Story by Rachel Dobkin
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the press at the U.S. Capitol on February 06, 2024, in Washington, DC.© Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A priest issued a "red flag" warning on Wednesday about House Speaker Mike Johnson's remarks at an event hosted by the National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) late last year.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was voted in as Speaker in late October 2023 after three weeks of turmoil as House GOP members struggled to elect a leader. Johnson was picked to head the House after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, was ousted in an effort led by his Republican colleagues.
In early December 2023, Johnson gave a keynote speech at the NACL's annual meeting and awards gala. The NACL has been labeled as a far-right Christian nationalist group. During his speech, Johnson compared his journey to the speakership to that of Moses parting the Red Sea, a famous biblical story.
"The Lord told me very clearly to prepare, be ready. Be ready for what? Ok, I don't know. We're coming to a Red Sea moment. What does that mean, Lord?" Johnson said. "And then when the Speaker's race happened and Kevin McCarthy, who is a dear friend of mine was deposed, vacated from the chair. Oh wow, well this is what the Lord may have been preparing us for."
"And so, I started praying more about that and the Lord began to wake me up through this three-week process ... now at the time, I assumed the Lord is going to choose a new Moses and, Oh, thank you, Lord you're gonna allow me to be Aaron to Moses."
Aaron was a prophet of Moses, appointed by God, according to the Book of Exodus. Johnson talked about trying to help Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a fellow Louisiana Republican, Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, in their campaigns for Speaker, which were either cut short or failed when brought to a vote on the floor.
"Ultimately 13 people ran for the post. And the Lord kept telling me to wait, wait, wait, so I waited, I waited and ... when it came toward the end the Lord said, Now step forward. Me? I'm supposed to be Aaron and the Lord said step forward."
James Martin, a Jesuit priest based in New York City and editor at large of America Magazine, a monthly Catholic magazine, responded to a clip of Johnson's speech that was shared online.
"A good spiritual director will tell you that insights you feel are coming from God, which are usually subtle, must be carefully tested and weighed," Martin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. "One red flag for spiritual directors is, 'Then God said this.' Not everything that pops into your head during prayer is from God."
When asked his thoughts on Johnson, Martin told Newsweek: "I would rather not comment on him as a person. I'm sure he is a person of faith. This was more an observation about spiritual practices and dos and don'ts."
Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office via email for comment.
Update 2/8/24, 2:33 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Martin.
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