For just over a week beginning this Sunday (April 19), some 500 Christian leaders, government officials and celebrities will embark on a first-ever public endeavor: They will take their turns reading the Bible—from cover to cover, 12 hours each day.
Hosted by the nonprofit Christians Engaged, in partnership with Great American Pure Flix and a coalition of other ministries, the first “America Reads the Bible” week will be broadcast and streamed from the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. The timing of it is aimed at setting a sacred tone before celebrations this summer marking America’s 250th anniversary.
“We’re asking leaders across every sphere—from government and business to education, faith, and the arts—to boldly attest to the impact the Bible has had on their lives and leadership. Their witness matters. Their example guides others,” Christians Engaged said in a statement.
“When the Bible is read, people are changed. And when people are changed, nations can be healed.”
Those scheduled to read Scripture at the event include Franklin Graham, who will read the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10 on Friday, April 25, between 6:30 and 7 p.m. ET.
Current and past government leaders scheduled to read the Bible include Secretary of State Marco Rubio; House Speaker Mike Johnson; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and several governors, including Greg Abbott of Texas and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas.
Pastors are among those scheduled to read Scripture, as well as minister and pro-life activist Alveda King. Actress Patricia Heaton, film producer Dallas Jenkins, comedian and actress Victoria Jackson, and former model and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland, will also read passages.
The theme is “One Week. One Nation. One Book.” An opening celebration, scheduled for Saturday evening, will include Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Pastor Mark Batterson, actress Candace Cameron Bure and others.
In March, Christians Engaged founder Bunni Pounds told the National Religious Broadcasters meeting that she hopes the cover-to-cover Bible reading from the nation’s capital will help rouse an “apathetic church.”
“Wouldn’t it be awesome if our national leaders from all spheres of influence, demographics, and denominations would humble themselves in front of the American people and tell them that their dependence is in the Bible? And then call the American people back to discipleship and Bible reading?”
According to a 2024 American Bible Society survey, only 1 in 4 Americans reads the Bible at least once weekly.
“We’re binge-watching Netflix and Amazon Prime and playing games all the time,” Pounds lamented, “and not living our calling.”
Christians Engaged says the event has an aim beyond a mere public witness: “to reconnect leaders and citizens with the transformative power of Scripture. In every generation, revival and renewal have been sparked not by policy or popularity, but by a return to God’s Word.”
