Discussion Questions

Dean describes feeling like he was “walking about in a sleeping world,” hearing Christians say, “You’re taking it too far” and even “you’re asking questions that should never be asked”; what do those reactions reveal about what his church culture assumed faithful Christianity should feel like, and what does the chapter imply God intends disciples to do when Jesus’ words make us profoundly uncomfortable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do the reactions to Dean (“you’re taking it too far”) show about what his church thought real faith should feel like? When Jesus’ words make us very uncomfortable, what does the chapter say God wants disciples to do?

In the Gulf War-era meeting, the congregation celebrated the claim that Christians should have “no problems with jobs such as those performed by dive-bombers and fighter pilots”; what specific biblical teachings or historical facts do you think Dean had in mind but couldn’t voice, and why would those points have been so hard to raise in that room? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What Bible teachings or early church facts do you think Dean was thinking of when people praised fighter pilots and war jobs? Why would it have been so hard to bring those points up in that meeting?

When Dean asked his pastor, “What do you do with the teachings of Jesus… ‘Love your enemies’?” the pastor refused engagement (“You’re not going to change my mind”) and finally suggested, “Perhaps you would be more comfortable worshiping elsewhere”; what view of pastoral authority, unity, and truth is exposed in that exchange, and how does it contrast with the way the chapter portrays following Jesus? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the pastor’s response (“you won’t change my mind… worship elsewhere”) show about how he saw authority, unity, and truth? How is that different from the chapter’s picture of what it means to follow Jesus?

Dean says Hebrews taught him to keep going by fixing his eyes on “the non-changing promises of God,” embracing the identity of “strangers and pilgrims”; how does the chapter connect God’s promises to a willingness to be socially homeless (even “we no longer had a church”), and what kinds of “promises” are strong enough to carry that weight? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the chapter connect trusting God’s promises with being willing to lose social belonging, even losing a church? What promises are strong enough to help someone keep going through that?

Dean calls “the unanimous voice of the church… during her first 300 years” a strength against “a nearly universal opposing voice in the modern church”; how should early Christian consensus function in shaping our ethics today, and what risks or safeguards come with leaning on that kind of historical claim? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How should what most Christians believed in the first 300 years shape our moral choices today? What could go wrong—or what could protect us—when we rely on claims about early Christian agreement?

The chapter repeatedly links “taking the Sermon on the Mount literally” with non-resistance and enemy-love (Waldensians, Anabaptists, Hutterites); what does this suggest about God’s expectations for obedience to Jesus’ commands, and where do modern evangelical instincts about grace, freedom, or “not being legalistic” resist that suggestion? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If taking the Sermon on the Mount “literally” leads to enemy-love and nonviolence, what does that suggest God expects from our obedience to Jesus? Where do modern Christians push back by appealing to grace, freedom, or “not being legalistic”?

Peter Kelsisky calls the pope and emperor “whales who had torn the net of true faith,” and he argues that Christians should accept persecution without retaliating and even refuse military service; what does his imagery imply about what happens to the church when it mixes with the state, and where do you see similar “torn net” dynamics in today’s Christian-national assumptions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What is Kelsisky saying happens to the church when it joins with government power, using his “torn net” picture? Where do you see similar patterns today when Christianity gets mixed with nationalism?

Kelsisky accuses warring “Christian” nations of praying blasphemies—saying “Our Father” while intending the other side’s destruction and praying “forgive us as we forgive” while escalating force; what does this expose about God’s concern for integrity in worship, and how might this critique land on the way churches pray during modern wars or political conflict? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do Kelsisky’s examples show about God caring that our prayers match our real intentions? How might this challenge the way churches pray during modern wars or political fights?

Menno Simons contrasts Caesar’s realm with the Christian’s weapons (“our sword is the sword of the Spirit… patience our weapon of defense”) and leaves “iron and metal spears and swords” to those who value human blood like “swine’s blood”; what does this reveal about God’s valuation of human life and the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and how does it challenge common Christian arguments for “necessary” violence? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Menno Simons’ contrast between spiritual weapons and metal weapons show about how God values human life and what Christ’s kingdom is like? How does it challenge the idea that violence is sometimes “necessary” for Christians?

In the story of Dirk Willems, the deputy chooses “loyalty to the state over compassion for his rescuer,” while Dirk embodies Jesus’ teaching by turning back to save his enemy at the cost of his own life; where are you most tempted to choose safety, rights, or institutional loyalty over enemy-love, and what concrete practices would have to change for your life to reflect the same “founded… upon the firm foundation stone, Christ Jesus” kind of faith? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you most tempted to choose safety, rights, or loyalty to an institution instead of loving an enemy? What specific habits would need to change for your life to look more like Dirk Willems’ Jesus-shaped faith?