Nearly 500 Public Figures to Read Bible Cover-to-Cover in Washington for America’s 250th Anniversary

More than 495 Christian leaders, elected officials, athletes, and entertainers are scheduled to gather in Washington, D.C., for “America Reads the Bible,” a multi-day public event in which participants will read the entire Bible aloud, cover to cover, to commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. Organizers describe the gathering as one of the largest coordinated public Scripture readings ever staged in the nation’s capital.

The “America Reads the Bible” initiative is the latest in a series of high-profile faith-based commemorations being staged ahead of July 4, 2026, when the United States will officially mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Organizers have assembled a lineup that reportedly includes members of Congress, governors, prominent pastors, worship artists, professional athletes, and figures from film and television. By structuring the program as a continuous public recitation of all 66 books of the Bible, planners are echoing a tradition with deep roots in American civic life, including public Scripture readings staged at the U.S. Capitol, on the National Mall, and in state capitals during previous national anniversaries.

The event arrives amid shifting demographic currents in American religion. According to multiple recent surveys from the Pew Research Center and Public Religion Research Institute, the share of U.S. adults identifying as Christian has declined from roughly 78 percent in 2007 to around 63 percent today, while the religiously unaffiliated “nones” have grown to nearly 28 percent of the population. At the same time, polling consistently shows that a majority of Americans still own a Bible, and a substantial minority report reading it at least occasionally. Organizers of the Washington gathering have said they hope the marathon reading will reintroduce the text to a broader audience and highlight what they describe as the Bible’s influence on American founding documents, literature, and civil rights movements.

The Semiquincentennial itself is being coordinated nationally by the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, known as America250, which was created by Congress in 2016 to plan observances across all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Faith-based groups, historical societies, veterans’ organizations, and cultural institutions have each begun rolling out their own commemorations in the months leading up to July 2026. Legal scholars note that events held on public property in Washington must comply with First Amendment standards governing religious expression in public spaces, a framework the Supreme Court has revisited in recent decisions involving prayer, religious displays, and government-sponsored ceremonies.