Discussion Questions
The speaker opens by saying, “We don’t have the rights that Americans have…our rights have been stripped away by our king.” What specific “rights” did you assume you still possessed after becoming a Christian, and how does the idea of Jesus as King challenge the way you talk about “my rights” in everyday life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: After you became a Christian, what “rights” did you still think were yours to keep? How does calling Jesus your King change the way you talk about “my rights” day to day?
The speaker shows images of Jesus wrapped in the American flag, Trump as a kind of “Christian protector,” and a church crowd chanting “One nation under God” over a president—then asks, “Is Jesus Lord or is Caesar Lord?” What reactions did those examples surface in you, and where do you see your faith identity most tempted to blend with a political identity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How did you feel seeing Jesus tied to the American flag and a president treated like a Christian hero? Where are you most tempted to mix your faith with your politics?
The speaker argues that early Christian non-resistance is “almost impossible…to swallow if you don’t understand” the two-kingdom concept. What parts of the early Christian witness (turning the other cheek, refusing violence, suffering willingly) feel “impossible” to you—and what deeper assumption about God, justice, or survival makes them feel impossible? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which early Christian teachings (like turning the other cheek or not using violence) feel impossible for you? What belief about God, justice, or staying safe makes them feel that way?
In the China stories, the speaker describes having “less rights” than citizens and learning he had to obey local laws yet still preach Christ when told not to. How does his “foreigner” experience reframe what it means to be “sojourners and pilgrims” in 1 Peter, and what would change in your posture toward your nation if you truly saw yourself as a resident alien? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the speaker’s life as a foreigner in China help you understand being “sojourners and pilgrims” in 1 Peter? If you saw yourself as a “resident alien,” how would your attitude toward your country change?
The speaker contrasts “God-given rights” as commonly listed (speech, guns, self-defense, etc.) with “God’s taken rights” (no right to bitterness, gossip, retaliation, sexual impurity, keeping records of wrongs, suing). Which items on his “taken rights” list struck you as most personally confronting, and what would repentance look like in concrete habits, not just beliefs? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which “rights” the speaker says God takes away (like bitterness, gossip, or revenge) hit you the hardest? What would real repentance look like in your daily habits, not just your thoughts?
A pro-gun teacher in the clips claims, “The right to bear arms is a biblical right,” and argues that refusing self-defense is “aiding and abetting a crime.” The speaker counters that Christians are called to be “on the side of the attacker” so the attacker might repent. How do you evaluate that claim in light of Jesus’ passion and Stephen’s martyrdom, and what does it reveal about God’s priorities compared to our instincts for self-preservation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do you respond to the idea that Christians should care more about an attacker repenting than about defending themselves? What do Jesus’ suffering and Stephen’s death show about God’s priorities versus our need to protect ourselves?
The speaker challenges the “one law” framework (what’s right for unbelievers is right for believers) by arguing the world does what the world does, but Christians live under a different King. Where do you currently rely on “the world’s moral logic” (fairness, retaliation, legal rights, national loyalty) to interpret Scripture, and what would it cost you to let Christ’s commands override that logic? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you use the world’s way of thinking (fairness, payback, legal rights, nationalism) when you read the Bible? What might you lose if you let Jesus’ commands overrule those ideas?
In critiquing Romans 13 used to justify Hiroshima/Nagasaki and even China’s forced abortions under the one-child policy, the speaker presses that “minister of God” does not equal “morally right.” How should Christians read Romans 13 without excusing evil, and what practical boundaries does “obey the government unless it opposes Christ” require when governments command or permit injustice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can Christians read Romans 13 and still say the government can do evil? What does it look like to obey the government, but refuse when it goes against Christ or supports injustice?
The speaker uses the Nazi belt (“God with us”) and Luther’s anti-Jewish writings to warn what church-state merging can become, and he says Constantine’s merger eventually made faith “an expression of politics.” What parallels do you see today in evangelicalism (or Anabaptist circles, as discussed afterward), and what safeguards would early Christians likely insist on to prevent the church from becoming a tool of the state? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What ways do you see the church and politics getting mixed together today? What rules or protections do you think early Christians would demand so the church doesn’t become a tool of the government?
Near the end, the group discussion highlights that non-resistance must reach “small areas” (patience with kids, refusing gossip, immediate forgiveness, not even keeping a memory of injury), or we will fail the “big test.” What “small” daily patterns in your life most contradict the non-resistant way of Christ, and what specific practices would you need to adopt to become the kind of person who could truly “have the right to die” without retaliation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What small daily habits (like impatience, gossip, or holding grudges) fight against Jesus’ non-resistant way in you? What specific practices would help you become someone who won’t strike back, even when it costs you a lot?