As recently reported by the Associated Baptist Press, “a battle over the Bible is brewing in the halls of Congress, and political blogs are buzzing about a Southern Baptist congressman's desire to designate 2010 as "The National Year of the Bible."

Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), a medical doctor and member of Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., introduced a resolution May 7 urging President Obama to issue a proclamation "calling upon citizens of all faiths to rediscover and apply the priceless, timeless message of the Holy Scripture."

Please. Do we really need Congress telling us to read our Bibles in 2010? If so, then it does raise some interesting questions. Why only one year? And what’s next? The Year of the Quran in 2011? The Year of the Book of Mormon in 2012? Will those future resolutions also “call upon citizens of all faiths to rediscover and apply the priceless, timeless message of               ?”

 With all due respect, Rep. Broun should focus his congressional energies on trying to revive the slumping economy and passing legislation that brings equity and justice for the poor, the oppressed and the unemployed—which also happen to be biblical concepts.

It is a sad day when the Bible is used as a pawn in a game of political chess. But this is where we are and it’s nothing new. We should be used to it by now. Christians should be wise enough to distinguish between civil religion and authentic personal faith. Unfortunately, to hear a Christian speak in terms of the kingdom of God trumping Caesar often leads other Christians to deem the former as unpatriotic or even unchristian.  

So, in honor of the year 2009 being the 400^th anniversary of Baptists, I hereby declare 2009 as “The Year of the Baptists.” If we learn anything from Baptist history, it ought to be that Baptists began as a minority group seeking to worship freely in the context of persecution by the state. Thus Baptists came to stand for freedom to pursue religion—or no religion—without the coercion of the state.

 It is the duty of our churches, not our government, to call upon our people to read and apply the words of Holy Scripture—which in turn instructs and empowers Christians to become the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus intended for his followers.  May God help us see the difference…

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