'Business' publication continues attack on religious beliefs of new House speaker, wife

When you go to the front page of the Business Insider website, you find the categorical headings of Tech, Finance, Markets, Strategy, Retail, Advertising and Healthcare. There is also a Premium and Video section.  One of the items you won't find referenced is religion. 

The fact that the website is dedicated to the categories listed above has not deterred them from going after the faith of the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. 

In fact, the publication was mocking Johnson and his wife, Kelly, for having faith in Christ at the center of their marriage. The story went live just hours after he assumed the role of Speaker. 

Now, less than a week later, they have turned their sites from the Speaker to his wife. 

Kelly Johnson has spent years in the practice of Christian counseling, which the author, Brent D. Griffiths, is quick to point out encourages things like following the Biblical teachings about marriage, sex outside of marriage, abortion and homosexuality.  

Griffiths almost sounds surprised that Christian counselors would point to scripture to assist their clients in overcoming the issues for which they seek counseling.  

He starts his assault this way, "Kelly Johnson, the wife of the newly elected House speaker, ran a Christian counseling service that is affiliated with an organization that advocates against abortion and homosexuality and whose practices are built on the teachings of the Greek physician Hippocrates."

Hippocrates is the father of modern medicine. It is from him that today's healthcare professionals take the Hippocratic Oath. 

So, why is this an issue for Griffiths and Business Insider? Because, as he writes in the second paragraph, the couple "is deeply religious." They have worked for and with numerous faith-based organizations and causes.

As he points out, Kelly is listed as an advisor to the Louisiana Right to Life organization, which stands in opposition of abortion. 

So, it isn't that Johnson offers an alternative to "traditional" psychological counseling that causes so much heartburn, it is that they are deeply religious. Griffiths, in making that assertion, linked readers back to the original article they ran just minutes after Johnson was voted in as Speaker.

And that article simply highlighted that the couple signed a covenant saying that they would seek counseling before filing for divorce if they were having marital problems. That covenant is a legally binding contract in Louisiana. 

The Johnsons believe in the Biblical definition of marriage and believe in the vows and covenants they took in entering that relationship. They love God and seek to point people to him. They have a Biblical worldview. 

But in none of his writing does Griffiths identify a single way that what either Mike or Kelly believe will hinder his ability to carry out his duties as the Speaker of the House.   

In fact, the mainstream media loves to point to the devout adherence to faith practiced by the elected officials on the left. They applaud it. They admire it.

So, why does adherence to faith for those on the right cause so much concern? Most likely, the media knows that that faith practiced by many on the right stands in direct opposition to the “there is no God” worldview that they are helping to peddle.

I am grateful for the opportunity to write for a media outlet that allows and encourages people to pursue their faith. Our owner has unashamedly stated that God is the CEO of all the companies he owns and operates. 

As the verbal, physical and legislative assaults on faith continue in thos country, I am encuraged by the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10 and Paul's writing in 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9. 

"Blessed are thiose or are presecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."