Discussion Questions
Chad says his motivation for going to Sinjar was, “Where would Jesus go? What would Jesus do?”—what picture of Jesus is assumed in that statement, and what parts of Jesus’ life and teaching does that highlight or ignore? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Chad says, “Where would Jesus go? What would Jesus do?”, what kind of Jesus is he picturing? Which parts of Jesus’ life and teachings does that focus on, and which parts might it leave out?
The speaker describes civilians “trapped in the camp” and his team “opening the opportunity to come back” by rebuilding homes—how does that connect with the early Christian instinct to be known for tangible mercy, and what would an early church response have looked like without political power? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does rebuilding homes to help people leave the camp match the early Christians being known for real acts of mercy? What might the early church have done in a situation like this without any political power?
Chad argues that going where you “risk your life to serve somebody else” made the love of Christ “stand out” because people understood the risk—what does this suggest about how God intends Christian witness to work, and how does it challenge safe, low-cost versions of “service”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad says risking your life to serve makes Christ’s love stand out because people see the danger. What does that say about how God wants Christians to show their faith, and how does it challenge “service” that costs very little?
When the governor offers a bodyguard and Chad refuses, saying, “God keeps me safe,” what assumptions about God’s protection are operating here, and how should Christians process the reality that faithful people sometimes are not kept safe? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Chad refuses a bodyguard and says, “God keeps me safe,” what does he believe about God’s protection? How should Christians deal with the fact that faithful people sometimes get hurt or killed?
Chad frames non-resistance as a question: “Do you believe a gun or God is more powerful?”—how does that reframe the debate compared to typical evangelical discussions about self-defense, rights, or “personal freedom”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad asks, “Do you believe a gun or God is more powerful?” How does that change the usual argument about self-defense, rights, and personal freedom?
The conversation contrasts “theory” in comfortable America with “reality” one mile from ISIS—what beliefs about discipleship, suffering, and preparation are exposed when Chad says we don’t think about these situations enough until they hit? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Chad mean when he contrasts “theory” in comfortable America with “reality” near ISIS? What does this reveal about how we think about following Jesus, suffering, and being prepared?
Chad says he had already decided, if ISIS came, he would “invite him in for lunch”—what do you think early Christians would have heard in that (Romans 12, enemy-love, hospitality), and where does this collide with modern instincts about boundaries, prudence, and “protecting your family”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad says if ISIS came, he would invite them in for lunch. How do you think early Christians would hear that idea (like loving enemies and showing hospitality), and where does it clash with modern ideas about safety, boundaries, and protecting your family?
Watching a “truckload of ISIS soldiers,” Chad reflects on the weight of taking a life you know nothing about and asks what impact that person might have had “if you would have stood for God”—how does this challenge common Christian justifications for killing in war or defense, and what does it reveal about how God values human lives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad says it’s heavy to take a life when you don’t know that person, and wonders what they might have become if someone “stood for God.” How does this challenge common Christian reasons for killing in war or self-defense, and what does it show about how God values each life?
Chad wonders if he “missed out” by leaving the front line instead of “staying there in prayer” and “prayed into the situation”—what role does he believe Christians have in conflict zones beyond humanitarian aid, and how does that confront modern assumptions about prayer being passive or secondary? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad wonders if he should have stayed on the front line to pray instead of leaving. What role does he think Christians have in war zones besides helping with supplies, and how does this challenge the idea that prayer is passive or less important?
Chad extends non-resistance beyond not killing to everyday choices like refusing to “belittle someone so that you look better than them”—what specific habits in your life rely more on “the physical” (control, image-management, coercion) than on prayer, and what concrete change would demonstrate you trust God’s power more than your own tactics? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chad says non-resistance also means not putting others down to make yourself look better. What habits in your life depend more on control or image than on prayer, and what is one real change that would show you trust God’s power more than your own methods?