REUTERS
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, called American culture "dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable" in reference to LGBTQ+ youth, Rolling Stone reports.
Johnson spoke to Christian-nationalist MAGA pastor Jim Garlow in an October prayer call. The segment was hosted by Garlow on a broadcast of "The Prayer Network" on October 3, the same day the House voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from his position as speaker.
Johnson assumed office just on October 25.
At the beginning of the call, Garlow said: "We pray for biblical justice as opposed to social justice."
"We're way beyond the issue of partisanship," said Garlow. "We're way beyond the issue of Republican versus Democrat," he added, saying their focus was on "right versus wrong, good versus evil, and light versus darkness."
The Republican politician said America is facing a "civilizational moment," asking: "Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins? Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?"
"The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable," Johnson told Garlow, highlighting declining church attendance rates across the country and the rise of young people identifying as LGBTQ+.
"One in four high school students identifies as something other than straight," Johnson said, followed by "We're losing the country."
He said, however, that he does not think "God is done with America yet" and that "we need a supernatural intervention from the God of the universe."
Johnson has a lengthy track record of challenging LGBTQ+ rights. As an attorney for the Alliance for Defending Freedom, he advocated for sodomy laws and criminalizing homosexuality.
This week, Mike Johnson endorsed Donald Trump for reelection, just days after The New York Times unearthed old Facebook posts questioning whether Trump was too dangerous to be president.
