Christian participants would require a lot of physical and mental stamina to read the whole Bible on video record during the 90-hour Scripture reading marathon. The 32nd annual United States Capitol Bible Reading Marathon started on May 1 and will be streamed live online until Wednesday, May 5.
It's all leading up to the National Day of Prayer on Thursday. The event is being broadcast online on DCBibleMarathon.org, and it is attended by numerous members of Congress as well as several church congregations.
Even before the pandemic, hundreds of people gathered on the stairs of the United States Capitol and state capitol buildings to read the Bible.
The marathon was established in 1990 by Dr. John Hash and Dr. Corinthia Boone. The event was then handed over to Pastor Michael Hall and his wife, Terry in 1994, who managed it for the next 26 years. The Halls then handed over the Bible Reading Marathon and its mission to Keith Davidson as a Seedline International ministry in 2019.
According to the organizers, the practice acknowledges that the Bible is at the core of America's founding values and that "it should be voiced at the heart of (the) nation."
According to Christian Headlines, Texas Senator Ted Cruz is among the politicians reported to be taking part in the Bible Reading Marathon. For the marathon, Cruz posted a one-minute introduction.
"The Bible, I believe, is the first and most significant text we have, followed by our country's Constitution. The Constitution was, of necessity, based on biblical values. As a result, our mission is to get people to return to it, to learn about it, or to demonstrate its significance," he reportedly said in the introduction.
Last year's event was held inside the offices of the evangelistic group Faith and Liberty, which is situated on Second Street near the United States Supreme Court. The organization's mission is to bring the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" to the nation's highest elected and appointed leaders.
According to Christian Post, "Seedline International" Director Keith Davidson said that the Capitol is still covered by fencing and razor wire.
"I think the Bible's our first, most important document we have, and then the second would be our Constitution in this country," he said. "And of course, the Constitution was ... founded on biblical principles. And so, our goal is to try to get people to return back to that or think about that or show them the importance of it."
Even though "the fence is still up, and they haven't been issuing any permits as of yet," Davidson informed CP that he still applied for a permit to stage the marathon on the West Terrace again next year.
The 2021 Bible Reading Marathon, like the one in 2020, will have a virtual fraction. According to Davidson, 400 to 500 users can engage online.
"We have 360 15-minute slots to fill. And this time, because of virtual reading, we had several churches who ... signed up," he said.
