Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. Today’s “Throwback Thursday” is from Saturday, January 23, 2021. Joe Biden was sworn-in as the 46th President of the United States this week by placing his hand on a Bible that has been in his family since 1893. Biden has used this same five-inch-thick Bible for every office into which he has been sworn. The presidential tradition of placing one’s hand on the Bible goes all the way back to George Washington. Only three presidents have not sworn on a Bible: John Quincy Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson; the first two used nothing, and Johnson used a catholic missal which was all that could be found on board Air Force One upon the untimely death of President Kennedy. Six presidents have used two Bibles for swearing-in instead of one, including the past three presidents. Rather than swearing on a Bible, I would rather that politicians read, believe, and apply the Bible to their personal and political lives. Washington, Annapolis, and every other capitol would be much different if the Bible were actually used to inform and influence public policy decisions because II Timothy 3:16 teaches that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” George Washington famously said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” I don’t think George Washington meant the Bible was to be used just for inaugurations—he meant it was to be used for application!
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