# Mike Johnson — "go pick up a Bible" > [!quote] "Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That's my worldview, that's what I believe." > — Mike Johnson, Hannity ([[Fox News]]), October 26, 2023 ## Context Said days after Johnson became Speaker of the House, when asked on Fox News what he thought about various policy issues. As the highest-ranking Republican in the House and second in the line of presidential succession, Johnson offered scripture as the direct answer to questions about his governing positions. ## Why this matters A receipt for [[Christian Nationalism]] reaching the apex of legislative power: the Speaker of the House stating that the Bible is not merely his personal faith but the operative answer to questions about public policy. It is among the clearest mainstream-institutional expressions of the view that biblical doctrine should function as a governing framework — delivered not by a fringe activist but by the constitutional officer third in line to the presidency. ## Verification - **Source:** [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/speaker-mike-johnson-defends-stance-social-issues-pick-bible-worldview.amp); context in [NPR — Johnson's Christian-right ties](https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1211536399/speaker-johnson-christian-nationalism-evangelical). - **Status:** Verbatim, undisputed. ## Related quotes - [[Pete Hegseth - Pulp Fiction scripture]] — scripture-as-governance from the executive branch's defense apparatus. - Featured in [[Christian Nationalism in Government]] — the movement-to-governance pattern collection. - Featured in [[Politics as Holy War]] — the governance-phase entry in the Manichaean-politics arc.