ANALYSIS
As America marks 250 years, there will be flyovers and parades, fireworks and block parties – all the familiar ways a proud nation celebrates such a milestone.
But an anniversary like this demands more than celebration. It should invite reflection, because it asks us not only to rejoice in what has endured, but to remember what made it possible.
America did not become what it is by accident. Our national life was formed by a deep belief in freedom and liberty, by the protection of conscience, and – let’s not forget – by the Bible and its teachings, which have profoundly influenced our family life, our government and institutions, our arts and our culture. That is why ‘America Reads The Bible’ is such a fitting way to mark this moment.
*** America Reads the Bible: Christian Leaders and Celebs to Publicly Read Entire Bible for 250th
In Washington, D.C. from April 18-25, more than 475 leaders from across public life, representing more than 100 organizations, will take part in a public reading of the entire Bible tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary. I am honored to be among them.
Amid all the pageantry, there is something profoundly fitting about a nation pausing to read aloud the Book that has done so much to shape its conscience, culture and understanding of freedom. The liberty to read the Bible openly, to teach it, and to live by it lies close to the heart of the American story, because one of the great strengths of this country has been the conviction that conscience must be protected and that a free people must be free to worship openly and without fear.
In America, most of us take religious freedom so much for granted that we rarely stop to think about how extraordinary it is. We can carry a Bible openly, gather in public to read it, walk into church on a Sunday without fear, teach our children the faith, and speak the name of Jesus without consequences. Around the world, however, that freedom is far from assured. In too many places, believers are watched, threatened, and punished for the simple act of worshipping Jesus openly, changing their faith, or sharing it with others.
Iran is one of the starkest examples. For many believers there, the things Americans take for granted can come at a terrible price. The freedom to own a Bible or to gather openly with other Christians is not assumed. It is denied, punished, and in some cases may cost them their lives. That is not speculation. We have seen it happen to the people we have served.
For years at EEM (Eastern European Mission), we have worked to place God’s printed Word for free to those who desperately need it, including in the hands of Iranians and other Persian speakers, and to support people seeking Christ in places where that search can be dangerous. We have seen at close quarters what the freedom to read the Bible can cost.
That is why our 250-year anniversary should stir more than pride in us. It should stir gratitude, humility and duty. One of the best ways to honor America’s own history of freedom and liberty is to remember those who still live without it, and to do what we can so that others, in Iran and around the world, may one day read God’s Word freely and follow Christ openly.
If we in America can gather in public to read the Bible as part of a national commemoration, then we should not be indifferent to those who must read it quietly, secretly, or at great personal risk.
But there is one further truth worth remembering as America marks this special birthday. If the Bible and its teachings have helped guide this nation through the last 250 years, then we should want no less for the 250 ahead.
A free country cannot live forever on memory alone.
Every generation must decide what truths it will honor and what kind of moral and spiritual inheritance it will leave. A nation does not remain strong, free, and humane by accident. It needs moral foundations, spiritual seriousness, and truths sturdy enough to outlast political fashions and national moods.
America is right to pause and read the book that helped shape its history, and it is also right to pray that the next chapters of our national life will be just as deeply rooted in the truth and teachings of the Bible.
At its best, America Reads The Bible can remind us not only what helped form our past, but what can still help guide our future.
Bob Burckle is president and CEO of EEM, a Christian ministry that publishes and distributes approximately two million Bibles free every year across 36 countries and in 32 languages in Eastern Europe and neighboring countries. America Reads The Bible takes place from April 18-25 at the Museum of the Bible. Find out more here.
