[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1798-H1801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CELEBRATING APRIL AS FAITH MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Mrs. Miller) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to submit extraneous material into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for 
joining me tonight in this Special Order. I am honored to join together 
to celebrate April as Faith Month, and I am calling on people of faith 
to join in prayer and in celebration.
  As a Member of Congress, I am happy to reaffirm my commitment to the 
Judeo-Christian values and the freedom of religion on which our country 
was founded.
  In Congress, my colleagues and I will always fight to protect the 
right of all Americans to exercise their faith and maintain the freedom 
of religion. People of faith seek to be a positive force in their 
communities, especially in difficult circumstances.
  Religious organizations in America have a rich history of charitable 
engagement in helping the poor, the sick, and the afflicted, and they 
should be appreciated.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman (Mrs. Harshbarger), my friend 
and colleague from Tennessee.
  Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Miller for 
yielding.
  I want to talk about faith. What is faith? Thankfully, the Bible 
contains a clear definition in Hebrews 11:1. It says: Now faith is the 
assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
  So faith is trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove. Trust 
is actually relying on the fact that something is true. This biblical 
definition of faith doesn't only apply to salvation, which is God's 
gift to us, but to the rest of our Christian life. We are to believe 
what the Bible says and we are to obey it. That is called living by 
faith.
  We are to believe the promises of God, we are to agree with the truth 
of God's word, and we are to be transformed by it. Hebrews 11:6 says: 
Because without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, 
we cannot be saved. Without faith, the Christian life cannot be what 
God intends it to be. Without faith, I wouldn't be standing in this 
Chamber today representing the precious people of the First District of 
Tennessee. Without faith, I wouldn't be able to share a hopeful message 
with this great Nation that if God be for us, who shall be against us?
  Faith knows that no matter what the situation is in our life or 
someone else's life that the Lord is working within that situation for 
their good and His glory. Perfect faith is simply taking God at His 
word.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman 
Harshbarger for speaking. It has been a privilege to join with her 
weekly and with other members to pray for our country.
  Our Nation is in crisis because our society has turned away from God 
and has embraced a culture that now tells children that life has no 
value. This year, I launched the Congressional Family Caucus because I 
believe we have a moral obligation as servant representatives to save 
our American values and to defend the natural family as ordained by 
God, a husband and a wife committed to each other for life with their 
children.
  We need to defend the natural family from attempts by the radical 
left to erode this core foundation of our society. In Deuteronomy 6, in 
the context of the traditional family, in the home, we are to 
diligently instruct our children to love God and to obey His 
commandments.
  During Faith Month, I would like to recognize that a happy family is 
a blessing from God and is foundational to human flourishing. I will 
always proudly stand up for faith and for our families in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
  Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Congresswoman Miller from 
Illinois, for leading on this important issue, this important Special 
Order, and for being a leader in defending religious freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and celebration of Faith Month. 
During Faith Month, we celebrate the enduring power of the Bible as 
God's revelation to His creation, offering guidance and the promise of 
eternal life through the Gospel of His word.
  This sacred text has played a pivotal role in shaping the very fabric 
of our Nation, acting as a guard for liberty in the United States of 
America.
  Over 400 years ago, settlers fled religious persecution in search of 
the New World, and the Bible became the cornerstone of our Founding 
Fathers' vision for a free government. Their wise leadership wove the 
Word of God into the foundation and core principles of our Nation, 
ensuring unity and success for generations to come.
  Our Founders wisely and proudly proclaimed that our liberties are not 
bestowed by the government, but by our heavenly creator. As Thomas 
Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, ``We hold these 
truths to be self-

[[Page H1799]]

evident, 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.''
  This includes the most pivotal liberties, outlined in the First 
Amendment, which preserves our unalienable right to religious liberty. 
Undoubtedly, this remains one of the most important foundations of our 
Nation, but I see little by little, day by day, these religious 
liberties are in danger of being canceled or abandoned because of 
persecution in government at all levels.
  We must not allow that to continue, and so we must defend all our 
God-given liberties from government overreach and we, in Congress, must 
lead on this issue. Today and every day, may we individually and 
unapologetically rejoice in our faith.
  As we move forward, let us continue to use God's word as the guiding 
light. Our government founded on faith and His divine plan will bring 
peace, freedom, and liberty to all who call this great Nation home.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I agree with Congressman Clyde 
that we do need to defend these core principles and our freedom to 
exercise our faith.
  This year during Faith Month, we celebrate and thank God for the 
historic victory of the end of Roe v. Wade. The end of Roe is the 
beginning of a new chapter where we can now embrace a culture of life 
with reverence for all of God's children. I applaud the Justices who 
stood bravely up to the radical abortion industry and defended life. I 
also applaud President Trump who gave the American people a Court that 
delivered a pro-life win for our Nation.
  The Bible tells us in Psalm 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully 
created by God, knitted together in our mother's womb. This verse 
reminds us that every human life is created by God and has inherent 
worth and dignity at every stage of development.
  What a shame that today we are teaching our children that they are 
the result of cosmic dust and are here without purpose instead of 
intricately woven and designed and purposed by God.
  Defending life has been one of the most meaningful fights that I have 
contributed to during my time in Congress. I have had the opportunity 
to stand with pro-life colleagues from across the country by supporting 
the Life at Conception Act, the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act, 
and cosponsoring the Protecting Life on College Campus Act.
  During Faith Month, I would like to recognize the incredible strides 
we have made for the pro-life movement over recent years. I will always 
defend the lives of the unborn.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Miller for holding this Special 
Order so that we can share our faith and the importance of our faith to 
this country.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that we take this opportunity to 
celebrate Faith Month. Faith in God is as important to our Nation today 
as it was in 1776. When faced with critical decisions, our Founding 
Fathers looked to the scriptures and sought the wisdom of God.
  The church was the most important pillar in every community at that 
time and had tremendous influence over the establishment of our 
Constitution and the values as a Nation.
  As my friend   Mike Johnson explained to me, what our Founders did 
was simply this: They left God at the top, they got rid of the king, 
and put the people in charge.
  I want to tell the American people today; you are in charge. The 
Constitution has not changed in that regard. They recognize, as many of 
us here today do, that the Bible is a life-changing source of eternal 
hope which sustains our faith.
  President Adams stated that our Constitution was written for moral 
and religious people only. It will do for no other. I have often said 
that, and it offends some people. What did Adams mean by this 
statement?
  Well, as I understand it, our Founders came to America for religious 
freedom. A couple weeks ago, Os Guinness spoke to us at the Faith & Law 
Breakfast, and he explained it this way. He said, you cannot have 
virtue without faith. You cannot have faith without freedom. You cannot 
have freedom without virtue. You think of this as a triangle, each 
dependent on the other.
  We serve a God who created perfect order, because chaos is the 
absolute opposite of freedom. Based on these founding principles, we 
have ``In God We Trust'' above the American flag that hangs right there 
above the Speaker's podium. Behind us, looking down on this body, we 
have the full face of Moses who wrote the first five books of the 
Bible--the law, God's law. In this body, we are without excuse.
  With that, let me lift up a few examples of faith in both the Old and 
New Testament. God chose Abraham to be the father of Israel, the home 
of God's chosen people. Why did God choose Abraham? I will read from 
Genesis 12: ``The Lord had said to Abraham, `Leave your country, your 
people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 
I will make you into a great Nation and I will bless you; I will make 
your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who 
bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on 
Earth will be blessed through you.' '' I would say to you today that 
includes the United States of America.
  The second example I would like to share is from Matthew, and this is 
one of my favorites when Jesus calms the storm. This is Matthew chapter 
8: ``Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly 
a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the 
boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 
`Lord, save us. We're going to drown.' He replied, `You of little 
faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and 
the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, 
`What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him.' ''
  That begs the question, who is actually in charge of the climate?
  The third example I would like to share on faith is from John 20:24-
29: ``Now Thomas, one of the 12, was not with the disciples when Jesus 
came. So the other disciples told him, `We have seen the Lord.' But he 
said to them, `Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my 
finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not 
believe.' A week later his disciples were in the house again, and 
Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and 
stood among them and said, `Peace be with you.' Then he said to Thomas, 
`Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it 
into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' ''

                              {time}  1915

  Thomas said to him: ``My Lord and my God.'' Those words were maybe 
the greatest proclamation of faith in the New Testament.
  Jesus also told him: ``Because you have seen Me, you have believed. 
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'' And that 
is what our faith is about today.
  Over 50 years ago, the late Billy Graham prayed about the status of 
our faith in this Nation. I will share this prayer:
  ``Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, `Blessed is that nation 
whose God is the Lord.' We recognize on this historic occasion that we 
are `a nation under God.' We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed 
to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou 
alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom, and our power. This 
faith in God is our heritage and our foundation.
  ``Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, `If the foundations be 
destroyed, what can the righteous do?' As George Washington reminded us 
in his Farewell Address, morality and faith are the pillars of our 
society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly 
materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to 
see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the 
hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too 
long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too 
long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and 
are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.''
  I ask you tonight: Why have we not passed down these very values to 
the

[[Page H1800]]

next generation, and why is this generation in chaos?
  As chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, I am in a unique 
position to hear the spiritual concerns of the American people. Every 
week that we are in session, Members of Congress get together to pray 
for our great Nation and those with prayer requests.
  I urge you to visit my website at allen.house.gov to submit a prayer 
request. Only through prayer and faith in God can we unite and heal the 
deep divisions and moral crises facing our Nation that Billy Graham 
pointed out more than 50 years ago.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Allen for 
his words.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).
  Mr. FULCHER. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to commemorate Faith Month.
  As a member of the Christian faith, I see this month as a time to 
reflect on my own faith journey. As an American, it is time to 
celebrate the foundations of religious liberty that our country is 
built upon and the resulting prosperity that it has brought.
  Our country is home to over 150 million Christian believers. Now more 
than ever, these Americans are under threat as their beliefs are 
labeled bigoted, their places of worship are attacked, and their 
religious protections are diminished.
  Founding Father John Adams once said: ``Nothing is more dreaded than 
the national government meddling with religion.'' I agree. In a world 
increasingly hostile to people of faith, America must remain a refuge 
for those looking to worship God without fear of state reprisal.
  Proverbs 29:2 says: ``When the righteous are in authority, the people 
rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.''
  Let us govern in a righteous manner and protect our fellow Americans' 
freedom to practice their faith as they choose.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. May I inquire as to the time remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Illinois has 9 minutes 
remaining.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Good), my friend and colleague.
  Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the great 
Congresswoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), for her leadership on this 
all-important issue, this all-important opportunity to discuss the 
importance of faith.
  We are so privileged to live in a country where our right to worship 
or to not worship, our right to practice our faith or not to practice, 
to believe or not to believe, is protected, literally enshrined in our 
Constitution in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
  Our Founders, in fact, with this wonderful, great experiment in self-
rule and self-governance, in a constitutional republic, literally 
sought divine intervention when they were forming this country. They 
prayed together and asked for wisdom and courage. They certainly showed 
that as patriots when they fought for our freedom some 250 years ago 
from, at that time, the world's greatest economic and military power. 
Our Founders fought for our freedom. They risked everything.
  I have a painting in my office, an artist's rendering, of George 
Washington, as general of the Continental Army, praying, seeking 
wisdom, seeking protection, seeking courage in the battle for our 
independence, for our freedom.
  Then, as the Congress came together and established this country, 
they sought again divine intervention. They sought wisdom. They sought 
the Lord's guidance in forming this country.
  Who were the Founders? Most of them were Christians. Most of them 
were Bible-believing Christians. Virtually all of them believed in a 
higher power, believed in a creator, believed in divine providence.
  Of course, the First Amendment, the reason why it was the first 
amendment, saying that Congress shall make no law establishing a 
religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, the intention of 
that, as they had escaped the oppression or the tyranny of England and 
a monarchy where there was a blended church-state, an official state 
church, they wanted the freedom from that so that everyone could again 
worship as they chose, believe as they chose, practice their faith as 
they chose, or do none of those things in a free country like the 
United States.

  Lest anyone should say, as commonly and incorrectly posited by some 
today, that there is this mythical separation of church and state, the 
Founders never intended that. All you have to do is read their 
extraconstitutional writings to know what they intended. They were 
seeking to protect the church from the government, never intending to 
protect the government from the influence of the church.
  That is why those very Founders, those signers of the Declaration, 
many of them, are the ones who started the practice of opening Congress 
every day in prayer, a practice we continue today.
  Those very Founders are the ones who declared a National Day of 
Prayer soon after founding this great Nation. Thankfully, that has 
continued to this day.
  America has been that shining city on a hill, not just because we 
have been economically strong, not just because we have been militarily 
strong, but as was famously said: America has been great because 
America has been good.
  America was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, a belief that 
our rights are God-given, God-given rights that preceded the founding 
of our country, yet we are unique among the nations of the world, as 
those rights are protected in this country by our Constitution.
  No nation in the history of the world has ministered to more people 
around the globe, has brought the Gospel to more people around the 
globe, than the United States of America. No nation in the history of 
the world has rescued more people, ministered to more people, and freed 
more people than the United States of America. No nation in the history 
of the world has been more welcoming to people from all over the globe, 
immigrants from all over, to come to these shores from all ethnic 
backgrounds, all nationalities, all races, and to provide more upward 
mobility and opportunity than the United States of America.
  I submit that is because we are founded upon Biblical principles, 
Judeo-Christian principles, respect for life, respect for rule of law, 
respect for God-given rights.
  Again, that is protected in this country--unique among the nations of 
the world in our founding, unique among the nations of world where our 
rights are protected in our own Constitution.
  Those rights are under assault in this country. You are seeing 
increasing hostility from some on people of faith. You are seeing 
protections being eliminated for individuals or businessowners to 
practice their faith in the public square or to practice their faith in 
the way they run their business.
  You are seeing a lack of protection for people of faith from attack, 
from violence, and from vandalism at places of worship or at places 
like crisis pregnancy centers.
  You are even seeing the Federal Government targeting people based on 
their faith, as we recently saw with the FBI toward Catholics in the 
city of Richmond, just 30 minutes from the outskirts of my district.
  While it is still permitted in this country, we continue to open 
every morning in Congress, every day in Congress, every session, with 
prayer. While it is still permitted, I am going to take the opportunity 
here, with the time granted to me by my friend from Illinois, to share 
a little bit about my personal faith.
  I am a born-again Christian. I came to know the Lord when I was 9 
years old. That is when the faith that my parents had raised me in 
became my own, where I personally made the decision to surrender to 
Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.
  It doesn't matter what  Bob Good believes.  Bob Good has no more 
right to truth or a corner on truth than anyone else does. It does 
matter what the Bible says.
  The Bible says, in Romans 5:8: ``But God commendeth his love toward 
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.''
  God loved us so much that he sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die 
for our sins so that we could have salvation, to pay for the sins of 
everyone in the world.
  John 3:16 says: ``For God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten

[[Page H1801]]

son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have 
everlasting life.''
  There is a reason why the protection of our faith and our religious 
freedom, our right to the free exercise of our faith, is enshrined in 
the First Amendment to the Constitution. What is more precious to a 
person than their own belief, their own faith, their ability to 
worship, their ability to assemble with other believers if they choose? 
What is a more important right or a more precious freedom than that?
  That is why, by the way, it is so egregious, just in the last couple 
of years, where we saw the government clamp down on the ability of 
people to assemble together, to worship, how they conducted their 
worship, whether or not they could conduct their worship. We saw that 
like no other time in the history of this country during the years 2020 
and 2021, especially during the COVID years.
  What an egregious violation of the right to express our faith and to 
worship. We saw that on display during the 2 years when the China virus 
was ravaging our country.
  We kept liquor stores open. We kept casinos open. We kept other 
essential places open, but we didn't keep houses of worship open. That 
has done harm to our country.
  I think many of us recognize that America has been blessed in large 
part because of our dependence upon the Lord, our dependence on divine 
intervention, our dependence on guidance from our creator, a belief we 
were created unique in the image of God, created for a purpose, that 
there is more to this life than just the 80 or so years that God gives 
us if we live a long life.

                              {time}  1930

  There is an eternity. The most important thing in life is to be 
prepared for eternity.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and my colleague from Illinois (Mrs. 
Miller) for organizing, arranging, and leading on this very important 
issue. I also thank her for letting me share today.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his 
words and his testimony.
  To conclude, during Faith Month I hope that you will join me in 
praying for our Nation. Clearly, there has been an attack on our First 
Amendment right to exercise our freedom of religion and our faith 
beliefs.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say that if you took instinct out of a 
beehive, you would have chaos. When you take God out of a society, you 
have chaos also.
  I will never be afraid to speak up in defense of our faith, our 
freedom, and for our children. We need to protect the American way of 
life. We have been criticized by radical leftists, and they are trying 
to remake America into a Communist, atheist experiment. Our Founders 
were men of faith, and there are many of us here in Congress that are 
men and women of faith also.
  We pray for our country. I encourage everybody to continue to pray 
for our great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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