{"id":350798,"date":"2017-01-17T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=350798"},"modified":"2017-01-17T09:43:17","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T15:43:17","slug":"get-through-bible-today-video-john-bergsma-bible-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/get-through-bible-today-video-john-bergsma-bible-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Through the Bible Today! (Video: John Bergsma, &#8220;Bible Basics for Catholics&#8221;)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a member of the Perpetual Bible in a Year Club? I am. I know several people who have read through the entire Bible. Some have even managed it in a year. About ten years ago now, I set out to join them&#8230; and like many others, I fell behind. I promised I wouldn&#8217;t give up, though, and I didn&#8217;t restart, so I am technically <em>still<\/em> trying to read the Bible in a year.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way to Revelation, however, I realized that I could learn about the whole Bible without necessarily reading cover-to-cover. Thanks to a variety of excellent Bible teachers and writers, I discovered that salvation history is laid out in the Bible quite nicely, and you can get through it much more quickly than you might think. If you&#8217;re ambitious, you can do it in an hour.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, I present for your edification a recording of an Ave Maria Press webinar presented by Dr. John Bergsma, author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Bible-Basics-Catholics-Picture-Salvation\/dp\/1594712913\/\"><em>Bible Basics for Catholics<\/em><\/a>. You can <a href=\"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/review-bible-basics-for-catholics\/\">read my review of <em>Bible Basics<\/em><\/a> very quickly, or take some time to read the whole book, but if you&#8217;re aiming for the middle ground and short on time, give <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=BmxgYU54rgU\">this video<\/a> a try:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"630\" height=\"355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BmxgYU54rgU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>And if you don&#8217;t even have that much time, my highlights follow.<\/p>\n<p>As Bergsma explains, the primary focus on any Catholic study of salvation history is the concept of covenant. A covenant is &#8220;the extension of kinship by oath&#8221;: you weren&#8217;t related, but since you made a promise, now you are. The most common covenant we&#8217;re familiar with is marriage, which takes two otherwise unrelated people and turns them into family.<\/p>\n<p>In Scripture, we find a number of covenants. If we count the prophets&#8217; proclamation of the new covenant, we get seven covenants from Adam to Jesus. Although the story of Adam and Eve never uses the word &#8220;covenant,&#8221; we know that Adam was party to a covenant with God thanks to a number of signs. Among them is the seven-day period of creation, signifying that God was &#8220;seven-ing himself&#8221; with man.<\/p>\n<p>However, Adam experiences the great Fall, and that family feud takes a <em>long time<\/em> to restore. Humanity deteriorates to the point that God starts over with Noah, forming a second covenant. Noah experiences his own fall almost immediately after leaving the Ark. By the time we get to Abraham, the covenant is greatly expanded, and the stakes are much higher. Abraham&#8217;s descendants multiply into a nation, but they don&#8217;t have any land. When God frees them from Egyptian slavery, he gives them commandments via Moses to outline the covenant like a set of family rules. The golden calf incident and multiple rebellions in the desert demonstrate that the people can&#8217;t be faithful to that covenant, either, and things descend in horrifying terms until King David enters the scene, earning an eternal throne by his fidelity.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the God-and-man family relationship continues to decline after David and Solomon, leading to the Babylonian exile. Although the people are suffering, the prophets promise that a new covenant is coming. Finally, it does, in Jesus, who establishes an eternal covenant in his blood. This covenant includes all of the faithful by way of baptism, the Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit. The original family is finally restored.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s just an overview. Even Bergsma&#8217;s stick figures give you more detail than that.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, I have found such grace and spiritual fulfillment every time I&#8217;ve studied salvation history and covenant theology that I try to share it every chance I get. If your new year&#8217;s resolution has already fallen by the wayside, maybe this is your opportunity to accomplish something big in a very short time. Set aside 60 minutes to watch this webinar. Take notes. Pause and rewind to look up the Scripture references as you go. Print (or draw!) the mosaic of all seven covenants. Don&#8217;t let this be just another year when you wish you could understand the Bible\u2014do it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a member of the Perpetual Bible in a Year Club? I am. I know several people who have read through the entire Bible. Some have even managed it in a year. About ten years ago now, I set out to join them&#8230; and like many others, I fell behind. I promised I wouldn&#8217;t&#8230;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/get-through-bible-today-video-john-bergsma-bible-basics\/\">[Read&nbsp;More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4,90,87],"tags":[215,2714,2870,2568,2477],"class_list":{"0":"post-350798","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"category-faith-blog","8":"category-reviews","9":"tag-bible","10":"tag-bible-stories","11":"tag-covenant-theology","12":"tag-salvation-history","13":"tag-videos","14":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":136347,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/review-bible-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":0},"title":"From Old Adam to New in 7 Easy Sketches (Review: &#8220;Bible Basics for Catholics&#8221;)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"August 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"You can learn the story of the Bible in seven easy stick figures. Several summers ago, I took a weekly crash course on salvation history. It absolutely changed the way I see the Bible. Have you ever heard the prophets or psalms talking about Israel and Judah as though they're\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Faith&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My bible with a \"walking\" globe toy on the story of Noah's covenant.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":180704,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/review-new-testament-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":1},"title":"The Story of the King and His Kingdom (Review: &#8220;New Testament Basics for Catholics&#8221;)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"December 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the \"plot\" of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own \"subplot,\" so to speak. A few summers ago,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Faith&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A review of \"New Testament Basics for Catholics\" at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":118246,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/how-the-bible-can-lead-to-atheism\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":2},"title":"How The Bible Can Lead To Atheism","author":"Matthew Hartwick","date":"June 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I came across a YouTube video where Penn Jillette, the famous comedian\/magician and notorious atheist, starred on a YouTube channel called Big Think where he made a comment that made me ponder. The video can be summed up in one question, \u201cWhat made you become an atheist?\u201d He responded, \u201cI\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Faith&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young adult women with Bibles","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/lightstock_203885_medium_cris_a-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/lightstock_203885_medium_cris_a-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/lightstock_203885_medium_cris_a-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":295345,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/eview-walking-with-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":3},"title":"The Bible Is a Story About Jesus (Review: &#8220;Walking with God&#8221;)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"September 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I love to read. I also love Jesus. I must confess, however, that I do not always love to read about Jesus. I would wager that most Christians (and many non-Christians) know that the Bible is a book about Jesus. I would also wager that many of those same people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Bible is a story about Jesus! A review of \"Walking with God,\" by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins, at ATX Catholic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/bookheartpages-550x394.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":124040,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/06\/a-response-to-what-sucks-about-the-catholic-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":4},"title":"A Response to &#8220;What Sucks about the Catholic Church&#8221;","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"June 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every spring brings the Church a batch of shiny new Catholics, and every year I see the same list of complaints. No, not the ones about people \"taking your pew.\" The ones about the niggling weaknesses in the Church. Many adults who enter the Catholic Church, especially those who were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Response to \"What Sucks about the Catholic Church,\" at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/acnmreponsetowhatsucks-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/acnmreponsetowhatsucks-550x394.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/acnmreponsetowhatsucks-550x394.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":145213,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/09\/angels-dragons-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":350798,"position":5},"title":"Angels &#038; Dragons II","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"September 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What is a Dragon? The Hebrew word \u201ctanniyn\u201d is used to depict a mysterious and vile creature similar to a giant reptile. \u00a0\u00a0\u201cTanniyn\u201d is found 28 times in the Old Testament, with English translations sometimes referring to it as dragon, sea-monster, serpent, whale, or jackal. \u00a0In the New Testament the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Column&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"By Gustave Dor\u00e9","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Destruction_of_Leviathan-153x190.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}