Discussion Questions

Delbert connected “In the beginning was the Word (logos)” with the claim that “speech is at the very core of what creates and orders our universe”; how does that reshape what you believe God is like (and what humans are for) when you talk, post online, pray, or make vows? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God’s “Word” means speech helps shape and order the world, how does that change what you think God is like and what humans are for when you talk, post online, pray, or make promises?

Delbert asked, “What does Jesus think about the freedom of speech?” and then read Matthew 12:36–37 about “every idle word”; what parts of modern Christian “I can say what I want” instincts get directly confronted by Jesus’ warning that words justify or condemn? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Jesus says we will answer for “every idle word,” how does that challenge the Christian attitude of “I can say whatever I want”?

Delbert contrasted America’s founding use of “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” and Galatians freedom texts with today’s “freedom of expression to identifying however we wish”; what do you think he’s implying about how a culture’s theology of liberty can drift into self-definition—and where might Christians be complicit? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you think Delbert means by saying ideas about Christian “freedom” can drift into “I define myself however I want,” and how might Christians help that drift happen?

In Matthew 21 and John 16 Delbert highlighted that prayer can be used toward “curse” (fig tree context) or toward “fullness of joy,” and he warned that “we can invoke these sorts of curses”; what kinds of church conversations (about leaders, other groups, politics, “what’s wrong with the church”) function like prayer in the direction of curse even when no one calls it prayer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of church talk about leaders, other groups, politics, or “what’s wrong with the church” act like a prayer that brings harm—even if no one calls it prayer?

Delbert brought in the ancient phrase *Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi* and said high churches used liturgy partly because spontaneous petition can be “dangerous”; what assumptions about God, the church, and the human heart are behind that caution, and how would early Christians likely evaluate our casual, impulsive “just pray whatever” habits? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why might some churches think spontaneous “say whatever you want” prayers are risky, and what would early Christians likely think about how casual and impulsive our prayers can be?

Delbert warned that *Lex Orandi* can become “magic incantation” and said hypocrisy turns even true prayers into “a lifestyle of fakeness”; where have you seen sincere-sounding Christian speech (prayers, slogans, doctrinal talk) produce unreality rather than righteousness—and what makes speech “sincere” in practice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen Christian-sounding words (prayers, slogans, doctrine talk) lead to fake living instead of real goodness, and how can you tell when speech is truly sincere?

Delbert used Mark Twain’s “war prayer” illustration to expose the “flip side” of patriotic petitions; if Christians in a church pray for “our side” (politically, nationally, culturally) to win, what unspoken outcomes are being requested for neighbors and enemies, and how should Jesus’ teachings pressure-test those prayers? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When a church prays for “our side” to win (politics, nation, culture), what bad things are they quietly asking would happen to others, and how would Jesus test whether that prayer is right?

Delbert suggested Luther’s making “works irrelevant” to salvation may be “the seedbed for Western nihilism and lawlessness”; what do you do with the uncomfortable possibility that certain popular “grace” frameworks can train people into moral weightlessness—and how would you test that claim without caricaturing Luther or excusing lawlessness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do you do with the idea that some “grace” teachings could make people feel like their choices don’t really matter, and how could you check that claim fairly without blaming Luther or excusing sin?

Delbert read Matthew 7:1–11 and tied unanswered prayer to “Judge not…with the measure you use”; where might your own disappointments with prayer be connected to patterns of criticism, scrutiny, or pressure you put on others—and what would repentance look like beyond just “being nicer”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Could some of your unanswered prayers be connected to how much you judge or pressure others, and what would real repentance look like beyond just “being nicer”?

Delbert argued Pharisees “elevated unimportant things and neglected important things,” then challenged Anabaptists about strictness on war/nonresistance versus riches, gluttony, and economics; what “weighting” of holiness issues most characterizes your church culture, and how might that weighting be fragmenting fellowship even while claiming faithfulness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What issues does your church treat as most important for holiness, what issues get treated as less important, and how might that be dividing people even while everyone says they’re being faithful?