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Question 2

The “what if” questions are framed as only two options—“defense (killing)” or “non-defense (do nothing)”—and Yoder calls that “wildly illogical”; what real-life third options did the lesson name (prayer, fleeing, putting yourself in harm’s way), and which of those feels most costly or least believable to you?

Another way to ask: Besides “kill” or “do nothing,” what other options did the lesson name (prayer, running away, stepping in to protect)? Which one feels hardest for you to accept or do?

Direct Answer Dean (drawing from John Howard Yoder) says real life offers more than “kill” or “do nothing”: Christians may flee, put themselves in harm’s way, or pray—responses that can be costly because they may still involve suffering and risk.

Support from Transcript:

Yoder’s point: the questioner tries to force “simply yes or no,” with only “defense… killing somebody” or “non-defense… permit the worst to happen.”
Dean quotes Yoder that this is “wildly illogical,” because in real life Christians have found other options.
Yoder’s named alternatives: “putting themselves in harm’s way, fleeing the scene, or even prayer.”
Dean adds that many scenarios are “unrealistic” or put the Christian somewhere he “could have or should have avoided.”
Dean later expands prayer as an active response, not passivity, and also praises physically “getting in the way of the evil” as a Christian approach.

Discussion Follow-ups Which option do you secretly dismiss as unrealistic—prayer, fleeing, or taking harm on yourself? What does that reveal about how you measure “success” in a crisis?

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