[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Pages H1798-H1801] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. ALLEN: I thank Mrs. Miller for holding this Special Order so that we can share our faith and the importance of our faith to this country. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we take this opportunity to celebrate Faith Month. Faith in God is as important to our Nation today as it was in 1776. When faced with critical decisions, our Founding Fathers looked to the scriptures and sought the wisdom of God. The church was the most important pillar in every community at that time and had tremendous influence over the establishment of our Constitution and the values as a Nation. As my friend   Mike Johnson explained to me, what our Founders did was simply this: They left God at the top, they got rid of the king, and put the people in charge. I want to tell the American people today; you are in charge. The Constitution has not changed in that regard. They recognize, as many of us here today do, that the Bible is a life-changing source of eternal hope which sustains our faith. President Adams stated that our Constitution was written for moral and religious people only. It will do for no other. I have often said that, and it offends some people. What did Adams mean by this statement? Well, as I understand it, our Founders came to America for religious freedom. A couple weeks ago, Os Guinness spoke to us at the Faith & Law Breakfast, and he explained it this way. He said, you cannot have virtue without faith. You cannot have faith without freedom. You cannot have freedom without virtue. You think of this as a triangle, each dependent on the other. We serve a God who created perfect order, because chaos is the absolute opposite of freedom. Based on these founding principles, we have ``In God We Trust'' above the American flag that hangs right there above the Speaker's podium. Behind us, looking down on this body, we have the full face of Moses who wrote the first five books of the Bible--the law, God's law. In this body, we are without excuse. With that, let me lift up a few examples of faith in both the Old and New Testament. God chose Abraham to be the father of Israel, the home of God's chosen people. Why did God choose Abraham? I will read from Genesis 12: ``The Lord had said to Abraham, `Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great Nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you.' '' I would say to you today that includes the United States of America. The second example I would like to share is from Matthew, and this is one of my favorites when Jesus calms the storm. This is Matthew chapter 8: ``Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, `Lord, save us. We're going to drown.' He replied, `You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, `What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him.' '' That begs the question, who is actually in charge of the climate? The third example I would like to share on faith is from John 20:24- 29: ``Now Thomas, one of the 12, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, `We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, `Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.' A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, `Peace be with you.' Then he said to Thomas, `Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' ''  {time}  1915  Thomas said to him: ``My Lord and my God.'' Those words were maybe the greatest proclamation of faith in the New Testament. Jesus also told him: ``Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'' And that is what our faith is about today. Over 50 years ago, the late Billy Graham prayed about the status of our faith in this Nation. I will share this prayer: ``Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, `Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.' We recognize on this historic occasion that we are `a nation under God.' We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom, and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation. ``Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, `If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?' As George Washington reminded us in his Farewell Address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.'' I ask you tonight: Why have we not passed down these very values to thenext generation, and why is this generation in chaos? As chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, I am in a unique position to hear the spiritual concerns of the American people. Every week that we are in session, Members of Congress get together to pray for our great Nation and those with prayer requests. I urge you to visit my website at allen.house.gov to submit a prayer request. Only through prayer and faith in God can we unite and heal the deep divisions and moral crises facing our Nation that Billy Graham pointed out more than 50 years ago.