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Johnny Teague
Johnny Teague (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 7th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Teague completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Johnny Teague was born in Clifton, Texas. Teague earned bachelor's degrees in science and business administration and accounting from Tarleton State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Houston, and a master's degree in divinity and a doctorate in ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.[1][2]
Teague's career experience includes owning multiple businesses and working as an accountant for Shell Pipe Line Corporation, a pastor, a rancher, an author, and a patented inventor. He has been affiliated with the National Rifle Association, the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the Monument Builders of North America, and the Association for Jewish Studies.[1][2]
Elections
2022
See also: Texas' 7th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 7
Incumbent Lizzie Pannill Fletcher defeated Johnny Teague in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 7 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D) | 63.8 | 115,994 |
 | Johnny Teague (R)  | 36.2 | 65,835 | |
| Total votes: 181,829 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Juan Arias (Independent)
- Juan Arra (Independent)
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 7
Johnny Teague defeated Tim Stroud in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 7 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Johnny Teague | 63.6 | 9,152 |
 | Tim Stroud | 36.4 | 5,239 | |
| Total votes: 14,391 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 7
Incumbent Lizzie Pannill Fletcher advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 7 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lizzie Pannill Fletcher | 100.0 | 29,579 |
| Total votes: 29,579 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Centrell Reed (D)
- Muhammad Javed (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 7
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 7 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Johnny Teague | 43.0 | 9,293 |
| ✔ | | Tim Stroud | 29.4 | 6,346 |
 | Tina Blum Cohen | 8.3 | 1,792 | |
 | Lance Stewart | 8.2 | 1,764 | |
 | Rudy Atencio | 4.7 | 1,024 | |
 | Laique Rehman | 4.5 | 977 | |
 | Benson Gitau | 2.0 | 422 | |
| Total votes: 21,618 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jafar Hajjar (R)
2020
See also: Texas' 9th Congressional District election, 2020
Texas' 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)
Texas' 9th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 9
Incumbent Al Green defeated Johnny Teague and Jose Sosa in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 9 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Al Green (D) | 75.5 | 172,938 |
| Johnny Teague (R) | 21.6 | 49,575 | |
 | Jose Sosa (L) | 2.9 | 6,594 | |
| Total votes: 229,107 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Edward Small Jr. (Unaffiliated)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 9
Incumbent Al Green defeated Melissa M. Wilson in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 9 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Al Green | 83.6 | 48,387 |
 | Melissa M. Wilson | 16.4 | 9,511 | |
| Total votes: 57,898 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 9
Johnny Teague defeated Jon Menefee and Julian Martinez in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 9 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Johnny Teague | 58.7 | 6,149 |
 | Jon Menefee | 24.0 | 2,519 | |
 | Julian Martinez | 17.3 | 1,809 | |
| Total votes: 10,477 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Al Austin (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 9
Jose Sosa advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 9 on March 21, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jose Sosa (L) |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Johnny Teague completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Teague's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- National Defense
- Balanced Budget eliminating the deficit
- Secure the Borders
John Adams - Scholar and Patriot
Abraham Lincoln - Standing for what was right regardless of the cost
Servant-leaders - Elected officials should be servants first. That means term limits and never benefiting from the office financially. They should reject all perks and serve.
People must go back to work, leaning less on the government & more on their industry. God still holds this position as the Giver of all good things. He is the One who says if we don't work, we don't eat. Kennedy said, "Ask what we can do for our country". Reagan said the scariest thing a person can face is to meet a guy at the front door who says, "I am from the government & am here to help you.".
I believe that our government officials should come from the people & return to the people after a period of service. We call this term-limits which should apply to every level, not just the President. Harry Truman left office moderately poor & refused to use that office to make money during or after serving. We call this service, not for our own selfish good, but for the good of the nation.
We don't dictate what is right or wrong. God does that. If someone disagrees with our stand, it is not us they should argue with, but with God. But, as people defy what God says, they soon find that the way they have chosen doesn't work. The reason God makes commands & gives requirements on how to live is that those ways are best for us & best for others. We cannot pick & choose the things God has said & think we will come out alright, or vainly imagine that we know better than God with regard to our time & our generation. God's Word is timeless. Right will always be right. Wrong will always be wrong. Our Constitution's number one source was the Bible.
Level's Food Center - Grocery Sacker - four years while in high school
Budget
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Campaign website
Teague's campaign website stated the following:
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Congressional Candidate Johnny Teague’s Stance on Fossil Fuels The stance on fossil fuels of the 9th District of Texas Congressional candidate Johnny Teague is based on Biblical principles. If you believe in a Creator and that everything is here for a purpose, then you have to realize that fossil fuels are not an accident. At the very beginning of time, God knew we would need automation and industry, so in His Wisdom, He gave us the fuels that we would need. The amazing thing about this earth is that it is a closed system. Plants emit oxygen which we need to live. We emit carbon dioxide as does our industry which the plants need to live. This is simplistic again, but true. Just as God gave the vine for burning, so He gave us oil and gas for burning too. We are blessed by so many forms of energy in this nation. We are energy independent. We have energy sources of solar, wind, coal, nuclear, oil and gas. We should do all we can to keep our environment clean and safe, but for our nation to be strong, for our nation to compete, for our nation to be safe, we should always thrive in the oil and gas industry as the chief means and source to real automotive power. Biblical Support – Ezekiel 15:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine better than that of a branch on any of the trees in the forest? 3 Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? 4 And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? 5 If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred? 6 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire. Morality George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports”. Why is our nation struggling? We have thrown off the very pillars that have held us upright all these years – religion and morality. Some will say that religion is the problem, that it has caused the deaths of multitudes. The truth is, the greatest killing machines in the history of our world were orchestrated by those with no religion. If we stand for Biblical, traditional marriages, we are called haters. As a result, we are blocked from city contracts. We are vilified and said to be against equal rights. Since when in our nation did it become wrong and even outlawed to carry a belief that is against prevailing culture? Are we not allowed to love the gay person and yet hold to a different opinion? Are we not allowed to pray for the transgender and yet voice our belief that a person born male is a male, and a person born female is a female. The science backs this stance, yet in this one case, our culture ignores science. Why can’t we care for the pregnant and the baby in the womb, and also be concerned for a woman’s health? Can we not love our nation and call for borders? Can we not care for the stranger in our land and expect people who come to this nation to follow the law without being called racists? Can we not stand on the Bible and say what God says on an issue? We are called to either follow man or follow God, according to Acts 5. We must follow God every time no matter how much we may be castigated for it. The vast majority of Americans agree, yet they are afraid to say so for fear of repercussions. Money, education, and government, all together, cannot solve our problems. It is a heart thing. Things aren’t okay in Washington. Things aren’t right on our streets – there is crime, drugs, poverty, slavery in our midst, prejudice, injustice, flooded neighborhoods, infrastructure deterioration, dysfunction in society, national debt, and hate of country. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone loved everyone else, if nobody lied, nobody stole, nobody cheated, if someone had a need and someone else met it, if everyone worked, and if no one scammed anyone else for money? This is the Bible’s worldview. The principles of the Bible are delightful and bring relief – it says we should not kill, we should not lie, we should not be greedy, we should discipline our kids, we should respect our elders, and we should treat people the way we want to be treated. What would be so wrong to get back to this? This is why I am running for Congress. The problem in DC isn’t who’s in power or where they are from. Our problem is the problem of the heart – our sin, our walk away from God and away from our founding principles. If we as a nation return to God, return to His Word, let Him change our hearts, then our kids will be safe on the streets, our representatives’ yes will be yes and their no will be no, and my phone left on the park bench will be there when I remember and return for it. Biblical Support – Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock — the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. 5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. 8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity — in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground — in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you…. Deuteronomy 28:12 You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. Deut 28:28 The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. Abortion Pride wells up within us when we see all the things that we have been able to accomplish – split an atom, fertilize an egg in a test tube, transplant a heart, and build amazingly small computers with vast capabilities. We start to believe that the only gods that exist are us. We’re wrong. We have engaged in the atrocity of abortion, which is taking life. Life is the one thing that mankind has been unable to create or ignite, and it is one of many things that will always escape our grasp. God gives life and we are not to take it away. (To do so, to take life, is what God calls killing). So, then we come to the complexities of pregnancy. We hear it called a woman’s health issue. It’s not. The vast majority of unwanted pregnancies could be prevented through abstinence or through contraception. Are we so smart and yet so ignorant to know that our sexual acts lead to pregnancy? Without abortion as a means of birth-control, people would be much more cautious in their actions. President Obama once said that if his daugthers made a mistake, he didn’t want them punished with a baby. A baby is not a punishment. A baby is a life, a blessing and a gift. Those who have considered abortion but kept their baby found a blessing they never imagined. Some say that those who support life only care to get the baby into the world, but then cease to care for the child once he or she enters the world. There is truth here. We must care for the baby on both sides of the womb. How? We have in place programs to educate and help moms in school and out of school. We have to encourage each person to take responsibility for themselves and to be self-supportive. We must hold men accountable for their actions too. A man old enough to engage in the activity that produces a baby is old enough to support that baby after the activity. Again, if we hold all parties responsible, measures will be taken to prevent their unintended consequences through abstinence or birth control. Abortion has many costs. First and foremost, it cost that baby his or her life. Secondly, abortion brings life-long physical injury. As a pastor, I have seen women who have had abortions and then face horrendous complications in their next pregnancy such those brought about by an incompetent cervix. Thirdly comes the guilt and the emotional regret. I have counseled men on their death beds grieving because they drove their loved one to have an abortion knowing their part and guilt in ending a life. I have counseled ladies who had abortions and later became ideal wives and mothers. You would think they had moved on, but then they show up in my office. I find they still struggle with great grief and nightmares because they can’t get over the day they allowed the baby to be killed in their womb. There is one more cost to consider. People are saying we need more illegal immigration because we don’t have enough workers to do the jobs in our nation. This would not even be an argument if only we had kept the babies that God gave us whom we aborted. People long for cures to diseases that we struggle with day after day. What if we aborted the cure when we aborted those babies who would have been the doctors and scientists with the solution. Each child aborted is a person that God made for a purpose. All this can be stopped through simple caution, responsibility, and restraint. The last point we need to make – at first there was the legalization of gay sex, than the cry for gay partnerships to be recognized. They said they didn’t want marriage, just a gay union. Then there was the move to gay marriage. It’s the same movement on abortion. First it was for rape, incest, and the mother’s life in danger, then it was abortion but only before 20 weeks. The next thing you know they push that envelope to nine months. As if that wasn’t horrible enough, now they are saying if the baby survives abortion, kill it. Even this moment, there is a push now to make abortions based on gender, just like Communist China. Where do we say enough? When we give in to a sin, it is never content to just cross the line. Biblical Support – Exodus 21:22 “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. Jeremiah 22:3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Ps 106:38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves. 40 Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. 41 He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them. 42 Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power. Isa 59:7 Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. 8 The way of peace they do not know; Lawlessness is Rampant It seems when laws are being broken, the easiest thing to do is to make whatever is done illegally, legal. We have done this with abortion, gay marriage, marijuana, gambling, illegal immigration, and prostitution. Our nation is a nation of law and order. If we keep removing laws to make the jails less crowded, we will make our streets more crowded with lawbreakers. We need to enforce our laws. Keeping people safe involves enforcing laws, educating and supporting families, and changing hearts. District Attorney Ogg recently boasted that since they’ve stopped enforcing marijuana laws, arrests have gone down. What law will we not enforce next to reduce arrests. If we get rid of all laws, then there will be no more need for jails and prisons, right? With regard to the drug problem in our nation, the call is to legalize marijuana nationwide. I visited with a mom recently whose daughter did a semester in Amsterdam where marijuana is legal and freely used. After spending her time there, she came back sharing with her mom that she hopes it will never be accepted in this nation. Her mom asked why? The daughter explained that the people she met there had no drive and no initiative. They just seemed to walk around in a fog. The users just have no care or concern for anything. Marijuana use does destroy drive and it lets our guard down to care for things that matter. May we stop this push to legalize at the state and federal level. Recently we are hearing a new call – let those in our jails and prisons vote. These people are currently incarcerated because they committed crimes against society. Now we are told that they have a right to dictate what happens in society? We must return to a nation of laws where both sides of the law are required to follow it. If we don’t, the only outcome will be lawlessness and chaos. Biblical Support – 2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work. 1 Peter 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. – Health Care Where does Pastor Johnny Teague stand on the issue of health care? We have got to work with doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, health insurance companies, and employers to find the most optimal system for our citizens. With all these industries working together in generosity and fairness, a system can be established in the free market that will bring healthcare costs down and make it available and affordable for the citizens, as well as fulfilling and profitable for the healthcare providers. The best system does not include the government. Our veterans at the VA can vouch for that. Biblical Support on the issue of Health Care – Mark 5:24 A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. Economy We have been called to work. I have worked in so many stations in life which gives me a unique view on the economy:
In the United States, we are free to try, free to fail, and free to succeed. We can live where we want, do what we want, study what we want, and endeavor to achieve our wildest dreams. In short, we can pursue happiness. We were never promised happiness, but the pursuit of it. How best can this be done? Get government out of the way. Government can referee to make sure people play fairly. Government can step in if its citizens are exposed, but the free market can take care of this, if allowed to. The Government creates inconsistences, impedes businesses from failing that should fail, and prevents businesses from succeeding that should succeed. Taxation is a big part of this equation. We have seen in the last four years what the economy can do if the government is unrestrained. We have also seen in years past what our economy looks like when business is restrained. Free enterprise, innovation, and entrepreneurship has made us great and these will keep us great. Biblical Support – 1 Samuel 8:11 “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day.“ Global Warming and Climate Change We are called to be good stewards of our environment. We are to take care of it. We are to do as little harm as possible. We are to clean up our messes. But, per the Genesis account, we are to subdue it and use it for our benefit. All things we see were created for the benefit of mankind. The God who made these things knew beforehand what our technology and industry would do. As a result, He created a planet and a system that can absorb whatever we can dish out. How wonderful is that? We were horrified at a recent oil spill off our coast and fretted over the damage it would bring. To everyone’s shock, the ocean just seemed to absorb it and clean itself. What a wonderful environmental system we live in. As far as mankind’s power is concerned, some believe that mankind can actually regulate the atmosphere, the temperature, and the glaciers. Man has been here a long time, though our use of fossil fuels is relatively short. During the boom of industry when there were no environmental regulations at all, there was great pollution. Did the temperature change dramatically? No. There will always be times of extreme heat. And, there will always be times of extreme cold. Again, we are to do all we can to be good and responsible stewards, but there should be no worries about the earth’s ability to sustain life. We have a Creator and Sustainer who takes care of those things. God is pretty adamant on this issue. See below: Biblical Support – Ps 147:15 He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? 18 He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. …Job 38:3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?…Job 38:18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. 19 “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? 20 Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?…22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? 24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? 25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, 26 to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, 27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? 28 Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens 30 when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?…34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? 35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? 36 Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind? 37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens 38 when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? Education The Founder’s Bible referenced Noah Webster, who is called the schoolmaster to America and who is famous for the American Dictionary of the English Language. This well-respected Founder of our nation wrote, “Any system of education…which limits instruction to the arts and sciences and rejects the aids of religion in forming the characters of citizens, is essentially defective. In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children under a free government ought to be instructed.” How far have we come from this? Our nation continually tries to get a grasp on why our kids fall behind. We grapple with violence in schools, teachers’ sexual abuse of the students, the bullying among the students, and the disrespect and classroom misbehavior toward our teachers. The problems are evident, and the culprit is universally declared to be lack of funding. The result? We add more money each year hoping this will solve the problem along with catchy new slogans. Has this worked? No. We have amazing teachers in our educational system and visionaries in administration. The American spirit is at work but it has been handicapped by the true problem which lies in the heart of each child and adult involved. One of the reasons people are leaving public schools is because of the prohibition to let students open a Bible, learn a verse, say a prayer, or repeat the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Let’s regain these Biblical values and teach them to our children. The longing for utopia may not be realized, but we will be moving in that direction. With regard to funding, the United States is 4th in the world on what we spend on education. Do you know who the top three are? You’d be surprised – Norway, Switzerland, and Austria. What do they have to show for it? The issue isn’t spending, the average teacher pay in Texas is $57,000. Some are making $90,000. We hear that we need to pay them more because they are having to work extra jobs to make ends meet. Some truly are, but most are not. We need to pay teachers, give them deserved pay raises, and reward them; but money to teachers isn’t the problem in our educational system. The majority have great buildings, resources, and teachers, so why are the kids struggling? Could it be the student? If the student doesn’t want to learn or isn’t motivated to learn, and if the student doesn’t have the parental support and encouragement at home, what good are we doing? The Asian cultures do so well because there is the motivation and push at home for their children to do well. When the kids at the Church I pastor were struggling with their grades, I asked them to stand. I offered them $2 for every A and $20 for all A’s. Do you know what happened? Their grades increased greatly. Why? Because they were motivated. We need to find better ways to fix our educational system. It is a comprehensive approach – one is return the hearts of these kids to the Lord, accountability to Him. Two – we need to instill in them respect for their parents, their teachers, and their elders. Three – we need to find better ways to motivate them to excel. Four – we need to encourage parents to work with their kids. Five – we should give them homework. Homework? Yes, many schools quit sending homework home because they said the kids wouldn’t do it. Since when did the kids dictate what they will do and what they won’t. When we give in to what the child desires, we give them authority that they are not ready to possess. Learning requires repetition, repetition comes through homework and tests. Biblical support – Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Ending Poverty Pastor Johnny Teague, candidate running for Congress in the 9th Congressional District in Texas, takes a Biblical view on poverty and government welfare. Poverty and Government Welfare The District Attorney in Dallas recently said that he would not convict anyone found stealing anything of value under $750 as long as it was for survival. Unbelievable! I took a young man in the Church to find work because he was tired of getting a check from the government. A company hired him, but while he was filling out the paperwork, his sister called and told him not to take the job because he would lose his government check. That check was $700 per month. The job he was just hired for would pay $1,500 a month for starters. She told me that may be true, but the $700 was guaranteed. Do you see the problem? If a person is physically able, he or she should work. If they find themselves in a period of unemployment, they should be able to receive unemployment provided they actively look for work. I think having people work in some government capacity like cleaning parks, helping in an office, doing data input during this time would help them network, learn new skills, and motivate them to find a job with better pay than what welfare or unemployment offers. Granted, this is simplistic, but the true values of the United States are that our citizens strive for self-reliance. Each person should be responsible for himself or herself. We need to get away from always claiming to be the victim waiting on a check. If a person runs into financial trouble, the support should then fall to the family. When that runs out, it should then fall to the Church. The last safety net should be the government and that support from the government is a net not a hammock. All this said, not all get the help, just those who are truly in need and those who are truly making an effort to rise above their situation. In this country, we can truly succeed by the content of our character. And the government should remove any roadblock that keeps a person from working and succeeding – always standing for the little guy or gal. The Church I pastor prepares meals for the homeless, provides clothes for the prostitutes, gives gifts to the kids of those imprisoned, and provides benevolence for those short on rent and electric. We believe in giving and helping. And, we encourage and help people rise above by helping them find work as well as make and stay within a budget. We give because we love. We love too much to leave people in a needy situation. Biblical Support – Ecclesiastes 10:18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor. 1 Timothy 5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ – GOVERNMENT OVERREACH When people have a hunger problem, many look to the government to fix it. Others decide to care for their fellow man and take steps to feed the hungry as a ministry or an act of love. Sadly, recently, the government has stepped in to say they can’t. Why? It seems the government purposely wants us dependent upon it. We have flooding, some in this community wanted to fix this. They traveled all the way to the Netherlands to see how that country handles flooding. They got great insight, but financially, they couldn’t afford to take on this endeavor. Even if they could, the government would not allow them. Our government makes us dependent upon it for solution, and then is paralyzed with inaction and half-measures. Today many want the government to feed us, to house us, to educate us, to doctor us, to pay us, to fix our problems, to tell us when to put on a coat, and guide us as to when to carry an umbrella. Do you see a problem with that? Do we really want government to decide what we can do, how much we can make, how much medical care we should get, what education our kids should receive? It’s time we retake our stand, solve our own problems, and tell government to get out of the way so we can. Our nation was founded with a can-do spirit. Our Founders took an untamed wilderness with buried resources, and went to work bringing about an unmatched civilization with prosperity, and productivity. They succeeded on their own, depending only on the Lord. It is time we go back to that. It is called freedom and liberty. Biblical support – 1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his (or her) heart on being an overseer, he (or she) desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect….7 He (or she) must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. Immigration and Borders Our nation has always welcomed the immigrant who is tired and hungry, longing to be free. But this hand was extended to all who come through legal means. This is the whole reason there was an Ellis Island and a Statue of Liberty. Illegal immigration exposes our kids to sickness, our cities to terrorism, and our citizens to lost jobs and lower pay. There is a cry to allow anyone to come into this nation without screening or questioning. This opens our nation to violence and danger. Some say that we should let those who came here illegally to stay, that they are good citizens. But here’s the problem with that, if they broke the law to come here, will they not break the next law that gets in their way too? Here is the rule of thumb we should use – The safeguards we exercise in deciding who we allow into our homes should be the rules we apply to those who come into this nation. This is just good common sense. It is also a caution taking realizing that the people we let in will one day be our neighbors. Choosing our neighbors is important based on no other metric other than our safety and their ability to support themselves. We should also add one more desire. Those who come here should come here longing to be what we are – Americans. Borders are as important as front doors and back doors. Borders are as helpful as locks on both. They protect us. They aren’t meant to shut out those who mean us no harm, but they are to give us time to check and verify all who may enter. Biblical Support – On Borders – Exodus 23:31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. Isaiah 26:15 You have enlarged the nation, O Lord; you have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for yourself; you have extended all the borders of the land. Psalm 147:14 He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. On Immigrants – Deuteronomy 28:15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands…43 The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. Jerermiah 22:3 This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. DEBT Our nation is in trillions of dollars of debt, and yet our people keep asking the government to do more for them. How does a kid feel when their parents die and stiff them with debts and funeral costs? We’re doing that with our budget. We need to cut back now. We need to make the hard decisions now so that when we leave, our kids have something we’ve left them – a surplus. How do we cut our budget and spending and reduce the national debt? Plan to Reduce the National Debt
Our Church was running low in our bank account. What did I do? I cut my pay by 20% and I cut every possible expense. Then I asked the members to voluntarily give as God leads them to help. I can’t tax our Church members, nor would I. I just asked them for help. You know what? They gave, because they love this Church and we are in this together. It can work the same in our government – cut our expenses; and instead of taxing, we ask those who are able to give more to reduce the debt – voluntarily. Why would they do that? They should because we are in this together as Americans. One other thing, when we follow God, He provides. When we don’t, He doesn’t. Do you wonder why we are in this mess? Biblical Support – Deuteronmy 28:1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Deuteronomy 28:12 You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor,and the borrower is servant to the lender. A BIBLICAL VIEW ON AMERICA This nation was founded upon God. It has sought to do right, to be self-governed, meaning not just our people governing our people, but more – each individual governing themselves. This nation has always entered war to end atrocities – tyranny brought by Great Britain, slaughter brought by Nazi Germany and Emperor-led Japan, terrorism brought by radicals, and even slavery brought and propagated by our own people. In every war, God has given us victory, righted wrongs, but this nation did more than that – we cared for the ones we defeated. It is only an America that has made great allies out of once horrific foes – Britain, Germany, Japan, and the reunification of the North and South. We have always depended on our own industry and the free market based on the morality learned in our Churches. We are the first to help those in need, the first to go, the first to help, the first to write a check. We are the land of opportunity. This is why people do all they can to come here, and few pack-up to leave. De Tocqueville said America is great because America is good. We need to return this nation to being good again. Biblical Support – 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. On Holding Office and On Choosing Leaders Office holders should not seek their own gain. They should leave office as poor as when they entered. They are not smarter than us and they should not be worse. They should not demand the chief seats or the first-class tickets or limo rides to their offices. They are to serve. They should be people from among us – our plumbers, our teachers, our neighbors, our preachers, our highway department workers, our farmers and ranchers. Each in every office should serve for a limited time and return to their field They should keep every promise or voluntarily step down. Biblical support on the issue of Holding Office – Exodus 18:17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain[3] |
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| —Johnny Teague's campaign website (2022)[4] | ||
2020
Johnny Teague completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Teague's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- We need term limits. We need to get out of debt. We need to return to our traditional, Constitutional, Biblical values.
- I am totally against Sanctuary Cities as they are in violation of the Law. I believe we need to secure the borders and then deal with immigration - in that order period. We have laws for immigration. I would not reform them, but enforce them.
- I strongly support the Second Amendment. I believe we need to enforce the laws we have. Removing guns is not the answer. Criminals will never turn in theirs.
I believe the best thing the government can do is to get out of the way and let our free enterprise system run its course. The beauty of our system is that it is self-corrective. I would not increase taxes. I do believe we need a steady, orchestrated cut over the next ten years in every entitlement but Social Security and Medicare, but develop a system that will separate those two funds from all others, guard them, and find ways to help them be sustainable.
The greatest calling of the federal government, in my opinion, is to keep us safe. I am totally against Sanctuary Cities as they are in violation of the Law. I believe we need to secure the borders and then deal with immigration - in that order period. We have laws for immigration. I would not reform them, but enforce them.
People must go back to work, leaning less on the government & more on their industry. God still holds this position as the Giver of all good things. He is the One who says if we don't work, we don't eat. Kennedy said, "Ask what we can do for our country". Reagan said the scariest thing a person can face is to meet a guy at the front door who says, "I am from the government & am here to help you.".
I believe that our government officials should come from the people & return to the people after a period of service. We call this term-limits which should apply to every level, not just the President. Harry Truman left office moderately poor & refused to use that office to make money during or after serving. We call this service, not for our own selfish good, but for the good of the nation.
We don't dictate what is right or wrong. God does that. If someone disagrees with our stand, it is not us they should argue with, but with God. But, as people defy what God says, they soon find that the way they have chosen doesn't work. The reason God makes commands & gives requirements on how to live is that those ways are best for us & best for others. We cannot pick & choose the things God has said & think we will come out alright, or vainly imagine that we know better than God with regard to our time & our generation. God's Word is timeless. Right will always be right. Wrong will always be wrong. Our Constitution's number one source was the Bible.
We need to decrease government spending and reduce our out of control debt. I believe the best thing the government can do is to get out of the way and let our free enterprise system run its course. The beauty of our system is that it is self-corrective. I would not increase taxes. I would love to see us do something with regard to property taxes. I do believe we need a steady, orchestrated cut over the next ten years in every entitlement but Social Security and Medicare, but develop a system that will separate those two funds from all other, guard them, and find ways to help them be sustainable.
I am totally against Sanctuary Cities as they are in violation of the Law. I believe we need to secure the borders and then deal with immigration - in that order period. We have laws for immigration. I would not reform them, but enforce them. We should absolutely build the wall. The greatest calling of the federal government, in my opinion, is to keep us safe.
I would remove the Affordable Health Care Act. We need to lift state restrictions and make our system more competitive. I do believe some of our urgent care businesses are popping up, showing that free enterprise can reduce costs. I also believe liability and lawsuit fishing is hurting the entire cost structure.
I would also love to model myself after William McKinley or Dwight D. Eisenhower - in their faith, in their righteousness, in their leadership, and in their ability to stand firm and bring opposition to the right side of the issues.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 24, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 20, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Johnny Teague for Congress in TX 9th Congressional District, “Where Does Candidate Johnny Teague Stand on the Issues?,” accessed January 25, 2022
