Discussion Questions

Atlee described growing up with deep insecurity, fear, and a sense of being “unsafe” to talk; what does his story suggest about how God pursues a person whose inner life is already marked by stress and distrust, even before they can articulate “spiritual” questions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Atlee grew up feeling scared, insecure, and unsafe to speak. What does his story show about how God comes after someone even before they can put their spiritual questions into words?

Atlee connected his childhood search for “fun” (the creek, the trees, the minnows) with conflict over chores and expectations; how does this expose the kinds of desires a community can unintentionally train in a child (escape, secrecy, coping), and what would a more God-centered way of forming desire have looked like? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Atlee loved “fun” in nature, but it clashed with chores and expectations. How can a community accidentally teach a child to want escape or secrecy, and what would it look like to shape a child’s desires in a more God-centered way?

Atlee said that at 17 he was baptized Amish, “very sincere,” believed in Jesus, and felt like he was on “better ground,” yet later still struggled deeply; how does that complicate common assumptions about baptism, sincerity, and assurance—especially compared to the early Christian expectation of a changed life that endures? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Atlee was baptized at 17, was sincere, and believed in Jesus, but still struggled later. What does that say about what baptism, sincerity, and assurance do—and don’t—guarantee over time?

He talked about reading the New Testament repeatedly, loving the Gospels because Jesus felt “very simple,” yet bumping into commands where he thought, “It says this. We don’t do it”; which teachings of Jesus tend to create that collision between Scripture and inherited practice today, and what should decide the outcome when they clash? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He read the New Testament and felt Jesus was simple, but then saw commands his community didn’t follow. Which teachings of Jesus most often clash with church tradition today, and when they clash, what should win?

Atlee said the conservative Amish setting had “very little Bible knowledge” and “we didn’t have all this modern theology,” and that this actually helped him read the Bible “for what it is”; in what ways might modern Christian theological systems—even “sound” ones—keep people from hearing the plain force of Jesus’ words? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Atlee said not having “modern theology” helped him read the Bible more plainly. How can even “good” theological systems keep people from taking Jesus’ words at face value?

He longed for a brotherhood like “the early Anabaptists” and “the early Christians,” marked by close relationships and practical help, and felt discouraged that “there is nobody out there” who wants that; what does that longing reveal about God’s intention for the church, and what might it cost a group to pursue that kind of shared life for real? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He wanted a close, helping church like the early Christians and felt like nobody wanted that anymore. What does that desire show about what God wants the church to be, and what might it cost to really live that way?

Atlee’s “strategy” to help struggling Amish was to become an “Amish doctor” so people would come in and he could talk with them, because direct spiritual counsel would get labeled “a different belief”; what does that reveal about the social power of labels in religious communities, and how should Christians navigate truth-telling when “official” channels are blocked? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He planned to help people by becoming an “Amish doctor” because direct spiritual talk would get labeled as “a different belief.” What does this show about how labels control people, and how should Christians speak truth when the normal channels are shut down?

When he warned people not to join the Boston setting “for church or college,” he implied that something can look like serious discipleship—“close communication, discipleship, brothers helping each other out”—and still be “very much wrong”; what criteria should a community use to discern when a church’s outward “kingdom culture” is actually masking corruption? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He said a group can look like serious discipleship and brotherhood but still be very wrong. How can a community tell when a church’s “kingdom culture” is real versus when it’s hiding sin and abuse?

Atlee argued that if ex-Amish look back and have “nothing good to say” about the Amish, it “could be a problem,” and he pointed to forgiving and recognizing real good (work ethic, honesty); how does forgiveness function here not as a feeling but as a spiritual safeguard, and what might unforgiveness do to someone’s ability to follow Christ forward? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He said it’s a problem if ex-Amish can see nothing good in the Amish, and he talked about forgiving and noticing real good. How does forgiveness protect someone spiritually, and how can unforgiveness hold someone back from following Christ?

He criticized “Protestant theology” that says works have no role and are only “filthy rags,” claiming it creates a logic of drifting—“why not just move on…make life easy…you don’t have to live the kingdom life”; where do you see that same logic operating in modern evangelical Christianity, and what would repentance look like in the concrete habits of obedience Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount? JumpstartAnother way to ask: He said some Protestant teaching can lead people to think obedience doesn’t matter and to take the easy path. Where do you see that attitude today, and what would real repentance look like in actually doing what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount?