In January, California pastor Jack Hibbs was invited by Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to function visiting chaplain of the Home of Representatives.
Twenty-six Home Democrats then signed a letter condemning the pastor's opening prayer.
In a letter led by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Mark Pocano (D-WI) referred to as Hibbs a “radical Christian nationalist who helped gasoline the January 6 rebellion and has a protracted historical past of spewing hateful vitriol towards non-Christians, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ neighborhood.
“He ought to by no means have been given the fitting to ship the opening prayer of the Home on January 30, 2024,” the letter mentioned.
“When his opening prayer referred to as for 'holy concern' and 'repentance' for 'nationwide sins', these have been allusions to the militant and bigoted agenda he preaches in regards to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood, Jews, Muslims and anybody who conflicts together with his 'biblical worldview ',” the Democrats added.
In his prayer, Hibbs mentioned, “Hear my cry on this hour of nice want, that we could humbly be blessed earlier than you in repentance for our nationwide sins,” and, “So please come to those that are right here stewards over our nation with Your with the knowledge that comes from above, and with Your holy concern, figuring out that Your coming judgment day is close to, when You, the nice choose of heaven and earth, will reply all who have been and at the moment are in energy.”
“These details point out a panoramic lack of consideration for the non secular variety of our Congress and pluralistic nation,” the representatives wrote. “It seems that Speaker Johnson—with the tacit approval of the Home chaplain—has determined to violate chaplaincy tips and use the platform of a visiting chaplain to lend the imprimatur of Congress to an unqualified preacher of hate who shares the Speaker's Christian nationalist agenda. and his prevailing antipathy to the separation of church and state.'
“We should always all agree that the visiting chaplain program shouldn’t be used as a political instrument, nor ought to or not it’s applied in a method that favors one faith over others or makes use of inappropriate non secular checks,” they added and additional instructed. that “non-theistic Chaplain Dan Barker” is a “absolutely certified” particular person for this system.
Sharing his emotions about X's state of affairs, Rep. Huffman wrote: “I've mentioned from the start that Mike Johnson is a harmful Christian nationalist,” including: “I name out his egregious violations of the separation of church and state – in any other case we'll all be frogs in a pot of boiling water resulting in theocracy.”
