"America Reads The Bible" Begins This Weekend

With the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence taking place this Fourth of July, over 475 people ranging from elected officials such as Governor Ron DeSantis, to television producers such as Dallas Jenkins, to athletes such as Rebekah Allick, and pastors such as Franklin Graham will gather in Washington D.C. starting this weekend to read the entire Bible out loud from April 18th through April 25th, 2026. The opening ceremony for "America Reads The Bible" will take place this Saturday, April 18th, from 6:00 to 7:30PM Central Time. The actual seven-day Bible reading will take place at the Museum of The Bible, a museum established in 2010 that documents the narrative, history, and impact of The Bible. For those wishing to attend the event in -person in D.C., tickets are available for a total of $56 USD and can be obtained at https://www.americareadsthebible.com/schedule. For those who prefer to listen to The Bible reading from wherever they are, it will be livestreamed on Great American Pure Flix. With those who wish to be reminded about the livestream event being able to register for updates at https://www.pureflix.com/amerca-reads-the-bible-register.

The in-person tickets for "America Reads The Bible" grant attendees three hours of admission to The Bible reading. With entry times scheduled each day at 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, and 6:00PM. Some of the historic Dead Sea Scrolls are on display in the museum during the time of The Bible reading, which will provide attendees the opportunity to both hear The Bible being read out loud and see some of the ancient Biblical texts, at the same time.

The Bible reading event was conceived by Bunni Pounds, a former political consultant who has worked for members of Congress from Texas. Growing up she believed she was going to be a missionary in a foreign country after attending Bible School. However, after her life took a much different path, she then decided that she was going to be a "missionary to America". With the "America Reads The Bible" event being a part of her work as said missionary and founder of "Christians Engaged". Her inspiration for The Bible reading event stems from Nehemiah 8:2-3 where it states that, "Then Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it before the public square . . ."

Part of the purpose of the "America Reads The Bible" event is to encourage people to not only celebrate America's upcoming 250th Anniversary, but to also reflect and remember what made it possible. With Bob Burckle, the president and CEO of a Christian ministry that publishes and distributes two million free Bible every year throughout Eastern Europe and neighboring countries stating that, "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."

Incidentally, studies have shown that there are great advantages to reading The Bible. With those who engage with The Bible at least four times a week showing a 57% drop in alcoholism, a 68% drop in infidelity, a 61% decrease in pornography viewing, and a 230% increase in discipling others. For the "America Reads The Bible" event starting this weekend in Washington D.C., the Scripture readings will be from the King James Version Easy Read Bible provided by Whitaker House Publishing.

Luisa Reyes is a Tuscaloosa attorney, a piano instructor, vocalist, poet, reporter, and columnist who write about current events, politics, and the arts.