Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 8
After the Nazis blocked aid to Mennonites suffering in the Soviet Union, the speaker says the German Mennonites “meekly submitted to their Lord,” implying Hitler had become a functional lord; what concrete tests reveal who your real lord is when obedience costs reputation, safety, or economic well-being?
Another way to ask: When following Jesus costs your safety, money, or reputation, what tests show who your real lord is? What kinds of choices would reveal whether you obey Jesus or something else?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript implies your real lord is revealed when an authority tells you to stop doing obvious Christian good and you comply to protect yourself; lordship shows up in who you obey when it costs.
- The speaker explains German Mennonites were sending financial help to suffering Mennonites in the Soviet Union, then “the Nazis said, ‘Stop it.’”
- He interprets their compliance as lordship: “The German Mennonites meekly submitted to their Lord… if Hitler is their Lord… what choice do they have except to say, ‘Yes, sir.’”
- He ties this to earlier compromises—abandoning separation of church/state and nonresistance—leaving them without an anchor when pressured.
- Joseph Gingrich’s warning highlights the cost-factor: recognizing danger may shatter “religious as well as… economic well-being.”
- Later examples show similar tests: taking loyalty oaths (“Anyone who refuses… dismissed”), praising Nazi victories, and not refusing conscription.