David W. Bercot (pronounced as David Berçot; born April 13, 1950) is an

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

Christian

church historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of th ...

, attorney, author, and international speaker from the United States. He has written various books and magazine articles about

early Christianity Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...

and Christian discipleship. His two best-known works are ''Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up?'', and the ''Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs.'' Bercot completed his theological education at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and was subsequently ordained as an Anglican priest before joining fellowship with Conservative Anabaptists, whom he believed to best embody the practices of

Academic career

David Bercot was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. After leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses in 1976, he began his university education. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University summa cum laude, and he obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree cum laude from

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

School of Law. In 1985, Bercot began an in-depth study of the early Christians who lived before the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. His studies started him on a spiritual pilgrimage. In 1989, he wrote the book, ''Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up'', which sets forth some of the teachings and lifestyle of the early Christians. That same year, he joined with an Assembly of God pastor to establish Scroll Publishing Company for the purpose of publishing various writings of the pre-Nicene Christians, as well as to publish other Christian books. Bercot's studies of the early Christians brought him into contact and dialogue with three different branches of Christianity: the

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. The term (tra ...

(

Mennonites Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

, Brethren), the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, and the churches of the

Restoration Movement The Restoration Movement (also known as the American Restoration Movement or the Stone–Campbell Movement, and pejoratively as Campbellism) is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening (1790–1 ...

( Church of Christ,

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

, International Church of Christ). In 1985, after completing his religious studies through

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Bercot was ordained as an Anglican priest. However, he eventually left the

and began fellowshipping with various Conservative Anabaptist churches, as Bercot understood Anabaptist Christianity to best embody the beliefs and practices of the early Church. Today Bercot is a lecturer and author who emphasizes the simplicity of Biblical doctrine and early (ante-Nicene) Christian teaching versus what he would call the complex body of theological understanding that has built up over the centuries in churches and academia, which has come to be thought of as orthodoxy. He is particularly notable for his deeply nonresistant understanding of Jesus's and

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

teaching.

Writings

Bercot's most widely read work is ''A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs'', published in 1998. It is a work that collects over 7000 excerpts from writings of early Christians, arranged alphabetically by topic. According to Bercot, before the publication of his work, the only practical way to determine what the early Christians believed about any given topic was to read the actual writings of the

Ante-Nicene Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

themselves. After the publication of ''A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs'', the ''Evangelical Review of Theology'' stated: “David Bercot has done the church a great service in providing an accessible point of entry into the extant writings of the pre-Nicene church.” ''The Conservative Theological Journal'' stated: “This is a must text for everyone interested in modern theological trends in general and especially historical studies.” Other popular books that Bercot has written are ''Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up'', published originally in 1989, and ''The Kingdom That Turned the World Upside Down'' (2003), and ''Will the Theologians Please Sit Down'' (2009).

Personal life

Bercot and his wife, Deborah, were married in 1972. They have three children. Bercot resides in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States.Martindale-Hubbel

accessed November 26, 2010.

Bibliography

:*''Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up'' (1989) :*''The Pilgrim Road'' (1991) :*''Common Sense'' (1992) :*''A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs'' (1998) , :*''Let Me Die in Ireland'' (1999) :*''The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down'' (2003) :*''Plain Speaking: How to Preach and Teach Effectively'' (2007) :*''Will the Theologians Please Sit Down'' (2009) :*''In God We Don't Trust'' (2011) :*''Secrets of the Kingdom Life'' (2014)

References

External links