Discussion Questions
The speaker frames the whole study around taking Jesus “literally” on enemy-love, overcoming evil with good, and “you cannot serve two masters”; what does that framework reveal about what God is like (His priorities, what He calls “faithfulness”), and what parts of God’s character become non-negotiable if those teachings are actually treated as commands rather than ideals? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If we take Jesus’ commands about loving enemies, overcoming evil with good, and not serving two masters as real commands, what does that show about what God cares about most? What parts of God’s character would we have to treat as non-negotiable?
The teacher says the “untold story” is about Anabaptists and others who refused war because of Jesus’ teachings; what early-Christian assumptions about discipleship, loyalty, and the kingdom would have made that stance feel normal—or even expected—in the first centuries? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why would early Christians have seen refusing war as normal if they took Jesus’ teachings seriously? What did they believe about following Jesus, loyalty, and God’s kingdom?
After describing Verdun and quoting the lieutenant (“Humanity is mad… Hell cannot be so terrible”), the speaker comments that “Men are mad and are not doing the following Jesus”; how does that claim confront common modern Christian categories for evaluating war (e.g., “necessary evil,” “defending freedom,” “protecting the innocent”), and what objections rise up in you as you hear him say it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When the speaker says war shows people are “not doing the following Jesus,” how does that challenge common Christian reasons for war (like “necessary evil” or “protecting the innocent”)? What objections do you feel when you hear him say that?
President Wilson’s statement at the draft signing insists, “It is a nation… All must pursue one purpose… not the field that will most pleasure him”; how does that “total war” demand for unified purpose compete with the Christian claim that Jesus is Lord, and where do you see the temptation to treat national unity as a higher good than obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does a “total war” call for everyone to unite behind the nation compete with the Christian belief that Jesus is Lord? Where are you tempted to value national unity more than obeying Jesus?
The speaker highlights the CPI propaganda machine (four-minute men, posters portraying the Kaiser as inhuman/green-faced, “frightfulness,” “Beat back the Hun”); what does this reveal about how governments form consciences during crisis, and how should Christians test whether their emotions toward “the enemy” are being discipled by Christ or by propaganda? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do the posters and propaganda show about how governments shape people’s feelings and morals during a crisis? How can Christians check whether their feelings about “the enemy” come from Jesus or from propaganda?
The Lusitania story is presented with the detail that it carried “173 tons of ammunition,” and Germany later claimed justification; how does this complexity challenge the way Christians often choose “good guys vs. bad guys” narratives, and what would it look like to pursue truth and integrity when both sides weaponize information? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the Lusitania carrying ammunition complicate simple “good guys vs. bad guys” stories about war? What would it look like to seek truth and honesty when both sides twist information?
The Selective Service Act’s conscience exemption is limited to members of a “well-recognized religious sect,” and even then assigns “non-combatant” roles defined by the president and kept under military authority; what does this arrangement suggest about how the state defines “acceptable religion,” and what parallels do you see with modern expectations that Christian conviction must stay within boundaries set by secular authorities? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the limited conscience exemption in the draft law show about how the state decides what counts as “acceptable religion”? What similar pressure do you see today for Christians to keep their beliefs within limits set by secular leaders?
The Espionage and Sedition Acts criminalized obstructing bond sales, discouraging enlistment, or publishing language that could “encourage resistance,” with penalties up to 20 years; how does that legal pressure expose the cost of public Christian witness, and what forms of “speech control” do you think the church is most vulnerable to accepting today when fear is high? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do laws against certain speech during wartime show the cost of speaking publicly as a Christian? What kinds of “speech control” might the church be most likely to accept today when people are afraid?
The speaker quotes Billy Sunday calling it “hell against heaven,” claiming you’re either “a patriot or a traitor in the cause of Jesus Christ and the cause of his country,” and even saying critics of registration/war bonds should be shot; what does this reveal about how evangelical Christianity can merge Jesus’ cause with national cause, and where might similar rhetoric exist now—more subtly—in sermons, songs, or Christian media? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Billy Sunday’s “patriot or traitor” talk show about mixing Jesus’ cause with the nation’s cause? Where do you see similar ideas today, even in subtle ways in sermons, songs, or Christian media?
The lesson traces popular songs shifting from “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” (1915) to pro-enlistment anthems and even imagery of soldiers going to heaven; what practices could a serious Christian community adopt to resist cultural “slow shifts” like this, and how would you recognize if your own household has been trained to equate military sacrifice with spiritual righteousness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can a Christian community resist slow cultural changes like songs shifting from anti-war to pro-war? How would you tell if your home has started to treat military sacrifice as the same thing as spiritual goodness?