[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 187 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7303-H7306]
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 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado (Mr.
Lamborn) for 30 minutes.
General Leave
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material 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, I think it is appropriate that the last
presenter ended with a verse from the Bible. It was a marvelous verse,
and that is what this Special Order is going to be about.
Recently, in November, we celebrated, once again, since the year
1941, National Bible Week. This is something that has been declared and
proclaimed by every President since Franklin D. Roosevelt, who started
this in 1941, just days before we were attacked at Pearl Harbor.
As the world was hurdling toward World War II, it was so appropriate
that the country turned to the Bible for sustenance and guidance.
I have been leading this particular commemoration on National Bible
Week for--I don't know--8 or 10 years on the floor of the House. This
will be my last opportunity because I will be voluntarily retiring from
Congress in January.
I want to thank so many people who have helped me during my career,
but, most of all, I would like to first thank my Lord and Savior for
the opportunity to represent Colorado's Fifth Congressional District
for 18 years.
It is my relationship with Him, with God, who has provided any wisdom
or success that I have experienced in my congressional career.
National Bible Week was in November, but that was during
Thanksgiving, when we were all out of town, so we chose this week to
actually formally celebrate it and commemorate it here on the floor of
the House.
This was begun in 1941 as an official National Bible Week, and it is
the Bible that led me to a relationship with my Lord and Savior.
I was a freshman at college, and some people talked to me, and they
said: Have you ever read the Bible for yourself?
I said: No, but I think I know what is in it.
That is kind of an arrogant and foolish thing to say, but that is
where I was coming from in my ignorance, my naivete.
They said: Hey, why don't you read the Gospel of John, and you will
understand what the message of the Bible is.
So I did that, and, as I read the Gospel of John, I realized that
this is a relationship with the living God that I did not have and that
I needed and that I wanted.
John 14:6 is where Jesus says: I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father but through me.
That spoke to my heart, and that is when I began a personal
relationship with my Lord and Savior.
My salvation came through reading the Bible, so I am so happy that we
can celebrate and commemorate National Bible Week here tonight.
We have some Members of Congress who are going to be speaking about
what the Bible means to them personally and what the Bible means to the
United States of America, this special and marvelous country that we
have the privilege of living in.
As David said in the book of Psalms: Your word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light to my path.
That is ultimately what the Bible is about. It is a lamp to our feet
and it is a light to our path. It guides us day to day as we take
footsteps. It guides the path that we see in the future, the direction
our lives should go in. So it is a lamp and it is a light. That makes
it so special.
At this point, I yield 4 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from the
great State of Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).
Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank my colleague, Congressman Lamborn,
for once again organizing this important Special Order, as he has done
many times in the past. Not only that, but I thank him for his service
to this legislative body.
He has been one of the good guys here in this body that has really
stood for those principles that really, I think, date back to when our
Founding
[[Page H7304]]
Fathers first envisioned this great Nation, the United States of
America.
We thank our colleague from Colorado.
Mr. LAMBORN. Thank you.
Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, the Bible has been and, really, it still
is more than just a book. It is the foundation of our moral compass. It
is the inspiration behind our laws. It is the source of strength and
comfort for countless families and individuals, literally around the
world.
From the founding of our great Nation, we have seen how the truths
that are found in the Bible have shaped our culture, have influenced
our leaders, and have guided the hearts of our people.
Here in America, as in so many places around the world, we have been
blessed with the freedom to worship and the right to hold our religious
beliefs without fear and without persecution. Unfortunately, there are
a lot of places in the world that don't have that freedom, but here in
America, we do.
However, with all that is said about the Bible, let us not forget the
power that is in the Word of God and how it always gives us a hope that
instills so much into the lives of so many people across the world.
There have been many books that have been written over the ages, and
a lot of books have sold literally millions and millions of copies,
some 200 or 300 million copies. You think about books like ``A Tale of
Two Cities,'' ``Don Quixote,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' those that
rank up there, and perhaps maybe 300 or 400 million copies have been
sold.
As far as I know, there is only one book that has sold into the
billions, and it is estimated that over 5 billion copies of the Word of
God, the Bible, has been printed and put out there, and I would say
that is a very conservative number.
It is no wonder the Bible is the most popular book ever written, as
it holds the key to life and actually to life everlasting, for in the
New Testament, we read the words of Jesus of Nazareth, and we read
about his life. The words of the Bible are different from all the other
books that were written. The words of the Bible cut like a double-edged
sword, yet its full life is found to its fullest, and those are the
words of Jesus.
We hear the words of Jesus in John 3:16: For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believe in him should
not perish but have everlasting life.
As a young boy, like Congressman Lamborn, I realized what that meant
and wanted to have that relationship with God myself, and realizing
that I could have that directly through Christ, I asked him into my
life through a simple prayer. That still holds true for any person
today who wants to go down that road and take God up on that offer.
I thank Congressman Lamborn this evening for his dedication, but,
more than anything else, for recognizing the Bible is the book of all
books. It is the Bible, for it is in the Bible that life is found.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those kind and
gracious words and the insights that he shared with us.
Congress has changed over the years. I am really not telling a secret
that anyone here doesn't already know but let me tell you the
perspective that our first Congressmen and -women had in this country
of ours. It would have been men at the time, and the women came later,
as we know.
Many early-American settlers came to the New World wanting to live
out their faith in God and his Word, and so Congress, as one of their
first acts, authorized an American-published Bible. You see, they were
at war with the British and, because of embargoes, shipments of the
Bible, among other things, were not coming into the country.
In 1782, Congress reviewed, approved, and authorized the first known
English-language Bible to be printed in America. The resolution said,
in part: Resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled to
recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United
States, and hereby authorize Mr. Aitken to publish this recommendation
in the manner he shall think proper.
{time} 2100
Congress authorized the printing of the Bible and recommended that
everyone read it. Our country has changed over the years. I can't
imagine us doing that now, but maybe we should. We have things in this
country that are not going in the right direction and that could only
help.
Mr. Speaker, I will now yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Allen) to share his thoughts with us, please.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, it has been a privilege to serve with Doug,
and I thank him for his great service to our country and for
emphasizing the importance of the Bible.
It is an honor to stand here, but particularly tonight to commemorate
National Bible Week along with my friends and colleagues. I am here to
talk about what the Bible has meant to me and its impact on our
Nation's history.
There are divisions across our country, including in this Chamber,
that highlight the challenges that we are facing.
I was baptized in a small, rural church at 9 years of age and my
parents raised me in the church there. I had a few other priorities in
college, but after my marriage to my wife, we found a church home in
Augusta and that church home has meant the world to our family.
However, it was almost 30 years later that I realized that maybe my
priorities were not in order. I decided that I would make Bible study
and prayer a priority in my life.
I started Bible study with a friend about 6 months later, and I
realized that God was writing His Word on my very heart. I had this
urge to know God and study His Word and understand His purpose and will
for me. All of my life, as I look back, I had relied on God's Word for
truth.
Twenty-three years ago, I joined a Bible study fellowship in my
hometown of Augusta. It is an intense Bible study, but I am telling you
it was life changing. I am currently reading the Change Your Life Study
Bible with the Lead group here in Washington, D.C., and I am constantly
reminded of the answers this book provides and to the current issues
that we are dealing with today facing our Nation.
Since my time in Congress and meeting with people across the Nation
and folks in our own district, unfortunately, we are becoming a Bible
ill-literate society.
Just above our flag here in this body, we have ``In God We Trust,''
but how do you know how to trust God if you don't know God and don't
know His Word?
I look at the full face of Moses in this House Chamber and I am
reminded of the first five books of the Bible, the moral law.
George Washington himself in his farewell address said:
Morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We
confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly
materialistic and permissive society.
And that is continuing today.
One of the Scriptures I memorized early on was Joshua 1:8. It says:
Do not let this Book of Law depart from your lips. Meditate
on it night and day. Be careful to do what it says and what
is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous
and you will have success. This is a great promise from God.
This is a special time of year. There are over 11 times in the Old
Testament starting 1,500 years ago predicting the birth, the life, the
death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ whose birthday we celebrate
here at this time.
Starting off in Genesis 3:15: ``And I will put enmity between you and
the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your
head, and you will strike his heel.''
That was written 1,500 years ago.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, we are about to witness another historic and
important inauguration.
As I talk to you currently, most Americans believe our Nation is in
serious moral, spiritual, and financial decline. Emotional health has
become an epidemic because many do not know where to turn for hope.
I love the Bible, I love to pray, and I love to pray with those who
believe in the values and the Founding Fathers' values in the truth
that we behold in this country.
Especially during this important season, keep the hope and trust in
Him and His Word. He will change the direction of this country and He
will write His Word on your heart.
[[Page H7305]]
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to ask Representative Rose
from the great State of Tennessee to come and speak.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr.
Lamborn) for yielding and for claiming the time this evening to
acknowledge and honor our Nation's 83rd National Bible Week.
I rise today the week before we celebrate the birth of our Savior
Jesus Christ to celebrate and honor the book that reveals His life, His
teachings, and His promise to save us if only we will accept and follow
Him.
This amazing book is, of course, the Bible. You see, Mr. Speaker,
there are many stories in the Bible, none arguably more important than
the miracle of Jesus Christ's birth, death, and resurrection. However,
the Bible also teaches us the story of God creating the Heavens and the
Earth, of Adam and Eve, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount,
as well as recounting many fantastical miracles.
Eighty-three years ago, our country was reeling following the
devastating attacks on Pearl Harbor, an attack unfathomable at the
time. In the immediate aftermath, our country came together to worship
and celebrate our first-ever National Bible Week held December 8-14,
1941.
It is no surprise that following those devastating days in the
creation of the first National Bible Week, 83 years later, we still
celebrate it every year.
It is because even on our darkest days, Mr. Speaker, the Bible will
always be there for us. Look no further than Philippians 4:4, which
says: ``Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.''
We are reminded that joy is constant and takes place at all times
with the Lord.
Psalms 118:24 which says: ``This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.''
A reminder that the Lord gives us today and every day, and we should
celebrate it as a gift from God.
Mr. Speaker, I could go on about the number of Bible verses that have
inspired me from the time I learned them in Sunday school until this
very day when I pass those inspiring words onto my two young sons.
There is no doubt that the Bible has had a tremendous impact on my life
and will continue to do so.
That is why I feel so deeply about the continued importance of
teaching the Lord's Word. At a time in our country when it seems we are
straying from the Lord, we must lean in and encourage the teachings in
the Bible.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage Tennesseans to join me in studying the good
word in the Bible, passing its lessons down to our children, and living
our lives according to Bible teaching. After all, there is no better
way to celebrate and honor National Bible Week than by reading or
teaching the Bible and living according to its Word.
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Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to Representative Glenn Grothman from the State
of Wisconsin.
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is always enjoyable to speak to Bible
Week and always enjoyable for Doug Lamborn to give me a couple of
minutes.
National Bible Week, of course, begins every year on Thanksgiving and
continues for the week after Thanksgiving.
One of the prior speakers, searching to say something unique about
the Bible, talked about the number of books that have been printed. I
would like to point out, since we are commanded under the Bible to
share the Word of Christ and spread the Word of Christ around the
world, the Bible, I believe, is the most translated book in the world.
The Bible is right now translated into 3,700 different languages, which
is a testament to the degree to which Christians are taking it to heart
to spread the book throughout the world.
Now, the reason we have Bible Week in the United States is the Bible
is more important than any other book in putting together our
Constitution, putting together the laws we live under. There was a
study done by something called the American Political Science Review in
which they reviewed all the writings by our Founding Fathers: John
Dickinson, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, the whole bunch.
They found that the Bible was the most cited book of our forefathers.
That is not surprising. What I did find interesting is that one-third
of the citations in the writings of our forefathers were from the Bible
itself. I find this hard to believe, but in the article, they said the
most cited book in the Bible was Deuteronomy. I would have guessed it
was somewhere in the New Testament or Psalms. Even I will say that
Deuteronomy is the most cited book in the Old Testament other than
Psalms.
In any event, why was Deuteronomy so cited? I think Deuteronomy is so
cited because Deuteronomy lays out the law that the Israelites were
supposed to follow when Israel was founded. Our forefathers looked at
Deuteronomy because they, as well, wanted us to form a country that God
would bless and God would protect. That is why Deuteronomy was so
cited.
This does not mean that they did not quote the New Testament. There
are plenty of references from John, 1 Corinthians, from the other
gospels that our forefathers mentioned because I think they felt it was
of necessity to look at these quotations in learning how to live.
I should also point out that the Bible our forefathers read was
largely from the English language. They lived at a time when we were
having the American Revolution. America was being founded, and we read
an English Bible. When the French Revolution was going on, it was
somewhat the opposite of our country. The French revolutionaries were
atheist. They were barbaric. They killed the nuns. They killed the
priests. It was horrific. It was an interesting juxtaposition even at
that time between what I guess today we would call maybe the communist
element, the French, and what we have in America.
I should also give a couple of quotes from our forefathers showing
how important they felt the Bible was. These quotes do not mean a
political party. It means kind of an ideology or way to put together
your country. John Adams said the Bible ``is the most republican book
in the world.'' John Dickinson, who was the most important member of
Delaware in our founding, said the Bible ``is the most republican book
that was ever written.'' He even ups it one more.
You can see the degree to which our forefathers lived by the Bible.
It is because they lived by the Bible and stuck by the Bible that we
have become such a blessed country. We have to continue to follow the
Bible if we kind of want to get back on the straight and narrow.
One more time, I thank Congressman Lamborn for giving me a few extra
minutes.
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, as the next speaker comes up, Buddy Carter
from the State of Georgia, I want to mention something very personal
that happened 2 years ago.
I was at this podium, and I told some people back in the district
that we were going to have this Bible hour, and they wanted to tune in.
They were watching on C-SPAN. What an amazing privilege it is to share
important things from your life to a national audience.
Anyway, my dermatologist was watching, Dr. Reagan Anderson, and he
noticed that I had a new spot on my temple, my left temple. He texted
me as soon as I was off the floor and said to come in and see him
tomorrow. Actually, it took me 2 days to finish voting and get back to
Colorado Springs. He said: You have melanoma, and I am going to
schedule surgery for tomorrow.
It was actually a couple of days later that I had the surgery. It was
successful. They removed it. It has gone away, as far as I know. The
cancer was taken from me, from my skin, but I think it is so
interesting that it was during this Bible hour that a friend of mine
who is also a doctor saw something that needed help, and I am so glad
that it turned out that way. I had never experienced that before. I
didn't know what to look for.
If you are in Colorado, which is a high-altitude State, be watching
for changes in skin because at high altitude, it happens even more than
in other places. All of us need to be watching for that.
[[Page H7306]]
Buddy Carter is a healthcare professional as a former pharmacist, and
I welcome him to share his thoughts.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Lamborn,
for hosting this tonight. I also want to pay tribute to him for his
years of service as a Member of Congress and let him know that he has
been an inspiration to many of us here, and we wish him well in his
retirement.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Bible Week and to
share with you that I am actually reading through the Bible this year.
I am almost finished. We only have a few more days left this year. I am
almost there. I am in Revelation, Micah. One of my favorite verses is
Micah 6:8. It is very special reading through it.
I think it is important to note that the study that I am using was
given to me, the book was given to me, by the chair of Energy and
Commerce this year, Cathy McMorris Rodgers. She gave it to us. I really
appreciate her doing that. She, too, is retiring this year. I certainly
wish her well. She has done an outstanding job as a Member of Congress.
I want to rise today in celebration of what is one of my favorite
times of the year for several different reasons: Christmastime, a time
that brings family, friends, food, fun, and football, all of those
things, but it is important that we remember during this time the
reason that we are celebrating this holiday, and that is the birth of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of
Christmastime and to forget about what is most important. I am
certainly as guilty of that as I am sure all of us are. The Christmas
season is a great opportunity for us to remind ourselves and each other
that no matter what happens or what we do, we are surrounded by the
love of God. There is no better exhibition of this than the Christmas
story.
We are all familiar with the Gospel of John, chapter 3:16, that tells
us: ``For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting
life.'' This is one of the most popular verses in the Bible, and for
good reason. It paints a clear picture of God's never-ending love for
His creation, us.
No matter the sins that we commit--and we do--or how often we neglect
the meaning of Christmas, God still loves us so much that He offers
each of us a chance at eternal life. That is certainly a gift none of
us deserve but all of us can have.
I hope everyone will join me in rejoicing in the love of God this
Christmas season. I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new
year.
Again, I thank Mr. Lamborn for hosting this tonight.
God bless you, Mr. Speaker.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his gracious words. He will be
one of the people I miss when I retire in January after 18 years of
being here. There are so many great people I will miss, and there are
things I won't miss, but there are some people I truly will miss.
Representative Allen mentioned Biblical prophecies being fulfilled,
and there are hundreds of very specific prophesies that you can find in
the Bible that were fulfilled exactly as foretold. It may have taken
years for it to happen, but they were fulfilled exactly.
If you were to put odds on that, it would become astronomical that
all of that could be the case as opposed to something that are legends
and fairy tales that were just made up by human invention.
Another source of verification, validation of the Bible, is
archaeology. Every time there is an archaeological discovery in the
Holy Land, it validates the Biblical accounts. It never contradicts the
Biblical accounts.
One example from a few decades ago was the Dead Sea Scrolls. Those
were exactly word for word what other sources had said was the book of
Isaiah, the Book of Psalms, other Old Testament Scriptures, and they
were exactly the same. There was a validation there.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to conclude. It has been an honor to present
this National Bible Week this week, and for so many years in the past.
I thank my colleagues who were here. I am thankful for the word of
God in my own life and in the life of this country, and in the life of
my wife and children and grandchildren as well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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