By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – “I am a Christian, a husband, a father, a life-long conservative, constitutional law attorney and a small business owner in that order,” Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson told the Louisiana Baptist Message, “and I think that order is important.” It reflects how his faith and his beliefs about family and freedom will influence his representation of Louisianans, if blessed to serve them in the U.S. House of Representatives, he said. Johnson is a candidate for the open seat of the 4th U.S. Congressional District, and he has 20 years of bona fides in protecting and advocating key issues of faith, family and freedom – experience he can apply in Washington, D.C., if elected to this position, he said. “Some people are called to pastoral ministry and others to music ministry, etc. I was called to legal ministry and I’ve been out on the front lines of the ‘culture war’ defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault. “As part of that work, I’ve been in and around the Louisiana legislature and other state legislatures, and the Congress, for many years,” he … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – “Whether it’s national defense, right-to-life or the protection of First Amendment rights,” Rep. John Fleming told the Baptist Message, “it’s my personal faith, my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and what I think he wants me to do that guides me in my decision-making.” Fleming, who represents the 4th U.S. Congressional District in Louisiana, hopes to employ these same values as a U.S. Senator, vying as one of 24 candidates who have filed to replace the retiring Sen. David Vitter. But, for now, he is a member of the powerful House Committee on Armed Services, which has oversight for such matters as the defense budget (including defense acquisition programs), national security issues related to atomic energy, and contingency operations in the global war on terrorism. He also holds a coveted leadership position as chairman of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans for the House Committee on Natural Resources, and guides policy and programs relating to such issues as fisheries management, hydroelectricity generation by federal water projects, and even U.S. participation in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations … [Read more...]