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Change of Allegiance  /  What If? Practical Questions About Nonresistance  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
Charles Moore argues a “prophetic church” confronts culture primarily by “demonstrating a better way” (marriage faithfulness, support for expectant mothers, racial repentance, etc.); which example in that quote most exposes a gap between what your church condemns publicly and what it actually practices communally?
Another way to ask: Which example (faithful marriages, helping pregnant moms, racial repentance, etc.) most shows a gap between what your church speaks against and what it actually lives out together?

Direct Answer Dean’s point (through Charles Moore) is that a prophetic church’s credibility comes from practicing what it proclaims, not mainly from political engagement or public outrage. The transcript doesn’t single out one example as “the biggest gap,” but it gives several areas where churches can test whether they only condemn or also carry one another’s burdens.

Support from Transcript:

  • Moore says a prophetic church does not focus first on “engaging in politics,” but on “demonstrating a better way.”
  • Key line: “In actuality, it actually practices the truth it proclaims.”
  • He says confrontation of culture is “not primarily by pouncing on certain social evils or public policies.”
  • Examples of demonstration: faithful marriages (“husbands and wives can remain faithful”), welcoming children, and nurturing families.
  • Pro-life consistency: “surround expectant mothers and their babies with… support that affords them a truly meaningful life.”
  • Racial justice: repent of “our own complicity” and demonstrate black/white, rich/poor living “as brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Discussion Follow-ups Where is your church loud publicly but thin practically? If outsiders watched your community life (marriages, generosity, race relations, care for mothers), what “better way” would they actually see?

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