Marcus welcomes friend Dr. John Bergsma, a former Calvinist pastor. Marcus and Dr. Bergsma discuss the nature of the Church. Dr. Bergsma saw a contradiction within Scripture regarding the Protestant tenant of the personal interpretation of Scripture. The Bible seemed to describe a visible, united Church. He began to see in the Scriptures that the apostles weren’t just a group of first believers, but had authority as an Apostle. Does “word of mouth” mean “good preaching” or something else?
Scripture: 1 Timothy 3: 14-15; John 14:26 & 16:13
Resources:
Dr. John Bergsma
“Dr. John Bergsma is Full Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Steubenville, Ohio. He holds the M.Div. and Th.M. degrees from Calvin Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before entering the Catholic Church in 2001 while pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, graduating with high honors in 2004. His major study of the interpretation of the Year of Jubilee in ancient times is published as The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran (Brill Academic, 2007).
Dr. Bergsma’s articles, some co-authored with Dr. Scott Hahn, have appeared in several academic journals as well as Lay Witness, the magazine of Catholics United for the Faith, and he has published two books, Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History (Ave Maria Press, 2012) and New Testament Basics for Catholics (Ave Maria Press, 2015). He also has several Bible studies on CD, DVD, and MP3.
Additionally, he has appeared as a guest on EWTN’s The Journey Home, Franciscan University Presents, and Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani Show. Twice voted Faculty of the Year by graduating classes of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Dr. Bergsma is a popular teacher who inspires his students with a love of Scripture. He and his wife Dawn reside with their eight children in Steubenville, Ohio.” (Excerpt from Dr. Bergsma’s website: johnbergsma.com/biography)
