Hundreds to take part in weeklong DC Bible-reading marathon: ‘An offering at the feet of Jesus’

Nearly 500 political leaders, pastors and celebrities are set to gather in Washington, D.C., for a weeklong public reading of the entire Bible, an effort organizers hope could help spark a nationwide return to Scripture ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.

Scheduled to kick off on Sunday at 9 a.m., “America Reads the Bible” will feature 12 hours of daily Scripture reading at the Museum of the Bible, with members of Congress, governors and ministry leaders taking turns reading from Genesis to Revelation. The event will run through April 25, with more than 450 speakers scheduled, including six cabinet members, six governors and 20 federal lawmakers, according to organizers. 

Saturday’s opening celebration, set for Capital Turnaround in Washington, will feature actresses Candace Cameron Bure and Patricia Heaton, Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

In a video interview with The Christian Post, Christians Engaged founder Bunni Pounds said that WallBuilders founder David Barton will lead a “history lesson of the Bible in our American culture,” while Leeland Mooring and Phil King will sing. 

Pounds said the purpose of the marathon is to “call the American people back to daily Bible reading for the well-being of our country.”  She hopes young leaders of tomorrow “will rise to really fix the leadership crisis that we have in our country.”

“We are going to read the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, over seven days, livestreamed to the country,” she said.

Pounds said she was inspired to organize the event after reading about the Old Testament figure Ezra.

“Ezra is just as much a hero as Nehemiah is. He literally stood up and read the books of Moses to the Israelites and reminded them who they were and stood up for the presence of God and rebuilding the temple,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if our national leaders had an Ezra moment and they told the American people the power of the Bible and called the American people back to daily Bible reading?”

She envisions the event as “the Body of Christ coming together in unity” against the backdrop of the United States’ 250th anniversary. After finding no similar plans, she concluded, “Maybe God gave me this idea.”

After more than a year of planning, Pounds secured 122 ministry partners.

“I really feel like we’re laying an offering at the feet of Jesus,” she said. “Everything we do in government, politics, media, education — all these spheres of influence — is critically important,” she said, while stressing that “what we do as leaders comes from our devotion to the Lord.”

Pounds said Americans should be thankful to God that the U.S. Constitution has “outlasted every constitution in world history.” 

“We’re not only incredibly thankful to the Lord that we get the privilege, [but] we get to read the Bible in public, we get to pray in public, then we have a problem internally, ourselves and our families,” she said. “And so I believe this is a calling moment. I believe this is a return for us as the Body of Christ.”