Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 521

Is Scripture Sufficient…

Someone wrote a friend of mine asserting that 2 Timothy 3:16 proved that Scripture alone was all we needed. The famous passage reads, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

My friend responded:

No Catholic, of course, disagrees with these verses, or with any verses of Sacred Scripture. Of course Scripture is profitable! We Catholics see it as one of the three pillars of authority for the Christian (the other two being Sacred Tradition and the Magisterim — the teaching authority of the Church).

But Protestants unhappily, sometimes, reading into this text what they want to see, and more than it asserts.

Imagine you are a soldier and on your first day you are told: "The Army Teaching Manual is given by inspiration of the experts, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in the life of a soldier: That the soldier may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all a soldier needs to do."

Would you understand that to mean that the soldier no longer needs ranked officers, a drill sergeant for training him, weaponry, ammunition, armour, communications equipment, etc.? Saying that X is profitable or necessary and that X helps one become thoroughly furnished for something doesn't say at all that Y is therefore not profitable or necessary and that Y helps one become thoroughly furnished for something.

And how can Protestants square their reading of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 with Ephesians 4:11-12, which reads:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

According to these verses, what is needed for the perfecting of the saints are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers! How could this possibly be if all we need is the "Bible alone"?

Furthermore we are informed by James … But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.. Would you suggest that patience is sufficient! (1:4).

Game, set, match …. I think. The Bible was never meant to stand alone. It was given by God, through the pens of men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and it took hundreds of years before the Church discerned and determined which books belonged in the New Testament.

And it was not Scripture alone which was the principle of the early Christians as we can see from the Bible itself, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle" (2 Thess. 2:15).

Notice also 2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first,no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of Truth.

Best wishes,

Robert from Wales

NEW! Fathers of the Church Pilgrimage!

Guardian Angels

I will be discussing Guardian Angels on Relevant Radio at 8 AM Eastern time Friday. You can listen on-line at www.relevantradio.com.

Teresa Tomeo Radio Show

I will be doing a show with Teresa Tomeo this morning at 9:30 AM Eastern time. Our topic is "A Modern Day Wedding in Cana." Actually the wedding was in Nazareth where Mary lived, but it is only 5 miles from Cana. You can listen to our show on-line at www.AveMariaRadio.net.

Pictures were taken in September 2010 at the wedding of Amer Shehadeh's daughter Nagum.

Amer is our Catholic guidewhenever we take groups to the Holy Land. We flew to Israel for the wedding.

What you see in these pictures is a wonderful Catholic family living the Christian life under difficult circumstances in a mainly Muslim community. They are the living stones of the Church in the land of the Bible.

To see more pictures, especially of the pre-wedding parties, click here.

To see my run from Nazareth to Cana and back, click here.

To check out our upcoming pilgrimages, click here.

St. Paul and Biblical Lands Cruise

Great priests, great Mass sites! I am excited about our St. Paul Cruise & Pilgrimage thisn November.
Only 12 cabins left! Filling fast! Visit www.SteveGoes.com. We even visit the Island of Patmas in the Greek Islands where John wrote the book of Revelation!

St. Paul Biblical World Cruise

Great priests, great Mass sites! I am excited about our St. Paul Cruise & Pilgrimage thisn November. Only 12 cabins left! Filling fast! Visit www.SteveGoes.com. We even visit the Island of Patmas in the Greek Islands where John wrote the book of Revelation!

Bible Study is for Catholics!

For my appearance on Morning Air with Sean Herriott on Relevant Radio today.

I have often said "The Bible is a Catholic book. It is our heirloom. When I used the Bible against Catholics in my former life, I was picking fruit from a tree I did not plant."

The Bible is a Catholic book written and collected, preserved and copied, codified and canonized by bishops of the Catholic Church. It is our book to read and study and learn. Today's Catholic is called to take an intelligent, historical, and spiritual approach to the Bible.

QUESTIONS FOR 'BIBLE CHRISTIANS' that they can't answer!

For excellent Catholic Bible studies (some of which I have written) visit CatholicScriptureStudy.com. Also check out my web page for Bible Study.

Steve's article in THIS ROCK Magazine

"Should Catholics Attend 'Ecumenical' Bible Studies"

My article Should Catholics go to Non-Denominational Bible Studies? appears in the January 2007 issue of THIS ROCK Magazine. In the article I recommend another article I wrote entitled  How To Start A Parish Bible Study. In addition, here are a load of other Bible Study resources–click here and here.

I also suggest you take a look at my:

"Questions for 'Bible Christians' "

and Is This A Real Catholic Bible Study?

and Can Bible Translations have Protestant Bias?

and Why We Need the Church for Bible Study

and You Can Join our Ecumentical Bible Study, but Catholics — Sshhhhh!

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How To Start a Parish Bible Study

beginning of Steve's article

"The Bible is so thick and confusing. Mary dusted off the big book and tried reading it several months ago, but she thought it would be a huge help if she could find a good Catholic Bible study—a class where Catholics could study the Bible together.

"Mary visited a popular Bible study in town, but was humiliated when answering a question. The study focused on a verse in St. John's Gospel. Jesus had said, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." After reading this passage the teacher asked, "OK, what does this verse mean to you?"

'Mary excitedly raised her hand—she knew that answer for that one! She said that Jesus was talking about the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Christ. The room fell silent. Then there were a few snickers and a few women even gasped. Then group grew uncomfortably quiet and everyone looked at the teacher…."

To read the whole article, click here.

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***** For the best Catholic Scripture Study program for groups in English or Spanish, visit CatholicScriptureStudy or call 1-866-887-2774. This is an easy do-it-yourself Parish Bible Study program. The studies are written by myself, Scott Hahn and Mark Shea.*****

Join a REAL Catholic Bible Study in your area, or start your own with

CATHOLIC SCRIPTURE STUDY INTERNATIONAL

I write the studies!

For Steve's Catholic Bible Study

"St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study Guide & Commentary"

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CCC 2653 (133)  The Church "forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn 'the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ' (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures…. Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For 'we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles."'

Difference Between Protestant and Catholic Bible Study

"Bible Christians" (a misnomer, since Catholics are the real and original Bible Christians), based on their recently devised "Reformation" principle of sola Scriptura, study the Bible with the following premises:

1. There is no binding authority but the Bible alone;
2. There is no official binding interpretation or interpreter; each person ultimately is their own pope;  (No prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation 2 Pet 1:21).
3. The Bible is perspicuous (i.e., easy to understand) and it can be interpreted and understood by anyone.
4. An individual can/should read the Bible and interpret the Bible for themselves.

Catholics have a different set of premises that direct their study of the Bible.

1. The authority of the Apostles and the Church preceded the Bible and the Tradition of the Church is an equally infallible authority (2 Thes 2:15; CCC 80 83). The Bible is part of the Apostolic Tradition.
2. The authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the prerogative of the Catholic Church (1 Tim 3:15; Mt 18:17; CCC 85-88).
3. The Bible is not always easy to understand (2 Pet 3:15-16) and needs to understood within its historical and contextual framework and interpreted within the community to which it belongs.
4. Individuals canshould read the Bible and interpret the Bible for themselves—but within the framework of the Church's authoritative teaching and not based on their own "private interpretation" (2 Pet 1:20-21).

These basic differences place the Catholic and Protestant worlds apart even though they are opening the pages of the same book and accepting it as an authoritative revelation from God. The Catholic position is biblical, and has been espoused from the first days of the Church. The Protestant position is unbiblical (assumed from their tradition) and is of recent origin. The Catholic is in full continuity with historical Christianity; Protestants are in discontinuity.

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Catholic Bible Study

I will be talking about Catholic Bible Study on Relevant Radio Tuesday at 7 AM and 9 PM Eastern time. You can listen at www.relevantradio.com.

More soon.

Call to Holiness Conference

Sunday afternoon I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at the fundraising dinner for the Call to Holiness (http://www.calltoholiness.com).

It was a full house — full of wonderful, faithful Catholics headed by Fr. Parone, a close associate of the late Fr. Hardon, both of whom I am honored to call friends.

My topic was entitled Defending the Faith: Facing the Challengers. It mainly focused on dissenters within the Church. This talk will soon be available on my website.

You can see pictures of the event here http://picasaweb.google.com/rgbloomfield/CallToHolinessDinner2010

Out Running Errands…

Oh oh!

Taken from my iPhone. Heart skipped a beat before realizing it was being towed backwards.