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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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Change of Allegiance  /  Two Kingdoms: An Anabaptist Perspective on Warfare  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
Taylor traces government and kingship as arising from human refusal to be led by God’s Spirit—using Cain, Samuel’s rebuke (“they have rejected me”), Hosea (“I gave thee a king in my anger”), and Daniel (“Most High ruleth…seteth up…the basest of men”); how does this storyline reshape your view of patriotism, voting, law-and-order instincts, and the emotional comfort many Christians find in strong rulers?
Another way to ask: Taylor says human kings and governments came from people refusing God’s lead, using stories like Cain, Samuel, Hosea, and Daniel. How does that change how you think about patriotism, voting, law-and-order instincts, and the comfort people feel with strong rulers?

Direct Answer Taylor’s storyline frames earthly government as something God allows in response to human sin and rejection, not as a primary expression of God’s grace. That challenges emotional reliance on strong rulers and pushes Christians to place their deepest comfort, identity, and loyalty in God’s kingdom rather than in “law and fear of punishment” systems.

Support from Transcript:

  • He links post-Fall life to “law and the fear of law with the sword and the fear of punishment… the way the whole world lives… kind of not God’s plan.”
  • Cain example: a “mark upon Cain” and threat of vengeance, illustrating restraint through fear of punishment.
  • Samuel rebukes Israel’s desire for a king: “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me… that I should not reign over them.”
  • Hosea 13: “I gave thee a king in my anger,” presenting kingship as connected to God’s “disfavor and anger,” not grace.
  • Daniel 4: God “ruleth in the kingdom of men… seteth up over it the basest of men,” cutting down idealism about rulers.
  • Riedemann quote: because people wouldn’t be led “by the Spirit,” God used “a different rod,” preserving the world until the promised offspring.
Discussion Follow-ups Taylor doesn’t directly command what to do about voting in this transcript, but he does reframe what you expect politics to accomplish. Where do you find yourself seeking “safety” from rulers more than from obedience to Christ?

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