Bible Reading Marathon

Trump Will Participate in a Marathon Bible Reading

He will read a passage from the Old Testament that his Christian supporters cite as a call to national repentance and divine blessing.

I have long had an interest in the Bible. I listen to Bart Ehrman's weekly podcast. I took a New Testament course a long time ago. I have read a lot about the subject. I once read the whole Bible. 

I am reading this book by Rachel Held Evans' sister. It works both as a general discussion of grief and grief rituals as well as a Christian discussion. She comes from that tradition. She's a good writer. 

People will have a cynical reaction to this effort. Trump surely doesn't seem like an honest broker here. The verse he read is somewhat ironic if read honestly:

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.

Certain evangelicals read some biblical quotes in a Christian Nationalist way. The original context was the Jewish people in ancient times. The current meaning should not be inferred to be a statement of Trump triumphalism. 

I think, quite honestly, our nation should humble itself and seek forgiveness for its wicked ways. It has supported Trump and committed much damage beyond that. It needs to accept what it did. It has to work toward healing.

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, will read Proverbs 31, which includes a wide-ranging list of qualities of “a wife of noble character” that has become a touchstone for many Christian women.

This is another somewhat ironic choice. How would the original author feel about her position? How noble is it to be Trump's chief of staff?

Rachel Held Evans spoke repeatedly about that chapter, about "women of valor." Rachel did not just read the Bible. She studied it in depth. That is the best way. Also, it's a good thing to discuss. 

I suppose when the whole "Bible" is read, it will be the Protestant Bible. I was taught using the Catholic Bible, which has additional material. 

Congress, some time back, read the whole Constitution. Well, not really. They edited it somewhat, skipping over amended parts. That allowed them to skip over the slavery stuff. Did they read the whole thing when they did it again more recently? They should read the whole thing.

The Bible can get tedious, especially all those genealogies and rules and regulations. A few of the prophets go on for quite a long time. But it's okay if they want to read the whole thing. Should be done humbly and not as a partisan thing.

We see the world through a glass, darkly.