Course Reviews

Much of this teaching on nonresistance and peacemaking is new to me, and I’m grateful for it. I loved both the teaching and also very much appreciated the personal story / journey shared by Dean and Tania. I feel strongly in agreement with most of the points and need to wrestle with / reflect on some of the specifics. Thank you very much, it’s refreshing to hear the question asked: “What if Jesus meant every word he preached?”

This is a great reference to look back on and hear again and again (for someone who needs reminded often like myself). It helps one to check their heart as well as their understanding.

I’m excited to keep learning. I feel better equipped to read the word of God with honesty and without preconceived interpretations.

The Romans 9-11 portion was amazing. To me it’s Good News that we CAN repent, and are not just chosen for wrath or honor. So thankful for this. God bless.

Excellent beginning in typology of the Holy Spirit but weak in the last 2 modules regarding the practical expressions of the Holy Spirit

I loved this course both because 1) the content and teaching was, as usual, inspiring and challenging (and exciting, as it helps me to see more clearly how to truly live as a citizen of God’s Kingdom), and 2) because it reminded me why I’ve been so grateful to discover David Bercot and now The Historic Faith. I’ve been impressed and refreshed by the full and balanced teaching here; I love the deep and honest teaching and the call to an obedient and holy life, and yet David’s second module is entirely devoted to taking great care to not fall into the trap of Pharisaism. I listened to module on the Gospel of Jesus about the Poor twice already because that is one of the areas I’m most excited to grow in, as it was and is so central to the heart of Jesus and the gospel of the Kingdom. Lastly, the first module, “Obedience is not Legalism”, was one of my favorites in the course because I have often felt frustrated at how falsely and loosely Christians use the term.
I highly recommend going through “Radical Christian Living”!

This course reviews many Scriptures from the Old Testament that thoroughly and remarkably predicted many details of the birth, life, death, resurrection and eternal kingship and priesthood of Christ.

I knew very little about some of the leaders highlighted in this course before taking it. I found the lesson on the apostles especially paradigm-shifting. In some of the later lessons, it was harder to make the connection between the talk and the focus of the course. I would have appreciated more application made about what true greatness involves. But overall, very worth the time to gain the spiritual lessons found here!

I have been aware of David’s work for many years and read at least one of his books. I appreciate the courses ability to challenge the way I think, and help me to respectfully question the status quo.

This course was filled with lots of real-life stories and examples, many of which are very inspiring, and many of which are very sobering. There are many things to appreciate about this course:
1) First and foremost, above all else, the Christ-centeredness of this course really stood out to me. We need to continually make sure that our center and our focus remains Jesus and His teachings. Amen, dear brother Dean. Amen and Amen!
2) The frequent use of quotations from many primary sources, such as the letters of Conrad Grebel, the Hutterite Chronicles, the writings of Menno Simmons, the Martyrs Mirror, 20th century sources, etc. really helped bring all the historical figures and historical movements alive.
3) I really appreciated the “warts and all” approach this course used. While there are so many stories of bearing witness to Christ in hostile situations, living faithfully for Christ, and remaining faithful unto death in Anabaptist history that should inspire us individually and collectively, there are also lots of examples of mistakes and failures that should serve as warnings to sober us. The fact that the many splits and occasional strange teachings were covered in a honest and transparent way was very much appreciated.
4) Conveying the incredible focus on missions that has persisted throughout Anabaptist history right up to the present time was a real eye-opener. The amazing success of the Anabaptists in places such as Indonesia and East Africa was really thrilling to hear about.
5) The course definitely ended on a very high note – a resounding “altar call” to be history makers and not history stoppers!
The few quibbles I have with this course are incredibly minor, especially considering that these lectures were recorded years ago, somewhere back in the 2013 timeframe.
1) I know that once the Anabaptists began spreading out all over Europe (which happened rapidly!), it is difficult to juggle the history of all the different areas (Swiss, Dutch, Moravian, etc.). Even so, the placement of Lecture 11 “The Birth of the Amish”, was a bit jarring since it suddenly advanced what had been a story of the 1500’s up to the 1690’s/early 1700’s. The start of Lecture 12 then fell back to the earliest Anabaptist days again. A minor quibble for sure, but there may be a better place in the sequence of the lectures for Lecture 11.
2) Speaking of the late 1600’s/early 1700’s, I personally would like to have heard more about the influence of Pietism upon the various Anabaptist groups.
3) I also would like to have heard more regarding any “brotherly agreements” that the various Anabaptist groups wrote up to help regulate life in their communities. It was great to hear about the tremendous sacrifices regarding missions and martyrdom, but it also takes a crucified life to live day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year in a close-knit fellowship of believers. The spirit of self-sacrificial love that is required for long-term stability of Christian fellowships is always something that I need to hear more about.
Compared to the solid strong points of these lectures, those are minor quibbles indeed. I definitely rated this course 5 stars out of 5 stars. As someone who fellowships with a “Restoration Movement” congregation, I learned a lot. But even more, I heard many lessons to take to heart and put into practice in my daily living and my family’s daily living. I heard many testimonies that were truly inspiring, and also many examples of mistakes that I pray to God we learn from and never repeat. But mostly, I saw the desperate need for kingdom Christians to continually keep all things centered on Jesus Christ and His teachings.