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 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. ( )