Discussion Questions
The speaker says that if you joined the Army as a Christian in the early church “you would have been put out of the church,” and that converted soldiers had to agree “to never use the sword or to take an oath”; what does that reveal about how the early Christians understood Jesus’s authority over violence, loyalty, and even employment? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians would remove a Christian soldier from the church unless he promised not to fight or swear oaths, what does that show about how they saw Jesus’ authority over violence, loyalty, and their jobs?
Tertullian is quoted saying, “All zeal in the pursuit of glory and honor is dead in us… nor is anything more entirely foreign to us than the affairs of state. We acknowledge one all-embracing commonwealth, the world”; what kind of “citizenship” and identity does that assume, and what would have to die in a Christian today for those words to be honest? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Tertullian says Christians don’t chase honor, avoid state affairs, and belong to the whole world, what kind of “citizenship” is that? What would you have to let die in yourself for you to say that honestly today?
Dean argues early Christians weren’t merely “not involved” in politics, but were “positively creating the kingdom of Christ through the church,” comparing “non-resistance” to calling marriage “non-adultery”; where do you see your own discipleship framed mainly by what you refuse to do rather than what you actively build—and what might that reveal about your confidence in the church as God’s instrument? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where is your discipleship mostly about what you won’t do instead of what you are building in the church? What might that show about how much you trust the church to be God’s tool?
The speaker says early Christians “stayed out of politics” because they “just didn’t have time for the politics of this world”; what specific “kingdom work” would have filled their time and imagination, and what modern church activities might be substitutes that still leave room for political obsession? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians avoided politics because they were too busy, what “kingdom work” was filling their time and imagination? What church activities today might look spiritual but still leave lots of room to obsess over politics?
In answering whether voting is inherently sinful, Dean says their caution comes from “the leaven” of history and how involvement “mixes” kingdoms; what examples from church history (or your own story) make this “leaven” argument feel plausible—or make you want to resist it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Dean says history is like “leaven” that shows how politics can mix kingdoms and change the church. What stories from church history or your life make that seem true, or make you push back against it?
David describes his path from voting on tax referendums (“a bridge or a stadium”) to being “sucked” into presidential voting within six years, concluding, “That’s somebody else’s world. Let them make those decisions”; what desires or fears make “just a little involvement” feel necessary, and how do you discern when “prudence” is actually a doorway to assimilation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What desires or fears make “a little political involvement” feel necessary to you? How can you tell when being “prudent” is really the first step toward becoming like the world around you?
The speaker criticizes political narratives that “put a halo on one side and a devil and horns on the other,” saying neither party encapsulates the Bible; where have you noticed yourself consuming information that trains you to demonize, and what practices would it take to stop letting politics disciple your moral imagination? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you taken in news or social media that trains you to see one side as all good and the other as evil? What would you need to change so politics stops shaping how you think about right and wrong?
When asked about shareholder voting, Dean says the “biggest problem” isn’t the act of consent but that political involvement is a “symptom… you’re already losing in your kingdom” and starting to think “you don’t have the cures in the kingdom of God”; what “problems” tempt you to believe the kingdom of God isn’t sufficient, and what would it look like to pursue “kingdom cures” instead of state cures? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What problems tempt you to think God’s kingdom isn’t enough and that the state has the real answers? What would it look like to try “kingdom cures” instead of government cures?
In discussing conversations around election time, Dean suggests asking, “What would you think Jesus would answer to that would be?” and notes his father’s instinct to “click the R lever” regardless of the candidate; what happens in a group when you actually force hot issues (abortion, border control, healthcare) into the “way of Christ,” and why does that feel threatening to both left and right? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What happens when a group really asks, “What would Jesus say?” about hot topics like abortion, borders, or healthcare? Why might that kind of question feel threatening to both the left and the right?
Dean uses Mennonite praise of Hitler as a warning that the “Antichrist comes from the right… as an angel of light,” while David adds that “Satan appears as an angel of light in both directions,” calling both parties “two sides of Satan’s kingdom”; what criteria from the teaching would help a group recognize “angel of light” rhetoric today, and what would repentance look like if you discovered your prayers, hopes, or outrage had been politically captured? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What signs would help you spot politics that looks good and holy but is actually leading people away from Christ? If you realized your prayers, hopes, or anger were shaped more by politics than Jesus, what would repentance look like?