Discussion Questions

The Württemberg government complained that Anabaptist women’s “propaganda activity…through word of mouth and through booklets was so grievous” that some should be “chained at home”; what does that reaction suggest about the kind of spiritual authority and influence these women were actually exercising? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The government wanted to keep Anabaptist women “chained at home” because of their speaking and writing. What does that show about how much spiritual influence and authority these women really had?

When the martyr being led to her death answered, “I’m commanded to speak and I’m constrained to do so, hence I cannot remain silent,” what view of obedience to God and witness to the gospel is assumed—and what does that expose about the ways we try to keep faith “private” today? JumpstartAnother way to ask: She said she had to speak because God commanded her. What does that show about obeying God and sharing the gospel, and how does it challenge our habit of keeping faith “private” today?

Margareta Sattler refused a chance to save her life and chose to suffer the same fate as Michael; how should her decision shape the way we think about loyalty to Christ, loyalty in marriage, and the cost of discipleship for both men and women? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Margareta chose to die rather than save her life and leave Michael. How should her choice shape how we think about loyalty to Christ, loyalty in marriage, and the cost of following Jesus for both men and women?

Christy describes her Kansas church’s single women taking major initiative globally while remaining “under the authority” and “submitted to local church”; what would it look like in practical terms for a congregation to both guard accountability and actively empower women to lead and pioneer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Christy’s church, single women lead big missions work but still stay accountable to the local church. What would it look like for a church to both keep healthy oversight and truly support women to lead and start new work?

Christy calls “cowboy Christianity” a great danger and contrasts it with being “formed…by each other” through a congregational hermeneutic; where do you see “me and Jesus” instincts shaping how you interpret Scripture, and what would repentance look like at the level of habits (not just ideas)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see a “me and Jesus” mindset shaping how you read the Bible? What would real repentance look like in your daily habits, not just in your opinions?

She says studying together is a safeguard, but warns of “groupthink” when a community gets “down the wrong road”; what concrete practices could help a church avoid both extremes—isolated interpretation and entrenched communal blind spots? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Studying alone can be risky, but groups can also fall into “groupthink.” What specific habits could help a church avoid both going solo and getting stuck in shared blind spots?

Christy says egalitarians may do “intense gymnastics” with difficult passages, while complementarians may “draw the line…so much further back” that women are “handicapped”; what do those critiques reveal about what God is like as a speaker—clear, demanding, and yet generous—and how should that affect our fear-driven or control-driven approaches? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Christy says egalitarians can twist hard verses and complementarians can restrict women too much. What do these problems suggest about what God is like when he speaks, and how should that change the way we act out of fear or a need to control?

The “third way” question is driven by New Testament examples: Phoebe, Junia, Tryphena/Tryphosa, Priscilla correcting Apollos, Euodia and Syntyche, Philip’s prophesying daughters, and 1 Corinthians 11 assuming women prophesy; if early Christians took these texts at face value, what kinds of public ministry by women would have been normal, and what kinds of restrictions would have seemed strange? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians took passages about Phoebe, Junia, Priscilla, and women prophesying as normal, what kinds of public ministry by women would have been expected? What limits on women would have seemed odd to them?

Christy insists on making space for women’s prophesying while “still being very careful that we’re not explaining away the words of scripture”; what would faithful “space” look like in a local church gathering (teaching, prophecy, correction, evangelism, decision-making), and what boundaries—if any—seem warranted from the passages she’s trying not to explain away? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like for a church to make real room for women to speak and minister, while still taking Scripture seriously? In areas like teaching, prophecy, correction, evangelism, and decision-making, what limits—if any—seem wise based on the passages she doesn’t want to explain away?

Her final encouragement is to ground everything in identity “as a disciple first,” not first as woman, mother, employee, or student; where do the roles “stacked up on top” practically compete with discipleship in your life, and what specific decision or change would show that being Christ’s disciple is truly the foundation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do your other roles (like parent, worker, or student) push discipleship into second place in real life? What one clear change would show that following Jesus comes first for you?