Explore various Christian practices from an early church perspective. Learn what the first Christians believed about everyday matters of faith and how those practices remain relevant today.

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Course Content

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What is the regulative principle and did early Christians follow it?
Did Early Christians Have Beards, and Should Modern Christians Wear Beards?
Should a Veil Cover the Entire Face for Modesty and Authority as Suggested by Early Church Fathers?
Are kingdom Christians shirking responsibility by not participating in politics?
What did the early Christians teach about tithing?
Should Christians give to the poor even if charity might be abused?
How Did Early Christians Practice the Holy Kiss, and Should it Still Be Practiced Today?
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

Christian Practices is a free question-and-answer course that looks at practical issues through Scripture and early Christian testimony. The lessons ask how much weight early Christian practice should carry, especially when a practice is not directly commanded in the New Testament. David Bercot discusses the regulative principle, the difference between a binding command and a commendable custom, and the need to avoid judging others by human rules.

From there, the course turns to specific questions about beards, women’s head coverings, separation from worldly politics, tithing, almsgiving, and the holy kiss. Several lessons balance early Christian quotations with New Testament passages and with attention to cultural differences between places such as Rome, North Africa, Egypt, Greece, and the Middle East.

The course is especially concerned with generosity, modesty, Christian citizenship, discernment, and preserving ancient Christian practices without turning every historical custom into a law.

Scripture and early Christian practice Regulative principle Christian liberty Modesty and head covering Two kingdoms Generosity and tithing Discernment in almsgiving Holy kiss Cultural variation Avoiding human commandments

What You Will Study

  • How the regulative principle compares with the view that what Scripture does not forbid may be permitted
  • Why early Christian customs can be helpful without becoming binding New Testament commandments
  • What early Christian writings and catacomb images suggest about beards and regional practice
  • How modesty, authority, culture, and 1 Corinthians 11 are discussed in relation to women’s coverings
  • How kingdom Christians answer the charge that nonparticipation in politics shirks responsibility
  • How early Christian teaching on tithing emphasizes voluntary and generous giving rather than a legal ten percent
  • How Christians can give to the poor generously while still using discernment
  • How the holy kiss was practiced in early Christian worship and daily life, and how it may be practiced today

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • What is the regulative principle, and should Christians use it as an absolute rule?
  • Did the early Christians treat second-century practice as a pattern for worship and church life?
  • Are Christians free to recommend practices that are not commanded in the New Testament?
  • Did early Christian men generally wear beards, and did regional culture affect that practice?
  • Should modern Christians require or forbid beards?
  • Did early Christian writers expect women’s veils to cover the face, or did practice vary by culture?
  • How should Christian head coverings relate to modesty as well as authority?
  • Are kingdom Christians irresponsible if they do not participate in politics?
  • What does it mean to render to Caesar and to God while living as citizens of God’s kingdom?
  • Did early Christians teach that Christians must tithe ten percent?
  • How should Christians think about giving to the poor when gifts may be misused?
  • Did Jesus’ command to give to the one who asks require indiscriminate giving?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

What is the regulative principle and did early Christians follow it?

This lesson explains the regulative principle in contrast with Luther’s broader approach that what Scripture does not forbid may be permitted. Bercot argues for staying close to the New Testament and using second-century evidence cautiously, while warning against calling something sin merely because it is not mentioned in Scripture.

  • What is the regulative principle?
  • How does it differ from the normative principle?
  • Should second-century Christian practice guide church life today?
  • When does a preferred practice become an improper human commandment?

Did Early Christians Have Beards, and Should Modern Christians Wear Beards?

This lesson examines early Christian comments favoring beards alongside visual evidence from the Roman catacombs that sometimes shows Jesus or Christians without beards. Bercot concludes that beards may be commendable but are not commanded in the New Testament, and therefore should not be required or forbidden.

  • Did early Christian writers approve of men wearing beards?
  • Do catacomb images show all early Christians with beards?
  • Does Acts 15 require Gentile Christians to follow the beard-related law?
  • Should churches make beards a rule today?

Should a Veil Cover the Entire Face for Modesty and Authority as Suggested by Early Church Fathers?

This lesson discusses early Christian statements from writers such as Clement and Tertullian about veiling the face, while noting that such practice reflected parts of Egypt, Arabia, and North Africa more than the whole ancient church. Bercot affirms that head covering relates to modesty as well as authority, while recognizing variation in how coverings were worn.

  • Did some early Christian writers teach that women should veil the face?
  • Was face veiling practiced uniformly across early churches?
  • How does modesty relate to head covering?
  • What does it mean for a covering to be more than a symbol?

Are kingdom Christians shirking responsibility by not participating in politics?

This lesson answers the charge that kingdom Christians are avoiding responsibility by not participating in politics. Bercot argues that Christians should work, pay taxes, obey lawful authorities unless they contradict Christ, care for creation, and serve the world through faithful citizenship and prayer rather than making worldly causes their mission.

  • Does separation from politics mean shirking social responsibility?
  • How did Jesus and the apostles relate to the affairs of this world?
  • What does it mean to render Caesar’s things to Caesar and God’s things to God?
  • How should kingdom Christians think about stewardship of the earth?

What did the early Christians teach about tithing?

This lesson explains that early Christians did not treat the tithe as a binding legal requirement for Christians. At the same time, Bercot presents early Christian teaching that believers should give voluntarily, freely, and generously, especially for the needy.

  • Are Christians under a law requiring exactly ten percent?
  • How did early Christian writers describe voluntary giving?
  • Why might Christian generosity be expected to exceed the Old Testament minimum?
  • How can believers set aside giving in a practical and regular way?

Should Christians give to the poor even if charity might be abused?

This lesson balances Jesus’ commands to help the hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, and poor with the need for discernment when resources are limited. Bercot points to both early Christian calls to give generously and the Didache’s warning to know to whom one gives.

  • How should Christians respond when charity has been abused?
  • Does giving to everyone who asks mean giving without discernment?
  • How did Jesus Himself use discernment when responding to requests?
  • How do early Christian writings balance generosity and caution?

How Did Early Christians Practice the Holy Kiss, and Should it Still Be Practiced Today?

This lesson surveys New Testament commands to greet one another with a holy kiss and early Christian evidence for its use in ordinary life and in connection with communion. Bercot discusses how the practice may be carried out today with chastity, prudence, and sensitivity to setting and custom.

  • Where does the command to greet one another with a holy kiss appear in the New Testament?
  • Was the holy kiss part of early Christian worship?
  • Did men and women exchange the holy kiss in the early church?
  • How often should Christians practice the holy kiss today?

What students are saying

5.00 out of 5 — 3 reviews
Daniel Segura May 12, 2026
★★★★★
These are surprisingly balanced takes that still seriously apply New Testament commands and early Christian interpretations.
Clay Yoder Mar 16, 2026
★★★★★
Great content. I found the lesson on the regulative principle to be particularly helpful.
Daniel Willis Dec 22, 2025
★★★★★
Very Helpful!!!
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Christian Practices

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  • 7 Lessons
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