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In God We Don't Trust  /  Chapter 25: Today's Black Regiment  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
When Bercot labels pro-revolution arguments “situational ethics” and says if one of God’s laws isn’t absolute “in the end, all of His laws become mere suggestions,” how does that critique collide with modern evangelical ways of talking about grace, freedom, and assurance—especially the assumption that a good outcome (“they ended up winning the war”) implies God’s approval?
Another way to ask: Bercot says if God’s laws depend on the situation, they become optional. How does that clash with common talk about grace, freedom, and assurance—especially the idea that a good result (like winning the war) means God approved?

Direct Answer Bercot’s critique collides with any mindset that treats outcomes or claimed “freedom” as proof of God’s blessing; he argues that once Christians allow exceptions to God’s commands for a supposedly loving goal, obedience collapses into mere preference.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says Christians have “excused their disobedience to God and twisted the scripture… to portray the revolutionists as Christian heroes.”
  • He defines situational ethics as believing “we can violate God’s laws if we believe a more loving thing can be accomplished.”
  • He warns that it denies absolutes: “God’s laws are not absolute… in the end, all of His laws become mere suggestions.”
  • He states evangelicals use situational ethics when they argue rebellion was justified because rulers were “tyrannical,” and he minimizes the claimed tyranny: “a three-penny tax on tea.”
  • He challenges outcome-based assurance: “you might be thinking… God approved… because they ended up winning the war. But does that really prove anything?”
Discussion Follow-ups The transcript doesn’t address evangelical “grace” language directly, but it forces a question: do we treat success, freedom, or national victories as spiritual validation, even when obedience to clear commands is being set aside?

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