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Question 4

He tells the story of a friend who agreed with early Christian beliefs until he heard something that didn’t match his views and concluded, “They certainly were off base there”; when have you felt that reflex in yourself, and what does it reveal about how you decide who is “off base”—you, your tradition, or the early Christians?

Another way to ask: When have you agreed with early Christian ideas until you heard one you didn’t like and thought, “They were wrong there”? What does that show about who you assume is “off base”—you, your tradition, or the early Christians?

Direct Answer Bercot’s story exposes a common reflex: we treat early Christian testimony as “strong evidence” only when it confirms what we already believe, but when it challenges us, we assume they’re the ones mistaken. The transcript suggests this reveals an unexamined confidence that our current tradition is the default standard.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot describes his friend being “quite excited,” seeing early Christian testimony as “strong evidence” for his own beliefs.
When confronted with early Christian beliefs that didn’t match, the friend concluded: “They certainly were off base there, weren’t they?”
Bercot comments: “The possibility that maybe he was off base never even seemed to have occurred to him.”
He ties this to needing “a strong dose of theological humility.”
He implies a better response is being “open to the possibility” that our treasured doctrines might be wrong.

Discussion Follow-ups What practical habit could help you pause before deciding “they were off base”—for example, reading more than one early writer or checking whether an apostolic-era consensus existed?

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