About Our Teachers

David Bercot

Personal

David Bercot is a retired attorney, author, and church historian who contributes regularly to The Historic Faith. He was born in Anchorage, Alaska but spent most of his life in Texas. He has been married to Deborah for over forty-eight years and they have three children. David and his family live in Pennsylvania and attend Chambersburg Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational church committed to the teachings of Jesus.

Education

Bercot obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1978 and his doctor of jurisprudence degree magna cum laude from Baylor University School of Law in 1980. In 1985, he devoted an entire year to reading through the complete Ante-Nicene Fathers.

Interests

Bercot has made early Christianity his special field of study for the past thirty-five years. His primary mission is to make the average layperson aware of the early Christians, what they believed, and how they lived. He has authored ten books which draw attention to historic Christianity. In addition to writing, Bercot speaks frequently on the subject of early Christianity and radical Christian discipleship. He has recorded over one hundred lectures on the historic Christian faith and kingdom living. Bercot’s books and lectures are purposefully provocative, challenging today’s Christians to return to the historic faith and practice of the primitive church. 

Finny Kuruvilla

Personal

Finny Kuruvilla is the founder of Sattler College and regular contributor to The Historic Faith. He is married to Laura, and lives with his six sons and daughter in the Boston, Massachusetts area. He works with a group called Eventide in socially responsible and values-based investing. Kuruvilla has been a practicing Christian for many years and fellowships with a church called Followers of the Way.

Education

Kuruvilla holds an MD from Harvard Medical School, a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University, a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and a bachelor’s degree from Caltech in Chemistry. 

Interests

Kuruvilla has a keen interest in biblical interpretation and church history. His desire to see a strong and vibrant church today compelled him to write King Jesus Claims His Church. He also seeks to build up the future church by teaching Fundamental Texts of Christianity, Christian Doctrines, and Evangelism at Sattler College. Other areas of interest include ante-Nicene Christianity, Reformation and Anabaptist history, and the Great Awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. 

Dean Taylor

Personal

Dean Taylor is the president of Sattler College and an active contributor to The Historic Faith. He is married to Tania and is the father of three sons and three daughters. He currently lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts where he fellowships with Followers of the Way church. Earlier in his life Dean served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany. After questioning the role of Christians in warfare Dean began to study the Early Church, the just war theory, and the place of the Church in society. Through this study, Dean and his wife Tania felt they could no longer support the concept of a “just war theory” biblically. Following this conviction Dean and his wife embraced a clear two-kingdom view of the Church and State and resigned from the army as a conscientious objector during the first Iraq war. This experience led Taylor to commit himself to spreading the message of Jesus’ peaceful revolution.

Education

Taylor is currently working on his ThD in Historical Theology from Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Earlier Taylor earned a Master of Health Science from the Texas Wesleyan University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Tyler. Furthermore, he studied patristic theology and early Christian writings under historian David Bercot, and preaching and pastoral studies under Denny Kennaston.

Interests

Taylor is passionate about taking all of Jesus’ words seriously and putting them into action. One outlet for this passion is teaching a Historical Theology class at Sattler College. Also, he has published several books, most notably A Change of Allegiance, which chronicles his journey from soldier to nonresistant Anabaptist. A Change of Allegiance has been translated into Spanish, Romanian, Arabic and is currently being translated into Persian, French and Hebrew.

Chuck Pike

Personal

Chuck Pike is a semi-retired civil engineer whose professional career has focused on designing water and wastewater infrastructure projects. He is married to Alison; they have a son and a daughter and two grandsons. He grew up in New Jersey but has lived in the Boston area for most of the past 40 years. Chuck is actively involved in a house church-based Christian fellowship, A church of Christ in Woburn, which meets north of Boston. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Sattler College.

 

Education

Pike has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, both from Stanford University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Massachusetts.

 

Interests

Pike’s greatest passion is for studying and teaching the Word of God. He has taught in North America, Europe and the Middle East, and developed online lessons and teaching resources in English and Farsi. His teaching emphasizes restoring the simple Christian faith of the early Church, “the faith once for all entrusted to the saints”. His approach features practical expository teaching, explaining interconnections between the New and Old Testaments, sharing insights from the pre-Nicene Christian writers, and using the evidence of fulfilled prophecies to convince unbelievers.

 
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