Discussion Questions

David Bercot highlights North African Christianity through Tertullian and Cyprian as “rigorous” and willing to be “excommunicated” rather than compromise—what picture of God (and what kind of faithfulness to God) seems to be assumed behind that posture, and how does it expose our own instincts about comfort, reputation, and belonging? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Tertullian and Cyprian were willing to be excommunicated rather than compromise. What view of God and faithfulness does that assume, and how does it challenge our desire for comfort, a good name, and fitting in?

In the Diocletian persecution, the “confessors” preached that “only those who remained steadfast…would enter paradise,” and they connected it to Jesus’ warnings about denying Him—how would early Christians have heard those statements in relation to salvation, assurance, and perseverance, and what in us resists that way of speaking? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The “confessors” said only those who stayed faithful under persecution would enter paradise, linking it to Jesus’ warning about denying Him. How would early Christians connect that to salvation, confidence, and lasting faith, and why do we resist talking that way?

Sicilian prevented believers from bringing food to imprisoned Christians who would otherwise starve; what does that incident reveal about power inside the church during crisis, and what modern church behaviors (subtler than blocking food) mirror that same impulse to control or punish the “too zealous”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Sicilian stopped believers from bringing food to Christians in prison. What does that show about church leaders using power during a crisis, and what are modern church ways of controlling or punishing people seen as “too intense”?

When Constantine began funding bishops, exempting clergy from taxes, and building enlarged worship spaces under provincial governors, Bercot says “the wall between church and state had largely crumbled”—what do these specific “blessings” suggest about how quickly good intentions can entangle the church with worldly power, and where are comparable entanglements in today’s Christianity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Constantine gave bishops money, tax breaks, and bigger buildings supported by government officials. What does this show about how fast “good gifts” can tie the church to political power, and where do you see similar ties today?

The Donatists asked the emperor to adjudicate their dispute, yet later Donatus asked, “What does the Emperor have to do with the Church?”—how does this irony challenge the way Christians today use courts, political influence, or state leverage to win internal church conflicts or cultural battles? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The Donatists first asked the emperor to settle their dispute, then later said the emperor had no place in the church. How does that hypocrisy challenge how Christians today use courts, politics, or government pressure to win church or culture fights?

Bercot notes the Council of Arles condemned Christian soldiers who left the military and contrasts that with earlier practice (“Christians don’t go to war”); what does this shift say about how the church’s ethics can be reshaped by changing social acceptance, and where do you see modern equivalents of that kind of ethical reversal? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says the Council of Arles condemned Christians who left the army, even though earlier Christians didn’t go to war. What does this change show about how social approval can reshape Christian ethics, and what are modern examples of that kind of flip?

Constantine’s edict confiscated Donatist property and imprisoned/exiled them, and Bercot says church leaders bore “heavy responsibility” through silence even if they didn’t initiate it—what does this teach about God’s concern for complicity, and how should it affect how we respond when “our side” benefits from coercion or censorship? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Constantine took Donatist property and jailed or exiled them, and Bercot says church leaders shared blame through silence. What does this teach about being guilty by going along with wrongdoing, and how should we respond when “our side” gains through force or censorship?

The circumcellions shouted “Praise to God!” while using cudgels to force debt forgiveness, and Bercot compares the reputational damage to peaceful Anabaptists being blamed for Münster—how should a kingdom-Christian movement handle violent “allies” who claim the same label, and what hard lines would we actually be willing to draw publicly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The circumcellions shouted “Praise to God!” while using violence, and it made peaceful groups look bad too. How should a kingdom-Christian movement deal with violent “allies” who claim the same name, and what clear public lines would we be willing to draw?

Bercot critiques both Donatist and Augustinian sacramental logic as rooted in “sacerdotalism” and producing “automatic” Christianity (either automatically canceled or automatically approved); where do you see “automatic Christianity” functioning today (even in evangelical forms that aren’t sacramental), and what would it cost to insist that “nothing is automatic…everything is relational…turning on an obedient love relationship with Jesus Christ”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says both sides ended up with “automatic Christianity,” where things are treated as automatically lost or automatically approved. Where do you see that mindset today (even without sacraments), and what would it cost to insist that following Jesus is personal and depends on obedient love?

The Donatists defined the church as “the community of the pure,” while Catholics saw it as a dragnet of clean and unclean fish; when you apply Bercot’s examples (rebaptizing converts, declaring other Christians “not Christians,” contamination by sinful ministers), what criteria should actually govern separation, discipline, and fellowship—and what personal fears (of impurity, loss of control, loneliness, or compromise) most drive your answer? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Donatists saw the church as only the “pure,” while Catholics saw it as mixed people together. So when should Christians separate, discipline, or share fellowship, and which fears—being “tainted,” losing control, being alone, or compromising—shape your answer most?