Discussion Questions
Chester quotes a “new definition of neighbor” as “one with whom one shares one’s being… one’s people… the German is our neighbor”; what specific teachings of Jesus does that definition quietly replace, and how would adopting that definition reshape what “love” feels like in a church? JumpstartAnother way to ask: This “new neighbor” idea says only your own people count as neighbors. Which of Jesus’ teachings does that replace, and how would it change what “love” looks and feels like in a church?
The transcript says German Mennonites “would only help Jews if it did not put their own lives in jeopardy,” contrasted with Corrie ten Boom’s risk-taking; where do you see self-preservation being treated as wisdom in the church today, and what would it look like to renounce that “wisdom” without becoming reckless? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see churches today calling self-protection “wisdom”? How can someone choose to take real risks for others without being careless?
Chester describes how fear of communism made Hitler look like “the liberating savior,” and that Nazis then blocked Mennonite aid to persecuted Mennonites in the Soviet Union, demanding “undivided loyalty”; what does this reveal about God’s jealousy for His people’s allegiance, and what modern “saviors” compete for that same loyalty? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does this story show about God wanting our full loyalty? What “saviors” today try to take that kind of loyalty instead of God?
Benjamin Unro’s claim—“There is no contradiction between being a good Christian in the Mennonite tradition and being a supporter of Adolf Hitler”—was paired with biblical language like “God-given calling” and “have you never read 1 Timothy 2:2?”; what interpretive moves are being made with Scripture here, and how might early Christians have heard those same arguments? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How are these leaders using Bible verses to claim you can follow Jesus and support Hitler at the same time? How do you think the early Christians would have responded to those claims?
The host observes that to justify killing, leaders reached for Abraham rescuing Lot, David and Goliath, Samson, etc., because “from Jesus’ teachings and life, you don’t find anything”; when Christians today reach for Old Testament examples to override Jesus, what does that imply about which “Testament” practically rules their conscience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Christians use Old Testament war stories to ignore Jesus’ way of life, what does that say about which part of the Bible is really guiding their conscience?
Chester notes that Mennonites agreed violence shouldn’t be used against Jews, yet affirmed “legal restrictions were proper,” and “that attitude was all the Nazis really needed”; what kinds of “nonviolent” complicity can a believer participate in while still claiming innocence, and how do you discern the moment when “passive and silent” becomes participation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “nonviolent” choices can still help evil grow while someone claims they stayed innocent? How do you know when staying quiet stops being neutral and becomes taking part?
The Wartheland church incorporation limited membership by Nazi “blood and Volk,” excluding Jewish or Slavic Christians, and included participation in Nazi “morning celebration” meant to kindle racial instinct; what does this episode teach about how quickly church membership and worship can be redefined by the state, and where are the weak seams in our own churches that could be exploited? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does this show about how fast a government can reshape who belongs in a church and what happens in worship? What weak spots in our churches today could be used the same way?
The transcript describes genealogical/race forms as an “official church activity,” with the fear that “a single case would ruin our reputation,” and Mennonites “basked” in praise for “racial purity”; what are the “reputation-preserving” practices in your Christian community that would become ugly if an ungodly regime praised them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What things does your church do mainly to protect its reputation, and how could those look shameful if an evil government praised them? What does that reveal about what your community values?
Chester says “not one German Mennonite… refused conscription,” some joined the SS, and churches published theological reasons to “lay down their lives for their friends” in Nazi victories; how did “sacrificial love” get repurposed into loyalty to the state, and what contemporary Christian slogans could be similarly weaponized? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How did the idea of “sacrificial love” get twisted into serving the Nazi state? What Christian phrases today could be twisted in the same way to demand loyalty to a cause or nation?
The German Mennonites’ 1995 confession admits they “sacrificed a peace witness” and “remained silent,” and Chester ends with Wiesenthal’s warning that Hitler and Stalin are “waiting for us to forget”; what practices of memory, teaching, and public repentance would actually keep a church from repeating this—and which of those practices do modern Christians most resist and why? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What habits of remembering, teaching, and saying sorry in public would really help a church not repeat these sins? Which of those habits do Christians today push back on most, and why?