Discussion Questions

Dean Taylor says the group today “looks the most like…Holland, 1700,” especially in “intellectualism, materialism, splitting, [and] lack of vision”; what specific parallels did you feel exposed by, and what parts of your own church life most resemble “Holland, 1700” rather than “Switzerland, 1530”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What things in the group today felt most like “Holland, 1700” (like thinking too much, loving money, splitting up, or lacking vision)? Where do you see those same patterns in your own church life instead of “Switzerland, 1530”?

In the Dirk Willems story, Dirk turns back to save the life of the guard who will return him to execution; what does that choice reveal about God’s character and commands in Matthew 5, and what would have to be true in your heart for that kind of enemy-love to be more than a heroic story? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Dirk saves the guard who will send him to death, what does that show about what God is like and what Jesus commands in Matthew 5? What would need to change in your heart to truly love an enemy like that?

The lesson describes Dirk crying “Oh my Lord, my God” more than 70 times while burning, and the prosecutor turning away “in shame”; what does this scene suggest about how God sustains faith under suffering, and how does it challenge modern assumptions that comfort and safety are signs of God’s favor? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does Dirk crying out to God while suffering—and the prosecutor feeling shame—teach about how God helps people keep faith in pain? How does it challenge the idea that comfort and safety mean God is pleased with you?

Dean notes the Singelkirche was built “very low profile” on the outside but could hold 2,000 inside, because public visibility was still dangerous; how might that hidden-yet-massive church image challenge how modern Christians pursue influence, branding, and public legitimacy? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the “hidden outside but huge inside” Singelkirche challenge how Christians today chase influence, a public image, and being seen as legitimate? What might it change about what we aim for?

The slideshow’s “social ladder” picture portrays Mennonites rising from a persecuted church to “practically royalty,” including a man “knighted” for wealth; where do you see the turning point in that progression—what exactly changes in a church when social acceptance and economic opportunity become normal? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Mennonites went from persecuted to respected and wealthy, where do you think the big turning point happened? What changes inside a church when being accepted and having money becomes normal?

The Dutch Mennonites reportedly dropped convictions to “not offend,” “win more converts,” “show love and fellowship,” and “focus on what is really important”; which of those reasons sounds most persuasive to you today, and how does Dean’s “Did it work?” question (70,000 → 8,000; 2,000 seats → 26 attending) confront the way we measure faithfulness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which reason for dropping convictions sounds most convincing today—not offending, gaining converts, showing love, or focusing on what matters most? When Dean asks “Did it work?” how do the shrinking numbers challenge how we judge faithfulness?

The caricature mocking “Mennonite morals” and the public charge of hypocrisy shows outsiders noticed a gap between claims and lifestyle; what kinds of hypocrisy do you think the watching world most plausibly accuses serious Christians of now, and how could a church recover credibility without sliding into image-management? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of hypocrisy do you think outsiders most often accuse serious Christians of today? How can a church become trustworthy again without just trying to look good?

The Swiss/Amish refugees arriving in Holland describe “masters in the art of worldly vanity,” dancing, flirting, music, feasting, “powdered white…woman-like hair,” and immodesty—even at “church”; what does their shock reveal about early Anabaptist assumptions regarding holiness, simplicity, and the danger of entertainment, and what parts of their critique feel unfair—or uncomfortably accurate—when applied to us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the refugees’ shock about vanity and entertainment (even at church) show about their beliefs on holiness and simplicity? Which parts of their criticism seem unfair, and which parts hit uncomfortably close to home for us?

Dillon Van Brot (Martyrs’ Mirror introduction) claims “there is more danger now than in the time of our fathers who suffered death,” because the threat is internal and the world looks “beautiful and glorious” in “lust of the flesh…eye…pride of life”; what does this teach about God’s intentions in warning His people, and how should “fasting, watching, praying” function as real defenses rather than religious slogans? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why does Van Brot say the danger is greater now because the threat is inside us and the world looks so attractive? How should fasting, watching, and praying be real protection and not just religious talk?

Moving east, Heinrich Hess describes Mennonites repaying denunciation “with good,” accusers coming “by night” for forgiveness, and the church carefully instructing and receiving them—while also saying “petty differences” and imported divisions “marred the witness of Christ”; what practices in that account reflect what you think the early church assumed normal Christianity looked like, and what would it require for your congregation to become the kind of community where enemies are converted, divisions fade, and “God…dwelt in their midst”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What parts of Heinrich Hess’s story show what the early church thought “normal Christianity” looked like (like repaying evil with good and welcoming repentant enemies)? What would it take for your church to become a place where enemies change, divisions fade, and God truly feels present?