Discussion Questions
Susan described being “sprinkled into the Amish church” at 18 “because it was an honor to my parents…going through the motions, not understanding,” and feeling like a “good girl” for obeying; how does her story expose the difference between conformity to a religious system and genuine repentance before God? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does Susan’s story show the difference between just following church rules to please people and truly turning to God with a repentant heart?
Susan said she “never really saw my parents read their Bible,” and that the German prayer book was something she “did not understand”; what does this suggest about what God expects from His people regarding understanding, words, and heart-engagement in prayer and Scripture? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say about what God wants when people pray and read the Bible using words they don’t understand and without their hearts being involved?
When Samuel read Scripture for an hour instead of making work “top priority,” Susan resented it because “the Bible didn’t speak” to her; what does this reveal about the kinds of “priorities” that can become spiritual authorities in a home, and how does God challenge those authorities? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Susan’s frustration show about how things like work and routine can become the “boss” in a Christian home, and how does God challenge that?
The Michigan visits were a turning point because they “taught us to pray without a prayer book” and taught the Bible in a way that “inspired me to come home and search for my own”; what assumptions about discipleship and spiritual formation are being confronted here, and how might early Christians have viewed memorized prayers versus praying “in their own words”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What beliefs about spiritual growth get challenged when Susan learns to pray without a book and starts reading the Bible for herself, and how might early Christians have viewed memorized prayers versus praying in their own words?
Susan said the Amish “do not teach on repentance,” and that she only saw herself as a “very sinful person” after the Sunlight Club topic on repentance; what parts of modern Christianity also produce “good person” confidence without deep repentance, and what does Susan’s “felt clean” experience imply about how God intends conviction and forgiveness to work? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What parts of today’s Christianity can make people feel “good enough” without real repentance, and what does Susan feeling “clean” teach about how conviction and forgiveness are meant to work?
Susan wrestled with months of prayer while “not seeing any changes day after day,” asking for healing that “just didn’t happen”; what does her account teach about God’s purposes in delay, and how should Christians talk about unanswered prayer without resorting to either cynicism or formulaic “faith” explanations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What might God be doing when healing is delayed, and how can Christians talk about unanswered prayer without becoming bitter or blaming it on a lack of faith?
When the Amish ministers anointed Susan with oil, it was “all in German,” and the bishop refused English even though Samuel asked; how should a church weigh tradition and uniformity against understandable teaching and pastoral care, and what might early Christians have assumed about language, accessibility, and the meaning of anointing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should a church balance keeping traditions with making teaching and care understandable, and what might early Christians have expected about language and anointing with oil?
Susan described asking whether “demonic forces or occult practices” had been done over her body, praying against a childhood visit to a doctor who did occult practices, and then feeling “freedom”; how do we discern spiritual oppression claims responsibly, and what does this story pressure-test in modern evangelical discomfort with spiritual warfare language? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can we wisely tell if someone is really facing spiritual oppression, and what does Susan’s story challenge about Christians who feel uneasy talking about spiritual warfare?
Susan said after Samuel’s simple prayer “the light went off,” “evil spirits left,” and she experienced both salvation and physical healing, including no longer leaking amniotic fluid; what picture of God’s character and authority over body and spirit is presented here, and what do we do with this testimony if our theology makes room for forgiveness but not for dramatic healing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does this story show about God’s power over both the spirit and the body, and how should we respond if we believe God forgives sins but struggle to believe in dramatic healing?
Susan “highly recommend[ed] anybody getting baptized again” if they were only sprinkled in the Amish church, connecting it to “freedom” from being “bound to all their rules and the way you dress”; what does her experience suggest about baptism’s relationship to allegiance, community boundaries, and obedience—and how does this challenge common modern claims that baptism is optional, merely symbolic, or unrelated to real-life freedom? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Susan’s choice to be baptized again say about baptism, loyalty, and breaking free from a rule-based community, and how does it challenge the idea that baptism is optional or only a symbol?