In a Nutshell: Having studied the early writings of the apostolic church, and then working through the centuries through the Patristic, ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene 'fathers' of the church, Bercot finds some fascinating discrepancies between the earliest beliefs of the church founded in the first century and the (21st), and how we arrived here.

First Published: 1989

An absolutely convicting read. Bercot opens up with the execution of Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John), and from there opens a discussion about how the early church appeared to be much closer to the church described in the Book of Acts. From this point, Bercot gives a succinct history of how the early church's purpose and message came to be twisted and modified over the ensuing centuries, and it is frankly a disturbing reading.

Bercot concentrates on how closely the early disciples kept to the original doctrines of what is espoused in the New Testament, and through the (still present) example of the apostles and the apostles' direct disciples, such as Polycarp and Clement. Disciples were martyred and the message still spread under intense persecution, and the message was not once watered down or repackaged to a "seeker sensitive" crowd, as it is today.

Bercot contends that the great snare for Christianity was its legalization under Constantine. Persecution ended, and now record numbers of people were being baptized and claimed Jesus as Lord,. However, within a few decades , the message was lost as church and state became one. Under Constantine, it is recorded that there was more likelihood of gaining promotion in the offices of power if you declared yourself a Christian; hence many were fraudulently claiming to be what they were not for self-gain.

It is from the legalization of the church that the doctrine of Holy War is first established as justifiable, despite the numerous statements to the contrary from Jesus himself. There are many other disturbing developments that emerge from this time period, and Bercot takes you on a whirlwind tour of many of these. The book is definitely convicting, and will challenge you in many ways. This would make a great companion piece to the American Idols book we have recently studied at our church, as it takes you right back to the original heart of the Christian message, as lived (and died for) by the earliest Christians. Very compelling and enjoyable.

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