Discussion Questions

Luke described being raised in a home centered on “politics and sports,” yet his dad made statements like “if there’s a creation, there must be a creator” and “the problem with the world is sin”; how do those “seed” moments challenge the assumption that God only works through explicitly Christian homes and language? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke grew up in a home focused on politics and sports, but his dad still said things like “there must be a creator” and “the problem is sin.” How does that challenge the idea that God only works through clearly Christian homes and words?

Luke said he wasn’t consciously seeking God during COVID but was “going crazy” absorbing political/conspiracy content and seeing evil with “no solution”; what does his story suggest about how God uses cultural chaos and fear to expose the emptiness of political hope? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke wasn’t trying to find God during COVID, but fear and political/conspiracy content made him feel like evil had no answer. How might God use chaos and fear to show that politics can’t save us?

Luke’s early “conversion moment” included praying at an altar call, receiving a Bible, and reading the entire Gospel of John that night; what might early Christians have found compelling—or concerning—about that kind of immediate, individual response compared to how they practiced conversion, catechesis, and baptism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke prayed at an altar call, got a Bible, and read all of John in one night. How might early Christians have viewed that kind of fast, personal response compared to their slower process of teaching and baptism?

Luke explained a shift from fearing death to wanting to “die in an epic warrior way,” chasing the “best of the best” identity and toughness; where do you see that same drive for “hardness” and superiority baptized into modern Christian masculinity, and how does it collide with Jesus’ picture of strength? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke moved from fearing death to wanting to be an “epic warrior” and the “best of the best.” Where do you see that same push for toughness show up in Christian masculinity today, and how does it clash with Jesus’ idea of strength?

Luke admitted he evaluated strangers with a constant mental grid—“can I beat that guy up?”—and carried a knife as part of a self-defense mindset; what does Jesus’ teaching (“if someone takes your tunic, give your cloak also”) demand at the level of imagination and instincts, not just outward behavior? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke judged strangers by thinking, “Can I beat that guy up?” and carried a knife for self-defense. What would Jesus’ teaching about giving up your cloak demand from your instincts and imagination, not just your actions?

At the Anabaptist house church, a Russian brother challenged Luke with “Is it okay for a Christian to kill?” and then said, “I only hear this garbage in America”; what specifically about American Christianity makes those three “exceptions” (self-defense, war, capital punishment) feel obvious and unquestionable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: A Russian Christian asked Luke, “Is it okay for a Christian to kill?” and said he only hears these “exceptions” in America. What is it about American Christianity that makes self-defense, war, and the death penalty seem so normal and unquestioned?

Luke pushed back with common proof-text-style arguments (centurion, Cornelius, John the Baptist and soldiers) until “do violence to no man” in the KJV stopped him; what does this interaction expose about how we choose translations, favorite passages, and interpretive habits to protect what we already want to keep? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke used common Bible examples to defend violence until one verse stopped him (“do violence to no man”). What does this show about how we pick certain translations and favorite verses to protect what we already want to believe?

Luke said the early church rejected Calvinism/determinism and that Augustine was the first to teach both determinism and just war; even if someone disputes the history, how does Luke’s argument press on the question of whether “orthodoxy” is defined by later theological systems or by early Christian consensus and practice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke says the early church rejected determinism and just war, and that those ideas came later with Augustine. Even if the history is debated, how does this raise the question of whether “orthodoxy” comes from later systems or from the early church’s shared beliefs and practices?

Luke connected predestination-to-hell with ease of killing: “It’s a lot easier to kill people if you believe God predestined [them] to hell,” but if “God wants everyone saved,” then killing becomes unthinkable; how does what you believe about God’s desire to save shape your willingness to harm enemies, support war, or celebrate violent power? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke said it’s easier to kill if you think God predestined people to hell, but harder if you believe God wants everyone saved. How do your beliefs about who God wants to save affect how willing you are to harm enemies, support war, or praise violent power?

When Luke submitted conscientious objector paperwork, his leaders responded with surprising agreement—“I’m a Christian too…that’s why I do computer work”—rather than persecution; what does that reveal about conscience, convenience, and hypocrisy in modern Christian participation in the military, and where might similar “quiet compromises” exist in our own lives? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Luke filed as a conscientious objector, his leaders quietly agreed instead of fighting him. What does that say about conscience and hypocrisy in how Christians relate to the military, and where might we be making similar “quiet compromises” in our own lives?