[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 14, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9247-H9253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2017, 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
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on the topic of my 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, it is a great honor for me to come to the
House floor tonight to celebrate National Bible Week.
This is an opportunity, for the next hour, to celebrate the
tremendous influence of the Bible on the freedoms we enjoy today in
America. 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 many places throughout the world, unfortunately, where such
freedoms do not exist. Americans have the right, under our wonderful
system of government, to respect and study the Bible, or any other
system of belief, if they so choose, or even no belief at all. That is
the beauty of the American way, and I believe it is founded and goes
back to the Bible.
In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of
Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week. Every U.S. President since has
followed this tradition by declaring this time of year to be National
Bible Week. The National Bible Association and the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops have designated the specific days of
November 12 through 18 of this year as National Bible Week.
This is the week set aside to 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 from
various faith traditions and denominations speak about what the Bible
means to them and what it means to the country. We are here, in keeping
with tradition, to recognize National Bible Week.
Mr. Speaker, I am just going to speak for a couple of moments about
my own personal experience and then turn it
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over to some Members who want to share some thoughts that I think bear
worth listening to.
When I was a freshman at the University of Kansas four decades ago,
someone asked me if I knew what the Bible was about. I said, yes, I
knew what it was all about. But I realized that my answer was actually
pretty presumptuous because I had never actually read any of it.
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if this might be true for others who might be
listening tonight. The only honest thing I could do at that point was
to read the Bible for myself. I started by reading the Gospel of John
in the New Testament. When I read it, I discovered that I hadn't known
at all what the Bible was about.
In that Gospel, Jesus says: ``I am the way, the truth and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through me.'' And I ended up discovering
a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who became my Lord and
Savior.
Mr. Speaker, this is what I know from personal experience. It is
better to read the Bible for one's self 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. My life has been totally different since then as a result.
As King David says in the Psalms: ``The unfolding of Your words gives
light; it gives understanding to the simple.''
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 Book that has truly been, in the
words of the Scripture, ``a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path.''
Mr. Speaker, at this point, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri
(Mrs. Hartzler).
Mrs. HARTZLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I have a riddle
for everyone. What is the most dangerous book ever published? What is
the most powerful book ever written? What is the most cited book by
Presidents and our Nation's Founders? What is the most prized
possession that I own? The Bible.
It is a controversial book. Many people have it on their shelf at
home, or it gathers dust on some end table, and people think it is a
pretty innocuous book. But more people have lost their lives over this
book than any other book ever written.
Many rulers have ordered the gathering and burning of all Bibles in
the country, and, even today, in countries like North Korea, possession
of a Bible results in death or sentence to a labor camp.
Why? Well, because it is more than a historic book, although it is;
and it is more than a collection of wise advice and spellbounding
stories, which it is. It has the audacity to claim something radical
and all-inspiring at the same time. It claims to be the Word of God.
Now, as a result, it changes lives. The Bible reveals a plan. It
starts right out with these words: ``In the beginning, God made. . .
.'' That changes everything. That sets the stage saying that we are not
here by chance, that there is a loving God who has a design, and we are
a part of it. It makes a difference if we have a plan. It reveals that
plan. It also gives us a purpose.
Part of the Psalms in 139 says, we are ``fearfully and wonderfully
made'' by a loving God. We are not here by chance. And it goes on and
says, and this is God speaking: ``For I know the plans I have for you,
says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future
and a hope.''
That is exciting.
The Bible also gives us power. It gives us power to overcome evil,
hardship, and trials of life by revealing how God sent his son, Jesus,
to introduce us to God and make a way for us to have a personal
relationship with the living God who made us and loves us. It is
incredible.
The Bible also gives us peace and hope as a result, not just for
today, but for the future. I start each day reading from my Bible, and
I am so thankful for it. It has made a difference in my life. I want to
invite anyone who has never read it to read it and to discover God's
plan and purpose for your life which will give you power and peace. So
let this most radical book ever written touch and bless your life.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Missouri for her
wise words and thought-provoking words.
I yield to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem).
Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 76th celebration of
National Bible Week. As I reflected on what I would share with everyone
tonight, I couldn't get away from my background and my family heritage
of being raised by Christian parents, who were raised by Christian
grandparents, who worked hard and believed that the instruction book
for life was the Word of God.
Bryon and I have chosen to raise our children in much that same way.
In fact, when I was telling my family--we have a group text that we
text in all the time with my kids, my husband and I. I was telling them
that it was National Bible Week. I said to them: Do you kids remember
what the Junior Bible Quiz answer is? For the very first question in
the Junior Bible Quiz book is: What is the Bible?
And my middle daughter, Kennedy, who is 20 years old, immediately
texted back, and she said: The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is
His revelation to all people of Himself and His plan for salvation. I
said: Good job, Kenners.
You see, because we--my grandparents grew up going to church and
became very frustrated that it was religious; that it wasn't a personal
relationship with the Lord. In fact, so much so, that they decided that
they would plant their own church. It is the church that I go to today,
that our entire family goes to today. But for a year, they held Bible
studies in homes seeking God's will for their lives and what it meant
to have a personal relationship with Him and to spread it to their
community.
They were very poor, but they knew that everything in their life,
their success, and their family's hope and future relied on the Lord's
will and them being obedient to it.
Mr. Speaker, I grew up as a young girl coming downstairs in the
middle of the night for a drink of water to find my dad on his knees
reading his Bible in the middle of the living room. He had a bad back.
He worked hard. He was always in pain, and whenever he had a difficult
time on the farm or couldn't sleep because of the pain that was in his
body, the first thing he would do would be to read his Bible.
Oftentimes, we didn't realize how much time he really did spend
worshipping God, and reading His words to find comfort and release
through some of the difficult times that he had gone through.
I remember being 13 years old and being very insecure. In fact, my
mom said she worried about me. She wondered if I was going to be a
young girl who would grow up proud. I didn't have many friends. I
didn't think I was attractive. I didn't think I had any gifts. She sat
me down at the kitchen table, and she read to me Scriptures out of the
Bible that told me how God saw me; that God saw me above and not
beneath; that He saw me as someone who had plans for me from the time I
was in the womb. And you know what? I bought it. I completely changed
my attitude and my perspective of myself that day because of God's Word
that was spoken over me by my mother.
So we as a family, from the time I was little, went to church Sunday
mornings. We went Sunday nights. We went Wednesday evenings.
{time} 1845
We knew that if the doors were open on church, we were to be there,
and we were to be meditating on God's Words in our lives. That is how
Bryon and I have chosen to raise our kids as well. We put them in
Junior Bible Quiz because we wanted God's Word hidden in their heart. I
am thankful that today they still have God's Word hidden in their
heart.
Mr. Speaker, Jesus tells us in Matthew 7: ``Anyone who listens to My
teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on
solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise
and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it was
built on bedrock.''
How often does it feel like we are stuck in that storm, as though the
[[Page H9249]]
floodwaters are rising around us and around people of faith, as though
the winds are beating on our door?
It is during these times that we must lean on our foundation, the
Bible, our instruction book.
It is in that Bible that God reveals how He would like to use us as
instruments of faith and as defenders of freedom that show Christ's
love and compassion to our community, Nation, and world. Allowing Him
to guide us through His Word is the surest way to navigate any storm.
But so many times, people try to navigate our policy debates in this
Chamber by fighting to change one another's minds. Mr. Speaker, I am
convinced what we ought to be doing is seeking God to change their
hearts, gearing their hearts toward Him. I recognize that that takes
trust, and it takes faith, but that is what we are directed to do.
It is written in Proverbs: ``Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight.''
Mr. Speaker, I pray that we are being servants for God's good, that
we allow Him to light our path, and that we humble ourselves enough to
build our house on His firm Biblical foundation. In this way, whatever
we do, we do it to the glory of God.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her heartfelt
remarks.
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 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
supply of any 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.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson).
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my friend and
colleague, Congressman Doug Lamborn, for organizing this Special Order
series in recognition of the 76th anniversary of National Bible Week.
I am delighted to stand with these other Members today to share our
perspectives on why the Bible is so important to us and to our country.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, there is really no better time
to present these reflections.
I wanted to share the preface to a historic text that I have in my
collection. What I am holding here is a copy of the New Testament Bible
study course that was approved by and published for the public schools
of Dallas, Texas, by its board of education in September of 1946. The
preface was written by Henry Van Dyke, and it is a wonderful summary of
what the Bible means to us and to the world.
Mr. Speaker, let me read to you what it says here in the text:
Born in the East and clothed in that form and imagery, the
Bible walks the ways of the world with familiar feet and
enters land after land to find its own everywhere. It has
learned to speak in hundreds of languages to the hearts of
men. It comes into the palace to tell the monarch that he is
a servant of the Most High and into the cottage to assure the
peasant that He is a son of God. Children listen to its
stories with wonder and delight, and wise men ponder them as
parables of life. It has a word of peace for the time of
peril, a word of comfort for the time of calamity, a word of
light for the hour of darkness. Its oracles are repeated in
the assembly of the people, and its counsels whispered in the
ear of the lonely. The wicked and the proud tremble at its
warnings, but to the wounded and the penitent, it has a
mother's voice. The wilderness and the solitary place have
been made glad by it, and the fire on the hearth has lit the
reading of its well-worn pages. It has woven itself into our
dearest dreams so that love, friendship, sympathy, devotion,
memory, and hope put on the beautiful garments of its
treasured speech, breathing of frankincense and myrrh. No man
is poor or desolate who has this treasure for his own. When
the landscape darkens and the trembling pilgrim comes to the
valley named of the shadow, he is not afraid to enter. He
takes the rod and the staff of Scripture in his hand. He says
to friend and comrade: Good-Bye; we shall meet again. And
comforted by that support, he goes toward the lonely pass as
one who walks through the darkness into light.
Mr. Speaker, I love those words. I also love the words that are
inscribed above the Speaker, where it says in the marble: In God We
Trust.
There is a reason for that. Our Founders understood that this is our
foundation. George Washington, the father of our country, famously said
in his Farewell Address: ``Of all the dispositions and habits which
lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable
supports.''
Adams was our second President. He comes next. He said: ``Our
Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is
wholly inadequate for the government of any other.''
We have to remember these truths. I close with the words of ``The
Gipper.'' Ronald Reagan said it more recently: ``If we ever forget that
we are one nation under God, we will be a nation gone under.''
I am so grateful for National Bible Week. I am so grateful to my
friends and colleagues here for our recognition of this great truth,
what it means to our country, and what it means to each of us.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for
his wonderful thoughts. He quoted some of the Presidents in our great
country's history. I have two more quotes along with that same line.
The gentleman mentioned Ronald Reagan, ``The Gipper.'' In his own
National Bible Week declaration, he wrote when he was in office: ``When
I took the oath of office, I requested the Bible be open to 2
Chronicles 7:14, which reads: `If My people, which are called by My
name shall humble themselves, pray, seek My face, and turn from wicked
ways, then I will hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and heal their
land.' ''
The President said: ``This passage expresses my hope for the future
of this Nation and the world.''
One last quote along this line. President Abraham Lincoln once said:
``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 found portrayed in
it.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg),
who is my good friend.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from
Colorado for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate so much tonight the opportunity to speak
here during Special Orders. We could talk about the principles of
charity from the Scriptures. We could talk from the Scriptures on
principles of science. We could talk on principles of education. We
could even talk about the principles of taxation and be very up to date
as we deal with that here.
But tonight, as we discuss the issues of the Bible in this National
Bible Week, I want to go back to my earliest days in my childhood home.
I thank God that I had a mother and a father who would speak to me
about God's Word, from God's Word, and impart God's Word in my life
even when I didn't want it or didn't understand it.
I remember from my earliest days being taught to memorize Psalm
119:11, where it says: ``Thy Word I have treasured in my heart. That I
might not sin against Thee.''
As a young man, the thoughts of sin in some cases were enticing, but
I am glad that I had the opportunity to put the Scriptures in my life
because ultimately, through the course of time, it truly did change my
life.
It brought me to the Book of Romans, where in Romans, the third
chapter verse 23 said: ``For all have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God.''
With that verse in the Psalm, my mother would say: Tim, this book
will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.
I found the truth in both of those statements. What I found there in
Romans 3:23, that we have all sinned, I identified with that. But it
didn't end there because I went over a few pages to Romans 5:8, where
it said: ``But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.''
Those are words of Scripture. The Bible impacted my life. As a young
man, ultimately, I had to ask: Is that true?
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I am so thankful that ultimately I admitted the truth, and I came to
Romans again, chapter 10:13, where it says: ``For whosoever will call
on the name of the Lord will be saved.''
My good friend from Colorado indicated how that changed his life. It
changed my life as well, admitting personally that I was a sinner in
need of a savior. The Bible said so. It changed my life.
Now, some might reject this. That is okay. But most who seek the
truth of the Bible are not disappointed. It truly changes lives.
Admittedly, I am not perfect--and my colleagues could identify with
that--but I am forgiven. I am forgiven, and every day I have a purpose
beyond myself to live in a way that makes a difference because of not
who I am, but who this book and my savior has made me be.
So I will end with this, Mr. Speaker, in my namesake, 2 Timothy 2:15,
it says to me specifically: Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that doesn't need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word
of truth.
At the end of each day, Mr. Speaker, because of this passage, I ask,
first of all: Is God pleased?
Secondly, has the work been done well?
Thirdly, has the word--the truth--been used well in my life?
If I can answer in the affirmative to each of those based upon the
Bible, I know for whatever reason my God has been served well, and I
have done the work well.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for leading this
Special Order tonight talking about something so significant as the
Bible, and I pray that it imparts wisdom to all we do here.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those profound
and heartfelt words that he has just shared with us.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway).
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman holding this
hour tonight.
In September of this year, we celebrated the 230th birthday of our
Constitution, a document that has provided for the governance of this
great people for 230 years.
The history behind that was that the States in 1787 decided that the
Articles of Confederation were not properly forming a nation that could
protect itself properly. So they sent really smart men to Philadelphia
to fine-tune--or tweak--the Articles of Confederation.
James Madison and others had a different idea. They locked the doors,
they went into closed session, and they came forth with a Constitution
that we have lived under for the next 230 years.
Benjamin Franklin, who was the oldest Framer, emerged from that
experience and was asked by a woman, whom we think was named Mrs.
Powell. She said: Good Doctor, what have you given us, a monarchy or a
republic?
He looked her in the eye and said: ``Madam, a republic, if you can
keep it.''
That is a daunting phrase, Mr. Speaker, and it is one that carries
forward now for 230 years. It never ends. It is not a one-and-done
circumstance.
So the question arises: How, in fact, do we keep a republic?
Mr. Speaker, only a free, self-governing people can keep a republic.
As was previously quoted by my colleague from Louisiana, John Adams
wrote that only a moral and religious people can self-govern.
Mr. Speaker, as I look at our Nation today, I am deeply concerned
that we are losing that moral high ground to be able to maintain the
moral authority, in fact, to self-govern. We each say the Pledge of
Allegiance often. There is a line in that pledge that says, ``One
nation under God,'' with no comma.
Mr. Speaker, think about that juxtaposition, ``One nation under
God.''
What does God see when He sees our Nation today? What does He see in
America that can, in fact, please Him?
He sees a nation that has come to accept the killing of 57 million
babies in the last 44 years. He has seen a nation whose family units
are breaking up and the impact it has on the moral guidance of
children. He has seen a coarsening of our society, a language that is
unsuitable, a filthiness and commonness that, quite frankly, offends
Him at every level.
Mr. Speaker, you and others listening to me tonight, I think, have
their own list of things that God looks at and cannot and simply will
not bless.
How do we turn that around? How do we reclaim that moral high ground?
I am going to argue, Mr. Speaker, that that is an individual job. I
don't think any of us would argue that we can legislate this work,
because this is a work of each of our hearts.
Mr. Speaker, I think you reclaim this moral high ground by living a
moral code. I live the Judeo-Christian model. Jesus Christ is my
personal savior. I try to live his tenets every single day. Some days I
am better at it than others. Each of those days, I am simply a sinner
saved by grace. That grace of God has provided the story of that, and
how that works is provided for us in the Bible that we celebrate
tonight.
Mr. Speaker, each one of us has to live a code that, in fact, can
create moral and religious people. Each of us in this body take an oath
every 2 years--those of us who are fortunate to get reelected--to
defend and protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and
domestic.
We have got good men and women in uniform tonight who are putting
their lives between us and some really bad guys as a result of that
oath of office.
I'm going to ask each of my colleagues here tonight to think about
what they are willing to put on the line to protect and defend the
Constitution, to help create that moral fiber, and to reclaim that
moral high ground that will, in fact, allow us to continue self-
governance and, by extension, protect this Republic.
That used to be the easy thing to do, Mr. Speaker, but the voices
against us, the voices of intolerance are growing louder and louder
every single day. It will come at a risk to stand up for those Biblical
truths on which this country was founded and which have sustained her
for some 230 years.
{time} 1900
Are you and I, in fact, willing to take those risks, take the risk of
being ostracized, being ridiculed, being made fun of because we stand
up for the truths that all of us know built and sustained this country?
I certainly hope we are because we have got young men and women in
uniform who put their lives on the line, and I am going to ask you to
put your reputation and mine on the line to help create and maintain
this Republic.
As Benjamin Franklin said: ``A Republic, if you can keep it.'' These
are strong words for a strong-hearted people who must reclaim the moral
high ground that God, in fact, continues to bless.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that God bless each one of us, that God continue
to bless Texas, and that God bless the great United States of America.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his
words and for focusing our attention on the U.S. Constitution and some
other great things, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes). He won
a special election and is one of our most recently elected and newest
Members of Congress. I look forward to seeing him doing good things
here for a long time to come.
Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from
Colorado holding this Special Order hour tonight.
Serving my fellow Kansans for a little over the last 6 months has
been a very humbling experience. I can't help but walk onto the House
floor and feel the weight of history in this hall.
I am often reminded of Jesus' words in Mark chapter 9: ``Anyone who
wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.'' This
verse touches on why each of us should be here not for our own gain,
but in service to others.
Throughout our country tonight, people are in Bible study classes. We
are all attempting to seek how we humble ourselves before the Lord.
When I consider our Founding Fathers' vision for this Republic, I
think they set in motion with a servant's heart. The Founders made
clear that religious liberty was to be cherished, and so they enshrined
it in our Constitution. From the time of the Puritans crossing the
Atlantic in search of freedom to practice their faith to today,
millions of Americans have taken the Bible as the cornerstone of their
faith.
[[Page H9251]]
Our President's have chosen to take the oath of office on their
Bibles. President Lincoln chose his Bible to be open to Matthew 7:1,
``Judge not, that ye be not judged.'' President Reagan chose to have
his Bible open to II Chronicles 7:14, ``If my people, which are called
by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face. . . .
''
With the Bible as our guiding compass, these leaders chose to serve
their fellow Americans with humility and strength.
As we honor National Bible Week, I hope that individuals across this
country, regardless of their faith background, will take a moment to
reflect on the gift of religious liberty and their role to serve others
around them. The future of our great Nation rests in the servant hearts
of her people.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I am going to mention something about
fulfilled prophesy. This is one of the reasons why we can believe in
and trust the Bible.
People come here to Congress with all different kinds of backgrounds,
including pastors. This diversity of background adds a valuable thread
of experience and thought that helps us all.
One reason many people respect the Bible is that so many prophesies
for telling future events have come true exactly as foretold. In the
Old Testament, there are many predictions that were given to prove
that, if a speaker were divinely inspired, those things that he
predicted would come true; it would validate the words of that prophet.
The Book of Daniel, for instance, contains scores of detailed
prophesies that were literally fulfilled. Skeptics have fallen back to
the position that Daniel must have been written after the fact and is,
therefore, not being honest.
In fact, the Book of Daniel is found in its entirety in the Greek's
Septuagint and partially in the Dead Sea Scrolls, both of which we know
predated the events that were prophesied. That means that the critics
of the dating of the Book of Daniel are the ones who are not being
honest.
The rise and fall of empires, the capture and destruction of cities,
the destiny of kings all were prophesied in minute detail. Archeology
and history have literally confirmed hundreds of such prophesies as
having come true.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Colorado (Mr.
Lamborn) for leading this Special Order tonight on National Bible Week.
Last night, several of us had the privilege to attend a preview of
the national Museum of the Bible. It was very impressive. I would urge
everybody watching tonight and who hears about it to tour it when you
get the chance here in Washington, D.C.
One of the things that struck me very early on in that tour was a
banner hanging inside the museum that says: ``The law of the Lord is
perfect, refreshing to the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple''--Psalm 19:8.
That also applies to the Bible itself, the inherent and infallible
Word of God.
Jesus himself used Scripture that was written before him. Jesus never
belittled the Scripture, as some modern critics do, or set it aside,
nor did he criticize it; although he criticized those who misused it or
contradicted it, although he rejected many interpretations of it.
When we hear the Son of God's quotes to Scriptures, we need no
further testimony. He believed every word of Scripture. All the
prophesies concerning Himself were fulfilled, as my colleague, Mr.
Lamborn, said.
Time and time and time again, the timelines prove the Word of God's
prophesy. Matthew 19:4 and 19:5 were one of those that Jesus spoke of,
documented in the New Testament, accounts by those over there with
Jesus at the time.
We know Moses wrote the Pentateuch, Jonah wrote Jonah, Daniel wrote
Daniel. Jesus attests to that. He believed the Old Testament was spoken
by God, Himself, written by the Holy Spirit's inspiration, even though
the pen was held by men. That is an important point for those who ask:
How can the Bible be real, since it was written down by men?
The committed task of all writing of the Word of God, though they
were fallible men, were guided by the infallible Holy Spirit. That is a
faith we have and hold.
It does take some faith, yes, just as it takes faith for me to get on
that airliner and fly back East each week. But the faith in the Bible
is much stronger. It has never been proven wrong. All the prophesies
that were made that have occurred already have been proven true.
The Founders thought it was a key element in the founding of this
Nation, obviously. Right in this room, behind the Speaker's dais, is
the inscription: ``In God We Trust.'' Facing me right now is the only
forward-facing image in here of Moses looking over this House of
Representatives.
Lastly, I would leave with this. As you watch the machinations of the
Members of Congress, I think one of the most important guidelines we
would have I find in Proverbs 4:25 through 4:27: we uphold the honor
not only of this institution and our families, but those who walk with
God, that walk with Jesus.
In Proverbs, you see: ``Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your
gaze directly before you. Keep straight the passage for your feet and
be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left.
Keep your feet from evil.''
That is what the Bible inspires. As I read it on the plane coming
back and forth and read it at home or at my bedside, this is what true
faith is all about, proven time and time again.
I urge everybody not just to have the Bible at your home. The
statistics are that every home has 2.2 Bibles, on average. It isn't
that there aren't enough Bibles. It is that people don't open it often
enough.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California (Mr.
LaMalfa) for his sincere words.
When National Bible Week was started in 1941, even though that has
only been 76 years, the Bible itself has been celebrated by Americans
since the beginning of our country--in fact, before we were a country.
Our Presidents have been very vocal in their acknowledgment of the
Bible and the DNA of who we are as Americans. Several have been quoted.
Listen to what Civil War hero Ulysses Grant gave as advice to Sunday
school children: ``Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your
liberties; write its precepts on your hearts and practice them in your
lives. To the influence of this book we are indebted for the progress
made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the
future.''
Then he finished with this quote from the Bible: ``Righteousness
exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great privilege to celebrate
National Bible Week.
As stated, it has been 76 years since President Franklin Roosevelt
declared this National Bible Week. I thank Congressman Lamborn for
recognizing the importance of honoring God's Word here tonight.
Just 16 short years ago, I learned the most valuable lesson of my
life. I realized I had to change my priorities. Part of that change was
to put God first. A big part of that commitment was the reading and
studying of His Word through prayer and meditation. It is easy to say,
but difficult to do.
I had come to a point in my life where I made a covenant with God on
my knees, which reminds me of God's instruction to Joshua 1:8, ``This
book of laws shall not depart from your lips, but you shall meditate on
it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that
is written in it; for then, you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have true success.''
I learned to gradually believe all the wonderful promises God made
through His Word, and he credited to me His righteousness, just as He
did our spiritual father Abraham in Genesis 15:6, ``I learned it was
not my will be done, but His will be done.''
I learned what Jesus Christ had done for me and the entire world and
how he leads me in all my endeavors and has called me to places I never
imagined I would go. One of those is right here.
Years ago, I could never have imagined myself here tonight, speaking
on
[[Page H9252]]
this floor in the United States House of Representatives, representing
the great people of Georgia's 12th District. But here I am, by the
grace of God.
In this endeavor, I meditate often, and as said in Philippians 2:
``Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others more important than yourself. Each of you should look
not only to your own interests, but look to the interests of others.''
At a time when many Americans are increasingly divided, I often
remind myself and those around me to have faith in Him and to remember
the Judeo-Christian values our Nation was founded on.
The Bible's influence on or founding documents can still be seen here
today and was mentioned tonight. Again, when the Constitutional
Convention reached an impasse, Ben Franklin asked clergymen to come in
and pray and read the Scriptures. They united around the greatest
constitutional document created in the history of mankind.
Americans are looking to Congress to come together to find solutions
for rising healthcare costs, a simpler, fairer Tax Code, and let's get
our good folks back to work again. It is time to put the American
people's interests above political will.
The division in this Nation is real. They are evident right here in
this body. How could our behavior ever show the world to believe that
God sent His Son to save the world?
This is when we should look to God's provision. The truth can always
be found through faith in him. Jesus summed it up when he 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. May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that You sent me.''
My inspiration is found in Psalms 51:10-12, David's Prayer: ``Create
in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do
not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit
to sustain me.''
As we enter the Christmas season, one of the most important seasons
of the year, we all must remember to keep His Word close and let it
lead us in all that we do.
I am grateful that we have a President who actually wishes a merry
Christmas as we all celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.
God bless.
{time} 1915
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for
being here tonight and for those thought-provoking and very well-
intended words.
As our next speaker comes to the podium, let me mention the issue of
archaeology. Archaeology is one of the reasons why we can have trust in
that what the Bible says is true. There are many archaeological
discoveries which have validated Biblical accounts, giving
trustworthiness to the Bible that we acknowledge and commemorate during
this National Bible Week.
Time and time again, archaeology has shown that 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 archaeological studies more times than we
can say.
Jewish archaeologist Nelson Glueck has said: ``It may be stated
categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted or
contradicted a Biblical reference.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Rouzer).
Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate my colleague from
Colorado for leading this Special Order on the Bible, its importance to
each of us, and its influence on our constitutional Republic.
Our Founding Fathers understood that Biblical values were the basis
for our Republic and that this country would be slowly destroyed if the
people's knowledge and adherence to those values were ever lost.
In reference to this danger, John Adams wrote: ``Democracy will soon
degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what
is right in his own eyes, and no man's life or property or reputation
or liberty will be secure, and every one of these would soon mold
itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues and
intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and
science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and abominable
cruelty of one or a very few.''
In a simpler language, that means ``tyranny.''
When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the United States early in the
19th century, he wrote in ``Democracy in America'' that our Nation's
``religious atmosphere was the first thing that struck me on arrival in
the United States.'' He believed that adherence to the virtuous
standards was indispensable for the preservation of liberty.
Mr. Speaker, he was correct in this assessment. This brings me to one
of my own favorite passages in the Bible: the Apostle Paul writing to
Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:16 through 2 Timothy 4:5. And I might add that
I find this passage to be more and more relevant to our times with each
and every passing day.
It reads: ``All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
``I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His
kingdom: preach the Word, be ready in season and out of season,
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
``For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn
away their ears and will turn aside to myths.
``But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of
the evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.''
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those words. It
is great that we have been hearing today from Representatives from all
over the United States: from North Carolina on the Atlantic Coast in
Georgia to California on the Pacific Coast, from Michigan on our
Northern border to Texas on our Southern border. And we have been
hearing America speak tonight, so I think that is very special.
Now, there are some who would prefer to gloss over the vital role
that the Bible has had in the founding of our Nation and the
implementation of this unique form of government, but none of our
Founding Fathers were perfect. Indeed, there are times in our Nation's
history when Biblical principles were not acted upon.
Yet, listen to what President Harry Truman said during his address to
the Attorney General's conference on law enforcement problems: ``The
fundamental basis of this Nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount.
The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings
which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I
don't think we emphasize that enough these days.
``If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will
finally end up with a totalitarian government, which does not believe
in rights for anybody except the State.''
Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor, and it has been a pleasure to
commemorate National Bible Week this evening. As I said a moment ago,
we heard from colleagues from all over the United States. I am grateful
to these colleagues who have joined me to honor the Word of God. I am
also thankful to the National Bible Association for their vision for
National Bible Week and for their encouragement for our efforts today.
Mr. Speaker, the prophet Isaiah, thousands of years ago, wrote: ``The
grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures
forever.''
How true. Civilizations have risen and fallen in those thousands of
years since that was said, generations have come and gone, yet here
today on November 14, 2017, we are still celebrating the enduring Word
of God. We celebrate National Bible Week.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday was the International Day of
the Bible, and this week we are celebrating the National Bible Week
across the United States.
It is very fitting that we take time today on the floor of the
People's House to draw our nation's attention to the Bible. In his book
[[Page H9253]]
Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers, Dr. Daniel Dreisbach
reminds us of the influential role the Bible served in the lives,
thoughts and ideas of our nation's Founding Fathers.
The Bible was the most accessible book to our Founding Fathers and
gave them insights on human nature, civic virtue, political authority,
and the rights and duties of citizens that informed them as they
formulated established the structures of government.
On a more personal level, I believe that the Bible is not simply an
inspirational book or a comforting book--although it is that. But, I
believe the Bible to be the holy word of God. It tells us the story of
God's love for us. It is a story of redemption for those who would put
their faith and trust in Christ alone.
John 3:16 tells us that ``God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.''
For me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, this is not only comforting
and inspiring but it is True and the Bible is a guide for my life.
Each day--and the older I get--I am reminded of the comforting Truth
in Job Chapter 19. Written centuries before the birth, crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus, we were told of our redeemer. The one who would
save us.
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, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19:25-27
This promise reminds me of the Lord's love for me--no matter what the
circumstances of life.
Maybe it's been a while since you poured over the pages of the Bible.
Maybe it's been collecting dust on a shelf. Take it down and read once
again the truthful and comforting words of God preserved for us and
given to us as a gift.
I thank my colleagues for reserving this time for me to join you in
sharing what the Bible means to me and hundreds of millions of others
across the world.
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