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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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How to Arrive at Truth Through Critical Thinking  /  The Fallacy of Presentism  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
Bercot argues it is “very dishonest” to take Clement’s advice about mirrors/combs/warm baths and present it as binding church law; what modern Christian examples come to mind where one person’s counsel, preference, or cultural reaction gets treated as “Christian doctrine,” and how can a group learn to distinguish New Testament law, principled application, and personal advice?
Another way to ask: Where do you see someone’s opinion or cultural preference getting treated like “Christian doctrine” today? How can a church tell the difference between New Testament commands, wise application, and personal advice?

Direct Answer Bercot’s core point is that treating one teacher’s advice as universal law misrepresents both the teacher and the church; groups need to separate (1) explicit New Testament commands, (2) reasonable applications of principles, and (3) non-binding counsel.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says it is “very dishonest to take the personal view of a single early Christian and represent it as a general teaching.”
  • About Clement: “It certainly was not a general teaching of the early church,” and Clement gave it as “advice, not as a law.”
  • Clement’s writings include manners (“Don’t eat with your mouth open… Don’t laugh while you’re eating”), showing he wasn’t claiming “laws from Christ.”
  • Bercot explains context: mirrors/combs for men may have been seen as “effeminate,” not like modern grooming norms.
  • Warm baths were a “luxury”; Clement may be advising men not to burden slaves with heating water.
  • Bercot’s broader interpretive principle appears earlier: “if something is not a law in the New Testament, then it doesn’t become a law” because some Christians taught it.
Discussion Follow-ups What church rules today might really be “Stromata-style” advice that got upgraded into doctrine? What process could a church use to label teachings clearly: command, principle, or counsel?

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