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In God We Don't Trust  /  Chapter 34: What if they had trusted in God  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
The chapter argues that the violent precedent of the Revolution helped normalize violence, and it claims America uniquely fought a war to end slavery though many nations abolished it without bloodshed; how does that confront common evangelical narratives about war being “necessary for the greater good,” and what concrete changes might it demand in how you talk, vote, teach your children, or respond to national conflict today?
Another way to ask: The chapter says the Revolution helped make violence feel normal, and it says many nations ended slavery without war. How does that challenge the idea that war is sometimes “needed for the greater good,” and what might it change about how you speak, vote, teach your kids, or respond to national conflicts today?

Direct Answer Bercot directly confronts the idea that war is “necessary for the greater good” by arguing violence sets a dangerous precedent and that even slavery was ended elsewhere without war; the implied change is to stop excusing disobedience as practical necessity and to favor Christ’s peacemaking way.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says the colonists used “the world's violent means” and “the precedent they set is that violence is an acceptable means to settle differences.”
  • He suggests ripple effects: if they had trusted God, “perhaps the French and Russian revolutions would have followed more peaceful paths.”
  • He argues timing mattered: God may have wanted slavery settled before independence; instead slavery ended after a “horrendously bloody civil war” with “600,000 to 700,000” dead.
  • He challenges the claim war was required: Americans think “only war could have ended slavery,” but “that is not at all the case,” and the U.S. is “the only country on earth that had to fight a war to end slavery.”
  • He lists nonviolent abolitions (Britain’s 1833 act freeing “over 760,000 slaves… without any bloodshed,” and other nations abolishing slavery without war).
Discussion Follow-ups How might our speech about “necessary wars” change if we believed God can accomplish justice without violence? What habits could help families and churches teach loyalty to Christ’s kingdom above national narratives?

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