[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 15, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H6210-H6216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brat). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous materials on the subject 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. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to come to the
House floor tonight to commemorate National Bible Week. We are truly
blessed to live in a nation where we are free to worship and read the
Holy Scriptures without fear of persecution. There are so many places
throughout the world where such freedoms do not exist.
In 1941, 75 years ago, mere days before Pearl Harbor, President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of Thanksgiving to be
National Bible Week. Every U.S. President down to today has likewise
declared this time of year to be National Bible Week.
The National Bible Association, in agreement with the U.S. Conference
of Bishops, has designated the specific days of November 13 to 19 as
National Bible Week this year. This is the week that we can all agree
is National Bible Week, and we can recognize the Bible as a
foundational building block of Western civilization, the Judeo-
Christian heritage, and the legacy that motivated and shaped the
founding of the United States.
In this hour, we will hear from Members of Congress about why the
Bible is important and what it means to them. We are here to recognize
National Bible Week.
My own experience with the Bible began in 1973, when I was an 18-
year-old freshman at the University of Kansas. I was approached by some
people who asked me if I knew what was in the Bible. I said that I
believed I knew what it was all about, however, I had never read any of
it for myself. The only honest thing I could do at that point was to
read it for myself. When I read the Gospel of John, I ended up
discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who became my
Lord and Savior. In that Gospel, He said: I am the way, the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.
Mr. Speaker, I don't know where in their spiritual journey people may
be who are listening tonight, but I do know this: it is better to read
the Bible for oneself and not just to take someone else's word for what
is in it. For me, it made all of the difference in the world.
Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate National Bible Week, we remember the
importance of faith in both our private and public lives. We recognize
the Bible's powerful message of hope. We cherish the wisdom of the
Bible, and we thank God for providing this Holy
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Book that has been truly a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) who
is a valuable member of the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees.
Representative Randy Forbes will be leaving Congress at the end of this
year, and he will be truly and sorely missed.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for his work in this
area and for doing this Special Order. Mr. Lamborn talked about the
impact the Bible had on his life. The Bible began having an impact on
my life long before I was born.
This little book is over 75 years old. It is called the ``Heart-
Shield Bible.'' Inside of it, it has my father's name, and it says:
``From Mother and Daddy.'' It was given to him when he was 19 years
old, just before he left to go fight in World War II. He ended up at
Normandy, not with the initial invasion, but a little while after that.
Somewhere in Europe--I don't know where it was--he opened this book and
he read it.
Now, the theory of this book was it had a gold plate on the front,
and it was supposed to be put in your pocket and protect your heart if
you were shot. I don't know that it ever did that, but it changed his
heart. He made a promise in those foxholes that if he got back home, he
would have his family--which he didn't have at the time--in church
every single Sunday. I know a lot of GIs made promises that they left
when they got on the ship to come back. He never did.
So that little book that he read not only transformed his life, not
only gave him the courage and the faith to get through that war, but it
changed his children and his grandchildren, and it continues to change
his great-grandchildren to this day.
In my office I always kept a Scripture and something that was offered
by Chaplain Peter Marshall on the floor of the Senate on March 18,
1948.
It said this: ``Our Father in Heaven, save us from the conceit which
refuses to believe that God knows more about government than we do, and
the stubbornness that will not seek God's help. Today we claim Thy
promise: `If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all
men liberally and it shall be given to him.' Thou knowest, Lord, how
much we need it. Make us willing to ask for it and eager to have it. In
Jesus' name we pray. Amen.''
That Scripture from James 1:5 should serve as a guidepost for those
in leadership today.
Our Nation is on the cusp of great opportunities, but our future,
nevertheless, remains fraught with challenges. America is at a
crossroads. Each of us must, with humility, seek wisdom and truth as we
make decisions in the days ahead.
I can think of no single book that offers that wisdom and truth more
than the Bible. I thank Mr. Lamborn again for allowing me to be here.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia. I
appreciate the words, the wisdom, and the heartfelt nature of what he
just spoke to.
I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Michigan (Mr.
Walberg).
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his efforts
tonight to call attention to this.
Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity we are afforded here
to speak of the impact of the Bible in our lives as well, and, more
importantly, the impact the Bible can have on all lives.
I was a young boy when I was encouraged to memorize a simple little
verse, John 3:16, which said: ``For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son that whosoever believe in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.''
When I put my name in that place in the world, it meant everything in
the world to me. With Jesus Christ as my savior, it has impacted my
life.
Mr. Speaker, noted historian, Will Durant, once stated: ``The
greatest question of our time is not communism versus individualism,
not Europe versus America, and not the East versus the West, it is
whether men can live without God.''
Mr. Speaker, that question, it now appears, will be answered in our
own time.
{time} 1745
God has left us with a direct message on life and how to live life
with God, and that message is the Bible, a book that is, sadly, being
pushed out of the mainstream of our country in many ways. Sadly, we are
seeing the results in broken homes, dysfunctional societies, upheaval
that is going on. Sadly, those results impact us here in government as
well. Yes, we can still read the Bible, but freedom to live it out is
in question, and I wonder why.
Dostoyevsky stated it this way. He said: ``When God is dead, anything
is permissible.''
And Joseph Stalin suggested that ``America is like a healthy body and
its resistance is threefold, its patriotism, its morality, its
spiritual life . . . If we can undermine these three areas, America
will collapse from within.''
Mr. Speaker, these are sobering statements.
The Bible that we honor in a special way today and throughout this
week addresses the preceding statements with great clarity when it
affirms in Proverbs 14:34: ``Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is
a reproach to any people.''
This is why I believe a signer of the Declaration of Independence
named Jonathan Whitherspoon declared it this way. He said: ``A republic
once equally poised must either preserve its virtue or lose its
liberty.'' Whitherspoon, who was also a minister, made this statement
in the context of virtue being defined by God's truth as contained in
the Bible.
I am certain that he could have quoted Psalm 1, as it says: ``Blessed
is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in
the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his
delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and
night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither;
and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are
like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore, the ungodly shall
not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of
the ungodly shall perish.''
It was words of a psalmist. Plainly, honoring the Bible in one's life
brings success, while rejection of the Biblical truth brings defeat.
Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite Bible verses, a verse that means a
lot to me as I think at the end of each day and pray and ask certain
questions in my own life, is II Timothy 2:15. It says: ``Be diligent to
present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be
ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.'' In that simple,
eloquent, little verse, it says in the end what matters. First, is God
pleased with your day? Has his work been done well? And, finally, has
the Word, the Bible, been used well? If the Bible has been used well by
individuals or a nation, we will do well.
John Clifford wrote a poem that I will end with today. In that poem
he says this:
``Last eve I paused beside the blacksmith's door, and heard the anvil
ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in, I saw upon the floor, old hammers, worn with beating
years of time.
`How many anvils have you had,' said I, `to wear and batter all these
hammers so?'
`Just one,' said he, and then with twinkling eye,
`The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.'
And so, I thought, the anvil of God's Word for ages skeptic blows
have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard, the anvil is
unharmed, the hammers gone.''
Isaiah 40:8 confirms: ``The grass withers, the flower fades, but the
Word of our God,'' the Bible, ``stands forever.''
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.
In a moment, we are going to hear from Representative Virginia Foxx
of North Carolina. But let me briefly mention first how the Bible was
foundational to the development of our country.
Many of the early American settlers came to the New World with the
express purpose of following the Bible according to the convictions of
their own
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consciences. One of the first acts of Congress during the tumultuous
beginning of our Nation was the authorization of an American published
Bible. The war with the British had cut off the States' supply of
Bibles from England. Our Founding Fathers understood how important it
was for the American people to have Bibles, so in 1782, Congress
reviewed, approved, and authorized the first known English language
Bible to be printed in America.
Throughout American history, many of our great leaders have turned to
the Bible for guidance, hope, and faith. President Abraham Lincoln once
said of the Bible, in regard to this great book: ``I have but to say,
it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave
to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could
not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare,
here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.''
And President Ronald Reagan, in his own National Bible Week
declaration, which we are celebrating this week, wrote, when he was in
office:
When I took the oath of office, I requested the Bible be
open to II Chronicles 7:14, which reads: ``If my people,
which are called by my name, shall 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 will
heal their land.'' This passage expresses my hopes for the
future of this Nation and the world.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms.
Foxx).
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado
(Mr. Lamborn) for organizing this Special Order tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I am rising also to join my colleagues to commemorate
the 75th annual celebration of National Bible Week. And I want to thank
all of my colleagues for giving us such wonderful history lessons and
quotes about how important the Bible has always been to our country,
and particularly to the Founders of our country.
As I stand here tonight, I am looking straight up at the full face of
Moses looking down on us. When I have people in the Chamber, I point
out to them that around the top of the Chamber are profiles of ancient
lawgivers. The only full-face figure is that of Moses, who looks
straight down on the Speaker's podium. I think that it is so important
that people understand that we are a Judeo-Christian country and that
the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, are so important to us.
As we approach this celebration, Mr. Speaker, which is traditionally
held during the week of Thanksgiving, it is important to take a moment
and reflect on how this Good Book has changed the course of history,
stood as a guiding light for the world, shaped our Nation, and inspired
countless lives.
The Bible is a precious gift from God to his people that teaches us
how we ought to relate to our Creator and how to love our fellow human
beings during times of turmoil, confusion, and strife. I can think of
no more important source of guidance than this deep repository of
fundamental and universal truth.
It offers us hope when circumstances are dire and is a source of
strength when our human frailty brings us low. When we are surrounded
by darkness, as the psalmist wrote, the Bible ``is a lamp to our feet
and a light to our path.''
I hope it will be encouraging to the American people to know that
there are people in the Capitol who make every effort to live their
lives by the precepts of the Bible. We have many Bible studies and
prayer groups that meet every week here. In fact, the National Prayer
Breakfast grew out of our weekly bipartisan prayer breakfast in both
the House and the Senate. I have collected some of the stories told in
the House prayer breakfast in a book called ``God Is in the House,''
which people are telling me is a great inspiration to them.
Today, I offer a prayer of gratefulness for this gift of God's Word
and encourage my fellow Americans to dig deep into the Good Book and
discover for themselves what riches it has in store for them.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her well-spoken
remarks and the heartfelt nature of what she shared.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B.
Hice).
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding and for leading this Special Order.
Mr. Speaker, I rise, as have my colleagues, to celebrate one of the
most significant and remarkable books in human history--certainly to my
life--and that is the Bible. As a servant of Christ and, in fact, a
pastor for nearly 30 years, it is my honor to join all of my colleagues
this evening in recognizing the importance of the Bible and its
incredible impact on my life, on many of our lives, and certainly on
the life of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, the Bible speaks to the greatness of God. It speaks that
he is the object of true worship, that he is the fount of all
blessings, and that he is, in fact, our redeemer, our friend, our
savior, and our judge.
I don't even know where to start when it comes to having favorite
verses. There are just so many. I read it daily. It is a part of the
beginning of every day of my life. But one of those verses that I
believe is so appropriate for right now comes from Hebrews 4:12 that
really deals with the importance of God's Word in our lives. It very
simply says that the Word of God is alive and active, that it is
sharper than any double-edged sword, that it penetrates even to the
dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and it judges the
thoughts and intentions of the heart.
I think our country has pretty much always recognized the unseen
power of Almighty God as it relates to our fortunes as well as our
destiny; and I believe now, more than ever, our Nation would do well to
return again to the Bible for guidance in these critical days that we
are facing.
This week, communities, pastors, churches, and leaders all across
America are going to be celebrating National Bible Week. They are going
to be reading it. They are going to be reflecting on it. They are going
to be talking about, in discussions and so forth, just how the Bible
can help each of us lead a better life, frankly, because it points us
to personal forgiveness and personal life transformation through faith
in Jesus Christ.
Mr. Speaker, I believe it is our responsibility as leaders in this
country to remind Americans of the significance of the Bible to our
individual lives, to our history, to our national life, and certainly
to the culture that we have here in America.
One of our late Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, actually did this
while he was in a conversation with the son of a very close friend of
his who was entering the mission field, and this statement, I believe,
just says so much in this regard. He said:
I have told you so many times that I consider the Christian
ministry as the highest calling in the world, most intimately
related to the most exalted life and service here and destiny
beyond.
But then, as President, he said this:
And I consider it my greatest joy and glory that, occupying
a most exalted position in the Nation, I am enabled, simply
and sincerely, to preach the practical moralities of the
Bible to my fellow countrymen and to hold up Christ as the
hope and savior of the world.
{time} 1800
What a statement by one of our Presidents.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to again commend my good friend, Doug
Lamborn, for holding this Special Order. Obviously, we gain tremendous
insight, inspiration, and guidance from the Scriptures. The light of
God's Word shines through us most when we hold fast to these principles
and apply them to our daily lives. Again, I thank the gentleman for
this opportunity.
Mr. LAMBORN. I thank the gentleman from the great State of Georgia
for being here, for sharing, and for his background. People come to
Congress with all kinds of different backgrounds, and having one or
more pastors, which we do here in the body, adds a valuable thread of
experience and thought that helps us all.
One reason many people respect the Bible is that so many prophecies
for telling future events have come true exactly as foretold. In the
Old Testament, there are many predictions that were given to prove if a
speaker were divinely inspired. If and when these predictions came
true, it validated the words of that prophet. The Book of Daniel, for
instance, contains scores of detailed prophecies that were literally
[[Page H6213]]
fulfilled. Skeptics have fallen back to the position that Daniel must
have been written after the fact and is misrepresenting itself. In
fact, Daniel is found in its entirety in the Greeks' Septuagint and
partially in the Dead Sea Scrolls, both of which we know predated the
events that were prophesied. The rise and fall of empires, the capture
and destruction of cities, and the destiny of kings all were prophesied
about in minute detail, and archeology and history have literally
confirmed hundreds of such prophecies as having come true.
I now yield to a friend, the gentleman from the great State of North
Carolina, Robert Pittenger.
Mr. PITTENGER. I thank Congressman Lamborn so much for his leadership
on this. What an inspiring evening.
Mr. Speaker, as a little boy, I was taught that little song: ``Thy
Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.'' Now, I am no
Cliff Barrows, but I have carried that song with me my whole life. In
fact, I do want to make a testament about Cliff Barrows, for he went to
be with the Lord today. Cliff Barrows--a great saint who led the
crusades for Dr. Billy Graham for nearly 70 years--is now singing
praises in Heaven. I was thinking earlier that Cliff will be greeting
those tens of thousands of people who come forward, singing just as I
am.
As we look at the Word of God, we find truth. As we read in John,
Chapter 1: ``In the beginning, it was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.''
Now, I didn't know that Word until November 2, 1969, at 10:30 p.m.,
on a Sunday night, when I gave my life to Christ. I wasn't too
theological. I just said: ``Lord, I give up. You lead my life.'' When
that happened, I had an insatiable desire to read the Word of God. I
would stay up, when I was a senior in college, and I would read the
Word of God at midnight and later on into the early morning because it
fed my spirit, it fed my soul, and it gave me direction in my life.
I didn't know much about the Bible. I went to church. I guess they
drug me to church, for you can still see the heel marks in the ground.
I knew a lot about church, but I didn't know a lot about His Word; so I
went out to a place that was the Campus Crusade for Christ. They had a
mini seminary for 6 weeks, and I learned more there about the Word of
God. I then ended up joining the Campus Crusade and was there for 10
years.
I went through a couple of years of seminary classes, but the Word of
God is what gave me stability in my life and is what gave me
perspective in my knowing that He knew much better about me and my
future and had a greater wisdom about my life than I knew and that the
best that I could do was partake in His knowledge. The more I knew
about Him, the greater my life and the more peaceful my life and the
more direction I would have in my life to fulfill His God-given
mission.
So the Word of God is our hope. It is the hope for this country.
Frankly, in reality, the more our Nation is right in a vertical path
with Him, horizontally, we will be in good shape the more we are
consistent with the precepts of His Word.
Frankly, George Washington knew that. On one occasion, I was down at
Mount Vernon. Many years ago, I was here, working with Dr. and Mrs.
Bill Bright as they started the Christian Embassy back in the mid-
1970s, and we went down to Mount Vernon. In the casing was the Bible
that George Washington read from. It was all marked through. He knew
the Word of God. He studied it. I have read his diaries. He went every
Wednesday night to vespers. He rode on his horse to church every
Sunday. He committed himself to knowing the Word of God. That is why he
became the great leader that he was.
So I thank the gentleman, Mr. Lamborn, for his leadership, for his
heart, for his understanding, for his perspective, and for committing
himself to giving honor to the Word of God tonight.
Mr. LAMBORN. I thank the gentleman and appreciate his remarks.
Let me say something about manuscripts, which are the historical
evidence for the text of the Bible. The Bible that we acknowledge
during this National Bible Week has come down to us in history through
manuscripts that were written centuries or millennia ago. These
manuscripts are more numerous by an order of magnitude than any other
classical text and go back much closer to the time of origin than any
classical text.
For instance, the Histories of Herodotus, which, actually, I read
recently, are based on eight manuscripts that come about 1,300 years
after the original version. By contrast, the New Testament has over
20,000 manuscripts, some of which go back mere decades after the
original version. The Dead Sea Scrolls proved that the Hebrew text of
the Old Testament, which came down from other sources, is, indeed,
accurate and reliable to the letter.
I now yield to the gentleman from Ohio, Representative Bill Johnson,
my friend and colleague.
Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. I, too, want to thank my colleague from
Georgia--not from Georgia but from Colorado. I have lived all over the
country, so I get confused about where some of my colleagues are from.
I thank my colleague from Colorado for doing this this evening.
God's Word has meant so much to me in my life. I can remember being a
young boy and being raised on that two-wheel, wagon-rut mule farm,
where every day was a survival day--no indoor plumbing, up before dawn,
going to bed way after dark. Every day was a workday except Sunday. I
remember going with my grandfather, who was a superintendent of the
local church. As a very young boy, he would let me hold onto the rope
as he would pull the bell to signal that it was time for the community
to come to worship. The rope would swing me up into the rafters, and my
grandfather would stand there, making sure I didn't fall and hurt
myself. It was like going to Six Flags for me as a kid.
I remember, as a young boy, being exposed to the words in this book
when I was in the backroom of that little church, learning for the
first time the great stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the
Scriptures: Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, King David, the Apostle Paul,
and, of course, our Savior Jesus Christ. I went through my life with
some of those foundational faith principles that were taught to me at
that point. All of my life, I wanted to find out where all of that came
from.
I had an opportunity to visit the nation of Israel--the Holy Land--in
2014. I thought about that visit before I went, and I thought I would
like for this to be more than just an official visit. I would like for
it to be personally meaningful; so I prayed about that. I said, ``God,
can you let me get something from this visit that I can take back and
share that will be revealing?'' and he did. As I walked in the
footsteps of Abraham, across the Hebron valley--when he was taking
Isaac to Mount Moriah--and when I stood on the Temple Mount, when I
stood in the Garden Tomb, a revelation came to me, and that is the
reason that America's heart is so intertwined with our friends in
Israel--it is that our lineage is one and the same.
The Scriptures tell us that a little place that is a little southwest
of modern-day Jerusalem is where God told Jacob: Your name is no longer
going to be Jacob, but your name is going to be Israel; and I am going
to make a nation come from you, and this shall be your land.
It occurred to me at that point that our lineage and the lineage of
the nation of Israel is exactly one and the same because, if you go
back to our founding documents--to our Declaration of Independence--it
claims that our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness come not from man, not from government, not from Presidents
or from legislative bodies, but from our Creator.
John Adams said that the Constitution of the United States is a
document that is designed to govern a people who live by Christian
principles and that it is wholly inadequate for any other. Today, we
seem to think that you have to be perfect to experience God's
redemption in your life.
I am reminded of First Chronicles, Chapter 4, the story of Jabez. He
prayed: O God that You would bless me, indeed, that You would expand my
territory, that Your hand would be
[[Page H6214]]
upon me, and that You would keep me from evil that I might not cause
pain.
We never hear about Jabez at any other time in the Bible, but we know
what God said to him. Because Jabez was a righteous man, God answered
his prayer. You will notice that the Scriptures didn't say because
Jabez was a perfect man. They said because Jabez was a righteous man--
that he had a heart after the Father's.
In America today, we hear about so much of the division and of even
division here within the legislative branch--within parties and across
party aisles. We sometimes forget that the Bible talks about politics.
You will hear oftentimes ``don't mix religion and politics.'' The Bible
talks about politics. Go read Daniel, Chapter 6. Daniel, Chapter 6 is
like a session of Congress. We all know the story.
Daniel was an overseer who was appointed by the king. He was selected
as a commissioner, one of the leaders of the overseers, like a leader
here in the House, perhaps. Some of the people didn't like how much
favor Daniel was getting with the king, and they began to conspire
against him. You know the story. They set it up so that Daniel had to
be thrown in the lions' den. We know that God spared Daniel and shut
the mouths of the lions, and the conspirators suffered the same fate.
They were fed to the lions by the king.
Yet we don't go far enough into that to remember what Daniel did as a
politician. You see, Daniel never went to the king and said: Hey, you
have abandoned me. You stabbed me in the back. I have been your guy all
of this time, and now you are going to throw me to the lions after I
have stood up for you all of this time?
He never went to his other commissioners and said: I thought you guys
were with me. I thought we were all in this together, and now you are
conspiring against me.
No. What Daniel did was he said: King, I am your guy. I am still
going to be your guy, but what I am not going to do is give up my
principles upon which I stand--my belief and faith in my God. If you
want to throw me in the lions' den, throw me in the lions' den.
You see, Daniel knew something that we as leaders--that we as a
nation--need to get back in touch with, which is that God doesn't
expect us to do His job. Daniel knew he was not the changer; rather, he
was the change agent.
{time} 1815
We are here for a short time to simply be salt and light. That is our
role. Yet, today we get distracted by everything that comes across the
news media or the Internet. We believe it to be the truth when this
document, this book, is the author of truth.
John 8:31-32 says: Jesus said to the Jews that believed in Him, `` .
. . abide in my word and you will truly be my disciples; and you will
see the truth, and the truth will set you free.''
Folks, much of what ails our Nation--much of what ails our Nation
could be solved if we would simply get back in touch with our first
true love, the true love that is proclaimed in our Declaration of
Independence and our Constitution and that our Founders believed in,
the author of truth. It is found in this book.
Thank you to my colleague for allowing me a few minutes to speak
tonight. I have wanted to do this for a long time. God bless you.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Johnson for what he
shared. It is truly appropriate for this National Bible Week. I
appreciate how he talked about the ties between Christianity and
Judaism and the Judeo-Christian ethic, which ties it all together and
how you observed that during your recent trip to Israel.
There are many archeological discoveries which have validated
Biblical accounts, giving trustworthiness to the Bible we acknowledge
during this National Bible Week. Time and time again, archeology has
shown the Biblical personalities, locations, and events actually
existed in time and space. Claims by critics that a Biblical statement
was simply made up have been debunked by later archeological
discoveries more times than we can say.
The Jewish archaeologist Nelson Glueck has said: ``It may be stated
categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted or
contradicted a biblical reference.''
I now yield time to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa). He
will talk about this National Bible Week.
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr.
Lamborn), who not only shares the first 13 letters of our combined
names, but a deep reverence and recognition of the importance of the
Bible in our Christian faith.
So I am glad to be able to join you and our other colleagues here in
recognizing the 75th anniversary of National Bible Week.
The Bible is indeed the living, unerring Word of God. The Founders
recognized that, as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson) alluded to.
Indeed, our form of government is more successful when we follow a
standard that is separate from ourselves, a standard that lives in a
timeless space, beyond what today's fads are and what today's feelings
or thoughts are. The Bible is unerring in that since it is the Word of
God. So it is for us to recognize this and put those words into action.
Some might say: Well, why are they talking about the Bible on the
House floor? Why are they talking about religion and mixing that in
with government?
Well, the Founders provided not freedom from religion, but freedom to
express our religions, no matter what type it is in this country.
Still, this one is based largely on Christianity and the Judeo-
Christian values we have, but there is the freedom to express other
ones as well.
In these times, there are those who would try to oppress those with
false gods, worship of nature, worship of things, and subdue our
abilities to worship as we please. In these times, these oppressions
seem to be more and more apparent all the time.
Still, we soldier on and we ask God's guidance and pray for the light
to be shown to others on what this is. This is not a judgmental thing.
We don't judge others. God is the judge. We live by a code that is in
the Bible or we try to.
One important verse, Romans 3:23, says: ``For all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.''
That is why we have to seek Him; we all fall short. It is not judging
of one versus the other because they are all in the same lot.
So there are many places you can point to in the Bible that has much
wisdom. I recommend you read the whole thing. I, at this point, am
reading it front to back. I have never really done that before, read it
all the way through. I am in Acts right now. In life, when you go to
Bible school, Sunday school, or through church, you maybe tend to hop
and skip around. But reading the Bible front to back, it really becomes
fascinating.
Every word in there is in there for a purpose. Even when you are
reading through a whole list of names you may have never heard of or
hear of again--so-and-so begot so-and-so and lived 120 years and then
he died and things like that--it may not be apparent in the beginning,
but there is an important reason why those words are in there. They are
in there to chronicle time, to chronicle who was important in those
early days all the way through to the prophesy you find in Revelation,
which is very, very important to understand what our future may hold.
So some of the things I like to live by: you can find so much in
Proverbs, which indeed much of it could be seen as perhaps a book of
best practices, tools to use in life. Much of Proverbs is the document
laid down by King Solomon to his son, Rehoboam--the best practices in
speaking to his son.
A portion that I like especially and is a part of what I like to use
as a model for conduct in this difficult role we find ourselves in as
elected officials in a town full of temptation, full of possible bad
choices that we have seen others who have fallen to these bad choices
is in Proverbs 4:18-27.
It says: ``The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining
ever brighter till the full light of day. But the work of the wicked is
like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son,
pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them
out of your sight, keep them within your heart for they are like life
to those who find them and health to one's whole body. Above all else,
guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep
[[Page H6215]]
your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all
your ways. Do not turn to the left or the right; keep your feet from
evil,'' which indeed in this business keeping on that right path, do
not be drawn into temptation, do not go to the left or the right where
evil might be.
Best practices are in Proverbs. Indeed it is one of my favorites, but
there is so much to be gleaned from reading all the way through the
Bible and going back and understanding what that means. This is why
small-group Bible study is important. Our church leaders who are imbued
with this knowledge, you can learn from that and apply that to your
life and be successful in your life not only here, but in the very
important hereafter.
Our Founders were inspired by that. When you take the perfect
unerring effect of the Bible and apply that to maybe what is the
closest as possible to perfect of something created by man: our
Constitution, our Bill of Rights, what came from the Declaration of
Independence. They were inspired by Biblical truths. That is why, in
this unjudgmental way that we try to live, they are almost perfect
documents because they are divinely inspired by the Bible.
So as we celebrate the special anniversary this week, know that my
colleagues here are indeed well-meaning in sharing this. From Genesis
to Revelation, you will find the truth in there, which is a very
profoundly powerful message.
I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for the time and
for having this Special Order tonight on this very important and
profound week of recognition for our Bible.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr.
LaMalfa) for sharing those thoughts with us.
The Pacific Ocean all the way to the Atlantic is covered by our
speakers today. We had East Coast speakers from Virginia, North
Carolina, and Georgia. We had a speaker from Michigan up on the
Canadian border. And our next speaker will be from Texas on our
southern border. So the entire country is represented. That is fitting
because National Bible Week is for the entire country. It is the 75th
anniversary of this celebration.
So the entire country of America has been blessed throughout history,
as we talked about several times already tonight. It is so appropriate
that we can have speakers from all over the country.
I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, this is the 75th anniversary of National
Bible Week. Isn't it interesting that National Bible Week was first
proclaimed 2 weeks before World War II broke out?
The Nation really rallied and rallied behind Franklin Roosevelt's
call to pray together, the President that went on national radio on D-
day and led the Nation in prayer. I am sure if he were to try to do
that today if he were alive, then people would be freaking out that the
President was leading in prayer like that.
There are so many examples from World War II where we could say: Wow,
wasn't that a coincidence? The Germans ran out of gas at just the right
time. This German general or commander got confused at just the time
they were about to get enough gasoline to refill and refuel and keep
the Battle of the Bulge going. There are so many little things.
A fellow in Iowa earlier this year had told me that coincidence is
what we have when you don't notice God's at work. I am still chewing on
that.
In the first hundred years, about a hundred years after the founding,
the U.S. Supreme Court had a case involving Trinity Church. They went
through and reviewed all the evidence and declared this is a Christian
nation. It didn't mean everybody in America was a Christian at all.
Nobody has to be. They have the freedom to say God doesn't exist.
The freedom that comes from a government based on Biblical word is a
freedom that cannot be obtained under any other religious teaching.
That is why, when I had a chance to meet Retired General Jay Garner
again back in September, I asked him again: What happened?
President George W. Bush sent him over into Iraq and asked him to
find out what the Iraqi people felt like we should try to give them as
a government.
Now, I would say let them choose their own government. We shouldn't
be trying to push anything.
General Garner did a brilliant job, but he went with some other
people--one was a reporter and he had people from the administration
with him--and he was told: ``You have got to talk to this direct
descendant of Muhammad and see what he says, because people really
listen to him being a direct descendant of Muhammad.''
A black turban also is an indication apparently of being a direct
descendant of Muhammad, from what we were told.
Then he said: Look, I am going to tell you what I think we need here
in Iraq. I will do that in my language, and then I will tell you in
English since you are recording everything.
And so he spoke for quite some time. And then he said: Okay, in a
nutshell, what I have said is basically we need a government that is
composed of Iraqis and that it is based on a constitution that Iraqis
put together and that constitution is based on the teachings of Jesus.
And General Garner, when he got outside, he turned to the reporter
and everybody and asked: ``Did you guys all hear that? Did he really--
``
They all said ``yes.'' He said it should be based on the teachings of
Jesus.
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If you base a
government on the teachings of anyone else, then ultimately there will
not be true freedom in that nation.
{time} 1830
This is a New Testament that belonged to my uncle, and it has ``May
the Lord be with you.'' It has this brass plate here on the front, and
people were encouraged to put it in their pocket to see if it would
save--it apparently saved some lives right over the heart. Inside the
flyleaf at the top it says:
``The White House. Washington. As Commander in Chief, I take pleasure
in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed
Forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries, men of many
faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of
wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now,
as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human
soul.''
It is signed Franklin D. Roosevelt.
If you look back at our history, the very first book authorized to be
published by the U.S. Congress at government expense was the Bible. You
had the Supreme Court in the first 50 years saying: of course the Bible
should be taught; it is the best book for teaching our children. And
now the government says: really, Christians are a big hate group that
we need to worry about, and that their talk of Christianity is actually
hate speech, homophobia, and Islamophobia.
What these people who have become wise in their own eyes don't
realize is that really this book, this Bible, is about love, that God
so loved the world that He gave His Son, and that His Son so loved the
world that He gave His life. That is a religion based on love. Jesus
went on to say the two great commandments: love God, love each other.
After I became a parent and my mother was about to die, and she said
her favorite thing was her kids being there with her and loving each
other, it made all the sense in the world.
This Bible makes sense, from the prophecies Mr. Lamborn spoke of,
when you read Psalm 22--``My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?''--
it is just verse after verse of prophecy of what was fulfilled by only
one person in the history of man.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas
and all the other speakers who joined us during this hour. It has been
really wonderful to recognize and commemorate the 75th anniversary of
National Bible Week.
I would like to thank the National Bible Association--the other NBA--
for offering to provide some historical artifacts, which for logistical
reasons we were not actually able to bring here in
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person, ancient Jewish and Protestant and Catholic texts that we could
have used as well to read from. I just want to thank each Member here,
and I am glad that we have had 75 years of celebrating this wonderful
event. It has been a great part of our national heritage.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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