Discussion Questions

Merle describes conservative Mennonite practice as “looking at biblical principles” and then agreeing, “this is how we’re going to express that” in daily life—what does that process assume about what God is like (his will, clarity, and desire to be obeyed), and how does it challenge the way you personally approach decision-making? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Mennonites study the Bible and then agree on how to live it out, what does that say about what they believe God is like and what he wants? How is that different from how you usually make decisions?

He connects “biblicism,” “simple and literal interpretation,” and “discipleship as the essence of Christianity” with conservative Mennonites making “an honest effort” to put Anabaptist convictions into practice—what picture of faithful Christianity is he arguing for, and where do you feel resistance to that picture in yourself? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kind of “faithful Christianity” is Merle saying Mennonites are aiming for when they read the Bible simply and try to obey it? What part of that picture do you push back against inside yourself?

Merle contrasts North American individualism (“nobody else should really have anything to say about my life”) with a church that practices mutual accountability—how would early Christians have assumed the church should function in this area, and what would have to change in your life to actually live as “a disciplined group of believers” instead of an individual consumer of religion? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How did early Christians expect the church to help shape and correct each other’s lives? What would you need to change to live as part of a disciplined church group instead of just doing faith on your own?

He rejects the question “does your church allow you to do whatever?” as a misunderstanding, because “together as a body, we’re deciding”—what does this imply about authority and freedom in the church, and what fears come up when you imagine submitting to group decisions you didn’t personally prefer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the church decides things together, what does that say about authority and freedom in the church? What scares you about following a group decision you don’t like?

Merle critiques the “salvation issues only” mindset (“tell me what I need to do to be saved”) using the marriage and employer analogies—what does this argument reveal about love, obedience, and motive in our relationship with Christ, and where do you see “minimum compliance” patterns in your discipleship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do Merle’s marriage and job examples show the difference between loving obedience and doing the bare minimum with Jesus? Where do you see “doing just enough” in your own discipleship?

When Merle says people call conservative Mennonites “legalistic,” but box-checking can happen “in any system,” how should a church discern the difference between sincere obedience and dead legalism without simply abandoning concrete applications? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If “box-checking” can happen in any church, how can a church tell the difference between real obedience and dead legalism? How can it keep clear rules without losing the heart behind them?

In the 1 Corinthians 11 veiling story, Merle challenges the “heart vs hat” framing and insists it’s “not a binary choice… what if you have both?”—how does this confront common evangelical instincts about externals, and what practices have you dismissed as “external” that might actually be meant to embody a heart posture? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In the veiling example, Merle says it’s not “heart or hat,” but both—how does that challenge the idea that outward actions don’t matter? What “external” practices have you brushed off that might actually show a heart attitude?

Merle says conservative Mennonite churches “work on the heart attitude and… the applications,” so the two “work together in a very powerful way”—what kinds of applications today might genuinely strengthen heart obedience (rather than replace it), and what kinds of applications tend to produce hypocrisy? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of church practices today could truly help people obey God from the heart, not just look good? What kinds of practices usually lead to fake behavior or hypocrisy?

His advice to newcomers is that the biggest adjustment is church-as-brotherhood: “you have to be all in,” and the group won’t “adopt every preference of every person”—what would “all in” actually cost you (habits, preferences, identity markers), and what does your reaction reveal about what you believe the church is for? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If being “all in” means the church won’t fit everyone’s preferences, what would it cost you to really join a brotherhood like that? What does your reaction show about what you think the church is for?

Merle admits real internal conflict (“we’re not allowed to fight with outsiders… we fight with each other”) while still claiming a sincere pursuit of peace—how should a peace church handle “disrespectful and vicious conflicts” in a way that proves the commitment is real, and what concrete steps would repentance and reconciliation require in your own community? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If a peace church still has harsh fights inside, how should it deal with them in a way that shows peace is real? What specific steps would repentance and making things right take in your own community?