35th Annual Bible Reading Marathon Kicks Off at Nation's Capitol
- Milton Quintanilla CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated Apr 24, 2024
On Saturday, the 35th annual US Capitol Bible Reading Marathon, in which volunteers are to read the entire Bible from cover to cover, will conclude Wednesday. The event is led by Indiana-based ministry Seedline International, which has volunteers taking turns in 15-minute increments, reading Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Although Seedline International expects that 98 percent of the speaking slots will be filled ahead of the event, "volunteers walking by that want to read" will also have the chance to participate.
"It's a lifetime experience reading the Bible in our nation's Capitol," Seedline International Founder and Director Keith Davidson told The Christian Post in a recent interview. "We usually face westward, which is actually reading across the country. And we just think it's important for America to be pulled back to our founding fathers' desires and some of the things that helped put our nation together, which is principles from the word of God."
He added the goal of the event is to "bring back [America's] attention to the Bible" and "how important it is for the foundation of our country" and "for the family unit." Davidson hopes the Bible Reading Marathon helps "return us back to reading one of the most important books to have ever been written."
During the interview with the Christian Post, Davidson told The Christian Post he had not yet been informed whether any U.S. Congress members would participate in this year’s event as they have previously. He added that several well-known faith leaders will participate, including Michael Hall of the People’s Church in Washington, D.C., George Roller of the ministry Hope to the Hill, Carl Herbster of the ministry Advance USA, and Peggy Nienaber of the nonprofit organization Faith & Liberty. Davidson expects that at least 30 to 50 people, including some churches, would convene at a time to listen to the marathon.
Although "a lot of people stop by, listen, [and] move on," he said that "we've never had a huge crowd just gather" because "it's mostly just people who drift by and spend a few minutes and then move on."
This marks the second consecutive year that the Bible Reading marathon took place after it was delayed in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Davidson noted that it was “pretty difficult” to get a permit, which he received, to hold the event for this year.
"It just seemed like the wheels of government approval [were] turning awfully slow because we made the application last year actually in May. So I'm not sure what the delay is," he said.
"I know they like to wait until after the first of the year and that Congressman [Robert] Aderholt's office usually sponsors that. But they sent it to the Sargeant of Arms this year, and they went to the Speaker's Office for some reason. Just delay after delay."
The Bible reading marathon started at 2 PM. Saturday and is expected to last until 10 AM Wednesday, April 24. Other Bible marathons that have previously taken place or will take place at state capitol buildings include Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and West Virginia in 2024. Meanwhile, Tennessee’s state capitol will host a Bible reading marathon in 2025.
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
