{"id":7217,"date":"2026-04-22T23:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/heres-why-the-bible-passage-trump-read-aloud-is-so-potent-and-polarizing\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T23:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T18:08:06","slug":"heres-why-the-bible-passage-trump-read-aloud-is-so-potent-and-polarizing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/heres-why-the-bible-passage-trump-read-aloud-is-so-potent-and-polarizing\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s why the Bible passage Trump read aloud is so potent and polarizing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_NKZGXcOnwBa?ui_title_intro=Listen+now%3A&amp;client=wp&amp;client_version=2.7.1\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The scriptural passage that President Donald Trump read Tuesday evening in a livestreamed <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-bible-reading-conservative-christians-evangelicals-453a6a5abdfd757a97b6053b6da1dbed\">Bible-reading marathon<\/a> dates back to the depiction of an ancient event \u2014 but it\u2019s one that carries a highly charged significance in the current religious and political climate.<\/p>\n<p>It has long been quoted and promoted by those who believe America was founded as a Christian nation and should be one. It\u2019s from the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles, a book in the Hebrew (Old Testament) portion of the Bible.<\/p>\n<p>The 14th verse \u2014 the one most often quoted \u2014 says:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump is among hundreds who are taking turns reading the entire Bible aloud over the course of a week. Most of the readings are taking place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, though Trump\u2019s is coming by video from the Oval Office.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A passage often quoted at National Day of Prayer events<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Chronicles passage has for decades been a major theme at annual National Day of Prayer events. Organizers of the America Reads the Bible marathon invited Trump to read from it. \u201cIt\u2019s a powerful statement that he decided to read that passage,\u201d said Bunni Pounds, founder of Christians Engaged, which organized the project.<\/p>\n<p>The passage has been recited over the decades at countless rallies, services and events, often organized around the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/american-founders-christian-nation-conservative-beliefs-4ea388e8d80c54016a6a4460cbef9b82\">disputed belief<\/a> that America was created as a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/america-christian-united-states-conservative-beliefs-9286431a0ddde91c928e5d411795c1fe\">Christian nation<\/a> and needs to repent of its sins and return to God. The passage has particularly been associated with annual events commemorating the National Day of Prayer, which has taken various forms since the mid-20th century and became fixed by law on the first Thursday in May since the 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>The verse is set in a context far from modern America \u2014 during the reign of King Solomon in ancient Israel some 3,000 years ago. Solomon is presiding over the dedication of the first temple in Jerusalem, and in a lengthy prayer he asks for divine mercy if a future generation sins, is punished with military or natural disaster and then repents. In the key passage, God replies with a promise of restoration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Critics say the passage is used out of context<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But the use of the passage in modern settings has its critics.<\/p>\n<p>The Chronicles passage is \u201ca popular verse among Christian nationalists and has been for quite some time,\u201d said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist pastor and president and editor-in-chief of Word&amp;Way, a progressive site covering faith and politics.<\/p>\n<p>He said its use has taken on a partisan and polarizing tone, often used in tandem with a promotion of a belief in a Christian America in an increasingly diverse country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis verse is not about the United States,\u201d said Kaylor, author of \u201cThe Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power.\u201d It is \u201ca promise made to one particular person in one particular moment. It doesn\u2019t really work to pull it out of context and apply it to whatever you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But many have done so recently and in decades past, either saying America has a divinely ordained destiny similar to ancient Israel\u2019s or simply that they believe every nation has a duty to follow God and repent when needed.<\/p>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaugural.senate.gov\/42nd-inaugural-ceremonies\/\">Dwight D. Eisenhower<\/a> took the oath of office in 1953 with his hand on a Bible opened to the 2 Chronicles passage. President Ronald Reagan quoted the passage in a proclamation declaring 1984\u2019s National Day of Prayer. A speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention also quoted it.<\/p>\n<p>The National Day of Prayer, while officially nonsectarian, has long been drawn particular promotion and participation from evangelical Christians. Readings of the \u201cIf my people\u201d passage has been a staple of such events.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Politicians, others joining in the Bible-reading marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Evangelicals \u2014 a loyal Republican voting bloc for decades \u2014 have formed a crucial part of Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/white-evangelical-voters-support-donald-trump-president-dbfd2b4fe5b2ea27968876f19ee20c84\">electoral base<\/a>. His <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-christian-evangelicals-conservatives-2024-election-43f25118c133170c77786daf316821c3\">rallies have featured a fusion<\/a> of Christian and national symbols and rhetoric, featuring songs like \u201cGod Bless USA\u201d and T-shirts with slogans like \u201cJesus is my savior, Trump is my president.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many other Republican politicians are taking part in the Bible reading, along with celebrities, pastors and others. And Trump isn\u2019t the only one reading a passage significant to his office or mission.<\/p>\n<p>Mike Huckabee, a Baptist pastor and U.S. ambassador to Israel, is reading from a Genesis passage in which God says he will bless those who bless Abraham \u2014 a passage popular with many evangelicals who believe they have a biblical mandate to support Israel.<\/p>\n<p>David Barton, whose Wallbuilders promotes belief in America as a Christian nation, will read from a passage that gave his organization its name, in which Nehemiah rebuilds the broken walls of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/ap-twir\">collaboration<\/a> with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/04\/22\/if-my-people-heres-why-the-bible-passage-trump-read-aloud-is-so-potent-and-polarizing\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The scriptural passage that President Donald Trump read Tuesday evening in a livestreamed Bible-reading marathon dates back to the depiction of an ancient event \u2014 but it\u2019s one that carries a highly charged significance in the current religious and political climate. It has long been quoted and promoted by those who believe America was founded [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}