Discussion Jumpstarter

Study leader reference - not a definitive answer

Question 8

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?

Another 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?

Discussion Jumpstarter

Direct Answer
Dean’s teaching suggests the temptation comes when big social problems make us doubt the Kingdom of God has real answers, and “kingdom cures” would mean engaging those issues through the church’s way rather than trying to solve them through political power.

Support from Transcript:

Dean directly denies that voting is automatically evil: the issue isn’t “some sort of evil just in the act of giving your consent.”
He frames political involvement as diagnostic: “I see this as a symptom… we’re already losing in our kingdom.”
He says the symptom includes a mindset shift: you start thinking “you don’t have the cures in the kingdom of God.”
In another answer, Dean lists “hot issues” people care about—“abortion… border control… healthcare”—but insists “the Kingdom of God is the answer… not the politics of this world.”
David similarly argues the apostles focused on “changing people’s lives… pulling them out of this system into a different system.”

Discussion Follow-ups Which issues make you most likely to think, “We need the government to fix this”? What would a church-based response look like that still takes the problem seriously without shifting your hope into state power?

Jumpstarter 8 of 10