WASHINGTON — Christians who gathered on Capitol Hill to read the Bible emphasized the importance of exposing the public to God’s Word, reminding the nation of the principles that helped shape the country. 

For 90 continuous hours, Christians will read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation outside the U.S. Capitol Building. The event, known as the Bible Reading Marathon, started on Saturday and will continue through Wednesday.

Keith Davidson, the founder of Seedline International, a ministry that distributes God’s word to people around the world, explained that the event is free of politics or Biblical commentary. The participants who signed up for one of the time slots read the Bible, and, according to Davidson, the readers had reached the book of Matthew as of Tuesday.

“Our goal is to bring attention back to our legislators, of course, and to get the attention back on the word of God,” Davidson told The Christian Post. “And then for [legislators] to remember that’s where our nation’s foundation is at, and also, for people who are reading, to let them publicly express their faith.” 

“And then for people who walk by and hear the Bible being read,” he added. “We’ve had several people just stop and listen.” 

According to the Seedline International founder, at least 75 people stopped on Monday to listen to the Bible reading outside the Capitol building. Davidson pointed to the event table, which featured over 100 Bibles in various languages, and explained that members of the public were encouraged to participate and read the Bible in their native language. 

On Tuesday, the Bible Reading Marathon, alongside the Faith & Liberty ministry, also hosted a reading in the House of Representatives’ Chaplain’s office from noon to four. This is the second year that the event has included a reading of the Bible inside the U.S. Capitol Building as well as outside, according to Davidson. 

The Bible Reading Marathon became part of Seedline International’s ministry in 2019, but the event started in 1990. John Hash, the founder of the International Bible Reading Association, along with Corinthia Boone, established the event in 1990. They later passed the torch in 1994 to Pastor Michael Hall and his wife, Terry, who transferred control of the Bible Reading Marathon to Davidson. 

Debra Hottle, a teacher at Christ Chapel Academy in Virginia, remembered that the school’s Bible club started bringing students to the event in the 1990s. The Woodbridge-based school had around ten students outside of the U.S. Capitol building on Tuesday to participate in the Bible reading marathon during the late morning.

Hottle described the experience of bringing students to the Capitol to read the Bible as “Wonderful,” saying that it gives the students an opportunity to “practice what [the school] teaches them.” 

“And to just honor God, show what we believe and who we are,” Hottle told CP. 

Another Christ Chapel Academy teacher supervising the students, Brenda Prather, told CP that the students had prayed with the guards outside of the Capitol Building earlier that morning. Prather explained that the school teaches the children to “be active in what [they] do, to not just read but to be active.”

“Live what we do,” Hottle said in agreement with her colleague. 

Abe Silos, who works with Gideons International, a ministry dedicated to making God’s word available to everyone, also participated in reading the Bible aloud on Capitol Hill. Silos told CP that this was the second time he had taken part in the Bible Reading Marathon in the nation’s capital, the first time being in 2011. 

Holding up a pocket-sized New Testament Bible, Silos expressed disbelief over the number of young people in the United States who have told him that they’ve never even read the New Testament. The Christian speaker believes that public exposure to God’s word is necessary, especially as several studies have shown that younger generations are more likely to trust in feelings instead of a Biblical God. 

“There's a void in everyone,” Silos stated. “God made us to worship something, to worship Him. And until we find that purpose in our lives, we're going to worship whatever comes around.” 

“There are many voices out there. Well, God speaks to us every day, mostly through His Word. So that's why it's so important to elevate God's Word because God says in His Word that He's elevated His Word above His own name,” he continued. “So we need to continue to do that as a nation, as Christians, as individuals, no matter what happens.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-honor-god-at-annual-capitol-bible-reading-marathon.html