The Best Hour of the Week: Rep. Bruce Westerman on How God’s Word Doesn’t Return Void on Capitol Hill
An Interview with U.S. Representative Bruce Westerman (R‑Arkansas, 4th District)
Q: How has attending the House Members’ Bible study impacted your personal faith journey?
Rep. Bruce Westerman:
To me, it’s kind of the best hour of the week when we’re here. We have a very hectic schedule in Washington, D.C., but every Thursday morning, I know I’ll get to go and be with fellow believers. It’s not just about having breakfast and fellowship—but I know I’m going to get a deep dive into the Word with Ralph. We know the Word does not return void. I can personally testify that this study gives your faith a boost. It puts fuel back in the tank and makes you want to go out and face the day, realizing what you’re working for is a much bigger cause than the task or meeting right in front of you.
Q: How does the study help you apply the biblical principles that Ralph teaches in your role as a public servant?
Rep. Westerman:
It helps you to see the bigger picture and understand that God has a purpose for you in whatever you do in life. Wherever you’re serving, your first call is to serve Him, and you do it as you go. As a member of Congress, I’m doing things that other people don’t do—just like surgeons or scientists. They go to their job every day, and they’re doing something that other people don’t do. People who do construction work—everybody’s got things that they do. But all of us who are believers, as we go, should do those things to serve Christ and bring glory to Him and to His Kingdom.
Interviewer:
That’s so true. It’s like the body of Christ—every part plays a different role. The thumb doesn’t do what the big toe does, but they’re both essential.
Rep. Westerman:
Right. And that applies to Congress, too. Government isn’t exempt from that calling. If you’re a believer, no matter where you are, you’re supposed to live out your faith and trust in God.
Q: What sets this particular Bible study apart from others you’ve participated in?
Rep. Westerman:
I’ve been part of Bible studies all my life, and what stands out about this one is Ralph’s deep knowledge of Scripture. He really teaches the true Word of God—and it is powerful, effective, sharper than any two-edged sword. It divided truth from not-truth. When you are teaching the true Word of God it is going to be effective. That is Ralph’s focus. It’s encouraging to me that the focus is not for us to come and feel good about something or have fellowship with one another over breakfast, which is a wonderful thing, but the focus is to understand what God’s trying to tell us through His Holy Word and how we can apply that to our lives and to the job that we’re in.
Q: Why do you think this ministry is especially needed in the halls of government today?
Rep. Westerman:
Ministries like this are needed throughout our country. I can remember being in college, playing football, and we had a Bible study with some of my teammates—it was needed there. I attend church and go to a Bible study—it’s needed there too. Wherever we are, we need to take the Word of God into the world, because it truly makes a difference. In fact, I believe it makes more of a difference than anything we do in Congress.
Q: What would you say to someone considering starting a ministry in a state capital or among local government officials? Is it worth the investment of their time?
Rep. Westerman:
There are a lot of ministries out there, but what I appreciate about Capitol Ministries—and Ralph’s founding vision—is the clear biblical understanding he brings. I’ll go back to one of the lessons where he talks about the five institutions that are ordained by God. You can go through Scripture and see those very clearly. God ordained marriage and the family, and commerce, and government, and the church. You know that the ministry of the church is supposed to affect all those other four institutions, and those things have to stay in their proper lanes.
I think Ralph has a better grasp of that, and his teachings exemplify that. It’s not the government’s job to be the church, and it’s not the church’s job to be the government. It’s not the government’s job to get into the institution of the family and marriage and commerce, or commerce’s job to impact how government operates. But the church is unique in that it is supposed to prepare the people to go out and thrive in all of those institutions.
Capitol Ministries has the basic foundation and an understanding of the role of Bible teaching in discipleship. And it’s not coming from the Christian nationalist approach. It’s coming from the approach to make disciples and have them go out in these other institutions and make those institutions all God would have them to be.
And again, it’s coming from the Word of God, so it’s a good thing when it comes from the Word of God. So, starting studies, and having studies that are based on the Word of God, helps take a good macro perspective of God’s plan and educate people on how to implement that in a micro perspective—in the individual jobs that we have.
Q: What would you say to a colleague who might be hesitant to join the study?
Rep. Westerman:
I’d say, come. Just come and experience it before you make up your mind. I’ve invited several people in the past, and I can’t think of a single person that told me they came and they didn’t like it.
It’s encouraging to know there are groups like this in the Cabinet and in the Senate and in the House. These studies are happening not only here but across the country and across the world. People are engaging with the same material.
And when you think about it—this is a large ministry, and the fact that Ralph, who wrote the studies, and his wife have devoted their lives to travel to D.C. weekly to be with us in person—it speaks volumes. Kudos to Danielle, too. I’m not sure Ralph could do it all without her.