Close to 500 people, individuals ranging from President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to government leaders and everyday citizens, are delving into God’s Word this week as part of “America Reads the Bible” – a nationwide movement spearheaded by the non-profit organization “Christians Engaged.”
Focus on the Family’s Tim Goeglein will also be participating.
The prelude to the historic event began on Saturday night at Washington, D.C.’s National Community Church. Coinciding with the celebration of America’s 250th birthday this coming July, the kickoff event featured teaching from historian David Barton and corporate worship led by Leeland Mooring. Actresses Candace Cameron Bure and Patricia Heaton, along with Hollywood producers Cameron and BJ Arnett, also addressed those gathered.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who helped kick things off on Sunday morning at the Museum of the Bible by reading from Genesis, also spoke on Saturday evening. During his remarks, he shared a personal testimony of how his fireman father’s tragic injury back when he was a boy compelled him to turn to God in desperation.
“My father was burned so badly and so severely, he was permanently disabled in the fire, but at the time, he had a 5% chance to live,” Johnson recalled. “When I was age 12, I got down on my face before the Lord, and I pleaded for the life of my father. He spared my father’s life, and he went on to live another 30-plus years.”
Speaker Johnson, a strong Christian who regularly invokes God’s Word in speeches and interviews, suggests the Lord used that trauma in a redeeming and personal way.
“That event, that moment in my life, made the promises of Scripture so true,” he said. “I actually saw a miracle. It’s a long story. There’s actually a book written about this experience with my father. It was a miraculous set of circumstances, and God answered our prayers. And to me, from the time I was 12 years old, I knew that God’s Word is flawless and true, that these are real promises, that we can rely upon it.”
President Trump is also participating. His portion will be airing on Tuesday evening between 6 and 7 p.m. ET. Last week, from the Oval Office, he read from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, which includes the familiar verse:
… if my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
In a statement released prior to Saturday night’s festivities, President Trump noted and affirmed the foundational underpinnings of Scripture in America’s founding.
“In every generation, through every trial and triumph, God’s Word has guided our people and our country to incredible new heights,” the 45th and 47th president stated. During the first inauguration, George Washington, setting a precedent for all future Presidents, put his left hand on the Bible and took the oath of office, after which he kissed the Bible.”
He then added:
“Of the many influences that have shaped the United States of America into a distinctive Nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.”
Other members of the Trump administration expected to read from the Old and New Testaments includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
You don’t have to be in Washington, D.C., to participate. The marathon Bible reading can be streamed in real time via the Pure Flix app from Great American Media.
Critics and skeptics have tried to diminish “America Reads the Bible” by labeling it performative and simply a public relations stunt in an election year. To be sure, God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7), and anytime His Word is read aloud in public is a very good thing and a wonderful opportunity for hearts and minds to be transformed by the sheer power of its sound.
Please join us in praying for this outreach.
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