Discussion Questions

Tanya said one of the biggest threats to the church “in any given age or place” is nationalism that sidelines Christians into “transient problems and interests” of an earthly country; where have you seen political causes (especially around elections) actually reshape what Christians in your circles talk about, fear, and hope for—and what does that reveal about where allegiance has subtly shifted? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen politics (especially during elections) change what Christians around you talk about, worry about, and hope for? What does that show about what they’re most loyal to?

The talk claims that when Christians mix the kingdom of God with the kingdom of this world “it gets murky and muddy,” leading to “confusion and impotence”; what kinds of “impotence” (loss of spiritual power, clarity, courage, love, unity, mission) have you seen in churches that are heavily invested in national outcomes? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When a church ties God’s kingdom too closely to a nation’s success, what kinds of spiritual weakness have you seen (less courage, love, unity, clear mission)? How did it show up?

Tanya described her Army crisis as coming “face to face…with the teachings of Jesus,” especially “not returning evil for evil” and the impossibility of being “willing to kill for…an earthly kingdom” while loving enemies; what in your own discipleship would become impossible—or would have to change—if Jesus “really meant every word He said”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Jesus truly meant everything He taught (like loving enemies and not repaying evil), what parts of your life would have to change? What would become hard or impossible to keep doing?

She said her childhood church loved Jesus but didn’t teach that His commands must be “practically lived out,” even claiming Jesus’ teachings were for “a different dispensation” or “meant to be lived out in heaven”; how do those assumptions still show up today (even subtly) in how Christians talk about grace, faith, and “what really matters”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do Christians today still act like Jesus’ commands aren’t meant to be lived out here and now (but only “in heaven” or “for another time”)? How does that shape how people talk about grace, faith, and what matters most?

Tanya argued that early Christians read Jesus “very plainly, like a child,” treating commands like “Love your enemies” as “Christian non-negotiables…now for all the world to see”; what practices or stances do you think early Christians would find most strange—or self-contradictory—in modern evangelical life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians took Jesus’ commands as non-negotiable, what would they find most confusing or hypocritical about modern evangelical life? What seems to clash with “love your enemies” today?

The “little embassies of heaven” claim ties kingdom witness to ordinary local church life—meatballs on Sunday, cleaning houses, helping someone move—because “the rest of the world doesn’t work that way”; which hidden acts of embodied love in your church most clearly feel like “another country,” and what would have to die in you to do them “with abandon”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What quiet acts of love in your church (meals, cleaning, moving help) most feel like they come from “another country”? What part of your pride or comfort would you have to let go to do them freely?

Using 2 Timothy 2:3–5, Tanya warned against being “entangled…with the affairs of this life” and said the point is not merely avoiding the world but being actively involved in “another army”; what are the most respectable “entanglements” serious Christians justify today, and how do you discern whether they actually advance Christ’s interests? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “good” or “respectable” things do serious Christians get tangled up in today that distract them from Christ? How do you tell if something is truly helping Jesus’ mission or just taking your attention?

Tanya challenged the “just me and my Jesus” / “just me and my Bible” posture as a dangerous doctrine that avoids the “painstaking effort” and self-denial of committing to a body, saying “first, you have to walk in obedience, and then the light comes”; what obedience to local church life are you currently postponing while waiting for clarity, and what would it look like to reverse that order? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What part of committing to a local church are you putting off because you want more clarity first? What would it look like to obey first and trust that understanding will come later?

She told a story of a group claiming “no extra biblical standards” yet having layers of unspoken expectations (like the wedding ring issue), and concluded “the clearer the expectations are, the better,” if balanced with “grace…humility” for newcomers; where have unclear, unspoken church norms wounded people you know, and what would transparent, loving communication actually require from both leaders and members? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have unspoken church rules or expectations hurt someone you know? What would it take for leaders and members to state expectations clearly while still treating newcomers with grace and humility?

Tanya’s Bach “musical physics” analogy suggested harmony comes when every note is “bent…slightly off key,” applying it to “humility…self-denial” and “bending our hearts and wills…toward each other and toward those outside of our churches”; what specific “bending” are you resisting right now (preferences, offense, suspicion, tribalism), and what might become possible in your church if you chose it anyway? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kind of humility and “bending” toward others are you resisting right now (giving up preferences, letting go of offense, dropping suspicion)? What could change in your church if you chose to do it anyway?