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Radical Reformation History  /  Lecture 13: The Birth of the Hutterites (Part 1)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Taylor emphasizes missionary “machines,” 80% martyr rates, and the confession that “Christ… was their only hope and dearest treasure” even when threatened with galley slavery; how does that definition of “treasure” confront modern Christian talk of grace, assurance, and freedom, and what concrete decisions would change if you actually believed the same under pressure?
Another way to ask: They said Christ was their only “treasure,” even with an 80% martyr rate and threats of slavery. How does that challenge how we talk about grace, assurance, and freedom today, and what real choices would change if you believed it under pressure?

Direct Answer Taylor’s definition of “treasure” confronts shallow versions of grace that aim mainly at comfort; in the transcript, grace produces fearless witness and mission even when freedom, property, and life are at stake.

Support from Transcript:

  • Under Hans Amman, Taylor says an organized missionary system began—“the first organized missionary machine… in Europe”—showing a church structured for sending, not settling.
  • He notes the cost plainly: missionaries “knew the fate ahead of them… and 80% of them died a martyr’s death,” so their assurance wasn’t tied to survival.
  • When captives were questioned (even “under torture”) and asked about “treasures,” they answered “unanimously that Christ the Savior was their only hope and dearest treasure.”
  • They were threatened with being sent “to be galley slaves,” described as being forced into a war machine—yet they held “firm to the truth.”
  • Taylor frames their mission as “to propagate the kingdom of God,” implying choices shaped by allegiance more than rights.
Discussion Follow-ups If Christ is truly “dearest treasure,” what changes: willingness to be misunderstood, to lose status, to give money away, to choose nonviolence? Under pressure, what would you stop protecting first—reputation, comfort, or obedience?

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