Discussion Questions

Hans said the disruption of routines forces people to ask “who are we when the things that we usually use to define ourselves…are gone”; what does that exposure reveal about what we actually worship and trust, and what might God be trying to strip away in that loss? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When your normal routines and roles get taken away, what does that show you really trust or “worship”? What do you think God might be trying to remove from your life through that loss?

Richard described the church deciding “we need to pray more,” shifting toward daily prayer meetings as “essential services”; what picture of God’s nearness and governance is implied by that instinct, and what would it look like if your church treated prayer as essential rather than optional when pressure rises? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say about God that a church’s first move was to pray more and meet daily to pray? If your church treated prayer as necessary when things get hard, what would change?

Hans called the “I’m not 70, I’ll be fine” posture “kind of a selfish way of looking at it” and framed response as caring for the elderly; how does that challenge common evangelical ways of talking about “freedom,” personal rights, and “not living in fear”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why is “I’m not old, I’ll be fine” a selfish way to think during a crisis? How does that challenge the way Christians talk about freedom, rights, and “not living in fear”?

Richard pushed back on the argument “pro-choice people aren’t consistent, so why care about the elderly,” saying inconsistency elsewhere doesn’t give Christians freedom to neglect older neighbors; where do you see your own heart tempted to use someone else’s inconsistency as permission to lower the bar of obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you tempted to say, “They aren’t consistent, so I don’t have to care either”? How does that excuse lower your obedience to Jesus, especially toward older people?

The conversation suggested skepticism of “government, experts, and journalists” can become a “perfect storm,” and Richard warned it can escalate into “labeling each other as enemies”; how should Christians practice truth-seeking without making enemies, and what would repentance look like for the ways our tribe-talk has hardened us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can Christians search for truth without turning people into enemies? What would it look like to repent of the harsh “us vs. them” way our group often talks?

Hans testified to “refrigerated trucks,” full morgues, and running out of body bags, while also explaining how people can film “empty beds” by selecting certain areas; what does this expose about how easily we can “prove anything,” and how should a disciple of Jesus handle certainty, humility, and restraint in what they share? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it teach you that people can use selective videos or stories to “prove” opposite things? How should a Jesus-follower show humility and self-control in what they believe and share?

Hans recommended data sources like the Johns Hopkins map, while still urging skepticism toward headlines like “New Yorkers die every 9.5 seconds”; what practices would help your group learn discernment that is neither gullible nor cynical, and what would you need to change about your media habits to do it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can your group learn to judge news wisely without being naïve or cynical? What would you need to change about your media habits to do that?

Hans argued New York’s intensity was shaped by density, subway crowding, travel, and compressed caseloads, and Richard referenced a study claiming Mennonites had higher mortality in the Spanish flu due to active social networks; what early Christian assumptions about gathering, hospitality, and responsibility might help you rethink social closeness when it becomes dangerous? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should Christians rethink gathering and hospitality when being close together can harm people? What early Christian beliefs about community and responsibility can guide us?

Richard described creative neighbor-love that kept distance—an alleyway conversation at six feet, dropping food for healthcare workers, and adjusting food boxes for a Muslim woman by removing bacon/pork rinds; what do these examples reveal about God’s heart toward outsiders, and what specific “creative obedience” could your church attempt that costs time and comfort but respects limitations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do these distance-friendly acts of neighbor-love show about God’s care for outsiders? What is one “creative obedience” your church could try that costs you time and comfort but still respects limits?

Both men emphasized staying rooted by Word, prayer, church connection, calling people, fasting from social media, and refusing circular fights with “Thomas” types; what concrete boundaries (time, platforms, topics) would you need to set to preserve love and sanity, and how would you measure whether your energy is going into anxious argument or into serving “brothers and sisters who are out of work” rather than expecting government to bail them out? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What clear limits (time, apps, topics) do you need to set to stay loving and mentally healthy? How will you tell if your energy is going into anxious arguing online or into helping church members who are out of work?