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Yet for all the fireworks, some ministers find a value in the provocative new readings of Scripture. A sturdy faith can bear a lot of doubt; believers build muscles by raising questions. But where the inquiry pauses, the challenge begins. "We have to go back to the basics," argues Billy Graham. "Jesus performed these miracles to prove his divinity, and so I accept them, and I accept them by faith. I can't prove everything scientifically. But when I do accept the Scriptures by faith, it has an impact in my own personal life, and I can apply the principles Jesus taught to everyday life. So to me the miracles of Christ are essential. They are not essential to salvation but to one's Christian living."
This June, Elizabeth will turn 13. "In the years ahead," Lennie Jernigan has told people, "if you happen to see a young girl walking down the street with her right eye permanently closed, please don't think that some tragedy has befallen her and extend your sympathy. Instead, have cheerful thoughts, knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells in her, and our God is powerful, benevolent and magnificent."
--Reported by Jordan Bonfante/Los Angeles, Ratu Kamlani/ New York, Richard N. Ostling/Chicago and Lisa H. Towle/Raleigh