Discussion Questions

Dean and Tanya describe a “light bulb of grace” moment when Jesus’ words seemed to say, “I mean that”; what does that reveal about how God intends Jesus’ commands to function in a believer’s life—information to interpret, or a voice to obey—and how does that challenge the way you were trained to read Scripture? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Jesus’ words felt like “He really means it,” does that show His commands are meant to be obeyed, not just studied? How does that challenge how you were taught to read the Bible?

When they asked, “What if Jesus really meant every word He said?”, they said their lives were “never the same”; what specific parts of your Christianity would have to change if you treated the Sermon on the Mount as directly binding for your daily decisions rather than as “niceties,” ideals, or a future-heaven ethic? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you treated the Sermon on the Mount as rules for your everyday choices, what parts of your Christian life would have to change? What do you currently treat as “nice ideas” instead of real commands?

Dean claims that for “far too long, the teachings of Jesus have taken a back seat…to empire-building, denominationalism and vain traditions of men”; where have you personally seen loyalty to nation, party, tradition, or “what works” quietly outrank loyalty to Jesus’ words—and what would repentance actually look like in those areas? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen loyalty to country, politics, tradition, or “what works” become more important than Jesus’ words? What would real repentance look like in those areas?

Their crisis sharpened when Dean read “do not resist an evil person…turn the other cheek…love your enemies” while they were in the Army; what do you think Jesus is revealing about the Father’s character in that passage (the Father who gives sun and rain to evil and good), and what picture of God is threatened if Christians insist enemy-killing can be faithful to Jesus? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In “turn the other cheek” and “love your enemies,” what is Jesus showing us about what the Father is like? What view of God is at risk if Christians say killing enemies can still obey Jesus?

Dean says he grew up sincerely believing military service was “pleasing God and pleasing my country,” and Tanya describes being swept up into that “spirit of patriotism”; how do you discern when gratitude and civic responsibility have crossed into a rival allegiance that competes with the kingdom of God? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell when healthy patriotism and civic duty turn into a loyalty that competes with God’s kingdom? What signs show your country has become a rival to Jesus in your heart?

They describe the early church as simply believing Jesus “for what He said,” even accepting martyrdom with the confidence that “in reality, they would never die”; how does that early Christian assumption about death, resurrection, and witness expose the practical ways modern Christians may be trying to “save our skin” while still calling it faith? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If early Christians faced death without fear because they trusted resurrection, how does that expose ways we try to protect ourselves today? Where might we be “saving our skin” but still calling it faith?

Dean says if you designed a church to do the opposite of Jesus’ commands—lawsuits, divorce/remarriage, storing riches, enemy-love—it would look “frighteningly similar to the modern American church”; which of his examples hits closest to home for your congregation or life, and what “theological reasons” have you heard (or used) to make disobedience feel acceptable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which example feels most true in your church or life—lawsuits, divorce and remarriage, piling up wealth, or not loving enemies? What “Bible reasons” have you heard or used to make disobedience seem okay?

He quotes Jesus’ warning that breaking even “the least” command and teaching others so makes you “least,” and John 12:48 that Jesus’ words will judge us; how do those statements disrupt popular evangelical assumptions about grace, assurance, and “freedom,” and what kind of obedience do they seem to demand without collapsing into legalism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do Jesus’ warnings about His words judging us challenge common ideas about grace, assurance, and “freedom”? What kind of obedience do they call for without turning into rule-keeping to earn salvation?

Dean describes reading just-war defenses and feeling alarm because Scripture was used “out of context,” and he noticed those books always include a chapter trying to “explain away the early Christians” as naïve; what does it say about the strength of a modern position if it must discredit the earliest post-apostolic Christian practice, and how much authority should early Christian consensus carry in your ethical decisions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it say about a modern view if it has to put down the earliest Christians to defend itself? How much should early church agreement matter when you make hard moral decisions?

Their story includes concrete, costly steps: leaving the rock band, losing fellowship, being pushed out by a pastor (“worshiping elsewhere”), and pursuing conscientious objector status under intense scrutiny; what would be the equivalent costly step for you if you truly embraced Jesus’ way of peace (or any other hard command of Jesus), and what fears—social, financial, relational, or safety—would most likely hold you back? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you truly followed Jesus’ way of peace (or another hard command), what costly step might you have to take? What fears—losing friends, money, relationships, or safety—would most likely stop you?