Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s foray into biblical exegesis reveals nothing new but does rehash an old evangelical template of “two kingdom” theology. In Johnson’s view, nations and governments are immune from God’s judgment when they oppress those labeled as criminals.
Johnson claims he was asked by a member of the press to defend the “biblical case” for border security and immigration enforcement.
Despite his often-pronounced love for the Bible, Johnson skips entire passages where God judges nations. If he picked up his Bible and read only Amos 1 and 2, he would face the truth of God judging nations for abusing others.
Johnson, sounding like a crusty Baptist deacon teaching Sunday school, says, “Any time liberals attempt to bolster their ‘open borders’ agenda by citing Scripture out of context, they should be kindly corrected with the facts (2 Timothy 2:24-25).”
“Despite his often-pronounced love for the Bible, Johnson skips entire passages where God judges nations.”
Johnson demonstrates the problem with proof-texting the Bible.
Duke Divinity School Old Testament scholar Ellen Davis points out: “Whenever we pick up the Bible, read it, put it down, and say, ‘That’s just what I thought,’ we are probably in trouble. The technical term for that kind of reading is ‘’proof-texting.’ Using the text to confirm our presuppositions is sinful; it is an act of resistance against God’s fresh speaking to us, an effective denial that the Bible is the word of the living God. The only alternative to proof-texting is reading with a view to what the New Testament calls metanoia, repentance — literally, ‘change of mind.’”
Johnson, a publicly declared disciple of David Barton (America’s evangelical history hobbyist), has dragged his Christian “biblical worldview” into politics often. He told Sean Hannity, “I am a Bible-believing Christian. Someone asked me today in the media, they said, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?’ I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it.’ That’s my worldview.”
Professor Davis offers a corrective: “The Scriptures are chock-full of embarrassing, offensive and internally contradictory texts, texts we do not wish to live with, let alone live by.”
Even more laughable than Johnson offering a “biblical worldview,” a “Christian worldview” and whatever he means by “our Judeo-Christian tradition,” is his attempt to lecture Pope Leo on the meaning of Scripture. He told the media: “When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change a society. They’re expected to assimilate. We haven’t had a lot of that going on.”
Then he posted his Sunday school lesson on Facebook: “Borders are biblical.”
“Johnson somehow credits God with establishing all the nations, borders and boundaries.”
Johnson somehow credits God with establishing all the nations, borders and boundaries. According to him, “The Bible speaks favorably and consistently about distinct nations of people (see, e.g., Gen. 18:18, Num. 32:17, Psalm 67:2, Matt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, NIV) and about borders and walls that are built to guard and secure people, property, and instructions (see e.g., Deut 19:14, 27:17, 32:8, Acts 17:26, NIV). When Nehemiah heroically led the Jewish remnant to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after their enemies had destroyed those walls, he was doing the noble work of God.”
Israel’s story confessed God didn’t want a nation but a holy people. Only the rebellion of the people created the nation.
Will Campbell has a more biblical explanation than Johnson:
I believe God made the St. Lawrence River, and the Rio Grande River, and the China Sea and the English Channel, but I don’t believe God made America, or Canada, or Mexico, or England, or China. Man did that. … It is doubtful that there has ever been a nation established for bad reasons. Nations are always established to escape tyranny, to combat evil, to find freedom, to reach heaven. Man has always been able to desire to build a heaven. But it seems he has never been able to admit that he didn’t pull it off. So he keeps insisting that he did pull it off.
Most of Johnson’s Facebook post contains boilerplate resentment of the Social Gospel and accolades for the individual salvation so near and dear to evangelicals. His religion is more Gnostic than Christian. Our faith is bodily, fleshly material. It includes taking responsibility for housing, food, clothing, medical care for all in need.
What deserves sustained criticism is Johnson’s inadequate exegetical work. In his most inept attempt, he attempts to refute Christian understanding of Leviticus 19:34. Since Johnson swears liberals don’t understand biblical context, let me concentrate on his reading of the verse:
“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
“What deserves sustained criticism is Johnson’s inadequate exegetical work.”
Can we imagine why he omitted verse 33: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.”
In Luke 10, a legal expert, “wanting to justify himself,” asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus and the legal expert are discussing how to read Torah. This is the exegetically important question, especially in Leviticus 19.
“Who is my neighbor?” dominates the context of Leviticus 19. Leviticus, which probably assumed final form in response to assimilation pressure on exilic Israel, offers a case study in how Israel read Scripture. For centuries, the obvious answer to the neighbor question was, “Your fellow Jew.”
Then in verse 34 a new reading has entered the argument and “neighbor” becomes the immigrant in “your midst.” And Jesus’ own reading of Leviticus 19 forces wide the scope of the love commandment.
The reinterpretation of Leviticus makes Paul’s mission to the Gentiles possible. Leviticus 19:34 becomes the mustard seed for Jesus tearing down all walls. Instead of a “prooftext” for Johnson’s defense of walls, borders, ICE agents and oppression, the Levitical Holiness Code welcomes immigrants as neighbor.
Our digital world makes much of key words, and there is value there. As Johnson says “individual,” I say “corporate.” As Johnson says, “law and order,” I say “love.” As Johnson says, “enforcement,” I say “empathy.” As Johnson says, “deport,” I say “hospitality.”
God doesn’t use the word “illegal.” God has no use for walls and borders.
Rodney W. Kennedy is a pastor and writer. He is the author of 11 books, including his latest, Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit.