Common sense is a good book that every Christian should read. Since the Reformation, Christianity has broken into 25,000 + denominations, some claiming to be the only true church and most claiming to be "more correct" than the other denominations. If all these groups only use Scripture to determine their beliefs, then why all the division? Bercot argues it is because we need a new system of Scripture interpretation.
Bercot begins by outlining the traditional Protestant principles of biblical interpretation (e.g. clear passages interpret unclear and going to the root of words). Then, he lists his common sense principles, which include beginning with a "blank slate" and using apostolic tradition to interpret difficult passages. He then uses examples from the Bible to show the superiority of his common sense principles to the traditional Protestant method.
Next, he lists what he calls "surprises" and "bombshells." First, he claims that many doctrines and practices of the Reformers did not line up with primitive Christianity and he gives many examples to support his claims. He also discusses the value of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), which the early Church almost always used, but which was replaced with the Latin text by the Roman Catholics and the Hebrew by the Protestants. He also explains the role of the Old and New Testament apocrypha and why he believes they are important, although not necessarily on the same level as the current Protestant canon. He discusses "spiritual" interpretation of the Bible and other views of the Greek Fathers. His biggest bombshell is his comments on the "myth" of sola scriptura. He shows clearly why this is a myth and how even Protestants do not really follow this doctrine in practice. Finally he discusses why the New Testament Church didn't go apostate immediately after the death of the apostles (a belief held in common by many cults and even some fundamentalist Christians).
Bercot's book is quite an eye opener. Granted, I don't agree with everything in it (e.g. he practically ignores any interpretation of the Nicene or Post-Nicene Fathers and those in later church history), but he makes some extremely important observations. His ideas could be considered somewhat radical to many Protestants, but they are always well supported. In many ways his views are similar to traditional Anglican belief or a watered down Greek Orthodoxy. He always deals with the issues in a "Come let us reason together" approach that is never hostile or incendiary, although he tends to over-generalize about conservative Protestant belief systems. Also, Bercot is not a Catholic or an adherent of Greek Orthodoxy; he is a former Anglican, but is not currently associated with a denomination. Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to those who are disillusioned by the many different denominations and the divisive nature of modern, Post-Reformation Christianity.
