Can one book change a person, family, community, nation, and world? In fact, I was pondering on this question since my college days, and finally, I have reached a conclusion based upon my own personal experience, and evaluation of the civilized societies in the world.
In my opinion, this book was the guiding principle to start the democratic system of government. This can be verified by the statements of early Puritans in the American colonies, and later with our (American) founding fathers “The Declaration of Independence” document, in which it states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their “Creator” with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
A book I am referring is the “Holy Bible,” that is, God’s Word. This book is popularly considered the best-selling book of all times with estimated total sales of over 5 billion copies. According to recent facts, the Bible, Steve Job’s bio, and the Hunger Games are the most highlighted Kindle books ever. I am told that even Sir Isaac Newton’s greatest passion was the Bible, writing more about religion than science and mathematics.
The man I am referring known to the world as a “man of one book” is John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and that one book is the Holy Bible. History tells us that John Wesley was a well-read man of his days and studied at Oxford University. I am sure he must have read all kinds of scholarly pieces of literature in his day. However, according to the history, the Bible for him was so important that he called himself “a man of one book,” meaning the Bible.
Yes, this book has changed me personally, and I am sure it has changed many people, families, and communities in the world. Had it not for this book, I and my families would be worshipping an “unknown god (Acts 17:23-32).” Therefore, the credit belongs to the person who first provided the God’s Word to our forefathers’ in the 20th century, which changed my family’s life in the 21st century. That person is John Wesley and his ministry. Due to these facts, I and my family admire him. How about you and your families? If you have any thoughts on this topic, please share it. Appreciated!