Discussion Questions

Frank Reed says the Bible “should be the best book on psychology” because “psyche means soul” and God made your soul; how does that claim reshape what you expect God to care about and address in you (mind, will, emotions), and where do you still instinctively act as if God mainly cares about “spiritual” things only? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God made your soul (your mind, choices, and feelings), how does that change what you think God cares about in your everyday life? Where do you still act like God only cares about “spiritual” stuff?

He frames human complexity as “the way God made us,” not as an excuse to quit; what does that reveal about God’s intentions in creating humans “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14), and how should that change the way you respond to confusing patterns in your own behavior? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If our complexity is part of how God made us, what does that say about God’s purpose in creating us (Psalm 139:14)? How should that change how you respond when your own behavior confuses you?

Reed describes an “uneven class” where some students think a topic is irrelevant and others feel exposed (“That’s exactly what’s going on inside of me”); what would it look like for a church community shaped by early Christian assumptions to “file it away” for the sake of serving others rather than tuning out what you don’t personally struggle with? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In church, what would it look like to listen and learn about issues you don’t struggle with so you can better help others? How can a community choose to “file it away” instead of tuning out?

He defines a core life goal as “to live in harmony and communion with yourself, with others, and with God,” using “cognitive dissonance” (wrong notes on a piano) to describe inner conflict; where do you currently experience that “wrong note,” and what would repentance or reconciliation actually require—not as a feeling, but as changed patterns? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you feel an inner “wrong note” or conflict right now? What would repentance or making things right look like in real life changes, not just feelings?

Reed insists that God can heal “injuries and wounds of soul and spirit,” even when pain and sin feel “almost impossible to get rid of”; what does that say about God’s power and patience, and what kinds of wounds do modern Christians tend to either deny (“just move on”) or excuse (“that’s just how I am”)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God can heal deep soul wounds even when change feels impossible, what does that show about his power and patience? What kinds of hurts do Christians today often deny (“just get over it”) or excuse (“that’s just me”)?

He argues that “external discipline develops internal discipline,” and that the loss of external structure forces stress onto the internal life—especially with laptops/phones; what external structures (family, church, rules, accountability) have shaped your internal structure, and where are you discovering you don’t actually have the inner discipline you assumed you did? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What outside structures (family, church, rules, accountability) have helped shape your self-control? Where are you realizing you don’t have as much inner discipline as you thought, especially with phones and laptops?

Reed critiques rule-keeping that no longer reaches the real battleground (“don’t go to the movies” while “any wicked thing” is one click away); what does this expose about the limits of tradition-only obedience, and how does it challenge common evangelical language about “freedom” and “it’s just entertainment”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it show about the weakness of obeying only old traditions when temptation is now so easy to access online? How does that challenge the way Christians talk about “freedom” and “it’s just entertainment”?

He claims anger is not inherently sinful and says “anger at the right things is God,” pointing to Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb and to institutional failures to remove abusive leaders (“Where’s the anger?”); how do you discern godly anger from fleshly anger, and what sins in your church culture have you learned to treat with calm tolerance rather than confrontation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell the difference between right, God-honoring anger and selfish anger? What sins in your church culture have you learned to stay calm about when you should speak up?

Using the “veneer over flakeboard” wallet illustration, Reed warns about hypocrisy and tells of young people saying, “I don’t want to hear what the Bible says… I want to see you live this”; where is your life most tempted to become veneer (public righteousness/private compromise), and what concrete steps would bring “through-and-through” integrity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you most tempted to look good on the outside but compromise in private? What specific steps would help you live with real honesty and integrity all the way through?

Reed says this class could make students “ingrown” unless it keeps returning to God, assigning Tozer because “this class is not just about you… it’s about God,” and he ties counseling to Romans 15:14 (“full of goodness… filled with all knowledge… able also to admonish”); how does being qualified to admonish others depend on both goodness and knowledge, and what practices would actually move your group toward becoming that kind of community? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does being able to correct and help others depend on both a good character and true understanding (Romans 15:14)? What habits could your group practice to become a community like that, focused on God and not just yourselves?