When Christians Serve, the Media Often Suspects the Worst

According to a former lobbyist quoted in Tuesday’s Washington Post, we should all be uneasy about Kelly Johnson, Speaker Mike Johnson’s wife, ministering to female staffers on Capitol Hill.

Kelly Johnson, who is a Christian counselor and in 2019 founded a non-profit ministry called “Onward Christian Education Services,” is the subject of a hit piece in The Post daily.

Meredith McGehee, who is identified as a former lobbyist for groups focused on “campaign finance transparency and anti-corruption measures in government,” alludes to a potential conflict. 

“It should make everyone uncomfortable that the speaker’s wife would be raising money for a mission to serve congressional staff,” she tells the Post. “It really dances on the blurred line of separation of church and state and using public resources for private interests.”

What “public resources” is McGehee claiming Mrs. Johnson is using? Neither the former lobbyist nor the Post explain other than to say her “close connection to the speaker’s office could benefit the nonprofit.”

Could.

By this logic, any individual close to any political leader with any authority whatsoever should be ineligible to do just about anything unless the activity passes muster with the liberal media establishment.

Originally founded “to help educate, equip, and empower believers to understand and live out their biblical faith and to engage the culture,” the ministry expanded in recent years.  According to the group’s most recent IRS filing, Onward Christian Education Services developed “a new ministry outreach and Bible study designed specifically for the hundreds of unreached young women across the country who are employed as staffers on and around Capitol Hill to help them find purpose, belonging, and Christian community.”

Recent studies have found that Americans are increasingly struggling to find connection and purpose. In June, Gallup reported close to half of those questioned said their lives lacked a sense of meaning, purpose – or both. These were national polls, but the need is only magnified for those living and working in the political environment of Washington, D.C. 

As a Christian, Kelly Johnson said she considers herself “a missionary” and that reaching out to female staffers is “kind of a calling in this life for me.” She also said, “This is what I love to do. This is my heart.”

According to the speaker’s wife, Onward Christian Education Services is funded by “several large benefactors.” She suggests they give to it because they have a heart for the ministerial assistance the group provides.

Although the group is not legally obligated to do so, The Washington Post expresses frustration that it won’t disclose the names of the benefactors.

In a statement to the Post, Speaker Johnson praised the faithfulness and motivation of his wife. He stated, “She has a true gift with people and has inspired many other women to live out their faith, overcome their obstacles, and find peace and success, even in an environment as challenging as Capitol Hill.”

The insinuation to nefarious or unethical motivations in the Post piece reflects the typical suspicion, skepticism, and general negativity of mainstream reporters who often seem incapable of or unwilling to accept Christians behaving like Christians. In a hyper cynical climate like the Beltway, many find it impossible to believe that a Christian woman would be led to help other women without some ulterior incentive.

The Apostle Paul reminded believers in Colossae, which is modern-day Turkey, that “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:23-24). 

We applaud and celebrate the work and ministry of Kelly Johnson and other individuals who are faithfully answering the Lord’s call on their lives to serve others in His name.