[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7095-H7101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2019, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and
extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of
this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Colorado?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to come to the
House floor tonight to commemorate National Bible Week. This year's
Special Order marks the 79th annual celebration of a week in which we
celebrate the tremendous influence of the Bible on the freedoms we
enjoy today in America.
I am so thankful and blessed to live in a country where we have the
freedom to worship and read the Holy Scriptures without fear. Many
people across the globe live in countries where such freedoms do not
exist.
Mr. Speaker, under our wonderful system of government, people are
free to respect and study the Bible, or any other system of belief, if
they so choose--or even none at all. That is the beauty of the American
way, and it is rooted in the deep truths contained in the Word of God.
In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of
Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week. This is the time we set aside
to recognize the Bible as a foundational building block of Western
civilization, the Judeo-Christian heritage, and the ideas and
principles that shape the thinking of our America's Founding Fathers.
The Word of God has had a profound impact on my life as well. I agree
with the Psalmist when he says:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
This has been true in my own life as well. God's Word has shaped my
thinking and deeply influenced my relationship with God. The Bible has
indeed been a guiding light in every area of my life and a source of
comfort and strength in a time of need.
In this hour, we will hear from Members of Congress from various
faiths, traditions, and denominations to speak about what the Bible
means to them. We are here, in keeping with tradition, to recognize
National Bible Week.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have taken the Bible and God out
of school. We are so smart. We have replaced Him with armed police
officers, drug-sniffing dogs, and metal detectors.
We have kicked Biblical training and principles out of schools. And
now, we have broken families, absentee fathers, single moms struggling,
and disrespect like we have never seen before.
So much for what Jesus teaches us in the Bible: Love others as you
love yourself. Or do unto others as you would have them do unto you, a/
k/a, the Golden Rule.
Today's moral-less culture's motto seems to be, do unto others and
then split, but not before you get a selfie and put it on Facebook.
Disrespect is rampant--witnessing the rioting in the cities recently,
the burning of the American flag. The courts decided in their infinite
wisdom that flag burning is a protected form of speech. All I ask of
those who are going to burn the flag, wrap themselves in it first.
Mr. Speaker, courts have decided that you can't pray in schools, you
can't pray at football games. We wouldn't want to invoke God's
blessings on our gatherings. So much for the commandments in the Bible:
Love, respect, duty, commitment, et cetera.
Our country has gotten away from Biblical principles. Marriages have
been destroyed, drugs are rampant, killing of unborn children. So much
the order of the day, that now the abortion crowd wants to kill people
after they have botched an abortion.
[[Page H7096]]
Mr. Speaker, think of it. America's great fighting men and women can
be fighting a vile enemy; we can wing one of their soldiers and we will
do everything we can to nurse that soldier back to health, that enemy.
But we won't try to save a baby we just tried to abort.
God, help us. Lord, help us if we don't get back to Biblical
principles. It is God's guidebook, his plan that this country was
founded on. America, you had better get back to the Bible.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, and I
yield to another gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr. Lamborn from
Colorado, for having this Special Order Hour.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 79th annual National
Bible Week. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, every President has
set aside a time of reflection and a time of gratitude for the Good
Book in acknowledgment of its profound influence on humankind.
The Bible was perhaps the most accessible book to our Founding
Fathers, and its principles gave them valuable insights about human
nature, civic virtue, political authority, and the rights of our
citizens. Many of our founding documents contained references to the
great truths found in Scripture.
As stated in the Declaration of Independence, ``That all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness.''
Mr. Speaker, much like the early days of this great country, we are
at a critical time in our history in America. The decisions we make now
will set our course for years to come. It is my fervent prayer that we,
as Americans, turn to the Scriptures for healing and for direction. Its
principles are timeless, and its wisdom is trustworthy.
The Bible has been my comfort in sorrow, my counsel in
decisionmaking, my companion in day-to-day life. Whether conducting my
business as a dentist in Woodville, Texas, raising my family, or
serving the good people of the 36th District of Texas here in Congress,
the Good Book continually shapes the way that I try to live my life.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Bible is more than a book of
inspiration and comfort or simply a compilation of moral teachings. I
believe it is the Holy Word of God that contains the truth of his love
for us and his plan of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
One of the most well-known verses in the Bible, 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.
There, in the pages of Scripture, God describes His great love for
us, a love that was exhibited through the gift of His only Son sent to
redeem us. And we are about to celebrate His birth.
Mr. Speaker, I will leave you with a passage of Scripture from the
Book of Job in the Old Testament that has been an encouragement for me
with its promise of eternal life. I hope that it will be for you as
well:
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at
last on the Earth; and after my skin is decayed, 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.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson),
who is the current chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to my colleague, Congressman Doug Lamborn.
He is so faithful every year to organize this Special Order series. And
this year, we recognize, as has been mentioned, the 79th anniversary of
National Bible Week.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to stand with all my Members and friends
today to share our perspectives on why the Bible is so important to us
and to our country. I am often reminded, I think about and reflect
upon, and we quote all the time, the Founders. George Washington, who
was the father of our country, and he famously said, ``Of all the
disposition and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and
morality are indispensable supports.'' They were the foundation of the
very Republic.
And John Adams is our second President. He comes next. He says, ``Our
Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is
wholly inadequate to the government of any other.''
What he meant was that this is essential to who we are as Americans.
Even more fundamental than that, who we are as human beings.
And it was one of my favorite Presidents, Ronald Reagan, who said
that, ``If we ever forget that we are one Nation under God, we will be
a Nation gone under.''
Mr. Speaker, in the very short time I have, I would share one brief
paragraph, a preface to a historic text that I have in my collection.
Some of the guys have this as well. But this is a copy of a New
Testament Bible study 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 a gentleman by the name of Henry van Dyke.
And it is a wonderful summary of what the Bible means to us and to the
world. I will read that into the Record.
``Born in the East and clothed in Oriental 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 page.
``It has woven itself into our dearest dreams; so that love,
friendship, sympathy and 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 staff of Scripture in his hand; he says to friend and comrade;
`Goodbye, we shall meet again.' And comforted by that support, he goes
toward the lonely pass as one who walks through darkness and into
light.''
Mr. Speaker, that is a pretty good summary about what the Bible means
to us. I am delighted to honor National Bible Week and to stand with my
friends here.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, that reminds me of a story here from the Halls of
Congress in the beginning of our country's history.
Many of the early American settlers who came to the New World with
the express purpose of living out their faith to God and his Word,
according to the convictions of their own consciences, founded our
country. And one of the very first Congress' first acts was the
authorization of an American-published Bible.
The Revolutionary War with the British in the late 1700s had cut off
all remaining shipments of Bibles from England.
{time} 1745
Our Founding Fathers understood how important it was for the American
people to have access to Bibles.
Robert Aitken, a private citizen, brought this need to the attention
of Congress, and he wrote a letter saying: ``This work is an object
worthy of the attention of the Congress of the United
[[Page H7097]]
States of America, who will not neglect spiritual security, while they
are virtuously contending for temporal blessings.''
In 1782, Congress reviewed, approved, and authorized the first known
English language Bible to be printed in America. They passed a
resolution, here in the halls of Congress--or the Continental
Congress--saying: ``Resolved, that the United States in Congress
assembled highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr.
Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion, as well as an
instance of the progress of arts in this country, and being satisfied
from the above report of his care and accuracy in the execution of the
work, they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of
the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this
recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.''
Can you imagine doing that today? The House of Representatives
approving the printing of a Bible?
Our country has changed over the years, and I am not sure it has
always changed for the better.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Colorado, my good friend, for leading this Special Order. I am indeed
honored to rise and celebrate and honor the book that, without
question, has transformed my life, brought light into my life and to
the entire world, and to join my colleagues in recognizing the most
significant book in the history of our Nation, its founding, and its
history throughout. Of course, we are talking about the Bible.
As a pastor of 25-plus years, prior to coming to Congress, this
opportunity to speak the Word of God on this floor is an extremely
important thing to me personally and to our Nation.
There is no question that Benjamin Franklin--and we have many, many,
many, many examples--and I have a lot of them in my office. But
Benjamin Franklin spoke very clear truth when he said that famous
statement that: ``The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see
of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.''
Without a doubt, it is in the Bible that we learn about the greatness
of God. We learn that He is the object of true worship, that He is the
fount of all blessings, that He is the light of the world. It is in the
Bible that we learn about the holiness of God. And, yes, it is in the
Bible that we learn about the sinfulness of every one of us as human
beings, that we have broken God's moral standard in one of a thousand
different ways.
But it is in the Bible also that we learn how much God loves us, and
in His great love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty
for our sins on that cross. It is in the Bible we learn that all of us
who trust in Him can receive the greatest gift that anyone could ever
receive, and that is the gift of forgiveness, which all of us need.
I cherish this moment to speak about the truths of God's Word. Our
country, as we all know, has been referred to over and over and over
throughout history as a shining city on a hill. But we also know today
that we are a Nation that stands at a critical crossroad. I believe it
is times like this, more than other times, perhaps, that the verse that
was quoted earlier, Psalm 119, verse 105, means so much to us. We need
to heed that God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our
path. More than ever, we need to heed, as a nation, as a body, as
leaders in this great Chamber, the Word of God and let it become our
light and our pathway.
It is, I believe, our responsibility, as leaders in this country, to
point our constituents, at least to the point of reminding them that
the Bible is extremely significant, not only to us as individuals, but
to us as a Nation, and that we need to encourage people to go back to
the teachings, the principles, the truths, the eternal truths of God's
Word. How different our Nation would be with that.
Again, I want to thank my friend for leading this Special Order and
all of my colleagues for taking time to come to speak to the truths of
God's Word.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and appreciate his
remarks.
Next, it is with great pleasure that I would like to recognize a
personal friend as well as a colleague from Michigan. He and his wife,
Sue, have been an example to my wife and me in the sincerity of their
beliefs.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for
taking advantage of National Bible Week to give us a chance to talk
about foundational principles.
It was back in 1973--and this is a great book, the Bible. In 1973, a
beloved mentor of mine brought me into his office, and he said: Tim, I
think there is a verse in Scripture that would be good for your life
verse of challenge.
He read to me from Acts 20:24 where it says:
But I do not consider my life of any account as dear unto
myself, that I might finish the course and the ministry set
before me to testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of
God.
I took that as a life challenge verse, and it has directed my entire
life since 1973. It has been an impactful verse from Scripture, God's
Word, to direct my steps, imperfect as they may be, to be about
something more than just myself and declare a message that talks of
eternal things and not just for the here and now.
It all began, though, back in my home with my twin brother. My mom
and dad, I thank God they were believers in this book and believers in
God and taught their two young sons to memorize Scripture to impart in
their lives.
It was a verse that was referred to earlier that was the first verse
that my twin brother and I were asked to memorize. It didn't mean
anything really to me until it became personal by putting my own name
in the words of that verse of John 3:16. For God so loved Tim that He
gave His only begotten Son, that if Tim believed in Him, Tim would not
perish, but he would have eternal life.
That made all the difference in the world. It changed my life. It
changed my perspective. It didn't make me perfect.
Mom also asked me to memorize Second Timothy 3:16, where it says:
All Scripture is inspired by God, and it is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness.
I think mom wanted those words to be not so important for doctrine,
but to correct me, to train me, and to reprove me as I moved forward in
my life.
Even as King David said in Psalm 119: ``Your Word,'' the Bible,
``Your Word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against
You.'' And if I do, First John 1:9 says:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
How our country needs that today. As has been pointed out, we were
founded on Biblical things, principles of Scripture that were seen to
be important for a new nation.
First Peter 1:21 says this--and I end with this Scripture:
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture
is a matter of one's own interpretation.
We hear that in our world today. We hear that in our country: Oh,
whatever. To thy own self be true. You decide. You choose. You make
Scripture important for you in whatever way.
But it goes on to say:
For no prophecy of Scripture was ever made by an act of
human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
My colleague, the gentleman from Colorado, thank you for giving us an
opportunity to remind ourselves that this book is from God. It is for
our benefit. It will impact this Nation for good, not evil. It will
give us the way to move forward, to bind up the division that has taken
place, to bind up the uncertainty that is there and put us back on a
path that God can bless.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, those of us who believe in the Bible are sometimes
accused of having blind faith. But nothing could be further from the
truth. There are many proofs on why we know that the Bible is actually
true. One of those is the fulfillment of prophecies.
The accuracy of the Bible is proven by so many prophecies,
foretelling future events, that have come true exactly as foretold,
especially in the Old Testament. There have been many predictions that
were given to prove, when they were first spoken, that the speaker was
divinely inspired. If and when
[[Page H7098]]
those predictions came true, it validated the words of that person, of
that prophet.
For instance, the Book of Daniel has some very detailed prophecies,
scores of these, that were literally fulfilled, that could not have
ever been done by chance. Skeptics responded and said, well, Daniel
must have been written after those events. They, otherwise, could not
have been so detailed on what happened later and that the writer of
Daniel was not being honest.
But, in fact, it was discovered afterward that the Book of Daniel was
found in its entirety in the Greeks' Septuagint and partially in the
Dead Sea Scrolls, and both of those were proven to predate the events
that were prophesied. That argument that it was written later fell
through. This means that the critics of the Book of Daniel and its
dating 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 about in minute detail.
Fulfillment of prophecy is just one of the reasons we know that the
Bible is true.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).
Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, Mr. Lamborn,
for holding this special hour.
For our Nation's Founding Fathers, the Bible was a guiding light and
provided them the wisdom to build a strong foundation for the United
States, a nation that recognizes and protects our God-given rights.
The teachings in the Bible are intertwined with American beliefs and
values, showing us truth, sacrifice, and compassion for others.
In Isaiah 45:13, God called on Cyrus to bring freedom to His people.
He says:
I have raised them up in righteousness, and I will direct
all his ways; he shall rebuild My city and let My exiles go
free, not for price nor reward.
Just as God called upon Cyrus centuries ago, He calls each of us to
serve Him and our fellow man. Not only that, but God equips us with His
Word and His Holy Spirit.
We serve Him by advocating for the weakest among us and giving a
voice to the voiceless. We do this in His name, not for reward, but out
of love for our fellow man. That servant attitude should be followed,
whether you are a Member of Congress, a farmer, or a machinist on a
manufacturing line.
I am so grateful for His calling in my life and for His Word that is
a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his great
remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).
Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Colorado for
giving me the opportunity to share my faith tonight. It is the most
important aspect of my life.
I became a believer at the age of 13. I thank my dad for taking me to
church every week and for leading Bible studies with our family. I
learned at a young age that our God is the mighty creator of the
universe, a just God who is holy and perfect, a loving God that cares
for each of us, and He made salvation possible through having faith and
believing in His Son, Jesus.
The Bible is the most important book ever written, and in the end, it
is the most valuable possession I own. A Bible may cost only $20, but
the values of lives changed for eternity cannot be measured.
I am grateful the Bible teaches us who God is, about His character. I
am also grateful the Bible tells us about the hope we can have in our
eternal future. Without that hope, I know I would feel lost.
I love the verses where Jesus says:
My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so,
would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a
place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with Me that you may also
be where I am.
There is eternal life. There is hope.
I am thankful the Bible gives us directions on how to live and
provides a roadmap for life. Without that guidance, again, I would feel
lost.
Also, I am thankful that the Bible gave me confidence in frightening
moments. In one of my four deployments to the Middle East, I was
deployed to Baghdad, where we were attacked every single day with
mortars and rockets, sometimes 30 rockets or mortars a day. People were
being killed around me.
God said in Matthew: Do not fear man who can take your life but not
your soul.
I meditated on that verse every day. My soul was secure, and God told
me not to fear. In times of life, when things seem unfair, I am
reminded of the words God gave the Apostle Paul when He said: ``My
grace is sufficient for you.'' I have often had to be reminded that
God's grace has been sufficient for me.
{time} 1800
Mr. Speaker, I will close with an anecdote from Abraham Lincoln, in
my mind, our greatest President.
In 1864, some former slaves from Maryland presented Lincoln with the
gift of a Bible, and Lincoln replied: ``In regards to this great Book,
I have but to say it is the best gift God has given to man. All the
good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book.''
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I also thank him
for his service to our country. We have many veterans who are serving
in Congress, and Representative Bacon is one of the finest.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Norman).
Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to come before you today to
celebrate National Bible Week. What better time to celebrate Bible Week
in what is called the people's House, but what is ultimately God's
house.
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a national
proclamation to celebrate the impact of the Bible on our Nation, a
light for so many and a source of hope in the darkest of times.
The boundless influence of the Holy Bible on this Nation is
unmistakable.
In this Chamber, Moses, the messenger of the Ten Commandments, a
witness of God in all of his glory upon the mountaintop, watches over
this body from above the gallery doors each time we gather to conduct
business.
However, it is not merely the multitudes of honorary monuments and
portraits of Biblical figures and passages that exemplify the
importance of the Scriptures to all Americans, but it is the impression
on our social fabric that is so evident in our actions, which speaks
volumes.
This Nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. A stroll
past any of the extraordinary monuments here in the Capitol makes that
abundantly evident. Our commitment to the fundamentals of the Word of
the Lord Jesus has sustained us throughout our rich history, during the
highest of times and during the lowest of times.
The profound impact of the Bible, and particularly the Gospels, led
me to serve in this great body. It is the words of the Son of God, to
``love each other as I have loved you,'' which guides me. And I believe
that if we continue to turn to the Lord in all that we do, our best is
yet to come.
Despite our fierce philosophical differences and the imperfect nature
of legislation, God never fails us. An annual celebration of His
infallible Word and never-ending love, though not near enough, is the
perfect reminder for us to unite as a body with the shared goal of
humbly serving our creator faithfully and encouraging this Nation to do
the same.
God bless each and every one of you.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman; he made some
reference to here in the Capitol, some of the insignia that shows the
recognition of God.
Above the Speaker, it says, ``In God We Trust.'' That is chiseled in
the stone there.
Behind me, among all these lawgivers down through the centuries,
Moses is there in the center looking straight on, over our
deliberations. He gave us the Ten Commandments.
So I appreciate, also, those historical references.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), who
is the policy chairman of the Republican Conference.
Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for hosting this special hour to talk about the
Bible.
Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 419th anniversary of the King James
Version of the Bible.
[[Page H7099]]
In 1604, King James I commissioned 54 scholars from Oxford and
Cambridge Universities to produce one uniform translation of the Bible
that all denominations could accept. It is unlikely that there has ever
been another group of translators whose collective expertise in
Biblical languages was equal to this group.
Benson Bobrick, who wrote a book called ``Wide as the Waters,'' said,
because of the people's desire to read the Bible, the English
translation, known as the Authorized Version in Great Britain, helped
Great Britain become the most literate nation in the world. In terms of
the language of the King James Version, about 90 percent are Anglo-
Saxon words with a vocabulary of only about 8,000 words for the entire
translation. It was the first major work of English prose based
primarily on Anglo-Saxon words instead of Latin.
The King James translation established the prose style for English
and American literature and became the foundation of modern English
language giving us words and phrases that are common parts of our
language today.
In his ``History of England,'' Thomas Macaulay said that `` . . . if
everything else in our language should perish, it would alone suffice
to show the whole extent of its beauty and power.''
Bobrick wrote: ``Its subsequent impact on English, and American,
literature might be traced in a thousand ways--in the work of religious
writers like Milton and Bunyan, or their more secular brethren like
D.H. Lawrence, Walt Whitman, and Defoe. Without the King James Version,
it has been said, `there would be no `Paradise Lost,' no `Pilgrim's
Progress' . . . no Gettysburg Address.' ''
As Britain's literacy rate increased, it fostered a spirit of inquiry
which led to people reading books and tracts that transformed the laws
and government of Great Britain and ultimately laid the foundation for
American political thought, and our Founders' ideas about individual
liberty and constitutional government.
Including the 1611 edition, there were four other editions of the
King James Bible, which were published in 1629, 1638, 1762, and 1769;
the last is the version that is most commonly cited today.
``Next to the Bible itself,'' Bobrick wrote, ``the English Bible was,
and is, the most influential book ever published.''
According to Vanderbilt University Press, the King James Version is
the best-selling book of all time, with more than 5 billion copies
sold, and it is the most frequently quoted book ever written.
Russell Kirk concluded that it was the book that was to exert a
stronger influence than any other in America. He wrote: ``Read from
American pulpits and in the great majority of American households
during colonial times, the Authorized Version shaped the style,
informed the intellect, affected the laws, and decreed the morals of
the North American colonies.''
P. Marion Simms wrote: ``No nation in all history was ever founded by
people so dominated by the Bible as America.'' In fact, every American
President except Franklin Pierce has been sworn in with their hands
placed on the English Bible.
Even though it was published after the Jamestown Colony was
established, the King James Bible was the book that had the greatest
impact on the American culture.
``The English did not really drive away the American colonists, nor
were they driven,'' said G.K. Chesterton. ``The Americans were led on
by a light that went before.''
The light was the Biblical light that the English Bible had given
them: the idea of the equality of man. It was the idea of the sacred
and equal importance of every man, as made in the image and likeness of
God.
One of the earliest copies of the King James Version Bible can be
seen at the Museum of the Bible. I encourage everyone to visit this
great American museum.
Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, Mr. Lamborn, for this great opportunity.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
I would like to recall an incident from my own background.
When I was a freshman in college years ago, some people talked to me,
and they said: Do you know what the Bible is about?
I said: Yeah, I know all about it.
Although, I realized after a minute went by, that that was really a
pretty presumptuous answer because I had never actually read anything
in the Bible.
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if this might be true for others who are
listening in today.
The only honest thing I could do at that point when I realized I
hadn't read any of it was to say: I am going to read the Bible for
myself.
So I started by reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. And
when I read it, I discovered that I hadn't known at all what the Bible
was about. I learned that Jesus said things like:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father but through me.
I ended up discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who
became my Lord and Savior.
Mr. Speaker, I speak from personal experience when I say that it is
better to read the Bible for one's self and not just take someone
else's word for it for what it says. My life has been transformed by
the truths that it holds.
The message of the good news of Jesus is still transforming lives
today. John 3:16:
For God so loved to world that He gave His only begotten
Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
eternal life.
So as we celebrate National Bible Week, we celebrate the place that
faith holds in both our private and public lives. The Bible's message
of hope is a powerful one of redemption and hope, and we cherish its
message today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative from Colorado
for putting together this fine ceremony for National Bible Week.
Mr. Speaker, it is kind of fitting that we be here on the floor of
the Congress. I am not sure how many people realize, in this day in
which so many people run from the Bible, the degree to which the Bible
itself had such a great influence on the building we stand in and in
the room we stand in right here.
Look in front of us: ``In God We Trust.''
For people who aren't aware back home, around us we have the reliefs
of 23 wise men: Mason, Hannibal, Justinian, Hammurabi, Solon. But the
one who gets the greatest place of honor behind us here is that of
Moses, who, of course, wrote the first five books of the Bible.
When you review the statements of our Founding Fathers, again and
again you find statements of this. And I will lead off by quoting
William Penn:
I do declare to the whole world that we believe the
Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of
God. We accept the Bible as the Words of God himself.
The first Chief Justice of the United States, John Jay, was the
president of the American Bible Society.
Can you imagine that happening today? You can barely become a Justice
if you are a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Noah Webster said: ``Education is useless without the Bible.'' Noah
Webster, of course, known as the father of American education.
Again and again, people of that era learned to read by learning the
Bible.
When you review the statements or the Bible quotations of the early
Founders, the Bible Book that they quoted the most was the Book of
Deuteronomy, which is perhaps not surprising, because in Deuteronomy
were largely laid out a lot of the laws that eventually God's people of
Israel were to live under. So it is not surprising that Deuteronomy was
quoted so frequently.
Early American Presidents like John Adams and, later, Abraham
Lincoln, looked to the Bible as they declared days of fasting and
prayer.
Again, when we look in our history, there is no book that had more to
do with the founding of our country and the type of country our
forefathers anticipated than the Bible, so it is only fitting that
today we honor the Bible.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Spano).
Mr. SPANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn, and I appreciate
the opportunity to speak.
Mr. Speaker, when I heard about the opportunity to talk this evening
in
[[Page H7100]]
celebration of National Bible Week, I was really, really excited. I was
excited because it gives me the chance to talk about something very
special to me.
When I was a boy, I remember seeing my mother read her Bible daily at
our kitchen table. Every now and then, I would look over her shoulder
at her open Bible to see numerous passages underlined or highlighted,
notes and prayers written in the margins. I also I remember my mom
quoting verses from the Bible in response to the circumstances of our
lives.
{time} 1815
As I grew, my mom encouraged me to read the Bible. She assured me it
had the answers to life's questions, how to live, how to treat others,
how to know God's plan for my life. Most importantly, it would show me
how to connect with God, how to have a relationship with him that would
change my life here on this Earth, but also in the life to come.
Like many young people, I wasn't a very good listener, so I didn't
give the Bible much attention in my early years until I hit a
particularly hard stretch and was driven to my knees as a younger man.
It was then that I remembered what my mother had told me, the Bible has
the answers.
I began spending time every day reading the Bible. I learned about
how God created the Heavens and the Earth; how he created man with a
free will and so would never force man to love or serve Him; how He
called the Nation of Israel to be his chosen people; how He sent his
only son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and then to die a cruel death
to pay the price for every man's sin, if they would just accept Him and
the forgiveness that He offers.
These are important things. But the Bible also helps me today. It
helps me know how to love and care for my wife and my children. It
shows me how to love unlovable people, how to let hatred go and to
forgive, and how to have peace in my heart that passes all human
understanding. It gives me hope on tough days, at times when I can't
understand what is happening around me.
And now today, although it is hard to explain and probably as
difficult to understand, after 30 years eating and drinking,
figuratively, from the truth of the Bible, I can't get enough of it. I
can't go even one day without it. My soul becomes hungry and thirsty. I
become weak and discouraged. You see, now I can't live without this
Book. It is absolute life to me.
This is a crazy, messed up world, and it only makes sense to me when
I see it through God's lens when I see how the story ends and how He
redeems this mess and reconciles man to Himself once and for all time.
Yes, all of that is in this very special book called the Bible. And
so, if you are searching for meaning today, if you are searching for
truth, longing and thirsting for the answers to life's most important
questions, I encourage you to do the same thing that I was encouraged
to do. Pick up this book and begin reading it every day. I promise you;
it will change your life. The words and truth contained in it will give
you hope and peace and purpose like you have never before experienced.
I would like to take this last moment to thank you, God, for using
the Bible to show me how to live, and, most importantly, how to live
forever. I love you.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his heartfelt
remarks, and I wish him the best in the future.
Another reason why I believe that we can use our reason to believe in
the Bible and not just blind faith--as some accuse us of who are
believers--is archaeology. There are many archeological discoveries
which have validated Biblical accounts, even accounts that weren't
believed in the first place, but later archaeology proved them to be
true.
This gives us trustworthiness that we ascribe to the Bible during
this National Bible Week. Archaeology has time and time again 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 archeological discoveries more
times than we can say.
For instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late
forties and fifties proved the credibility and authority of Scripture.
The discovery of those scrolls shine light on the oldest record of the
worldwide flood and the longstanding authority and accuracy of all of
the events of the Bible.
Jewish archaeologist, Nelson Glueck, has said: It may be stated
categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted or
contradicted a Biblical reference.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), who I
am going to miss greatly as he retires and goes into a new life at the
end of this year. I sat next to him in Armed Services for 13 years up
until now, and I cherish our relationship. He is someone that I deeply
trust, and I acknowledge his integrity.
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Colorado (Mr.
Lamborn) for those overly kind words, and I certainly appreciate his
sentiments for my service. And I, too, will miss our Armed Services
Committee hearings and sitting beside him. He is a terrific God-fearing
man, and I am better for having known him in that regard.
Mr. Speaker, I was blessed to be raised in a God-fearing Christian
family. Not everybody gets that blessing, but I did. I have never not
known about the Bible or Christ or God throughout my entire life.
My mother believed in being at church every single Sunday morning,
regardless of the consequences or whatever else was going on.
At the age of nine, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior.
And you can become a Christian with knowing a limited amount of the
Bible, but I don't believe you can lead a good Christian life without
studying the Bible, without understanding God's truths that are
contained therein and the instruction that that gives us as to how to
conduct our lives.
Mr. Speaker, Second Timothy 3:16 has already been quoted, but I will
quote it again. It says:
All Scripture is breathed out by God, the Word of God, and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for
training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.
Mr. Speaker, this Nation is at a crossroads, and we are a divided
Nation across a lot of lines, the partisan divides we fight in this
House day in and day out. There are other moral lines of which our
Nation is divided across. The Bible is important because it is that one
place where the truths never change.
Customs come and go, ideologies come and go, but the truths of God
don't. So if we are to heed the instructions of our Founding Fathers,
that John Adams said, as was mentioned, that are a moral and religious
people, then we need a guidebook. We need an understanding of what
those morals are based upon. If the morals are based upon what I think
are correct or you think are correct, then that is a pretty flimsy
stance to take. We need a foundational truth that is there regardless
of who is Speaker, regardless of who is President. God is always on
that throne, and so, the Bible is obviously important for that regard.
Mr. Speaker, there is a verse in Second Chronicles that I think
contains both a promise for our Nation and a solution for our Nation.
The backdrop on that was that the Nation of Israel, God's chosen
people, if you read through the Old Testament, they had a running
narrative of where their hearts would be good, right with God, things
would be going well, and then within a generation or two they would
fall off, their hearts would get wrong with God, they would be doing
things that would offend God and their mighty ways, and God would use
awful, horrible things to reset that narrative, reset the Nation of
Israel's hearts, so that they could, in fact, be his chosen people.
That tool is still in God's toolbox. I believe the United States is a
Nation of God's chosen people. If you look at what our Nation has done
over the last 100 years, I would argue that no Nation on Earth has ever
done as much good as we have done for the rest of the world and asks so
little in return as this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that is God's divine mission for us as a
people. But do we continue to be worthy of that mission?
And I would argue that as God looks at this unblessable thing that is
going
[[Page H7101]]
on in our Nation that we may be rapidly becoming unworthy of that
mission. And if we lay that mantle down, if it is taken away from us,
Mr. Speaker, who will pick it up?
Russia, China, radical Islam?
I don't believe so.
I believe it is important not only for America to continue to be that
God-fearing Nation but also important for the rest of the world.
That verse in Second Chronicles 7:14 says:
If my people, who are called by my name love themselves,
turn from their wicked ways, seek my face and pray, then I
will hear them in Heaven. I will forgive their sins, and I
will heal their land.
Our land needs healing. That is God's promise. It is written in
stone. God doesn't change any of his promises. And that promise is
available to us as a Nation. That is the promise.
The solution, however, lies with us. We must be that people who will
turn from our wicked ways, seek God's face, pray, and then he will hear
us from Heaven, he will heal our land, and forgive our sins.
Mr. Speaker, our land needs healing, probably more so than at any
time since the Civil War. We are a divided Nation, and only God's
guidance and God's divine intervention, I believe, can make that
happen. We have to be, however, God's instruments to make that happen.
The Bible is important to me. It is important to our Nation. It is
important for the ongoing safety of this world. God bless each and
every one of you. God bless Texas. And God bless the United States of
America.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I would like to
say that this country is a better place because of your service. Thank
you.
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado has 7 minutes
remaining.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, quickly I am going to give a quote from one
of our Presidents, our Founding Father, and then John Quincy Adams, the
sixth President.
George Washington said: It is impossible to rightly govern a Nation
without God and the Bible. So he began a rich history of Presidents
leaning on the Bible for wisdom and guidance.
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President said: ``The first and almost
the only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible.'' So those
are great quotes from some of our Founding Fathers.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), my
friend and colleague.
Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, my colleague, and my
brother in Christ for yielding and for hosting this Special Order.
To follow up on what Congressman Lamborn said, the very first book
that the United States Congress authorized to be published at taxpayer
expense was a book called the Bible.
Not only that, I would also point to a quote, as there is a lot of
talk about socialism and how it would work in this country. Dostoevsky
hypothesized about it at the end of the 1800s, and Solzhenitsyn didn't
hypothesize it, he lived what Dostoevsky said, and that is, the problem
with socialism is not economic, the problem with socialism is atheism.
And that is diametrically opposed to how this country was started.
In fact, I had asked for the Congressional Research Service to give
me information about the role of the church and the Bible in our
founding, and this is derived from that.
The first Christian church services in this United States Capitol
were held when the government moved to Washington in the fall of 1800.
They were conducted in the Hall of the House. During church services
the Speaker's podium was used as a preacher's pulpit.
Within a year of his inauguration, President Jefferson began
attending church services in the Chamber of the House of
Representatives. Throughout his administration, Thomas Jefferson
permitted and encouraged church services in executive branch buildings.
Sermons regarding the Old and New Testaments of the Bible were
conducted in the Supreme Court Chambers while the judicial branch was
located in the old north wing of the Capitol.
And by the way, that was until the Supreme Court began to think of
themselves as God, and at that time they said you can't talk about God
or you can't be doing this kind of stuff in schools and other places.
But the term ``separation of church and state'' was not found in the
Constitution, it was in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the
Danbury Baptists, in essence, saying, we are not going to pick a
specific official denomination.
President James Madison, who was often recognized as the author of
much of our Constitution, followed Jefferson's example as President of
coming to church in the Capitol and worshipping God here and using the
Bible as the foundational support for that.
If you look at President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address,
it is inscribed on the inside of the north wall of his memorial, he
said of North and South, ``Both read the same Bible, and pray to the
same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem
strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in
wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us
judge not that we be not judged.''
But he goes on to ultimately say: ``Yet if God wills that it
continue, until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's 250 years of
unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said
3,000 years ago,'' in the Bible, ``so still it must be said `the
judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.'''
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I would I yield
to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the recognition of National
Bible Week by my namesake from Colorado, Douglas Lamborn, for always
being so faithful to this.
Christians believe the Bible is the divine and inherent Word of God.
I believe that. And we hear a lot of things in this society today that
would try to denigrate that, denigrate the faith, and, indeed, there is
nothing wrong with what the Bible says as a guidance for life.
{time} 1830
The Ten Commandments: there is nothing wrong with living by those
even if you don't believe in the Bible.
It is indeed, we know, the best seller, the most quoted, a treasure
for all of us to go by.
So as I contemplate here what we are doing tonight, I just want to
leave you with this as a guidance for working in this town, in Proverbs
4:23-27:
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow
the springs of life.
Rid yourself of a deceitful mouth and keep devious speech
far from you.
Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be
fixed straight in front of you.
Keep straight paths of your feet, and all your ways will be
established.
Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot
from evil.
Indeed, if we could do more of that around here, we would be much
better off.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his great words.
In conclusion, it has been an honor to commemorate National Bible
Week this evening. I am grateful to my colleagues who joined me.
The Bible claims to be more than a mere book. It claims to be the
inspired words of God. As it says in the first book of Peter:
All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower
of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the
word of the Lord abides forever.
So I am thankful for the Word of God on my life and all the lives of
those who have spoken today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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