During a Calvary Baptist Academy assembly, April 22, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member of Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, explained what made America a great country in the past, took a phone call from President Donald J. Trump, and shared the biblical concept of what makes an individual great in urging students to “live to make an impact.”
The school is a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport, and Johnson is a former member.
‘Made in God’s image’
Johnson compared the historical model of European monarchies, in which rights passed from God through the king to the people, to the American form of government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” with citizens’ rights coming directly from God.
“We are the first country in the history of the world that set ourselves up with a statement of faith that is listed with theological clarity in our birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence,” Johnson said, noting that many of our founding fathers were seminarians who understood that “we are all made in God’s image,” meaning “every single person has inestimable dignity and value.”
In contrast, Johnson pointed to the antitheses of a nation under God, citing Marxism, communism and socialism, which are based on the notion that “there is no God.” These political systems do not value individuals except those who hold power, he explained, adding that what emerges from them is a “survival of the fittest” that is defined by darkness and tyranny.
“A people with no God, no moral compass and no religion will wind up in bondage,” he observed.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Will Hall and originally published by the Baptist Message.
