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Bible and Early Church History  /  After the Apostles – A.D. 150  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Bercot says it’s “not honest” to respond to missing second-century evidence by claiming the early church immediately lost the gospel, because that makes later founders (Luther, Calvin, Russell, Darby/Schofield, etc.) look more effective than Spirit-inspired apostles; what does this comparison expose about how modern Christians decide what counts as “apostolic” truth?
Another way to ask: If people say the early church quickly lost the gospel, why does that make later leaders look more successful than the apostles? What does this show about how Christians decide what counts as “apostolic” truth?

Direct Answer Bercot’s comparison exposes that many modern Christians functionally define “apostolic truth” as “whatever my group’s founder taught,” then retrofit history by declaring the early church apostate when it doesn’t match. In his view, that approach is driven more by loyalty to later traditions than by continuity with the post-apostolic church.

Support from Transcript:

  • He observes people mock fringe groups for lacking early evidence, but when their own doctrines are questioned “they suddenly change their story” and claim immediate apostasy too.
  • He frames the logic as: apostles taught truth, then “the church immediately went off course,” then “centuries and centuries later, the founder of their group… restored the original gospel.”
  • He highlights the embarrassing implication: Luther’s teaching lasted “well over 400 years,” Darby/Schofield’s dispensationalism “going on strong” after a century—yet supposedly the apostles couldn’t preserve the faith “one generation.”
  • He argues this makes “mere humans” look more effective than “inspired by the Holy Spirit” apostles.
  • He says the real issue is preference: “The problem isn’t that the church went apostate. The problem is we don’t like it that the early Christians don’t teach the same things we do.”
Discussion Follow-ups When you say “apostolic,” do you mean “in the New Testament,” “in the second century,” or “in my denomination’s confessions”? What would change if continuity with the earliest Christians mattered as much as proof-texting?

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