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Question 5

The chapter contrasts easy-to-evade disobedience (Molasses Act smuggling) with the Stamp Act’s “no easy way to evade it,” followed by mob violence—what does this progression suggest about the human heart when disobedience becomes inconvenient, and where do you see similar patterns in modern Christian behavior?

Another way to ask: The colonists could easily dodge the Molasses Act by smuggling, but the Stamp Act was hard to avoid and then violence broke out—what does that show about the human heart when disobedience gets hard? Where do you see Christians acting like this today?

Direct Answer Bercot’s progression suggests that when people are committed to disobedience, they may shift from hidden sin (smuggling) to open aggression (violence) when evasion becomes impossible. The chapter implies the issue wasn’t merely the tax but a heart-set against submission and trust in God.

Support from Transcript:

The Molasses Act was “relatively easy to violate through smuggling,” and the chapter calls this a failure to “trust God” and a choice to “disobey Caesar.”
The Stamp Act had “no easy way to evade it” because unstamped legal documents were “legally invalid,” and newspapers would show whether the tax was paid.
Faced with that reality, the colonists “instead responded with mob violence,” indicating escalation rather than repentance.
The transcript frames the moral test explicitly: “Would the colonists now finally trust in God, or at least grudgingly obey Him? Not in the least.”
The described violence (threats, beatings, tarring) shows what disobedience can become when it’s costly to maintain.

Discussion Follow-ups What happens in our own lives when we can no longer “hide” disobedience—do we repent, or do we harden and justify stronger measures?

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