David W. Bercot

This really took me by surprise. Rarely does a book make me really think differently about a subject at such a high level as this one did. You don't have to agree with everything he said, there was plenty there to agree with. I liked his focus on source documents (which is increasingly rare) and looking at history from a perspective of a Christ follower. Very good. Highly recommend. Some liberals will hate it, maybe moderates to conservatives will appreciate it.

The primary theme of this book is the charge for Christians to return to original New Testament Christianity, void of modern and social interpretations, nuances, and religious movements. Bercot's point of contention is the intermingling of church and state which is discussed throughout the majority of the book. In most part, this is a fantastic read that will really challenge your faith and challenge most of what modern conservative evangelicals have held on to for so long.

Some of Bercot's show more views seem radical but in light of Scripture, they're not. Although living the Christian life is certainly radical in of itself. Bercot lists out a handful of new laws that Christ taught, gleaned particularly from the Sermon on the Mount, that require a total transformation in the way we think and live in these modern times. These include: marriage/divorce, women in the church, non-resistance/pacifism, materialism/money, honesty/lying, and more.

There is something to say for the early church fathers and the early church in general; how they interacted and lived out Scripture. Different from how its lived out in today's modern churches. Bercot argues that we can get a better glimpse of what the Scriptures intended on certain issues by observing the way the early church lived it out. After all, we are 1500 years removed from the canon of New Testament scripture. How much of Scripture has been twisted and distorted by nationalism, patriotism, social movements, modern conveniences, and traditions? For example, have we become desensitized to certain laws regarding women in the church as a result of the feminist movement? Have we watered down the severity of divorce within the church due to the rampant rise of divorce in the past 25 years? Has the pursuit of wealth and prosperity in the American dream caused American Christians to turn a blind eye to what Jesus taught concerning the blessedness of those who are poor in spirit? Many more questions like these are what Bercot explores.

Bercot in no way encourages Scripture to be replaced by what the early church fathers said or wrote. Instead, he holds up Scripture as foundational, and sheds light on how the early church lived it out.

However, I don't necessarily agree with all of Bercot's theology, especially in regards with works as a means of salvation. But, I do agree we must remain obedient in the Lord. Bercot presupposes that we are never assured of our eternal security, although the Bible is replete with references towards eternal security. Furthermore, Bercot takes issue with two key points in church history: Constantine and Augustine. Both of these men were instrumental in combining the church and state which Bercot argues the church has always faltered during these times. He also believes that much of today's conservative theology is derived from these two men. He calls this Hybrid theology.

The book ended with a shameless plug for the Anabaptist movement. This conflicts with Bercot's message of theology being unimportant. If theology is unimportant then how come Bercot felt compelled to promote a specific Christian denomination? Don't denominations exist because of theological and doctrinal differences? Speaking of theology, Bercot is clearly Arminian, and I am not. This has been a point that has caused me to pause and think about what I believe in my own theology. But, the good news as Bercot assures us, is that theology in most part is unimportant. It's how we live out our lives that God is most concerned with. And it is with this that I fully agree we should be living as kingdom Christians. show less

Bercot places a lot of authority upon the early church fathers. This is nothing new especially since the Eastern Orthodox Church has been doing this for nearly two thousand years. As Christians, we can learn a lot from the early church fathers especially since they are within only one or two generations removed from the Apostles of Jesus. It seems today's evangelical Christianity has adopted a lot of the doctrines and heresies these early church fathers worked tirelessly to dispel. Many of show more these doctrines originate from the Gnostics, and it seems Luther and several other Reformed fathers may have adopted them.

It may also seem Bercot holds to a works-based faith, however this is simply untrue. Bercot repeatedly informs the reader that salvation is only a gift from God. But, what is true is that we must remain obedient in deed during our lifetime as Christians. We will truly be judged based on our works. And, this is precisely what Scripture and the early church ascribed to. Sadly, today's westernized Christianity has become a faith-based system that allows people to simply profess Jesus in order to escape hell and gain free entrance into heaven. Living in the kingdom of God and following Jesus is simply much more than this. It is living radically transformed lives, giving up the safety net of the American dream, and serving others with the willingness to possibly experience suffering. These are not the words of Bercot, but a testimony of Jesus and what many in the early church years endured.

This is another good book by Bercot. However, I enjoyed, "The Kingdom That Turned the World Upside Down" much better. I strongly recommend this book to those Christians who see an apathetic and dogmatic religious institution rather than a transformed kingdom of believers. Perhaps the blood and testimony of these early church fathers can help put it back into the right perspective. show less

A comparison of first century Christianity with the modern Evangelical Church. This was on audio and read by the author--he shouldn't have done it! I often listen in the car and have to turn up the volume, and his voice is like nails on a chalkboard when turned up! The information was enlightening, but I'm not sure he proved his thesis (which as the book goes on, it is difficult to discern) Good intro with the bit about Polycarp. 5 hours 51 mins (161 pages)