Evangelical Christian stars line up to read Bible aloud to wake up ‘apathetic church’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Bunni Pounds, a political fundraiser-turned-activist who lost a 2018 expose for U.S. Congress from Texas, used to be visiting the Museum of the Bible in Washington when she says God spoke to her. 

At the time, Pounds told attendees at a fresh National Non secular Broadcasters conference in Nashville, she’d been fervent about Ezra, the biblical prophet who read the legislation of Moses aloud to the Israelites as they returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon and started rebuilding the metropolis’s partitions. 

“I had an stumble upon with the Lord about Ezra, and it has never left me,” she said. What’s more, Pounds said, the United States wants the same kind of religious rebuilding as the frail Israelites.

That concept led her to arrange per week of public Bible reading within the nation’s capital. “Wouldn’t or no longer it be superior if our nationwide leaders from all spheres of influence, demographics and denominations would humble themselves in front of the American other folks and characterize them that their dependence is within the Bible,” she said. “After which name the American other folks reduction to discipleship and Bible reading.”

This spring, from April 18-25, a group of pastors, politicians, authors and diverse Christian leaders — nearly 500 in all — will read the Bible aloud from conceal to conceal. Fittingly, the Museum of the Bible will host the readings from 9 within the morning till 9 at night, all of that might be livestreamed. Each reader will recite Scripture for approximately 10 minutes.

Pounds said it took a couple of 365 days to recruit readers and build them Bible passages. Organizers tried to match readers to passages that match their ministry dreams, she said. The project rate about $2.5 million to pull off.

Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian humanitarian group, will read the story of the Splendid Samaritan. Leaders from Penal complex Fellowship will read from the E book of Exodus. Mike Huckabee, ambassador to Israel, will read from the 12th chapter of the E book of Genesis, which involves a passage about Israel usually cited by Christian Zionists: “I may bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I may curse.” Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins and dilapidated Secretary of Teach Mike Pompeo are also scheduled to read.

Senator Ted Cruz and his father, Rafael Cruz, an evangelical pastor, will read from the E book of Ezra, while leaders from Turning Level USA, whose co-founder Charlie Kirk used to be assassinated closing 365 days, will read the E book of Job.

“We’re making an attempt to comprise truly cool other folks read parts of the Bible that folks comprise are uncool,” she said. “And we need to encourage them that each and each observe of God is precious and that we can’t upright reduce out these sections of Scripture and no longer work together with it.”

Among the many 475 readers, all of whom will utilize a straightforward-read model of the King James Bible, are Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas, Jim Pillen of Nebraska, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, together with dilapidated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Micah Beckwith, the fresh lieutenant governor of Indiana, who might well even be a pastor. Three U.S. senators — Cruz, James Lankford and Jim Banks — and 16 fresh and dilapidated U.S. representatives are also scheduled to rob fragment.

Other readers consist of Troy Miller, president of the National Non secular Broadcasters; writer David Barton; pastor and writer Mark Batterson; Joel Berry of the conservative Christian satire region Babylon Bee; dilapidated U.S. Ambassador Sam Brownback; Carlos Campo, the CEO of the Museum of the Bible; megachurch pastor Matt Chandler; Christian musician John Cooper of Skillet; dilapidated Trump authorized legit Jenna Ellis; and the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

The tournament will kick off with a service at Washington’s National Community Church, where Batterson is pastor.

Pounds, who will read her authorized chapters of the Gospel of John (16 and 17, she said), hopes the tournament will reduction People to choose up the Bible. Pounds also said she hopes to wake up what she known as an “apathetic church” — she believes too few Christians listen to the Bible initiate air of church services and products.

“We’re binge-searching at Netflix and Amazon Prime and taking half in video games the total time and no longer residing our calling,” she said.

About 1 in 4 People read the Bible on the least once per week, according to a 2025 report from the American Bible Society, while 41% read the Bible on the least three or four conditions a 365 days. More than half read the Bible twice a 365 days or much less, including 39% who lisp they never read the Bible.

Nonetheless, Bible sales are booming, with bigger than 18 million copies bought closing 365 days. 

After her failed advertising campaign for Congress, Pounds based Christians Engaged, a nonprofit that seeks to recommend for “biblical civil accountability,” according to the group’s web region. She told the religious broadcasters in February that she used to be bored stiff in pastors and ministry leaders complaining that no longer sufficient Christians were vote casting in primaries and local elections. The group asks followers to “pray, vote and have interaction.”

The nonprofit has already mobilized a million Christian votes, according to Pounds, who hopes to reach 2 million in 2026. The group produces podcasts and video classes to reduction Christians to get fascinated by politics, and brings younger leaders to Washington for training events. “We even comprise a beefy advertising campaign college for every and each Christian to flee for divulge of job,” she told attendees.

The daughter of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Pounds said that she had a religious awakening as a teen while attending a dwell efficiency given by the basic Christian singer Carman, and that she once hoped to be a missionary. Now she sees her calling as helping others to utilize their faith to influence society. And that involves vote casting.

“We vote since it’s a highly efficient and tangible strategy to esteem our neighbors,” she told the NRB conference. “We vote in every election to recommend for rules and leaders that can produce greater freedom and flourishing for our neighbors and society.”