Discussion Questions

Kevin defined “the faith once delivered” as “given, not invented…complete, not evolving…holy, not humanly modified”; what picture of God is being assumed when Kevin says “What was given needs no updating or expansion or correction,” and where do modern Christians subtly act like God *did* leave an “unfinished draft waiting for modern improvement”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Kevin says the faith needs no updates, what does that assume about God and what He gave us? Where do Christians today act like God left things unfinished and we need to improve them?

Kevin warned that “drift is never sudden…slow, silent, and seductive” and said Israel’s “greatest sin” was forgetting God; what are the specific ways a church can “forget” God while still keeping Christian vocabulary, and what practices would early Christians likely use to resist that kind of drift? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can a church “forget” God while still using Christian words and doing church stuff? What habits do you think early Christians used to keep from slowly drifting away?

Kevin claimed, “Truth is not elastic. It is eternal,” and said renewal comes by “remembering,” not “rewriting the story”; what current issues tempt believers to “bend truth to fit its times,” and how should a group decide whether it is doing legitimate contextualization or sinful modification? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What issues today tempt Christians to change the truth so it fits the culture? How can a group tell the difference between explaining the faith in a new setting and wrongly changing it?

Kevin’s “modern illusion” was that we’ve advanced beyond the early believers, calling it “hubris and pride disguised as wisdom”; what are concrete examples of “pride disguised as wisdom” in theological education, preaching, or social-media Christianity, and what kind of humility would it take to reverse course? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are some real examples of “pride pretending to be wisdom” in Bible schools, preaching, or social media? What kind of humility would it take to admit we’re wrong and change direction?

Kevin used a Constitution analogy—“Return to the Constitution…Return to the faith once delivered,” even calling it “the kingdom’s constitution”; in what ways does that analogy help, and in what ways could it mislead (for example, treating the faith as merely a document rather than a lived allegiance to a King)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does comparing the faith to the Constitution help people understand Kevin’s point? How could that comparison go wrong by making faith seem like just a document instead of loyalty to a King?

Kevin said the Anabaptists are “a rich heritage, but…not an original source,” while early fathers like Justin Martyr and Irenaeus are “priceless witnesses”; how should a disciple weigh Scripture, early church fathers, and Anabaptist teachers when they appear to pull in different directions on a doctrine or practice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Scripture, early church fathers, and Anabaptist teachers seem to disagree, how should a disciple sort it out? What weight should each one have when deciding what to believe or do?

Kevin said the early fathers show faith “lived, not just professed,” marked by “unity, holiness, courage, and virtue”; if an outsider examined our churches the way we examine the early church, what evidence would they find of “lived” obedience versus mere profession—and what would they find instead? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If someone looked at our churches the way we look at the early church, what would prove we really obey Jesus and not just talk about Him? What signs might show we mainly have words without action?

Kevin insisted, “The church doesn’t need a new revelation. It needs faithful restoration”; what beloved modern assumptions about “fresh vision,” innovation, or personal revelation might need to be challenged by that claim, and how would a restoration posture change a church’s priorities? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What popular ideas about “new vision,” innovation, or personal revelation might Kevin’s statement challenge? If a church focused on restoration instead of novelty, what priorities would change?

Max called the early church a “sanity check” against modern voices saying, “It means this…It means that,” and he highlighted their “unity…simple, straightforward” reading; what makes modern Christianity so comfortable with interpretive complexity that results in contradictory practice, and what would it cost us to adopt the early Christians’ kind of “plain” reading? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why are Christians today so okay with complicated interpretations that lead to opposite practices? What would we have to give up or change to read Scripture more plainly like the early Christians did?

Max quoted Tertullian on non-resistance (“You wound that outrageous one more by enduring”) and Justin Martyr on remarriage (“all who by human law are twice married are…sinners”); what emotions or objections rise up when you hear those early Christian claims stated so bluntly, and what would have to change in our discipleship, church discipline, and pastoral care if we treated those topics with the same seriousness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What feelings or pushback do you have when you hear early Christians speak so strongly about non-resistance and remarriage? If we took those issues just as seriously, what would need to change in discipleship, church discipline, and pastoral care?