Develop essential critical thinking skills for evaluating truth claims. Learn to spot logical fallacies, recognize manipulation tactics, and reason clearly through complex theological and practical questions.

This course is free to access. The Historic Faith is donation-funded, with no paywall and no subscription required. Generous supporters help keep these lessons open to anyone in the world.

Course Content

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How to Arrive at Truth Through Critical Thinking
The Fallacy of Using Secondary and Tertiary Sources
The Fallacy of Presentism
Questions About Critical Thinking
Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 1
Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 2
Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 3
Free Course Guide

What This Free Course Covers

In this free course, David Bercot teaches how critical thinking can help Christians study Scripture more honestly and carefully. The course begins with the conviction that the Bible is the ultimate source for knowledge about God, while also emphasizing prayerful dependence on God and the need to be earnest seekers of truth. From there, the lessons examine common obstacles to sound interpretation:

inherited bias, proof texting, reading passages out of context, relying too heavily on secondary or tertiary sources, and judging the past by modern assumptions. Several lessons focus on fallacies that often sound persuasive but do not actually prove the point being argued. Bercot also explains why primary sources, especially early Christian writings, can help students test modern interpretations against voices closer to the apostolic age.

The course is practical and analytical, helping students notice when an argument is misleading and return to Scripture with greater humility and care.

Critical thinking Biblical interpretation Bias and assumptions Primary sources Early Christian witness Presentism Logical fallacies Context and proof texting Humility in disagreement

What You Will Study

  • How to approach Scripture as an honest seeker of truth rather than with a settled conclusion already in place
  • Why sermons, commentaries, and Bible aids must be tested by whether they shed accurate light on Scripture
  • Basic principles for reading Scripture at face value, avoiding proof texting, and paying attention to context
  • The difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in historical and biblical research
  • Why early Christian writings can serve as an important witness to how Scripture was understood near the apostolic age
  • How presentism can distort the way Christians judge early believers and earlier Christian practice
  • How to recognize common fallacies such as ad hominem, begging the question, red herring, straw man, equivocation, and slippery slope arguments
  • How to discuss theological disagreements with zeal for truth while avoiding careless judgment of others’ hearts

Questions This Course Helps Answer

  • What does critical thinking mean in the context of studying Scripture?
  • Why is it difficult to read the Bible with a completely blank slate?
  • How do inherited theological assumptions shape the way Christians interpret the same passages?
  • Why should students be cautious about relying mainly on modern Bible reference works or commentaries?
  • What is a primary source, and why does it matter for biblical and historical research?
  • How can early Christian writings help double-check a modern reading of Scripture?
  • What is presentism, and how can it affect judgments about Christians in earlier centuries?
  • Does consulting the early church replace Scripture, or does it function as a historical witness?
  • Why does disagreement over where to draw a line not prove that no real line exists?
  • How do ad hominem arguments distract from the real issue being discussed?
  • What is circular reasoning, and how can it appear in theological arguments?
  • How do red herring and straw man arguments pull a discussion away from the truth?

Lesson-by-Lesson Guide

How to Arrive at Truth Through Critical Thinking

The opening lesson frames the course around applying critical thinking to Scripture. Bercot emphasizes honest truth-seeking, prayerful study, reading Scripture at face value, avoiding proof texts, respecting context, and recognizing the biases Christians bring to interpretation.

  • What is the purpose of critical thinking in Bible study?
  • Why must a student of Scripture become an earnest seeker of truth?
  • How can bias affect the way Christians read the same passages?
  • What basic principles help guard against careless interpretation?

The Fallacy of Using Secondary and Tertiary Sources

This lesson explains why historical and biblical research should begin with primary sources rather than modern summaries or reference works. Bercot argues that early Christian writings are valuable because they are closer to the apostolic age and the ancient Mediterranean setting of the New Testament.

  • What is the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources?
  • Why can modern reference works reflect the author’s theological and cultural biases?
  • Why are early Christian writings important for understanding early Christian belief?
  • What kind of research helps students avoid third-hand conclusions?

The Fallacy of Presentism

Bercot defines presentism as viewing the past through present-day attitudes and experiences. He applies the concept to Christian discussions, warning against quickly judging earlier Christians as morally or doctrinally inferior simply because they lived in different circumstances.

  • What is presentism?
  • How can modern Christians assume they are superior to earlier believers?
  • Why should historical circumstances matter when evaluating early Christian practice?
  • How can presentism affect discussions about baptism, nonresistance, or church standards?

Questions About Critical Thinking

This question-and-answer lesson addresses listener concerns about whether Christians need the early church to arrive at truth, how to talk with those who want doctrine established from the Bible alone, and how to think about disputed applications such as modesty. It also considers how to value theology without judging people’s hearts.

  • Is it necessary to consult early Christian writings to arrive at truth?
  • How can early church testimony be used without replacing Scripture?
  • Why does uncertainty about where to draw a line not prove that no line exists?
  • How can Christians care about theology while leaving final judgment to God?

Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 1

The first fallacies lesson defines a fallacy as a misleading, dishonest, or unsound argument and explains why fallacies can be persuasive even when they do not prove the conclusion. Bercot discusses examples such as ad hominem attacks, anecdotal appeals, and begging the question.

  • What is a fallacy?
  • Why are fallacies often persuasive?
  • How does an ad hominem argument avoid the real issue?
  • What does it mean to beg the question in a theological argument?

Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 2

The second fallacies lesson continues showing how unsound arguments can win an audience while distracting from truth. Bercot highlights red herring arguments, straw man arguments, taking statements out of context, and how several fallacies can be combined in one discussion.

  • What is a red herring argument?
  • How does a straw man argument misrepresent an opponent’s position?
  • Why is taking a statement out of context misleading?
  • How can several fallacies work together in one argument?

Learning to Spot Fallacies – Part 3

The final lesson reviews many fallacies already covered and adds further examples, including argument by verbosity, definition, equivocation, post hoc reasoning, and slippery slope arguments. Bercot stresses that recognizing these patterns helps students avoid being moved by arguments that sound persuasive but are not sound.

  • How can redefining a word change the direction of an argument?
  • What is equivocation?
  • Why does sequence alone not prove cause and effect?
  • When does a slippery slope warning become fallacious?

First student reviews

1 review so far
Amy Zeiset Aug 26, 2026
★★★★★
excellent course!
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How to Arrive at Truth Through Critical Thinking

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Course Includes

  • 7 Lessons
  • 7 Quizzes
  • Course Certificate