Declaration of Independence Founded a Theistic Republic

Mike Johnson opened his tenure as speaker of the House with a speech citing the creator God mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. The speech drew criticism from columnists at the Washington Post, Time, PBS, and the New York Times, among others. Much of the criticism shifted between Johnson’s support of Trump, his church affiliations, and his penchant for employing biblical language.

Each of the columns raced to the accusation that Johnson is a Christian nationalist. Yet none of them offered a counter-argument to the fact that the Declaration of Independence actually does reference God in the course of justifying America’s separation from the British. The Declaration in fact makes four references to God, using the parlance of the 18th century.

Mike Johnson opened his tenure as speaker of the House with a speech citing the creator God mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. The speech drew criticism from columnists at the Washington Post, Time, PBS, and the New York Times, among others. Much of the criticism shifted between Johnson’s support of Trump, his church affiliations, and his penchant for employing biblical language.

Each of the columns raced to the accusation that Johnson is a Christian nationalist. Yet none of them offered a counter-argument to the fact that the Declaration of Independence actually does reference God in the course of justifying America’s separation from the British. The Declaration in fact makes four references to God, using the parlance of the 18th century.

SB

About the Author

Steele Brand

Steele Brand is a professor of history at Cairn University. He serves as a residential scholar at the John Jay Institute and is a faculty fellow with the Jack Miller Center.