RAISED IN A BIBLE-BASED, mainstream Protestant church before I became a Christian Scientist, I cherish the common bond between Christians: love for God's Word. In Christian Science, the very first tenet emphatically states the central importance of the Bible: "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life" (Science and Health, p. 497).
As affirmed in the Second Epistle to Timothy, a letter ascribed to Paul in the King James Version: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (3:16, 17).
I was reminded of this Scripture recently, when I had lunch with an old friend who is a pastor in a large, vibrant evangelical church. He told me that when we were growing up together this passage was a frequent source of "course correction" for him. He cherished its promise in getting through some tough times in his youth, in Vietnam during that complicated war, in finding his place in the world. We agreed that the Bible enlightens, reforms, inspires, corrects, uplifts. This is as inevitable as God's love for each individual, and its message is transforming mankind today, as it did at crucial turning points in my friend's life.
