\n\n“As he understands it, this country was founded as a Christian nation. And he stands in a long tradition of conservative white evangelicals, particularly inside the Southern Baptist Convention, who have a distinct understanding of what that means. And this is where evangelical author and activist David Barton comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson has said that Barton\u2019s ideas and teachings have been extremely influential on him, and that is essentially rooting him in this longer tradition of Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism essentially posits the idea that America is founded on God\u2019s laws, and that the Constitution is a reflection of God\u2019s laws. Therefore, any interpretation of the Constitution must align with Christian nationalists\u2019 understanding of God\u2019s laws. Freedom for them means freedom to obey God\u2019s law, not freedom to do what you want. So really, Christian supremacy and a particular type of conservative Christianity is at the heart of Johnson\u2019s understanding of the Constitution and an understanding of our government.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The core principles of our nation reflect these biblical truths and biblical principles. He has gone on record saying things like, for him, this biblical worldview means that all authority comes from God and that there are distinct realms of God-ordained authority, and that is the family, the church and the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, all this authority, of course, is under this broader understanding of God-given authority. So it\u2019s not the right of any parents to decide what\u2019s best for their kids; it\u2019s the right of parents to decide what\u2019s best for their kids in alignment with his understanding of biblical law. Same thing with the church\u2019s role: It is to spread Christianity but also to care for the poor. That\u2019s not the government\u2019s job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the government\u2019s job is to support this understanding of authority and to align the country with God\u2019s laws.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“one of Johnson\u2019s core principles of American conservatism \u2014 as he reiterated them in his speech on Wednesday \u2014 is free enterprise. For conservative evangelicals, they don\u2019t really see much of a tension between these”<\/p>\n\n\n\n