During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally endorsed and included a printed presidential letter in the pocket-sized New Testaments (often called “Service Testaments” or “Heart Shield Bibles”) that were distributed to hundreds of thousands of American servicemen fighting overseas.

These compact, durable Bibles were produced through a cooperative effort between the U.S. military, The Gideons International, and the American Bible Society. Designed to fit easily into a uniform pocket (and sometimes fitted with a metal cover for added protection against shrapnel), they were issued to soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines as a source of spiritual strength and comfort during one of the most trying periods in the nation’s history.

The official presidential message, printed on the introductory pages of these Bibles, read:

“To the Members of the Armed Forces:
As Commander-in-Chief I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt”

This was not a casual note. It was a deliberate, public presidential commendation encouraging the men and women in uniform to turn to Scripture for guidance, courage, and hope amid the horrors of war. FDR’s letter reflected a long-standing American presidential tradition of calling the nation — especially in times of national crisis — to prayer and the reading of the Bible.

That tradition stretches back to the founding era. George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3, 1789, calling for a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” to acknowledge God’s providence. John Adams and James Madison continued the practice with proclamations for days of fasting, humiliation, and prayer during times of war and national peril. Abraham Lincoln revived and expanded the tradition during the Civil War, issuing multiple proclamations for national days of fasting and prayer and establishing the modern annual Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. Every subsequent president has issued Thanksgiving proclamations, nearly all of which contain explicit calls to prayer and gratitude to Almighty God.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 82-324, formally establishing the National Day of Prayer. Since then, every president has issued an annual proclamation encouraging Americans to pray in their homes, churches, and public settings. These written statements have consistently framed prayer and reflection on Scripture as acts of national humility, dependence on God, and seeking His blessing and protection.

This presidential practice of commending prayer and Bible reading continues into the present day. On May 17, 2026, thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the “Rededicate 250” prayer rally — a daylong event billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God” in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary. Organized by Freedom 250 and supported by the Trump administration, the rally featured prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and speakers who explicitly connected the nation’s founding to its Christian heritage.

In keeping with this historic understanding of America as a nation founded on Christian principles, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has recently issued agency-wide memos and holiday messages that openly reference God and the Christian faith.

These public expressions of faith do not make us Christian Nationalists who want to mandate a Christian-only nation. Rather, they reflect the reality that America’s Judeo-Christian roots are the very reason all religions experience tolerance and freedom here. The foundational convictions of human dignity, liberty of conscience, and the rule of law that flow from the biblical worldview created the space in which people of every faith — or no faith — can live and worship freely.

From George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt to the present, U.S. presidents and public officials have repeatedly turned to public declarations and written statements calling the nation to prayer and the reading of the Bible — a tradition rooted in the conviction that the American people, like the individual believer, are called to seek God’s face in humility and dependence.

BASED ON PROVERBS’ FOOL DEFINITIONS

Instructions: Answer YES/NO. 3+ Yes = Fool territory. Repent → wise.

FOOL TEST: 20 SCRIPTURAL MARKERS

1. CHARACTER MARKERS:

□ I mock when corrected  “Rebuke a wise man, he will love you; rebuke a fool, he despises you.”

□ I reject wisdom/knowledge  “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

□ I prefer my own way  “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.”

□ I’m quick to anger  “A fool’s anger is known at once.”

□ I can’t control my words  “The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouth of fools pours out folly.”

2. BEHAVIOR MARKERS:

□ I ignore consequences  “A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”

□ I repeat the same mistakes  “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”

□ I trust my own heart  “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool.”

□ I start fights  “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.”

□ I’m lazy/slothful  “I go over the field of the sluggard… thorns and thistles.”

3. SPIRITUAL MARKERS:

□ I hate correction  “A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”

□ I don’t fear God  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom.”

□ I think sin is fun  “Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool.”

□ I reject God’s Word  “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing?”

□ I’m proud/arrogant  “Pride goes before destruction.”

4. RELATIONSHIP MARKERS:

□ People avoid correcting me  “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you.”

□ My words cause trouble  “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.”

□ I don’t learn from failure  “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.”

□ I defend my bad behavior  “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.”

□ I’m unteachable  “Though you grind a fool in a mortar… his folly will not depart from him.”

SCORING:

0-2 Yes: Wise path. “Keep fearing the Lord.”

3-7 Yes: Fool risk. “Hear instruction, accept discipline.”

8-14 Yes: Fool confirmed. “Repent, seek wisdom desperately.”

15+ Yes: Hardened fool. “Lord, break my heart!”

ANTIDOTE:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Daily practice: Read Proverbs, accept rebuke, humble yourself.

REMINDER:

“Fool is not IQ; fool is moral posture toward God.”

“The wise fear correction; fools crave affirmation.”

TAKE THE TEST. SHARE YOUR SCORE?