Dr. Jerry Bergman, PhD

Horses are mentioned a total of 154 times in the Bible, but how many readers have heard at least one sermon on horses? Revelation 19 reads, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges.” Elijah was taken up to heaven in a horse-driven chariot (II Kings 2:11). Are there horses in heaven? Why was eating horse meat forbidden (Lev. 11:4)? Was it due to the Israelites’ great respect for horses? Or for other reasons?

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. Its estimated total sales is over five billion copies. The complete Bible has been translated into over 700 languages and the New Testament into well over 1,500 languages. Parts of the New Testament have been translated into over 1,000 languages. Since the 16th century, over 900 translations of the Bible into English have been produced. It has had a profound influence both on Western culture and history as well as on cultures around the globe.

While still in high school, I began working at Oakland Center Hospital, at a small hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, as a jack-of-all-trades handyman.  My employment also included some medical photography. It was there that I developed an interest in medicine and medical research.  The medical director, Dr. Bernard F. Gariepy, spent much time with me discussing medicine, science, and related matters. He was someone that I looked up to as a father. I also learned a great deal about law, an interest still with me today.

I have always enjoyed reading biographies. I read one recently that was not about a president or a famous scientist, but one who walked in my shoes and that of millions of other men and women. His name is Doctor Stephen T. Blume. Rather than me telling his story I will let him tell it.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who lives in California. He related that he was thrown out of his church where he has attended for 17 years. First, let me relate something about him. When he was picking me up after I did a presentation at a church, he noticed a flood of water under his pickup truck. Realizing he lost much of his coolant, he called a tow truck and had someone else chauffeur me to my hotel.

A few years ago I lost a good friend. He would often call me late at night to discuss various concerns and our mutual interests. He was a world renounced scholar, an English professor, and he also published several books as is required of professors, one of which was the most important book in his academic area. I also am a night person, so his evening calls were welcome. On one of the last calls, he related that he had to have open-heart surgery but would not accept a blood transfusion, a choice that created problems.

We are all familiar with the Christian creation story. A 312-page book I read recently by Dr. Stephen T. Blume tells the secular creation story. He did such a good job that I summarized it in this newspaper column as follows:

Methodism began in 18th-century Britain by Anglican priest John Wesley (1703–1791). A group of students, including John and Charles Wesley plus George Whitefield, met at Oxford University to methodically study the Bible and practice living a moral and holy life. To more effectively take the gospel to the common people, John Wesley adopted what were then unconventional practices, including open-air preaching. He also formed small classes in which his followers were inculcated with intensive moral accountability in their personal lives.

Much has been in the news about the crime problem. Having worked inside the walls of the largest walled prison in America, I have given a lot of thought about crime. One problem is, many inmates are unredeemable. Murderers sometimes murder other inmates and robbers sometimes rob other inmates.