Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
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?
Another 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?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests that forcing issues into the “way of Christ” exposes how partisan instincts often operate without biblical reasoning, which feels threatening because it challenges both sides’ assumed moral frameworks and loyalties.
- Dean describes asking his father for Jesus-centered reasoning, and the response revealed the problem: “What does that have to do with it?” Dean replies, “that’s kind of the problem.”
- He points to reflexive partisanship: his dad would “click the R lever… and I’m done,” regardless of candidate or agenda.
- Dean says Jesus does speak to these issues, and this approach “goes both ways… Democratic… and… Republican.”
- He names key flashpoints: “abortion… border control… healthcare,” and insists kingdom Christians are “concerned about these issues.”
- Yet he re-centers the solution: “we believe the Kingdom of God is the answer… not the politics of this world.”