The publication is reproduced in full below:
NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Madam Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, in 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week. While facing a world entering a great war and a nation exiting a Great Depression, FDR led us to recognize that the Bible is a foundational building block of Western Civilization--the Judeo-Christian heritage.
The ideas and principles that shaped the thinking of America's foundation and Founding Fathers were found in the Bible. Today, 80 years later, we celebrate a book that is no less relevant and foundational than it was in 1941, or 1776, or 2,000 years ago.
Amidst worldwide pandemics that have shaken the foundations of education, economy, healthcare, and every other source of personal and national security instability, we find that the Bible stands as the only foundation that can never be shaken.
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds came and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock.
It is a great honor for me to come to the House floor tonight to commemorate National Bible Week. I am so thankful and blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship and read the holy Scriptures without fear. Many people across the globe live in countries where such freedoms do not exist. Our very Declaration of Independence confesses God's truth that is self-evident:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
As a personal testimony for myself, the Bible has had a profound impact on my life and my family as it has on millions of Americans and people all over the world.
{time} 1945
God's Word is so valuable to me because it has shaped my thinking and deeply influenced my relationship with God. The Bible has, indeed, been a source of guidance, wisdom, joy, and light in every area of my life. I agree with what King David said: ``O, how I love Your law. It is my meditation all the day.''
In this hour, we will hear Members of Congress from various faith traditions and denominations and from all over the United States speak about what the Bible means to them and their constituents. We are here, in keeping with tradition, to recognize National Bible Week.
I would first like to yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler), my good friend and inspiration to so many of us.
Mrs. HARTZLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this Special Order tonight so that we can recognize the book that means so much to many of us and certainly our Nation, and that is the Bible. We are blessed to live in a nation that is founded on the truths of the Bible.
Many people don't know this, but of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nearly half held seminary or Bible school degrees. These Founders had a very deep religious conviction and faith in Jesus Christ, and it was based on the Bible.
The following quotes from our Founding Fathers provide a window into the strong moral and spiritual convictions which helped form the foundations of our nation and our government.
George Washington, our first President said: ``While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.'' That was George Washington.
John Quincy Adams was our sixth President, and he said:
In the chain of human events, the birthday of the Nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.
That is very clearly saying that our Nation was founded on Christianity and the Bible.
And our fourth President, James Madison, recorded 10 different references to Scripture at the Constitutional Convention, which was the pivotal event in our Nation's history that codified our freedom and our God-given rights. So, our Founders quoted Scripture.
Like the Constitution that it inspired, the Bible is timeless and impacts us still today. The Bible is the inspired Word of God.
I started reading the Bible every day at age 13. I went to Youth for Christ camp and learned that this was a great opportunity to have God be able to speak to you every day and to start your day.
It has been a source of encouragement when I was down, a source of guidance when I needed direction, and a source of comfort during life's struggles. The Bible speaks to every situation that people encounter, and it shows the path to blessings.
Psalm 33:12 is really relevant today. It says: ``Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.'' Powerful for us to remember that.
Psalm 1 says:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on it day and night. That person is like a tree planted by the streams of water which shields its fruit and season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do prospers.
Good words. But the Bible also tells us the good news that we celebrate this season.
Luke 2 says:
But the angel said to them, ``Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord.''
And the greatest news of all is summarized in John 3:16-17:
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but to save the world through him.
So as we commemorate this National Bible Week, I would encourage all of us to pick up that Bible, dust it off, or download an app on your phone, read it, and receive the blessing it contains for us as individuals and as a nation.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for her comments.
I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), my friend and colleague.
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for having this Special Order.
Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to stand in this sacred Chamber each year during National Bible Week to express the importance of a book that has influenced my life more than any other. Without a doubt and without fault, the Bible has been my comfort in sorrow, my counsel in decisionmaking, and my unwavering companion in day-to-day life.
From running my dental practice to raising my family to serving the good people of Texas' 36th Congressional District, God's Word has always been the central hub that everything else revolves around, and it continues to mold and shape my life for the better each day.
But the Scripture's reach is much further than the life of one Texas Congressman. If you take a single glance at a U.S. history book, you will see its footprint immediately. During our Nation's birth, the Bible was perhaps the most accessible book to our Founding Fathers, and in its pages, they learned valuable insights about human nature, civic virtue, and the rights of our citizens.
Biblical influence can also be seen in our founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, which states that ``all men are created equal, that they are all endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.''
We are living in uncertain and perilous times, and I pray daily that we as a country find our way back to the teachings of the Scripture. May we never forget that it was God's divine providence and written word that provided the fortitude to those responsible for creating this grand experiment of America.
Keeping His hand in all we do is the only way that we can preserve it. I will close with one of my favorite passages of encouragement and hope and life everlasting from the Bible, Job 19:25-27:
For I know that my redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the Earth. And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh, I shall see God whom I shall see for myself. And my eyes shall behold Him and not another. How my heart yearns within me.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
Here we are in the Halls of Congress, and many things have happened here over the years. When you look back on what our country was like at the founding of our country, some things have changed. Many of the early American settlers came to the New World with the expressed purpose of living out their life with faith in God and His Word, according to their own consciences. One of Congress' first acts in the infancy of our Nation was the authorization of an American-published Bible.
The Revolutionary War with the British had cut off a lot of shipments of Bibles from England, and there was a shortage. So in 1782, Congress passed this resolution: ``Resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion, as well as an instance of the progress of arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.''
Boy, can you imagine doing that today, the House of Representatives approving the printing of the Bible? Our country has changed over the years and not always necessarily for the better.
Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Bible Week and in celebration of my faith and of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the living God.
Last week, we got to spend time with our families as we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, and I was able to use that time for reflection. Recently, my family had the privilege of welcoming our sixth grandchild into the family. On October 28, Mary Emma Carter was born.
Psalm 127:3 tells us that ``children are a gift from the Lord; they are reward from Him.''
Spending time with my grandchildren is my opportunity for me to witness true innocence, untouched by the evils of the world, as well as unconditional love. In moments such as these, we are reconnected with the true beauty and splendor of our Lord in His grand design.
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus tells an audience: ``Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.''
We are called to love one another as children do, to emulate this mindset, especially when it is difficult to do so.
This past year has been difficult for many Americans. In this time of struggle, discourse, and many disagreements, I find comfort in the Bible, which serves as a reminder of God's love for all of His children. It is this love that guided our Nation through the darkest days of the pandemic, where nurses and doctors selflessly sacrificed their own safety for their neighbor's health and protection.
It is this love that drives our men and women in blue to risk their lives to defend, to protect ourselves and others. And it is this love that will fill our homes this Christmas as we gather to celebrate the Savior of the world and His ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. Mary Margaret, Adalay, Christopher, Bennett, Catherine, and Mary Emma, I love you, your Mamie loves you, and God loves you.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
I now yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).
Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
The Bible, wow, what a book. You know, Billy Graham said in the 1950s in one of his early books called ``Peace with God,'' he said:
There is one thing that has never changed since day one of creation. The truth has always been the truth, and it always will be. There is only one place to go to find that truth, and that is in God's Holy Word, the Bible.
You know, I think our Founders understood that nearly 2,000 years before Billy Graham ever spoke those words on the floor of the Constitutional Convention. Benjamin Franklin, in a moment of frustration because they were at an impasse trying to write the Constitution of the United States, brought focus to what was happening on the Convention floor. He was recognized by the President of the Convention, George Washington, and he stood up and said these words:
I have lived long, sir, and the longer I live and the more I see, the more convincing proof I see of this truth that God deals in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow can't fall from the sky without His notice, how do we think it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
Other Founders understood where the truth was to be found. John Adams went on to say:
The Constitution of the United States is a document designed to govern a moral and religious people, and it is wholly inadequate for any other.
I believe that is because our Founders understood that to be a self-
governing people, we had to be grounded in our faith. We had to be self-responsible people and that there were no more self-responsible people on the planet than those who lived by the truth contained in the Scriptures.
My prayer for our country and for each of us today is that we would live by the prayer that Paul prayed to the church in Ephesus:
That God would send His Holy Spirit to give us His wisdom and His revelation that we might know Him better because it is only knowing God better that we can understand the truths that lie in that precious book, the Bible.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).
Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for doing this very important work that we are doing here tonight.
As a born-again Christian, I am proud to let everyone know that the most important thing in my life is my faith. When I ran for Congress a year ago, I identified as a Biblical and constitutional conservative and was told I was too conservative to win. I start each day very early in the morning--I am a 4:30 riser--with 30 minutes in God's Word before I spend my time in prayer from there.
{time} 2000
Why did FDR declare it National Bible Week 80 years ago on the eve of the entrance of the U.S. into the greatest existential crisis that it would ever face, World War II?
Because the Bible is the source of all truth, containing God's complete revelation of all that He wanted us to know, everything pertaining to this life and next.
There is a reason why it is the number one, all-time best seller, with far more original manuscript evidence than any publication in human history, despite the efforts by oppressive regimes to try to ban it and stamp it out.
The Bible is God's love letter to us. The Bible is God's guidebook to us on how to live. The Bible is our map on how to get to heaven and how to have eternal life. It contains the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection that makes salvation possible.
It is the Bible that tells us that we are created in God's image, male and female, that He knows us in the womb, even before our mother knows we are there, and He has unique plans for each one of us.
It is the Bible that tells us of God's laws and design for morality, for marriage, for the family, the very foundations of our society.
Having been written between 2,000 and 4,000 years ago, the Bible is still the tool that God uses to change lives today. It contains a story of a man named Jesus, born 2,000 years ago, who had no formal education, never traveled more than a few miles from His hometown, never held public office, had no media or social media to help Him get His message out, and was executed at age 33 after 3 short years of public ministry.
He had a small group of disciples, all of whom were martyred for their faith and their personal witness to what they saw Him do, including His resurrection from the dead.
And this Jesus has hundreds of millions of followers around the world today because they were introduced to Him through the Bible, God's Holy Word.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, if you go to the discoveries that archeology has made over the years, they have always validated Biblical accounts.
Time and time again, Biblical personalities, locations, and events actually existed in time and space as proven by archeology.
Claims by some critics that a Biblical statement was simply made up have always been debunked by later discoveries, many more times than we could cite here tonight.
For instance, the Dead Sea Scrolls proved the credibility and authority of Scriptures. Jewish archeologist Nelson Glueck has said:
``It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted,'' or contradicted, ``a Biblical reference.''
Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, John Adams said that the Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people and totally unfit for any other kind.
How are we to know what John Adams meant by a ``moral and religious people''?
In the 1600s, Massachusetts school children were required to study the Bible. I don't think this was unusual for people who lived prior to the time of the Revolution.
I am going to quote a little bit here from three of our Founders to see what they felt about the Bible.
George Washington, ``It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all of the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters.''
John Jay, the original Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. I wonder if the Chief Justice would say this today. ``The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the Word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.''
I will go back to John Adams one more time. ``Suppose a Nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God . . . What a Eutopia, what a paradise would this region be.''
It is primarily important to read the Bible to understand the history of the world, the commandments we are to live by, and also the life of Jesus Christ.
I may also point out, in particular, we should pay attention to the books of the Old Testament in learning lessons that God taught Israel.
We cannot understand our Constitution without a thorough reading of the Bible, and, therefore, I don't think you can be a decent congressman without a thorough reading of the Bible, which is why we have National Bible Week today. I hope as many Members as possible read the Bible themselves.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois
(Mrs. Miller), my friend and colleague.
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Congressman Lamborn, for hosting this wonderful Special Order this evening.
It is fitting that we commemorate the Bible's central role in moral, educated, and free societies and that we get to celebrate the freedom that we have in this country to own, to share, and to speak about the Bible.
Bible reading has been a great encouragement and comfort to people throughout history and has contributed to the spiritual, moral, and social fiber of our Nation.
Millions of Americans have been impacted by the Bible. It is especially important to my constituents back in the 15th Congressional District of Illinois.
It is a priority of our home. We have daily Bible reading and scripture memory, and we raised our children that way.
John Quincy Adams said, ``So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.''
I do have to agree with Congressman Babin when he said we live in perilous times. I would like to suggest that maybe we shouldn't have neglected in recent times the Scriptures and maybe we need to give more earnest heed to the Bible and what it says.
The Bible is the book above all others, to be read at all ages and in all conditions of human life. The Psalms say, ``Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.''
It answers all the great questions of life: Where did we come from? Why am I here? How shall I live? What is good and evil? What is the remedy for my sin? And where is our destiny?
May those of us who read and reverence the Holy Scriptures be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee
(Mrs. Harshbarger), another one of our great freshmen Members.
Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and holding this Special Order hour tonight.
Let me start with a couple of questions that people might have about the Bible.
What is the Bible? It is 66 different books composed by different people in three different languages written in different circumstances.
The writers were from different social ranks: statesmen, peasants, herdsmen, fishermen, kings, priests, tax collectors, tentmakers, physicians. They were educated and uneducated, Jews and gentiles. Most of them were unknown to each other, writing during various periods over 1,600 years, and yet it is one book about one subject. That subject is about mankind's redemption.
The Bible is inspired by God. It is without error and does not misrepresent the facts. It is trustworthy and the final authority for everything it teaches.
The next question is: Why would God give us the Bible? He did it to tell us the story of His infinite love and redemption for you and for me; to give us the amazing truth that the Lord not only offers forgiveness for our sins but also, He gives us the power to obey His law.
Every problem you face has already been answered in the Bible. It says nothing is new under the Sun, and that is true.
I have learned by reading God's Word that there is an answer to every question, if we just take the time to look in the Scriptures.
God desires an intimate relationship with each one of His creations, and it should be our goal as Christians to be obedient to God's Word, because obedience is better than sacrifice.
God gives us that little bit of faith to believe that He loved us enough to die for us so we can live again with Him in Heaven.
He already knows the desires of our heart before we even ask. Reading the Scriptures has taught me that nothing is wasted that happens in a person's life. Our steps are ordered, and God has a plan for our lives.
My prayer is this: That God would keep His hand on this great Nation.
I am asking my fellow Christians to help me pray for our country that God's will be done; that God will uncover what men or women try to deceitfully cover up; that God will raise up men and women to serve in all places in the government throughout the world and will call upon His name and pray according to His will and faith, believing in the name of Jesus Christ.
We should remember this: Our enemies are defenseless against our prayers.
I want to encourage America that there are Congressmen and Congresswomen who meet every Wednesday at 7 o'clock to pray for our Nation, and I implore them to help us pray.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, `` `For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, `plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.' ''
That is what I pray for America.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I would like to tell you my story real briefly.
When I was a freshman in college years ago, I was asked if I knew what the Bible was about. I said, yeah, I know what it is about. But I had never read it for myself, which was actually pretty presumptuous.
Madam Speaker, I wonder if this might be true for anyone else who is listening here today?
The only honest thing I could do when I was confronted with that question was to actually read the Bible for myself. I started with the Gospel of John.
When I read it, I discovered that I didn't know what was in it at all. I had all of these preconceived ideas, but yet I discovered things like Jesus said: ``I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'' So I ended up discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who became my Lord and Savior.
Madam Speaker, I speak from personal experience when I say that it is better to read the Bible for one's self and not just take someone else's word for what it says. My life has been transformed by the truth that it contains. The message of the good news of Jesus is still transforming many lives today.
``For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,'' John 3:16.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).
Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for holding this Special Order.
As I was listening to him, I was reminded of the Museum of the Bible that we all went to 4 years ago when it opened up. I asked one of the leaders there: What is the theme of the Museum of the Bible? What is the overriding thing that you want the Museum of the Bible to ascend to?
I will never forget his words. He said, Read the Bible. He said, It does not need any guardian; it does not need any interpretation. Read the Bible. It will change your life. That is what I have found to be true and what is so needed today in America.
Madam Speaker, it is such an honor to come before you today to celebrate National Bible Week. What better place to celebrate the Bible than in what is called the people's House but what is ultimately God's house.
As has been said, in 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued a national proclamation to celebrate the impact of the Bible on our Nation. The Bible has been a light for so many and a source of hope in the darkest of times, and its influence on this Nation is unmistakable.
In this Chamber, Moses, the messenger of the Ten Commandments and witness of God in all of His glory upon the mountaintop, watches over this body from above the gallery doors each time we gather to conduct business.
However, it is not merely the multitudes of honorary monuments and portraits of Biblical figures and passages that exemplify the importance of Scripture to all Americans, but it is the impressions of our social fabric, so evident in our actions, which speaks volumes.
This Nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. A stroll past any of the extraordinary monuments here in Washington, D.C., makes that abundantly clear. Our commitment to the principles enshrined in the written Word has sustained us throughout our rich history during the highest of times and during the lowest of times. The profound impact of the Bible, and particularly the Gospels, changed my life and continues to guide me as a public servant today.
I believe that if we continue to turn to God in all of what we do and love each other as God loves us, our best is yet to come. If we fail to do so, the worst is yet to come.
Despite our political differences and well-known imperfections, God never fails us. An annual celebration of His Word and unending love is the perfect reminder for us to unite with the common goal of humbly serving our Creator and encouraging this Nation to do the same.
{time} 2015
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Hice).
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for organizing this Special Order. The Scripture tells us in Psalm 100 that God is good, that His mercies are everlasting, that His truth endures to all generations, and that truth is revealed to us in God's Word.
This week we will see communities and churches and leaders all across the country celebrating National Bible Week for its importance in the role and life of our country and us as individuals.
I believe that we, as political leaders, have the responsibility to remind America and our citizens of the significance of the Bible in our history, our life, and our culture. It is impossible to accurately describe the history of America without including the history of the Bible and its impact on our Founders and the impact it can have on us today.
I think of all the magnificent truths of God's Word, which I begin every day in, all the incredible things, the wisdom, the splendor of it all, but I think the most important thing ever that has transformed my life is how God took my sins away.
The Scripture describes for us in Isaiah 53 that all of us, like sheep, had gone astray, that all of us had sin, heaped upon sin, but that God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. That is the story of the great love and the mercy of God, where He who was sinless took upon Himself our sins and made the pathway for us to have forgiveness and peace with God, both now and forever more.
I urge my colleagues to be open and receptive to the love of God, to the forgiveness of God. I urge our country to be receptive to the Word of God, the truth of God. The blessings of God await us as a Nation as we return to the truths of His Word.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Allen).
Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for organizing tonight's Special Order, as we honor the 80th anniversary of National Bible Week.
We are a divided Nation, we are a divided Congress. In fact, the church is having much division right now. Jesus, in the Scriptures, said it would be like this. That is why we recognize the importance of God's Word, which addresses every issue that divides us, and it also has the power to unite us.
Jesus prayed for us in John 17:21, ``that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.'' Why did he pray that? He prayed that, and He said, ``so that they would know that You sent me.'' That is how important unity is.
The Bible is God's incredible gift to each of us, providing guidance during times of joy and hardship. We are without excuse.
Over 21 years ago, as I was going through a time of trying to really decide what my faith would look like--and actually this is a Bible that we are currently reading here in Congress. It is called the Change Your Life Daily Bible. We have a number of Members who read it. In fact, if you want to know what your Member of Congress reads every day, you can get one of these Change Your Life Study Bibles.
Today's reading was exactly what I was going through at that time 21 years ago. He says: ``If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth, but if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his Word has no place in our hearts.'' That is today's reading from I John 1:8-10.
That cut through me like butter 21 years ago, and I made a covenant with God. I said, You have forgiven my sins. And I prayed that He would forgive my sins on that day, and I told God that I would make him priority one.
What that means, there are about five disciplines. One of them, of course, is reading the Scriptures, meditating on the Scriptures. In doing so, I learned that all of my strength and wisdom doesn't come from me, but through Him and His spirit.
Now could you imagine what this Congress and this Nation would look like if we all learned that our talent and wisdom is a gift from God to serve a purpose and to honor Him and glorify Him? We would have the power in this place to come together as one in truth.
I will leave you with this: There are many promises in the Bible, but God's instructions to us in Joshua 1:8, He said, do not let this Book of Law depart from your lips. Be careful to do what it says, meditate on it night and day, and you will be prosperous and successful.
That is what the American people want. As Members of Congress, I pray that we will come together, that we will share in His Word, that we will test every piece of legislation with His Word; we will pray over every piece of legislation, and that it would be pleasing and a blessing to God.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Mississippi (Mr. Guest).
Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, former President Ronald Reagan once said,
``Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.''
The answers in the Bible have provided our Nation with valuable wisdom over the course of history. In times of fear, God's Word has provided encouragement; in times of joy, it has supplied words of praise; and in times of uncertainty, it has offered peace.
My hope is that all Americans will continue to live by the truth and the wisdom of the Word of God.
As we face the future, we must never forget that our Nation was divinely inspired on biblical principles. We must recognize that we are blessed to live in a country where we can worship freely, and we must work to see that we always remain one nation under God.
But perhaps most important to our challenges today is to heed the greatest commandment, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, and love your neighbor as yourself.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those words.
I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), my friend and colleague.
Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for organizing this Special Order hour tonight to talk about the Bible.
When we have so much reverence for the Bible--and even though from this very city we have been ridiculed for clinging to our guns and our Bibles--I find it so unusual in a country that has been so blessed, a Nation that has been so blessed by God that we would actually at times ridicule His Word.
President Franklin Roosevelt, as we have been told, first declared National Bible Week in 1941. Why did he do that? It was on the eve of World War II. Throughout history, the Bible has been our source of hope, inspiration, and strength for many. In times of peril, adversity, and tragedy, its words provide even greater comfort.
President Lincoln said, ``I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.''
And that is when we turn to our Bibles, that is when we fall to our knees. That is when we know, as men, we are not able on our own to change the things that need to be changed, and we have to cling to our Bibles. That is where we find solace. That is where we find faith. That is where we find trust.
What a wonderful opportunity not only for this House but for the people of the United States of America to stop and take survey of where we are and where we are going, and then go back and reference in the greatest book ever written to find out what it is that we need to do.
It is when we turn away from God that America fails, and it is when we do fall to our knees when it seems like there is no other place to go that we find great solace, great faith, and great confidence in our God, through the Bible.
Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for what he did tonight. This is the time for the United States of America to open her Bibles and follow what is written there. It comes directly from God.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Kelly for his heartfelt words.
I now yield to the gentleman from the great State of Tennessee (Mr. Rose).
Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for yielding and for claiming the time this evening to acknowledge the significance of honoring God's Word.
Madam Speaker, as we gather tonight to recognize the 80th celebration of National Bible Week, I am reminded of Matthew 18:20, ``For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.''
When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they made a covenant with God that they would serve the Lord. When the Founding Fathers crafted our Constitution, they remembered the principles set forth in the Word of God.
As a child growing up in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee, we used to begin each day at school with prayer and Bible reading. We would also stand, place our hand over our heart, and proudly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, which describes our Republic as one nation under God.
But as a nation today, we are moving further away from these Godly principles. We live in a culture and society that says the way we have always done things has to change. We are told to bend tradition, bend the truth, and bend conviction to accommodate the radical message of the day. And if we refuse, we run the risk of being targeted by the cancel culture.
Although it is often difficult to stand against societal trends such as those I describe, I believe it is better to walk with God's truth, the truth which is found within the pages of the Holy Bible.
As Christians, we are filled with the truth and hope found in God's Word. In a time of uncertainty, where woke news and social media organizations malign those of us who espouse these traditional values, giving us less hope for a bright future, God's Word remains the same. Our God is faithful, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In America, freedom is something we often take for granted. We are free to speak, we are free to worship, and we are free to read the Holy Book, and we are free to spread the gospel to all the world and to all generations without fear of persecution. But all these freedoms today are under attack like never before.
It is in that that I was encouraged earlier today when a good friend of mine, David Fox, and his granddaughter, Audrey Jane Bowman, called as they were studying her fourth grade civics lessons. So I was encouraged to know that they are espousing and continuing. Mr. Fox is an elder in my church.
As a devoted Christian, I am proud to recognize National Bible Week and usher in renewal of religious liberty in America. I pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for the fortitude and humility to properly represent David Fox and Audrey Jane Bowman, and all of the good people of the Sixth Congressional District of Tennessee; and that through this Word, I will be able to help bring more souls to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
May God continue to bless our great nation and bless each one of us.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of North Carolina (Mr. Budd), my good friend and colleague.
{time} 2030
Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for hosting this very special hour.
Now, the Apostle Paul, when he was in prison and was persecuted for his faith and was awaiting execution for it, he wrote to his young mentee, Timothy. He wrote in the original Koine Greek, which was the trade language of the day, and he penned these words: ``kyruxon ton logon.'' That is, again, Greek, but the English translation would be
``preach the word.'' It is 2 Timothy 4:2, and it is the motto of my alma mater, Dallas Theological Seminary.
The verse goes on to say: ``be ready in season and out of season.''
There are moments when the Word of God is popular and people want to hear it. Now it seems there are increasingly frequent moments when it is unpopular and out of season to preach the Word.
Friends, colleagues, Madam Speaker, social trends, they come and go, and as the prophet Isaiah and then again the Apostle Peter hundreds of years later tells us, ``The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord,'' the very one we honor this week and in this hour, the Word of God stands forever. Peter closes out that chapter by saying: ``And this Word is the good news that was preached to you.''
So as we approach this Christmas season, might we do something a little out of season in this day and age. Might we turn to the Scriptures, whether it is the Old Testament that prophesies forward to the first Christmas, or to Matthew and Luke's account of that first Christmas, or to the rest of the Scriptures that show our saving response to that first Christmas, that first Good Friday and the very first Easter, resurrection Sunday.
Friends, the Word of God stands forever in these tenuous times, and in these tenuous times, access to the eternal is really what we need. The apostle Peter closes out this chapter and this verse that I referred to earlier and he says, ``And this Word is the good news that was preached to you.'' And, friends, good news it is.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind words and for his heartfelt remarks.
I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this Special Order in honor of National Bible Week.
To my father who preached the Word as a minister of the Gospel, tonight, papa, you can hear me directly.
Through our Nation's history, from the earliest 17th century settlements to the War of Independence and to the establishment of democracy, the Bible and its principles are intricately woven into our national fabric. This great experiment that is democracy has been undoubtedly buttressed by the Bible for now over two centuries.
It was because of their devotion to the Word of God that settlers rejected the oppressive rule of the Church of England and pursued a government free from religious tyranny.
On September 7, 1774, when the first Congress met together, what was their first action? It was reading the Bible followed by prayer. And what did they read? It was Psalm 35, and the first three versus of Psalm 35 say: ``Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, `I am your salvation.'''
The British had just attacked and occupied Boston, and these Representatives were seeking counsel from their creator.
The Bible was also crucial to the unity and success of our Founding Fathers. In 1813, John Adams wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson that
``the general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence'' were the ``general principles of Christianity, in which all those sects were united and the general principles of English and American liberty.''
The role of the Bible is evident in our Nation's founding and so, too, will the Bible play a pivotal role in our Nation's preservation. The infallible Word of God not only proclaims God's redemptive plan for mankind, but it acts as a moral compass for society and government that exceeds the bounds of time.
Tomorrow is December 1, and we are now in the Christmas season. Over 2,000 years ago, the prophet Isaiah spoke one of the greatest proclamations ever made in Isaiah 9:6, where the prophet says: ``For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.''
This prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. This is the Bible, the Word of God come alive, and the government shall be on his shoulder. He shall be the support and underpinning of the Government, a government whose foundation is built on God, and his Word is a government that will have peace, freedom, and liberty. Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection are what enables us to proclaim joy to the world because he is the prince of peace.
As we celebrate Christmas, let us reflect on the Biblical principles that united and guided our Founding Fathers, and let us strive to maintain those principles every day by reading the most important book on Earth, the book of God's Word, the Bible. Soli Deo gloria.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my friend and colleague.
Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for his leadership in putting this Special Order together. It is appropriate. It is right. It is certainly fitting for us to come here on the 80th anniversary of National Bible Week and talk about the Bible's immense importance to our identity as a Nation.
George Washington said that religion and morality are indispensable supports of our Nation. Benjamin Franklin said that only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.
Benjamin Rush said that without religion there can be no virtue; without virtue there can be no liberty; and liberty is the object of all republican governments.
Thomas Jefferson warned us when he said:
Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift of God? They are not to be violated, but with his wrath I indeed tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that his justice cannot sleep forever.
Indeed, even in this Chamber just outside the realm of the C-SPAN cameras, this Chamber is circled by lawmakers. It is notable that Moses is the only lawmaker that is full faced; the rest are profile. Such is the importance of Scripture in this Nation's foundation and understanding of the rule of law.
When I was sworn in, we had the Bible open in the ceremony to Proverbs 14:3 that said that righteousness exalts a Nation. For me, it was a reminder to keep the important work that we do here in perspective because we can pass perfect laws, but if the hearts of the people are corrupt, we still have a poor Nation.
So we need to do our best effort to do right by the people and to pass good laws, but we also need to acknowledge that God is the hope of this Nation.
Our form of government, that thing that protects freedom and liberty, only works for people who have a respect for a moral framework. Indeed, John Adams said: ``Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.''
It is reading through Scripture that gives us also an understanding of things like Romans 3:23 that says: ``For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.'' That Scripture is what helps us to begin the path to find personal forgiveness and salvation, but it also helps us especially in times like we find ourselves in our Nation right now not to ignore our differences but to be able to look past them, to find the humility, to discuss and to embrace each other and to work toward a path of unity and healing in our Nation.
This book is still packed with wisdom for us as a Nation. We have often as a Nation turned to it in times when we needed comfort. May we now continue to turn to it at a time when we desperately need guidance.
As Abraham Lincoln said: ``I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.''
Let's turn to Scripture, and may God bless this Nation.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I remember the time Mr. Gohmert and I went to Israel together. That was a very special and, you can say, life-changing experience.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Texas
(Mr. Gohmert).
Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding the time and for managing it.
This is very important. We take 1 week a year to acknowledge the importance of the Bible in America. The Bible was at the foundation of the great awakening in the first half of the 1700s, the second great awakening in the first half of the 1800s, the 1700s. Many attribute that to leading to the liberty that drove the Revolution.
The second great awakening leading to the desire for liberty that brought a war that ended slavery, no country had ever done that before. Fight a war? Lose 500,000, 600,000, 700,000 people in a war that would free people who were called slaves at the time?
It took this Bible at the basis of an ordained Christian minister named Dr. King fighting for civil rights that brought us more freedom, that brought the Constitution into a fuller embrace of what this country is supposed to be about.
C.S. Lewis talked about in this world, as the Bible teaches, that the prince of this world is not God. But Lewis said imagine being behind enemy lines and you get messages from your home headquarters, and you don't pick them up and read them. Well, we have a book of messages from our home headquarters. You don't have to believe that. We have the freedom to believe or not to believe so long as we don't run this out of American society.
This has to be the basis of morality. Otherwise, we lose the rights that are afforded us under our Constitution.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).
Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for holding this Special Order to highlight the importance of prayer as we work in the 117th Congress.
As we speak today, we know that God and not man has the final authority. If Congress is going to govern successfully, then we must rely on Him to do so.
Perhaps one of our Founding Fathers from Pennsylvania said it best. At the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin asked rhetorically: ``If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?''
That question has the same implications today as it did in Philadelphia those 200-plus years ago. We know that those who build without the Lord, they labor in vain.
In this body, we must strive to ensure that we are asking for God's guidance as we work to solve the difficult issues that we face here every day.
Just yesterday, I spoke with Pastor Gary Dull, from the Faith Baptist Church of Altoona, who said if we are going to know the will of God for our Nation, we must go to Him in prayer. In everything that we do, we must seek his will.
As we begin the final month, let us remember, let us together humbly pray.
Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 206
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up