Rick Becker on Hoky Scripture, Tradion and the Teaching Office of the Church

"Got your Bible handy? Good. Turn to John's Gospel, Chapter 5. We’ll get to it in a minute.

"I grew up evangelical Protestant, so I spent a lot of time with my Bible, naturally enough. As a firm adherent of sola Scriptura - the Reformation principle of 'Scripture alone' - I relied on the Bible as the exclusive authority for what I believed and how I tried to live. Paul's words to Timothy were at the core of my Christian identity: 'All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness' (2 Timothy 3:16).

Consequently, I read my old Revised Standard Version regularly, underlining especially inspiring and challenging passages, jotting down thoughts in the margins. For me, that old RSV was a personal link to God, and so I wanted to immerse myself in it, to know it inside and out, to make it part of me - because I wanted God to be part of me and in my life. It seemed so obvious and direct: If the Bible was our primary connection to the divine, then I had to thoroughly connect with my Bible. What could be simpler?

"Then I got older, went to college, and started asking questions I hadn't asked before - like which Bible should I be reading, and was it all right to take for granted the scholarly integrity of those who translated it for me? It also meant reading the footnotes and grappling with their implications."

In a recent commentary, writer Rick Becker reflected on how Scripture, tradition, and the teaching office of the Church each work together and individually under the action of the Holy Spirit.

To access Mr. Becker's complete post, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Rick Becker: Sola Which Scriptura? (25 JUN 19)