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Jumpstarter 8 of 10

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How to Arrive at Truth Through Critical Thinking  /  The Fallacy of Presentism  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
On soldiers, Bercot says the early church was “firm” on nonresistance but “merciful” toward converts trapped in hereditary Roman military service, requiring commitments to “never use a sword” and “never take an oath”; what does this combination of strictness and pastoral realism reveal about God’s character, and how might it confront the way modern churches handle people who can’t quickly untangle from sinful or coercive systems?
Another way to ask: What does it show about God’s character when the early church was strict about nonviolence but still patient with soldiers who couldn’t leave right away? How should churches today handle people stuck in sinful or unfair systems they can’t escape quickly?

Direct Answer Bercot portrays the early church as holding a strict moral line (no killing, no oaths) while also showing mercy to people trapped by circumstances they “couldn’t possibly get out of,” combining conviction with pastoral humanity.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says the early Christian view (allowing certain soldiers to remain) is “accurate,” but modern readers misjudge it through presentism.
  • In Rome, military service was “basically hereditary,” with required long service; “there was no option” for conscientious discharge.
  • The church could have said soldiers are “locked out of the kingdom” or demanded immediate refusal and death; instead it took a “realistic and merciful attitude.”
  • It did not allow them “to continue to use the sword and to kill,” tying this to Jesus’ teachings: “love your enemy,” “turn the other cheek.”
  • For baptism, soldiers had to commit “you would never use a sword” and “you would never take an oath.”
  • If someone “already a Christian… joined the army,” he was “excommunicated,” showing the church was not lax.
Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like to keep clear commitments while also recognizing real constraints (jobs, immigration status, abusive situations)? Where do we confuse mercy with compromise, or strictness with faithfulness?

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