A reader writes:

A friend of mine is drifting away from the Church due to going the Bible Only route and listening to self-proclaimed preacher Protestant Bible study podcasts. These aren’t even Protestant theologians, these are people who just read it and are podcasting their interpretations.

Lots of Rapture/endoftheworld/ReignofSatan stuff coming out of my friend from listening to these. Not to mention skipping Confession and going straight to God.

Sigh.

While I would love to loan tons of books (and my friend did read your BY WHAT AUTHORITY some years back), I’m the reader, my friend is not. Can you post a request for recommendations to CATHOLIC Bible study podcasts available on the ‘net?

All I’ve found is something labeled Catholic Bible Boot Camp, which lists a long series of “history of the Church” podcasts, and nothing that points to BIBLE studies. And it’s got to be Bible focused or it won’t get my friend’s attention. There’re some problems with the Catholic Church on the parish and diocesan level, too so I’m afraid pointing my friend to something that has a lot of Catholic church as organization willl get a negative reaction.

I poked around Word of Fire, but what I found was too Church-organization focused as far as I could tell in the time I had.

Can your exceptionally knowledgeable group of readers suggest any resources I can point my friend to?

And oh, a year ago or more I asked for prayers for our daughter’s health problems finally be diagnosed/healed/treated… And for aid in our financial difficulties. Daughter is much better compared to last year, praise God. FIVE separate problems all working together to make her non-functional. Still scaling up on the improvements, but so much better from this time last year. Financial issues are much more under control, although not quite where I’d like, given medical bills, but still vastly improved. Again, praise God, and thanks to your readers for their prayers.

Another thing my friend quoted from her internet preacher – I didn’t grasp his name – That if the Jews had believed, Jesus would have been their Messiah and the thousand year reign would have started with the Pentacost, and the Gentiles wouldn’t have been called. That what He preached was only for the Jews.

I wanted to argue with her on this but it’s soooo…. orthogonal to Truth, I couldn’t get a handle on it to start. (I’m not that great at thinking on my feet.) Should you feel like tackling it, I’d read your thoughts eagerly. Otherwise I’ll just pray about what to do.

Last things first, thanks be to God through Jesus Christ for the improvement in your daughter’s life! Lovely to hear! And way to go to the readers out there who pray so faithfully for the various needs that come up! God hears!

As to your podcast question, I know the redoubtable Michael Barber over at the Sacred Page blog has a podcast. I’d start there.

Also, Scott Hahn has a podcast about the Sunday Readings.

My readers may know of others. It sounds like your reader is drinking deep of some whacked out dispensationalism. Carl Olson has a good critique of it here that might arm you for future discussions. In terms of dealing with the Rapture stuff, I would recommend Paul Thigpen’s excellent The Rapture Trap.