to "seize the power" on Jan 6.
Garlow's calls never stopped when Biden took office. They morphed, instead, into a general-purpose Christian nationalist broadcast now labeled the World Prayer Network, centered on "the Transformation of Nations." Despite regularly featuring GOP lawmakers, the online description of the broadcast insists it is not about Republicans vs. Democrats, insisting rather: "We ARE about God vs. Satan." At the beginning of each call, Garlow says he's seeking "biblical justice as opposed to social justice."
Johnson's link to Garlow goes well beyond appearing on these prayer calls. In February, Johnson, Garlow, and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins — whom Johnson says "is like my big brother" — organized a National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance at the National Museum of the Bible. The early-morning event was attended by leading Charismatic figures like the Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, as well as more than a dozen members of Congress — including then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The doleful day began with a bleat of a ram's horn and introductory words from Garlow, who welcomed "Americans repenting for the sins of our nation." Garlow then presented a stark warning, invoking two biblical kingdoms of Israel that he said squandered heavenly favor only to have God "take them out." America, he suggested, was on that same path: "Present-day Americans do not consider the possibility that God could…" He stopped dramatically asking the assembly to "finish the sentence."
Garlow insists that his biblical calling is way past partisanship. But he uses the Bible to blithely support stuff that Republicans want to do anyway. His website insists, for example, that fracking is holy because "energy independence is a biblical issue" and "we are to have dominion over the earth, to 'subdue' it, and to 'steward' it for the Creator."
In his conversations with Garlow, Johnson likewise expresses pride that the House GOP's governing principles — e.g., limited government, "peace through strength," fiscal responsibility, and free markets — "are the principles of our Creator." Johnson points to the supposed holiness of the Republican agenda to insist: "That's why we can be so fervent about it."
Yet even as he talks up divine support for the American GOP, Johnson makes clear he does not believe that many of his GOP colleagues are true Christians. On the December 2022 call, he relates to listeners how Garlow "asked me the other day, 'How many do you think you would count as as truly committed Christ followers?'" Johnson reveals his count is less than a quarter of the GOP conference. "I think in the House, I could collect, maybe 45, close to 50 people who I believe [are true] Christ followers, and they live that every day," Johnson says.
But Johnson is convinced that a small number can accomplish great and Godly things. He speaks at length about a devoted Christian "remnant" — or keepers of the true faith — who can help save America from retribution.
Even here, Johnson is not brimming with confidence. He invokes Sodom, which Abraham tried to salvage by bargaining with God, noting that it would be worth sparing if 10 righteous men could be found there. (Ultimately God only found one righteous family, whom he let flee, before unleashing collective destruction.) "How large is the remnant that He needs?" Johnson asked. "Is it 10 righteous men in Sodom? Is there a remnant that that God would say, OK, I'll redeem the land?"
Ultimately Johnson voices some optimism that the "remnant" will be big enough — expressing hope that, "He'll guide us through," because, "I don't think God is done with America." Johnson insists that's only because of the Godly founding of America. "We are a nation subservient to Him," he says, adding that "collectively as a nation, we need to turn to Him. We need a revival."
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Johnson is a complete nut job.
too bad that picture doesn't show the whole scene. those thumpers are all looking for mike's microscopic gonads on the house carpet.
It's a taste of what a theocracy is.
It sounds like Johnson and Garlow have much to repent for.
"We repent for our sins individually and collectively. And we ask that you not give us the judgement that we clearly deserve"
And that is another thing! These fake folks only are interested in "collective. . . ." which they don't think they are responsible for creating, when it serves their purposes to work to snatch away liberties, freedoms, and privileges of Others. Otherwise, individuality in every area of life is enough and suitable for them.
That is, they don't think they deserve anything negative, but need a reason to meddle in the lives of people who don't even bother with them without their incursions into their lives!
Also, speak for yourselves Garlow and Johnson when it comes to judgement and punishment.
I have nothing to repent for and/or ask for forgiveness.
funny how the worst xtians need to be regularly reminded and forgiven weekly not be dishonorable.
They're always on their knees.
Seems all far right wingers are these days.
Insanity now runs rampant in the GOP.
He really is a real nutcase!
And while I don't judge politicians by what sort of sex they prefer (if they're doing a good job professionally then I don't care what they like in bed) , this struck me as just really bizarre:
In Genesis it does say "Let there be light", so maybe Garlow has a point... besides the one on top of his head.
There are many ways to harvest solar energy that don't screw up the planet. Only the fossil fuel industry and the far-right wing politicians that they own stop us from doing it.
Mike Johnson Says America Deserves God's Wrath During Jim Garlow Calls
Well, at least he has a sense of humor (bizarre as it may be!)
Pure lunacy. This fucknut wants to run the country based on a deity he can't even prove exists. And he thinks the left is crazy... What an absolute asshat.
religious wackos think that their 17% is a majority with a mandate to rule america.
I prefer assclown !
Obviously this fanatic doesnt belong in a government leadership position.
Watch the MAGA all shrug their shoulders and say "so what?" though.
I see that photo and my first thought is "what a bunch of useless fags".
Just my thought.
trumpsters are very accustomed to being on their knees.
''we are doomed''.
With any luck, the far-right wing sub 80 IQ fascists will not inherit the earth. I blame it all on Fox for giving morons a voice in the first place.
These people are crusaders. Time to label them what they see themselves as being. Anybody unwilling to leave other people to enjoy their lives and their private and civic freedoms without condemnation is crusading for a cause in its own right.
I have had enough. Have you? The country can see, taste, and smell what these people are up to. They are literally holding "church" on the meeting "tent" of the assembled congress- no pretense of separation of church and state! And in the process cutting out other religions! This calls for another form of outrage to match it. Where is the Church of Satan with its Baphomet statue. Time to get some constitutional fairness 'treatment' for Baphomet on the house floor NOW!
I demand it! Church of Satan do your 'duty'! Christian nationalists in the Capitol my foot! Since 'nationalists' want stop getting in "yo face" - then, Baphomet and its worshippers need to demand equal time in a prayer 'circle' on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Lol dude I love the church of satan. No one is better at throwing these self-righteous Christian pricks bullshit back in their face than the church of satan because it forces them to let satanic worshipers operate right next to them or blatantly say they are total hypocrites (it is obvious I know, but still).
I have had it. These people want to be themselves religiously while in Congress and I get that. But, when it comes to them being themselves and allowing others to be themselves religiously or otherwise they have interest in mocking people. It's too much! And just self-righteous! Bring on Baphomet and let it teach some conservatives about fairness and openness in its own way!
Just another insane religion that fools would fall for.
Tom Cruise and many other idiots fell for a religion that L. Ron Hubbard started as a joke. Hubbard initially had no idea that anybody could possibly fall for his science fiction insanity.
He's a total nutcase! (Perhaps he will become the next House minority leader?)
I bet Jesus said the same shit lol.
Pharisees.
As my ancient church woman Mama says, "Look at them being all self righteous holier than thou shameless and all for an unholy vain glorious stunt". Jim and Tami Baker had a snakehandlin faithhealin hellbaby?
Every religion to ever come down the pike was a sham.
And there have been thousands of them.
The gospels by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs:
Every religion to ever come down the pike was a sham.
Would you include in that over-generalization religions such as: The Quakers, Unitarian Universalists, the Jains, the Baha'i, the Sikhs, Taoism, some forms of Buddhism... (and some others I can't remember at the moment . . . ?)
I can't speak for cjcold, but yes, all of them. Not 1 religion has any evidence that it is true, than any other one.
And they were the 'good' guys.
Our entire leadership Seems to be the wrath of something
What is this some conservative OBSESSIVE-compulsion with girls, women, and homosexual lifestyles, plural?
What is it?
Probably quite similar (if not the same) as some progressive OBSESSIVE-compulsion with girls, women, and homosexual lifestyles, plural?
I don't understand why or what about liberals/progressives wanting proper liberty, privileges, and freedoms for all (girls, women, and homosexuals included) comes off as obsessive aspirations to you. Please take time to explain, but only if you wish.
Sounds like he and Pence are cut from the same cloth.
I’ve been telling God to bring it on for decades now. Turns out he’s either a totally pussy or he doesn’t exist.
Perhaps he finds your thoughts as inconsequential.
Perhaps he’s just too busy deciding which children deserve leukemia.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Over the years I have come across many theories about how She operates, Two of the most common are that:
A. She controls everything. She is constantly subjectively deciding who's been naughty and who's been nice. And punishes whom she thinks are "the bad guys". (And us mere human beings definitely have no free will-- ).
or
B. She has created everything-- and after that controls nothing, but rather sits back on her throne in the clouds and watches how the "game" she created plays out.
Link?
It’s a script free reality TV show.
Well of course I could be wrong . . .but possibly its just that She doesn't take your wise advice because she doesn't think she's as wise and all-knowing as you are?
She / he / it has never shown anyone any evidence that she / he / it exists. Doesn’t matter if you’re in a hospital bed, under a pile of building rubble, playing in the Super Bowl, or just curious - he / she / it is exactly as eternally quiet and invisible as if it didn’t exist at all. There’s an obvious reason for that.
Nothing beyond billions of followers.
Same goes for the Easter bunny, leprechauns, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and compassionate conservatives.
how fortunate, it sounds like the wide open range for deflection.
Like Comment 13.2.7.
Logical Fallacies
Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points, and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others.
Slippery Slope: This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A and Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not be allowed to occur either. Example:
If we ban Hummers because they are bad for the environment eventually the government will ban all cars, so we should not ban Hummers.
In this example, the author is equating banning Hummers with banning all cars, which is not the same thing.
Hasty Generalization: This is a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence. In other words, you are rushing to a conclusion before you have all the relevant facts. Example:
Even though it's only the first day, I can tell this is going to be a boring course.
In this example, the author is basing his evaluation of the entire course on only the first day, which is notoriously boring and full of housekeeping tasks for most courses. To make a fair and reasonable evaluation the author must attend not one but several classes, and possibly even examine the textbook, talk to the professor, or talk to others who have previously finished the course in order to have sufficient evidence to base a conclusion on.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc: This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.' Example:
I drank bottled water and now I am sick, so the water must have made me sick.
In this example, the author assumes that if one event chronologically follows another the first event must have caused the second. But the illness could have been caused by the burrito the night before, a flu bug that had been working on the body for days, or a chemical spill across campus. There is no reason, without more evidence, to assume the water caused the person to be sick.
Genetic Fallacy: This conclusion is based on an argument that the origins of a person, idea, institute, or theory determine its character, nature, or worth. Example:
The Volkswagen Beetle is an evil car because it was originally designed by Hitler's army.
In this example the author is equating the character of a car with the character of the people who built the car. However, the two are not inherently related.
Begging the Claim: The conclusion that the writer should prove is validated within the claim. Example:
Filthy and polluting coal should be banned.
Arguing that coal pollutes the earth and thus should be banned would be logical. But the very conclusion that should be proved, that coal causes enough pollution to warrant banning its use, is already assumed in the claim by referring to it as "filthy and polluting."
Circular Argument: This restates the argument rather than actually proving it. Example:
George Bush is a good communicator because he speaks effectively.
In this example, the conclusion that Bush is a "good communicator" and the evidence used to prove it "he speaks effectively" are basically the same idea. Specific evidence such as using everyday language, breaking down complex problems, or illustrating his points with humorous stories would be needed to prove either half of the sentence.
Either/or: This is a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices. Example:
We can either stop using cars or destroy the earth.
In this example, the two choices are presented as the only options, yet the author ignores a range of choices in between such as developing cleaner technology, car-sharing systems for necessities and emergencies, or better community planning to discourage daily driving.
Ad hominem: This is an attack on the character of a person rather than his or her opinions or arguments. Example:
Green Peace's strategies aren't effective because they are all dirty, lazy hippies.
In this example, the author doesn't even name particular strategies Green Peace has suggested, much less evaluate those strategies on their merits. Instead, the author attacks the characters of the individuals in the group.
Ad populum/Bandwagon Appeal: This is an appeal that presents what most people, or a group of people think, in order to persuade one to think the same way. Getting on the bandwagon is one such instance of an ad populum appeal.
Example:
If you were a true American you would support the rights of people to choose whatever vehicle they want.
In this example, the author equates being a "true American," a concept that people want to be associated with, particularly in a time of war, with allowing people to buy any vehicle they want even though there is no inherent connection between the two.
Red Herring: This is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them. Example:
The level of mercury in seafood may be unsafe, but what will fishers do to support their families?
In this example, the author switches the discussion away from the safety of the food and talks instead about an economic issue, the livelihood of those catching fish. While one issue may affect the other it does not mean we should ignore possible safety issues because of possible economic consequences to a few individuals.
Straw Man: This move oversimplifies an opponent's viewpoint and then attacks that hollow argument.
People who don't support the proposed state minimum wage increase hate the poor.
In this example, the author attributes the worst possible motive to an opponent's position. In reality, however, the opposition probably has more complex and sympathetic arguments to support their point. By not addressing those arguments, the author is not treating the opposition with respect or refuting their position.
Moral Equivalence: This fallacy compares minor misdeeds with major atrocities, suggesting that both are equally immoral.
That parking attendant who gave me a ticket is as bad as Hitler.
In this example, the author is comparing the relatively harmless actions of a person doing their job with the horrific actions of Hitler. This comparison is unfair and inaccurate.