Freethought Democrats object to Pastor Jack Hibbs as guest chaplain, say he’s Christian nationalist

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnWASHINGTON (RNS) — Members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a group which advocates advocate for separation of church and state, and other House Democrats are speaking out against Speaker Mike Johnson’s sponsorship of a controversial pastor as a guest chaplain and accusing Johnson of importing a radical brand of Christian faith into the House.On Thursday (Feb. 15), 26 lawmakers, led by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman of California, sent a letter to Johnson and the House Chaplain’s Office expressing outrage that Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California, was allowed to deliver the House’s opening prayer on Jan. 30, in an appearance sponsored by Johnson, who is an evangelical Christian.
The letter raised questions as to why Hibbs was approved as a guest chaplain at all, given that the pastor lives in California, not in Johnson’s Louisiana district.
“He was violating the guidelines by bringing in someone who wasn’t even his constituent,” Huffman told Religion News Service.
“Pastor Hibbs is a radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and has a long record of spewing hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community,” read the letter.
The Freethought Caucus and other liberal members have been wary of Johnson, who formerly served as a lawyer for a conservative legal group. Some have expressed concern that he could use his position to further conservative Christian and Christian nationalist causes.
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