Bible Use and Human Flourishing Among Members of the U.S. Military Community

We examined an understudied aspect of religiosity, namely engagement with a sacred text, in relation to a multidimensional construct of well-being. Specifically, we hypothesized that the relationship between Bible use (various ways of utilizing the Bible) and human flourishing would be positive and mediated by three likely outcomes of Bible use: spiritual engagement, positive beliefs about the Bible, and the behavioral influence of the Bible. These relationships were also hypothesized to be reciprocal over time. To test these hypotheses, we estimated three-wave structural equation models using panel survey data from a quasi-experiment that assessed a scripture engagement program developed for the U.S. military members and their families. The results showed that Bible use and human flourishing were positively related, and that this relationship was partially explained by the behavioral influence of the Bible and, to a lesser extent, spiritual engagement and positive beliefs about the Bible. However, these relationships were not reciprocal across all waves.