So-called ‘Christians’ gain power in politics, but seem to not understand the true meaning of their faith

As you may have noticed, there is a new kind of Christian achieving prominence in American politics. At a time when an increasing portion of the American public does not affiliate with any religious community, there are political leaders who proclaim that their strong Christian faith will guide their policy decisions on the contentious issues that divide us. 

Mike Johnson, who is currently serving his fourth term in Congress representing Shreveport, La., was recently installed as speaker of the House. Previously, he was an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an extreme right-wing group, and also worked as a talk show host.

Johnson (seen above in a public domain photo posted in wikimedia commons) has assured us that his policy decisions will be guided by the Bible. He favors prison for abortion providers, denies that human activities are causing climate change, and has blamed mass shootings on the teaching of evolution in public schools. Johnson vehemently opposes the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision which legitimized same-sex marriage, and would bring back criminal penalties for gay sex. All of these positions on policy issues are connected to Johnson's description of America as a “Biblical republic.”

Significantly, Mike Johnson denies that Joe Biden was legitimately elected as our president. He organized 125 members of Congress in support of an amicus curiae brief which sought to invalidate the 2020 election results in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. He endorsed the conspiracy theory that Dominion Voting Systems rigged the voting machines in that election.

Of course, the lawsuits that challenged the election results were dismissed for lack of evidence, and some of the attorneys for Donald Trump who advanced conspiracy theories have recently pleaded guilty to serious crimes connected to pressure on state election officials to invalidate the results, and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection which sought to keep Trump in office. 

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota is a conservative Republican and serves as the House majority whip. Emmer was advanced as a candidate for speaker after Majority Leader Steve Scalise was rejected. But Emmer’s candidacy was torpedoed by Trump, who called him a RINO because he had voted to certify the 2020 election results.

After that unhappy result, Johnson’s name rose to the surface as a friendly Southern gentleman who would be acceptable to the extreme right-wing faction which had removed the previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy.

Since assuming his new role, Johnson has pushed a $14 billion aid package for Israel’s current war against Hamas with the proviso that there be an equivalent cut in funding for the Internal Revenue Service. Both features of this deal, which has no chance of passage in the Senate, would add to the federal deficit, since IRS agents uncover tax fraud and underpayments that more than cover the cost of their salaries.

Johnson has also appointed Dan Ziegler, who has recently lobbied for Big Pharma and Eli Lilly, as his director of policy, so we can expect our Christian speaker to resist efforts to control drug prices. 

Closer to home, Rapid City has a brand-new mayor. Jason Salamun, who has been serving as the chief of staff and executive pastor for Fountain Springs Church, never missed a chance to proclaim his strong Christian faith as he campaigned for the office. Evidently Salamun does not subscribe to the Christian vision that suggests that we should feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the homeless.

In recent years, Rapid City has been fortunate to have the Christian-based HOPE Center, whose mission is described as “putting God's love into action … as we build bridges out of poverty.”

The HOPE Center is not a shelter, but rather a “drop-in center” where homeless people can access resources, obtain a mailing address and a phone number that will take messages as they seek employment and stable housing, and register to vote. The center has outgrown its location and lost its lease from the church that had established it. A new location on the edge of downtown Rapid was offered, with more space and the potential of free showers, among other improvements. 

The Rapid City Planning Commission recommended a zoning change to accommodate this move. Under Salamun’s leadership, the City Council overwhelmingly rejected the Commission’s recommendation. As it became obvious that the HOPE Center has no place to go, key financial backers withdrew their financial support, and the center will close in early December, just as bitter winter weather sets in.

While recent City Council meetings have featured widespread protests against this decision, Salamun is clearly unmoved. Indeed, he has advocated that Rapid City should discourage poor people from coming to town and make it harder to be homeless. Among other gestures, the city has been removing park benches along Rapid Creek so that indigent people will not sleep on them. 

Other cities have not fared particularly well in discouraging homeless people from coming to town. It’s worth noting that the county with the lowest-per-capita income in America (Oglala Lakota) is immediately south of Rapid City, and that citizens of many Native tribes have long gravitated to the largest community in western South Dakota, hoping to find employment, better schools, and other opportunities. Some of these new arrivals succeed admirably, but others become homeless.

The situation has recently been aggravated by a lack of affordable housing, a proliferation of Air BNBs and VRBOs, and rapidly rising rents. It will not help that Rapid City is being guided by a new brand of Christianity which loudly asserts that there is no room at the inn.

Jay Davis is a retired Rapid City attorney