William Whitaker and the Reformed Doctrine of Scripture

In this episode of Christ the Center, we welcome Josiah Leinbach to discuss William Whitaker’s A Disputation on Holy Scripture—a monumental sixteenth-century defense of sola Scriptura, newly edited and republished by Prolego Press. Written in 1588 against leading Roman Catholic theologians such as Robert Bellarmine, Whitaker’s work offers a comprehensive treatment of Scripture’s authority, canon, clarity, and sufficiency. Leinbach explains how Whitaker combined Renaissance humanism with scholastic rigor, engaging Scripture, church history, and patristic sources to show that Protestant convictions about Scripture were neither novel nor reactionary, but deeply rooted in the catholic tradition of the church.

The conversation also explores the modern relevance of Whitaker’s work—especially amid contemporary debates over authority, tradition, and ecumenism. Leinbach reflects on how advances in historical and textual scholarship have confirmed many of the Reformers’ arguments, while Rome’s own positions have shifted over time. Whitaker’s insistence on the perspicuity of Scripture, the singular infallibility of God’s Word, and the Spirit’s inward testimony offers not only apologetic clarity but deep pastoral comfort. This episode invites listeners to recover confidence in Scripture as God’s clear and sufficient means of revealing Christ to his people.

Watch on YouTube

Chapters

• 00:07 Introduction
• 01:08 William Whitaker’s A Disputation on Holy Scripture
• 07:25 Leinbach’s Transition from History to Machine Learning
• 18:10 Whitaker’s Polemical Approach
• 22:03 The Canon of Scripture
• 25:50 The Perspicuity of Scripture
• 28:29 Biblical Authority
• 32:02 The Testimony of the Holy Spirit
• 35:27 Ecumenical Dialogue Yesterday and Today
• 48:10 Future Works
• 52:25 Conclusion

Participants: Camden Bucey, Josiah Leinbach