Whole Bible Christianity: Blessings Pressed Down and Overflowing (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780997501414)

Bruce Scott Bertram was in and out of foster homes, had six stepdads and was adopted at 14. This partly explains his experience going through 15 churches in 10 denominations, from Catholic to Protestant to Messianic. The other part was a lot of searching. Still married to his beautiful wife Susan after 37 years, God also blessed him with two kids and four grandkids. He built four businesses from scratch and is self-educated through college level. He helped grow two churches, was a youth leader twice and an elder once. He's been told he could pass ordination exams but prefers to stay free so he can keep asking the questions that need to be asked. He likes to say that while he has no initials after his name, no mega-church and absolutely no influence whatsoever that does not mean the truth he has discovered is not worth sharing.

His continuing studies took him to seminars with Josh McDowell and Bruce Wilkinson (Walk through the Bible) in the late 1970's, and he later self-studied his way through a college-level education with books such as 'Chafer Systematic Theology' by Lewis Sperry Chafer (the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary), 'Protestant Biblical Interpretation' by Bernard Ramm, and 'Christianity through the Centuries' by Earle E. Cairns in the early 1980's. Most recently he spent a few years evaluating the Messianic movement through writings, seminars and congregation visits. At the present time he and his family are not part of a particular church, but not by choice. After you read his book you might understand why.

Gradually we came to realize that much of the church is more concerned with preserving itself than with teaching the absolute truth of the whole Word of God. While we were going through this stage we were still part of a Bible church where Bruce was an elder and shared the pulpit for a while. However, as we worked some of what we were learning into our teachings the people there slowly worked us out of their church. First by keeping Bruce from the pulpit, then blocking him from teaching adult Sunday school (where several visiting pastors had overheard some of his classes and complimented him in public for the quality), and finally freezing Bruce and Susan out of the church altogether.

At the present time our family touches God (and He touches us) on a regular basis through a home bible study, Sabbath days off, and biblical holidays.