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Radical Reformation History  /  Lecture 10: Swiss Brethren – Growth and Persecution  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Dean connects the persecution to the Milgram obedience experiment and modern war, saying, “God cannot change the person you’re pretending to be,” and asking, “Can you be a follower of Christ without following Christ?”; what specific forms of “authority” (church culture, national identity, leaders, peers, theological systems) most easily cause you to “shed responsibility,” and what would repentance look like if Jesus’ teaching had to be the non-negotiable center rather than a layer added afterward?
Another way to ask: What kinds of authority most tempt you to stop thinking for yourself and just go along (church culture, nation, leaders, peers, or your theology system)? If Jesus had to be your non-negotiable center, what would you need to repent of or change?

Direct Answer Dean argues “authority” becomes dangerous when it lets us blame someone else and stop owning obedience; people then do evil while feeling excused. Repentance, in his framing, is moving from mental Christianity to real transformation where Jesus’ teaching governs actions, even when leaders, culture, or nation tell you to “continue.”

Support from Transcript:

  • In the Milgram discussion, Dean says the key mechanism is “authority…when you can blame someone else,” and people continued once told, “I’m responsible.”
  • He ties it to real-world excuses: at Nuremberg the cliché was “Just following orders.”
  • He applies it to himself and soldiers: he once shouted military chants; in Iraq, “tens of thousands of Christians…went over there…killing people…rationalizing it with the words of Christ.”
  • He highlights spiritual self-deception: “God cannot change the person you’re pretending to be,” and insists true change must be “on the inside.”
  • He concludes with the non-negotiable center: “It must be Jesus, and it must look like Jesus, and Jesus’ teaching must be what comes out,” asking, “Can you be a follower of Christ without following Christ?”
Discussion Follow-ups Where are you most tempted to outsource conscience—pastors, political tribes, respected authors, peer pressure? What would it look like to say, in practice, “I’m responsible before Christ,” even if the crowd or system approves the opposite?

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