Kentucky governor issues proclamation declaring 2017 as 'Year of the Bible'

Jardine Malado Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Matt Bevin (R-KY) speaks to a gathering at FreePAC Kentucky in Louisville, Kentucky, April 5, 2014. | Reuters/John Sommers II

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin has recently issued a proclamation declaring 2017 as the "Year of Bible" for the second year in a row. In his proclamation, he also promoted the statewide Bible-reading marathon, which is scheduled to begin on Jan. 1.

In his proclamation, Bevin pointed out that several prominent figures in U.S. history, including past presidents, have affirmed the significance of the scriptures.

"President Harry S. Truman said, 'The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul,'" Bevin wrote in his proclamation, according to Christian News.

"President Ronald Reagan's 1983 Year of the Bible Proclamation stated, 'Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible,'" the governor added.

The proclamation was declared to support the "Kentucky 120 United Bible Reading Marathon," according to Mark Harrell, pastor of Victory Christian Fellowship church in Somerset.

According to The Christian Post, the marathon is scheduled to take place statewide between Jan. 1 to 4.

Approximately 30,000 people participated in the marathon last January. Harrell stated it was the governor himself who encouraged him to organize another Bible-reading event in 2017. He added that he only started working on the project at the end of October.

Secular groups, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have expressed their objection to Bevin's proclamation. The FFRF considered Bevin's decree to promote the Bible as an "unacceptable abuse of power." It argued that the proclamation excludes and alienates Kentucky residents who are not Christians.

According to the Harrell, Bevin's proclamation was written by Democratic state Rep. Tom Riner of Louisville, who is a Baptist minister.

The pastor told Lexington Herald Leader that the participants of the event will include government officials, students, and jail inmates. He said that 72 Kentucky counties have expressed their intentions to participate in the marathon.