One week. One nation. One book.

More than 500 of America’s leaders, representing a wide range of positions and professions, came together in the nation’s capital for one purpose: to read one book. For a total of 84 hours – 12 hours a day, seven days straight – these men and women took turns publicly reading the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

America Reads the Bible, a $2 million effort that was two years in the making, was the vision of Bunni Pounds, founder and president of Christians Engaged (christiansengaged.org). Pounds is no stranger to the nation’s capital or the world of politics. Years ago, God placed a calling on her life to be a “missionary to America” and gave her both the desire and burden to share the gospel while advocating for biblical values in politics and government.

More recently, God impressed on Pounds’ heart a specific need for America. She recalled standing in the Museum of the Bible (museumofthebible.org) in Washington, D.C., at the conclusion of an Old Testament exhibit.

“Ezra stands up with a scroll, and he’s reminding the Israelites who they were by publicly reading the books of Moses,” Pounds explained to The Stand. “And it hit me! We need an ‘Ezra moment’ in this country. … We don’t know who we are because we’re not in Scripture every day. We’re not seeking the Lord every day.

“So, I thought, 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 let them know that their wisdom, their peace, their joy, their fortitude come from going to God every day in His Word? … What if we called the American people back to daily Bible reading and discipleship, and what if we did that in the backdrop of the 250th birthday?”

And with that, America Reads the Bible was born. What Pounds first believed to be a random thought turned out to be a calling and commissioning from the Lord.

The foundation

Pounds saw the opportunity to shepherd such a large project as the “absolute honor” of her life, but she also admitted that it was incredibly challenging – the hardest thing she has ever done, even harder than running her own $1 million political campaign.

What started as a private memo quickly grew into a massive undertaking that included 200 Zoom meetings and resulted in a contract with Museum of the Bible. Pounds and her small staff of 20 spent months securing more than 120 national ministry partners and sending out hundreds of invites to VIP readers. Great American Pure Flix came on board and provided a large production and distribution budget, and other media companies joined the effort.

“There is no better way to give back to this country than by lifting up the Bible and inviting families to pause and listen together,” said Bill Abbott, Great American Media president and CEO.

American Family Association (AFA) also believed in Pounds’ purpose and signed on as a sponsor. AFA Vice Presidents Walker Wildmon and Wesley Wildmon, AFA Vice President Emeritus Buddy Smith, American Family Radio host Jenna Ellis, and iVoterGuide President Debbie Wuthnow represented AFA as readers at America Reads the Bible, held in late April at Museum of the Bible.

“It was a great privilege to be a part of this event,” said Wesley Wildmon. “There was a real sense of unity among the American church as its people read God’s Word together.”

“As we read aloud through the entire Bible in our nation’s capital, I prayed that it would be a visible declaration of the vital influence of Holy Scripture upon our founding and ignite the flame of revival in our land,” added Buddy Smith. “How we as individual citizens obey or disobey the eternal truths of God’s Word directly relates to our spiritual well-being and to the life and very soul of our nation.”

“The Bible was the fabric of our nation,” Pounds emphasized. “I don’t believe that our Constitution would have outlasted every other constitution in world history if it wasn’t for that foundation.”

“Considering the significance of the Holy Bible in developing the worldview of our Founding Fathers,” said Walker Wildmon, “it was very fitting to read the entire Scripture aloud in our nation's capital as we celebrate the 250th birthday of America.”

The proclamation

Each leader read a 10-minute portion of Scripture for a total of 50 minutes per hour. One of 16 national worship leaders ended each hour with praise and worship, or what Pounds called “Selah moments” – times to stop and reflect on Scripture.

“All we need to hear is the Word,” explained Pounds, “and when the Word is proclaimed, it will impact our hearts and our lives.”

Pounds firmly believes that God is calling His people into a deeper level of intimacy with Him, and the way to hear His voice is through the reading of His Word.

“He is faithful to speak out of every single page in that book,” added Pounds. “[Through it], He will transform your life and transform your family. … That’s what our nation needs.

“My prayer is that this movement to prioritize God’s Word will not end today but will spark a national renewal the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Great Awakening,” Pounds concluded in a press release. “God’s Word does not return void.”