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Change of Allegiance  /  Two Kingdoms: An Anabaptist Perspective on Warfare  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 4
Taylor uses the “sojourning” and “good soldier” passages (1 Peter 1:17; “be not entangled with the affairs of this life”) and his Germany illustration (living among Germans but clearly American) to define Christian identity; what would it mean in practical terms to live in your community as “clearly” a citizen of God’s kingdom—and what ambitions (even respectable ones) would that likely rule out?
Another way to ask: Taylor says Christians should live like “sojourners,” clearly citizens of God’s kingdom, like an American living in Germany. What would that look like in your town, and what goals or ambitions would you probably have to give up?

Direct Answer Practically, Taylor’s picture means living among neighbors with visible loyalty to Christ’s rule—guided by Scripture, refusing what contradicts God, and avoiding entanglements that require compromising kingdom ethics. It would likely rule out ambitions tied to ruling like the nations rule, or roles that depend on enforcing the sword rather than enemy-love.

Support from Transcript:

  • He quotes 1 Peter: “past the time of your sojourning here in fear,” asking, “Do you see yourself as a soldier in this place?”
  • He cites Paul: “Endure hardness as a good soldier… be not entangled with the affairs of this life.”
  • Germany illustration: though living among Germans, they were “very clearly Americans,” voting in American elections and not imagining running for local office (“Bergermeister”).
  • He applies the analogy: be “so clearly a part of the kingdom of God that we’re not attached to these things in that way.”
  • He says believers have “our own laws… our own king that demands absolute loyalty,” and must “refuse to obey laws that contradict the laws of God.”
  • He emphasizes enemy-care and non-fleshly warfare, showing a lifestyle that won’t fit many power-seeking paths.
Discussion Follow-ups What “respectable” goals assume you must be seen as a normal citizen first and a Christian second? Taylor’s soldier/sojourner language challenges that order.

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