Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 2
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?
Another 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?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript doesn’t directly describe the first centuries of Christianity, but it implies that a “normal” discipleship assumes Jesus’ teachings are binding, that allegiance to Jesus can clash with allegiance to the state, and that Christians overcome evil through non-carnal means.
- The speaker defines the “untold story” as people who “took Jesus’ teachings literally” on enemy-love and doing good.
- He foregrounds divided loyalty: “You cannot serve two masters,” implying kingdoms compete for the disciple’s obedience.
- He frames Christian action as spiritual, not military: “The weapons of a war are not carnal.”
- He repeatedly contrasts “following Jesus” with what war produces: after Verdun he concludes, “Men are mad and are not doing the following Jesus.”
- He stresses that believers must “know what we believe from Scripture and why,” suggesting discipleship is grounded in stated convictions, not just emotion or culture.