The week-long “America Reads the Bible” event is underway in Washington, with numerous celebrities and public figures—including President Donald Trump—taking turns reading through portions of Scripture.
The goal of the event is to have the entire Bible read publicly in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
“Through the America Reads the Bible week, we’re creating a visible, united moment for Americans to come back to the Bible—not as a symbol, but as daily spiritual sustenance,” says the event’s website.
Readers for the event include Franklin Graham, Candace Cameron Bure, Lucas Miles, Mike Huckabee, Dallas Jenkins, Patricia Heaton, Danny Gokey, Jack Graham, Eric Metaxas, Ronnie Floyd, Ted Cruz, Matt Chandler, John Cooper, Michael Brown, Ben Carson, John and Lisa Bevere, Mark Batterson, James Lankford, Shane Winnings, Nick Vujicic, Joe Kennedy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Barry Corey, Leeland Mooring, Shane Idleman, David Barton, Joel Berry, Greg Abbott, and Kim Walker-Smith, among others.
Trump is set to read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 from the Oval Office during the 6 p.m. hour on Tuesday.
The passage is part of a narrative about the dedication of Solomon’s temple. It includes an oft-quoted verse, which reads, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Bunni Pounds, who is president of Christians Engaged and who organized the event, told Fox News that the selection of Trump’s passage and his primetime reading slot were not random. She said, “We needed somebody special to read 2 Chronicles Chapter 7.”
“As my director and I were praying over different sections of Scripture, it came to us that this is such a critical passage for the body of Christ,” Pounds added.
“It comes at a time where the Israelites were experiencing hardship and God spoke and said, ‘If my people that are called by my name would humble themselves and pray,’” Pounds said. “We’ve prayed this Scripture for at least the last 50 years of American history on National Day of Prayer and other moments in this country.”
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“And so we instantly said, ‘Who needs to read that? The president of the United States,'” said Pounds. “We set it aside for him and have been praying for that for the last year.”
