Mike Johnson’s Christian publishing house called MPOX an “appropriate penalty” for being gay

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is currently a member of the board of a Christian publishing house that has produced content characterizing MPOX – the disease formerly known as monkeypox – as an “appropriate penalty” for being gay.

As Politico reports, Johnson has been a member of the board of Living Waters Publications since at least 2013. The Christian ministry and publishing house listed him as an unpaid director on its 2013 990 tax form. Johnson, who before taking public office was a senior attorney for anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (then called the Alliance Defense Fund), previously represented the company’s founder and CEO Ray Comfort in a religious liberty case.

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In July 2022, as a global outbreak of MPOX spread primarily among men who have sex with men, Living Waters posted a video narrated by Comfort titled “Monkeypox and God: Is It a ‘Gay Disease’?” In the video, Comfort quotes a passage from the Bible, which, according to him, indicates “not only that homosexuality is a sin” but also warns “that it will result in disease.”

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Comfort has written a pamphlet titled “God & Sexuality,” in which he compares homosexuality to “sitting in a car on a railroad track with a train coming, and you don’t know it” and last month published an article suggesting that former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and King Charles III all could be the antichrist.

A spokesperson for Johnson told Politico that Comfort’s statements are not a reflection of the speaker’s views. “Speaker Johnson joined the board of Living Waters years ago in support of its mission of spreading Christian gospel,” they said. “His involvement was limited to two phone calls with fellow board members annually. He had not seen the content in question, was not aware of it, and does not agree with it.”

However, when Comfort joined Johnson and wife Kelly on a September 2022 episode of their podcast, the Louisiana Republican seemed very familiar with Comfort’s work and views.

“I am such a big fan of your ministry and of you, and I cannot overstate what a profound influence you’ve been in my life and my walk with Christ and so many other people that I know and I’m just really grateful for all that you do and the team at Living Waters,” Johnson told Comfort. “It’s just one of the most outstanding ministries that I’ve ever known or been involved with and keep going brother. God is using you.”

While Johnson still sits on the Living Waters board, his spokesperson said that he will be reconsidering all of his outside obligations now that he is the speaker of the House.

Little known prior to becoming speaker late last month, Johnson’s anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs and extensive history of opposing LGBTQ+ rights has since been widely reported alongside his key role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

“The elevation of Mike Johnson to speaker of the House of Representatives, with the unanimous support of his Republican colleagues, demonstrates how his particular conservative expression of Christianity is now at the very center of the party — both he and his favored policies can no longer be viewed as fringe,” Andrew Whitehead, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University who specializes in Christian nationalism and religion in the U.S. told Politico. “It’s certainly another troubling sign of how extreme Johnson’s views may be, that he would sit on a board and wouldn’t have a problem with them putting out ideas like this.”