[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

[[Page H9248]]

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?

[[Page H9250]]

  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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