Bible Christians routinely claim that the Bible is infallible because the biblical authors–Peter and Paul, John and Matthew, etc–were given the gift of infallibility. They insist that the Bible alone is our authority because the Bible is infallible. But is it clear that once God gives the Church infallible scripture, there will be no need for infallible interpretations of scripture? <em>in fact</em> History shows, in the most unambiguous manner, that an infallible Bible is not sufficient to hold the Church together. Luther's naive view that a text simply means what it says and all the rest is mischief can no longer be held by thinking people. All texts require interpretation because words require interpretation, and the words of scripture more than most. Without an infallible interpretation of scripture an infallible Bible is pointless and ineffectual. <em>consequently</em> The old phrase `What does the Bible say?' is futile. Strictly speaking, the Bible doesn't say anything. You can't put a book in the witness-box and ask it what it really means. The Bible, by itself, cannot be the basis of agreement among Christians when it is so obviously a cause of disagreement.