Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke to a crowd of community members and students at an event at Jackson Prep Thursday afternoon, sharing insights about his experiences as a Christian and a politician.
The event, sponsored by the National Apostolic Christian Leadership Conference, was the second in a series aimed at helping Christian political leaders share their values with the nation’s people. The first incident occurred in October 2023, when presidential candidate RFK Jr. spoke at the Jackson MS in Jackson (clarionledger.com).
The main purpose of Thursday’s event was to show Johnson’s personal as well as political side.
Several guests from Mississippi state government were in attendance, including U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, former U.S. Rep. Greg Harper, and State Treasurer David McCray.
Introduced by Jackson Prep senior Nolan Kanoy, former Governor Phil Bryant gave a lively opening statement before introducing Johnson.
“I believe that we are here today at a special time for this country,” Bryant said. I’ve never done it before,” he said.
The remark drew several soft “Amens” from different parts of the crowd.
“One of the leaders on the front lines of that is my guest today, Chairman Johnson,” Bryant said.
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Johnson’s speech was described as a “fireside chat” on the show.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt conducted the original fireside chats over radio broadcasts in the 1930s and 1940s as a way to bring Washington, D.C., politics into American homes. Evening chats were a way to address public concerns in an approachable way.
Thursday’s event mimicked this approach.
Ron Mathis, moderator and executive director of the National Apostolic Christian Leadership Conference, and Johnson sat in oversized striped cloth chairs across a wooden end table on a stage in the school’s auditorium. A cream-colored rug separated the speakers from the stage floor and completed the living room feel.
An American flag framed the scene on the left side of the stage, and a Mississippi state flag on the right side.
The Prep auditorium was nearly full to hear Johnson discuss his Christian values and how he infuses these core beliefs into his role as a speaker.
Johnson began by talking about his childhood, saying he doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t led to faith.
“We prayed, and when I saw God answer my prayers, I knew this was real,” Johnson said. “So I’ve always had deep convictions about that from an early age…so it influences the way I think and act today.”
“Faith influences politics” was a phrase Johnson repeated several times.
Mr. Johnson spoke of his belief that America’s founders believed in the concept that rights were given by God, not the government.
“If you’re going to create a government for the people, you’re going to have separation of powers and checks and balances and all the magical wonderful things that they put into the Constitution,” Johnson said. )) I understood that we must realize that we are under God.”
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Mr. Johnson also connected his talk about faith with current political issues.
“The Bible has a lot of boundaries,” Johnson said. “The Bible is full of walls. Nehemiah is one of our defenders. He built a wall. Why? To protect the city. Because Franklin Graham doesn’t like people on the outside. You say you don’t lock your door at night. You lock your room. You lock your door at night because you love the person inside. ”
At several points during Mr. Johnson’s speech, audience members said “amen” in response to Mr. Johnson’s remarks. The speech ended with two standing ovations.
Following the “fireside chat,” there was a question-and-answer session with three Jackson Preparatory School students. Lindyn Garner, Alex Grimes and Sophie Slade asked questions prepared by Johnson.
Pastor David Tipton concluded the event with a prayer.
The crowd responded with a final “Amen.”
