Regretful bride Kim Kardashian recently tweeted: “I want to start a Bible study group with my friends.”   Here are five reasons to study the Bible:

1. Anyone can benefit from reading the Bible, which is full of the epic stories of good versus evil.  Just as reading good literature engages our mind, studying the Bible can be intellectually and emotionally stimulating.
2. The Bible teaches through negative examples what not to do, with stories of blind trust (Samson); betrayal (Judas); and murder and cover-up (David and Bathsheba).  The Bible also teaches through positive examples on the meaning of generosity (the widow’s mite); loyalty (David and Jonathan); and forgiveness (Joseph and his brothers).
3. The Bible offers encouragement.  The Psalmist describes God as our rock, fortress and deliverer.  Matthew’s Gospel tells us that not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without our Father knowing it.
4. A Bible study with friends can create stronger bonds and an environment of intimacy.
5. Most important, Bible study reveals the true nature of Jesus Christ, who identified himself as the Son of God.  “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher,” C. S. Lewis observed.  “He would be either a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.”  The Bible compels us to decide who we think Jesus is.

Kim Kardashian’s reasons for starting a Bible study are known to her alone.  Perhaps she is jumping the shark.  But often, when we start down a new path, we end up in a better place than where we thought we were headed.