Common Sense: A New Approach to Understanding Scripture is David W. Bercot's practical guide to interpreting the Bible in context. Bercot examines language, history, primary sources, and the assumptions readers bring to Scripture.This free chapter-by-chapter audiobook is narrated by Paul Brown.

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Course Content

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Introduction: Rediscovering Childlike Faith in Scripture
Chapter 1: The Mad Philosopher
Chapter 2: A Tale of Two Liars
Chapter 3, Part 1: Rules of Truth
Chapter 3, Part 2: Belief Systems: Formed by Default or Design?
Chapter 4, Part 1: Principles of Interpretation
Chapter 4, Part 2: Head Coverings in Prayer and Worship
Chapter 4, Part 3: Setting Preconceived Notions Aside
Chapter 5: Why Human Language Is Unclear
Chapter 6, Part 1: Systems That Don't Work
Chapter 6, Part 2: The Irrelevance of Etymology
Chapter 7, Part 1: What Would You Do in Real Life?
Chapter 7, Part 2: Understanding Paul's Letter to the Corinthians
Chapter 8: The Value of Primary Sources in Theology
Chapter 9: The Horse's Mouth
Chapter 10: The Answer
Chapter 11: The Big Surprise
Chapter 12: The Forgotten Septuagint
Chapter 14, Part 1: What We Would Rather Not See
Chapter 14, Part 2: Eastern Thought in the New Testament
Chapter 14, Part 3: Spiritual Insights from the Mosaic Law
Chapter 15: The Real Issue
Chapter 16, Part 1: The Myth of Sola Scriptura
Chapter 16, Part 2: The Dilemma of Interpretive Study Bibles
Chapter 17: The Catch
Chapter 18, Part 1: The Other Catch
Chapter 18, Part 2: Understanding “Spirit” in Romans
Chapter 19, Part 1: Sincere Questions About the Early Church Writings
Chapter 19, Part 2: Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity
Chapter 20, Part 1: Did the Church Remain Faithful?
Chapter 20, Part 2: The Timelessness of Gospel Truths
Chapter 21: Did the New Testament Church Collapse?
Chapter 22: The Hard Choice
Appendix: Sources and References to Early Christian Writings

About the Book

Cover of Common Sense by David W. Bercot

A New Approach to Understanding Scripture

  • Author: David W. Bercot
  • First published: 1992
  • Publisher: Scroll Publishing Co.
  • Pages: 180
  • Audiobook length: ~5 hours
  • ISBN: 9780924722066

How can ordinary Christians read Scripture responsibly without surrendering the task to specialists? In Common Sense, David W. Bercot offers a clear, practical approach to biblical interpretation built around seven principles that any careful reader can use.

Bercot explores context, language, history, and the danger of reading inherited assumptions back into the text. He also demonstrates how the writings of the early Christians can serve as valuable historical witnesses—not as a replacement for Scripture, but as evidence for how believers close to the apostolic era understood it.

This chapter-by-chapter audiobook is narrated by Paul Brown and includes the recording's introduction, main chapters, and appendix. It is a natural companion to Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up for listeners who want to examine both early Christian belief and the method used to recover it.

About the author: David W. Bercot is a former evangelical-turned-Anabaptist attorney and historian who has spent four decades studying the writings of the early Christians (A.D. 90–325). He is the editor of the landmark Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs and the founder of Scroll Publishing Co.

Praise from Readers

What readers and reviewers have said about Common Sense. These are short, attributed quotes from public reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, the publisher's site, and independent book reviewers.

I think this book should remain in print. It is an awesome introduction for those trying to get a better understanding of how to interpret Scripture.

— Art Klemme, Scroll Publishing customer review

First student reviews

1 review so far
Lester Brubacher Aug 11, 2026
★★★★★
I enjoyed the tips given on best ways to decipher written documents, and in this case, truth.
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Common Sense

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Course Includes

  • 34 Lessons
  • 34 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate