House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has come under fire for a prayer he delivered at a Christian nationalist event over the weekend, in which he denounced what he called 'sinister ideologies.' Civil rights leaders and scholars say his remarks align with the Trump administration's efforts to suppress teaching about America's legacy of slavery and violence.
Johnson's Prayer at Rededicate 250
Johnson spoke at 'Rededicate 250,' a prayer gathering backed by President Donald Trump, held at the National Mall on Sunday. The event was tied to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and has been criticized as a promotion of Christian nationalism. In his prayer, Johnson thanked God for the nation and celebrated the Declaration, stating that it was 'premised on the biblical and foundational principle that all men are created equal and free before you.' He then referenced historical events like the Civil War and 9/11 before turning to current challenges.
Johnson criticized 'sinister ideologies' that he said 'sow confusion and discord among our people' and 'attack our history, our heroes, and the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation.' He asserted that some voices claim the American story is one of 'oppression and hypocrisy and failure' and can only be understood 'through the lens of our sins.' Johnson rejected this view, saying, 'Our rights do not derive from the government; they come from you, our Creator.'
Reaction from Civil Rights Leaders
Nadine Smith, president of Color of Change, called Johnson's message a 'whitewashing' of history. 'It's the familiar right-wing costume change: call honest history dangerous, call truth divisive, call censorship patriotism,' she said. Smith accused Johnson of distracting from issues like the Jeffrey Epstein files and using religion to protect power.
Sylvester Johnson, a Black studies professor at Northwestern University, described the speech as 'formulaic' but dangerous within the context of the Trump administration's attacks on teaching critical race theory. 'Mike Johnson is attacking Americans who have worked diligently to provide a more truthful account of our nation's history,' he said. Henry Louis Taylor Jr., an urban historian at the University of Buffalo, noted that Johnson's narrative 'renders invisible the mass killings and genocide against Indigenous Americans' and hides the truth that the U.S. could not exist without slave labor.
Experts Warn of Repeating History
Experts argue that failing to teach the truth about America's past risks repeating it. Taylor said a great nation requires 'truth, accountability and a willingness to confront history honestly.' He warned that the U.S. stands at a crossroads between building a multiracial democracy and descending into authoritarianism and white supremacy. Smith emphasized that young people need to learn about slavery, Jim Crow, and discrimination to understand the present and resist manipulation.
Johnson's call to 'rebuke' sinister ideologies in God's name was seen as a classic culture war move. Sylvester Johnson said it is 'a dangerous threat to the freedom of all Americans.' Smith added that the prayer follows a tradition of 'powerful people baptizing exclusion in the language of faith,' citing segregationists and defenders of slavery who quoted Scripture. 'Mike Johnson is not inventing anything new. He is reaching for the same old altar cloth to cover the same old rot,' she concluded.
