Recently, I had the honor to address a group of young adults in the District of Columbia for “America Reads the Bible,” a weeklong gathering featuring national leaders from every sphere of influence reading the Bible aloud and broadcast live around the country.
Held in celebration of America’s 250th year, this event, sponsored by Christians Engaged and the Family Policy Alliance, calls our nation to reengage with Scripture and the enduring truths of God’s Word.
Before my address, I had participated earlier in the week by reading from the Book of Joshua from the main theater stage at the Museum of the Bible.
As I addressed this group of young people—some of the best and brightest from the emerging generation—I could not help but be encouraged by what I saw. Before me were members of a rising generation of very serious young men and women of faith who made the time to learn more about the Bible and its role in our nation’s history.
After my address, I had the chance to converse with some of the young people in attendance, and I was even more impressed.
These young people expressed their desire that everything they think, say, and do, is in alignment with Christ and His teachings.
Many also hope to become devoted and faithful husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and citizens in their communities and the nation. They want to build lives that answer the question of why they were put on this earth at this precise moment in human history.
Why did I find this so refreshing and encouraging? Because in my recent book “What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom and Family,” I discuss how crucial it is for young people of faith to understand the role faith played in our nation’s founding and the role it continues to play in our culture today.
The young people I addressed that evening “get it.”
They expressed appreciation for the greatness of America, particularly because of the religious liberty enshrined in the Bill of Rights by our Founding Fathers. They understand why this freedom ought to be celebrated this year, the nation’s 250th anniversary. They revere the document and speak with reverence and respect, just as they do when speaking about our Constitution.
Some students in attendance had read—and loved—the Federalist Papers, and we had an excellent conversation about the ideas that animated these letters.
These young people are true patriots. They love God, our country, and the nation’s ideals. Perhaps most encouragingly, they seem willing to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the freedoms they enjoy endure for succeeding generations.
Many I spoke to that evening indicated that they have seen the emptiness and futility of life without faith. They yearn for the eternal truth of Scripture and the values that accompany it.
These young people see the political and cultural decay that has resulted from the widespread abandonment of God. They want to help restore our nation by rediscovering the things that have been lost.
They are figuring out “what really matters,” and it is not materialism, political power, or self-gratification. Instead, they are realizing faith, freedom, and family constitute the cornerstone of a life well lived.
It is my hope that young Americans like these continue to be drawn back to those values in the months and years ahead, and that they work to rebuild the spiritual foundation required for a great American restoration from our current political and cultural decay.
That is what I saw as I looked into the eyes of the young people who attended America Reads the Bible.
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