Best book to start with: Bible study with evangelical

[newbie25553]

I am about to start a Bible study with my very devout evangelical Protestant neighbor. What book of the Bible would be best to start with to demonstrate that the priesthood from the old conventent was fulfilled in Christ and carried on through apostolic succession in the Catholic Church?

He’s big on sola scriptura … interestingly we have few (if any) moral differences - they’re all doctrinal. The “hard stuff” he accepts (no artificial birth control, masturbation, gay marriage, etc.)

We’ve discussed Matthew 18 with Peter as the rock but he says it was Peter’s confession. We’ve discussed how sola scriptura doesn’t make sense and should really be “sola holy-spiritua” because you should interpret through the Holy Spirit anyways - but he keeps coming back to it. We’ve discussed the Eucharist in John 6 but he says it was just the Jews not accepting the teaching and that if it was so important why would He bring it up 3 years before he died (as if everyone would have forgotten about it).

Anyways, open to some ideas on what book to start with. I love the guy - his passion for the Word is inspiring - but I’ve never been big on scripture back-and-forth type argumentation because I find it exhausting and open to so many interpretations that it’s not even a productive framework to start from. But I know I need to do it to show him the claims are true.

 

[Contarini]

I am about to start a Bible study with my very devout evangelical Protestant neighbor. What book of the Bible would be best to start with to demonstrate that the priesthood from the old conventent was fulfilled in Christ and carried on through apostolic succession in the Catholic Church?

He’s big on sola scriptura … interestingly we have few (if any) moral differences - they’re all doctrinal. The “hard stuff” he accepts (no artificial birth control, masturbation, gay marriage, etc.)

We’ve discussed Matthew 18 with Peter as the rock but he says it was Peter’s confession. We’ve discussed how sola scriptura doesn’t make sense and should really be “sola holy-spiritua” because you should interpret through the Holy Spirit anyways - but he keeps coming back to it. We’ve discussed the Eucharist in John 6 but he says it was just the Jews not accepting the teaching and that if it was so important why would He bring it up 3 years before he died (as if everyone would have forgotten about it).

Anyways, open to some ideas on what book to start with. I love the guy - his passion for the Word is inspiring - but I’ve never been big on scripture back-and-forth type argumentation because I find it exhausting and open to so many interpretations that it’s not even a productive framework to start from. But I know I need to do it to show him the claims are true.

Does this guy know that your purpose in having a Bible study with him is to proselytize him? Catholics frequently complain on these forums that Protestant Bible studies can’t be trusted because they are covert excuses for proselytization. The Golden Rule applies.

How nice it would be, surely, if Catholics and Protestants could study the Bible together without such agendas–bringing their differences to the table in an open way but open to what they can learn from each other rather than trying to “prove” some canned propagandistic point.

Edwin

 

[newbie25553]

Great point. We both know we have strong convictions (I used to be an evangelical myself). We should just pick something and run with it.

God bless.

 

[CalCatholic]

Does this guy know that your purpose in having a Bible study with him is to proselytize him? Catholics frequently complain on these forums that Protestant Bible studies can’t be trusted because they are covert excuses for proselytization. The Golden Rule applies.

How nice it would be, surely, if Catholics and Protestants could study the Bible together without such agendas–bringing their differences to the table in an open way but open to what they can learn from each other rather than trying to “prove” some canned propagandistic point.

Edwin

 

[Contarini]

Great point. We both know we have strong convictions (I used to be an evangelical myself). We should just pick something and run with it.

God bless.

Hebrews is certainly a great place to discuss questions of Christ and the priesthood. . . .

Edwin

 

[johnnyc176]

I am about to start a Bible study with my very devout evangelical Protestant neighbor. What book of the Bible would be best to start with to demonstrate that the priesthood from the old conventent was fulfilled in Christ and carried on through apostolic succession in the Catholic Church?

He’s big on sola scriptura … interestingly we have few (if any) moral differences - they’re all doctrinal. The “hard stuff” he accepts (no artificial birth control, masturbation, gay marriage, etc.)

We’ve discussed Matthew 18 with Peter as the rock but he says it was Peter’s confession. We’ve discussed how sola scriptura doesn’t make sense and should really be “sola holy-spiritua” because you should interpret through the Holy Spirit anyways - but he keeps coming back to it. We’ve discussed the Eucharist in John 6 but he says it was just the Jews not accepting the teaching and that if it was so important why would He bring it up 3 years before he died (as if everyone would have forgotten about it).

Anyways, open to some ideas on what book to start with. I love the guy - his passion for the Word is inspiring - but I’ve never been big on scripture back-and-forth type argumentation because I find it exhausting and open to so many interpretations that it’s not even a productive framework to start from. But I know I need to do it to show him the claims are true.

How bout the book of Wisdom?

Seriously it might be a good idea to get into how the Bible came to be in the first place and how Tradition played a role in that. So show up with the correct version of the Bible, the Catholic version. Otherwise it sounds like you will just get into dueling Bible verses and like you say it will not be very productive.

But whatever book you do decide on here is a very good source for Catholic Bible study…

agapebiblestudy.com/

It doesn’t have all the books yet but a sizable selection.

 

[Micosil]

I am about to start a Bible study with my very devout evangelical Protestant neighbor. What book of the Bible would be best to start with to demonstrate that the priesthood from the old conventent was fulfilled in Christ and carried on through apostolic succession in the Catholic Church?

He’s big on sola scriptura … interestingly we have few (if any) moral differences - they’re all doctrinal. The “hard stuff” he accepts (no artificial birth control, masturbation, gay marriage, etc.)

We’ve discussed Matthew 18 with Peter as the rock but he says it was Peter’s confession. We’ve discussed how sola scriptura doesn’t make sense and should really be “sola holy-spiritua” because you should interpret through the Holy Spirit anyways - but he keeps coming back to it. We’ve discussed the Eucharist in John 6 but he says it was just the Jews not accepting the teaching and that if it was so important why would He bring it up 3 years before he died (as if everyone would have forgotten about it).

Anyways, open to some ideas on what book to start with. I love the guy - his passion for the Word is inspiring - but I’ve never been big on scripture back-and-forth type argumentation because I find it exhausting and open to so many interpretations that it’s not even a productive framework to start from. But I know I need to do it to show him the claims are true.

Have a look at this. There’s a couple of pictures there where you can see all of it, nice to have around for precisely these situations.

It discusses exactly those topics: Apostolic Succession, debunking Sola Scriptura, explaining why Peter is the rock and not his confession, etc.

 

[Jon_S_1]

I am about to start a Bible study with my very devout evangelical Protestant neighbor. What book of the Bible would be best to start with to demonstrate that the priesthood from the old conventent was fulfilled in Christ and carried on through apostolic succession in the Catholic Church?

He’s big on sola scriptura … interestingly we have few (if any) moral differences - they’re all doctrinal. The “hard stuff” he accepts (no artificial birth control, masturbation, gay marriage, etc.)

We’ve discussed Matthew 18 with Peter as the rock but he says it was Peter’s confession. We’ve discussed how sola scriptura doesn’t make sense and should really be “sola holy-spiritua” because you should interpret through the Holy Spirit anyways - but he keeps coming back to it. We’ve discussed the Eucharist in John 6 but he says it was just the Jews not accepting the teaching and that if it was so important why would He bring it up 3 years before he died (as if everyone would have forgotten about it).

Anyways, open to some ideas on what book to start with. I love the guy - his passion for the Word is inspiring - but I’ve never been big on scripture back-and-forth type argumentation because I find it exhausting and open to so many interpretations that it’s not even a productive framework to start from. But I know I need to do it to show him the claims are true.

I’d go with James…

 

[DCNBILL]

I would start with the of Acts referring back to the Gospels as needed focusing on the Gospel of John concerning the bread of life discourses. The other Gospels would be the most important references to rely upon.

God bless you in your ministry to this inquirer!