President Donald Trump and several prominent Republican leaders are participating in a weeklong Bible reading marathon designed to highlight America’s spiritual heritage as part of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.
The America Reads the Bible event features livestreamed segments from the Museum of the Bible in Washington and other venues throughout the week. Trump is scheduled to appear Tuesday evening via video from the Oval Office, where he will recite a biblical passage about national repentance from ancient Israel — text frequently referenced by advocates who believe America was founded as and should remain a Christian nation.
In a statement about the event, Trump declared the Bible is “indelibly woven into our national identity and way of life.” He referenced historical figures like Puritan leader John Winthrop as “imploring his fellow Christian settlers to stand as a beacon of faith for all the world to see.”
However, critics argue the event’s participant roster is heavily partisan and represents a broader effort to tie America’s 250th birthday to a Christian nationalist agenda that portrays the country’s founding as fundamentally Christian — a characterization many historians challenge. White Christians, especially evangelicals, form a core part of Trump’s political support.
Brian Kaylor, author of “The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power,” described the participant list as demonstrating this is “very much a right-wing MAGA, Christian nationalist effort,” referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
“If they wanted this to be a unifying American project, there would have been a whole lot more attention to getting political diversity and ideological diversity,” said Kaylor, who serves as president and editor-in-chief of Word&Way, a progressive publication covering faith and politics.
Historian Jemar Tisby, whose writings have examined what he calls ongoing Christian involvement in racism, criticized the event on Facebook, stating: “You cannot quote the Bible while justifying violence, war and exclusion.”
Bunni Pounds, founder of Christians Engaged, emphasized that simply reading scripture isn’t sufficient. “Faith without works is dead,” she explained, adding: “We need the word first to bring faith into our life.”
The biblical event occurs just one week after Trump faced unusual criticism from his evangelical supporters for sharing a social media image showing himself in white robes as a Jesus-like healer surrounded by patriotic imagery. Trump later removed the post from his Truth Social platform while maintaining he was portrayed as a doctor, not Jesus.
The timing also follows Trump’s recent public disagreement with U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV regarding the Iran conflict.
Additional high-profile participants include Cabinet members Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and several other Republican congressional members. Notable evangelical Trump supporters taking part include evangelist Franklin Graham, pastor Jack Graham, and pastor Paula White-Cain, who leads Trump’s White House Faith Office.
According to Pounds, organizers extended invitations to Democratic Congress members and leaders from denominations that might be considered progressive, but those invitations were declined.
Participants are taking turns reading through all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. While Jews recognize the Hebrew scriptures that Christians call the Old Testament, they don’t acknowledge the New Testament books focused on Jesus. Catholics and Orthodox Christians include additional biblical books not part of this reading. The event does feature some Catholic participation, including the president of CatholicVote, which endorsed Trump in 2024.
The marathon encompasses the complete Bible, from well-known verses (“Let my people go,” “The Lord is my shepherd”) to more obscure passages. The readings span from creation stories to violent battles and apocalyptic visions, from calls to love God, neighbors and the needy to accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Christians Engaged, a nonprofit organization whose mission includes “discipling Americans on biblical worldview and their responsibilities to pray, vote and engage,” is organizing the event.
Trump’s segment will feature him reading from 2 Chronicles chapter seven, which describes King Solomon’s temple dedication in ancient Jerusalem. The passage includes God’s promise of forgiveness if future generations rebel then repent: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
This verse has been frequently cited at conservative Christian gatherings and political events, including the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Pounds noted the Chronicles passage has been a central theme at annual National Day of Prayer events for decades, and organizers specifically asked Trump to read from it. “It’s a powerful statement that he decided to read that passage,” she observed.
The Bible reading marathon precedes a May 17 event titled “National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving” planned for the National Mall. This represents the culminating event of “America Prays,” an initiative Trump announced last year in partnership with America 250, calling for national prayer and to “rededicate ourselves to one nation under God.”
Many of the organizations and individuals involved in America Prays are also participating in this week’s Bible reading event.
