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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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In God We Don't Trust  /  Chapter 8: In Rum We Trust  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
A slave-trading captain wrote, “The Almighty God never suffereth his elect to perish,” after surviving a crisis at sea; what theology of election and assurance is operating in that sentence, and how does the chapter force us to ask whether our own doctrines can be used to bless ourselves while we harm others?
Another way to ask: When the captain says God won’t let “his elect” perish, what belief about being chosen and secure is he using? How does this story warn that our doctrines can be used to excuse harming others?

Direct Answer The sentence reflects a theology where survival and success are taken as proof of being God’s “elect,” giving the captain assurance and gratitude while ignoring the evil of enslaving others; the chapter warns that doctrine can be twisted into self-justification.

Support from Transcript:

  • The context is a slave ship: during the Middle Passage it was “becalmed for 18 days” and water ran low.
  • After reaching the West Indies, the captain wrote with “gratitude,” “The Almighty God never suffereth his elect to perish.”
  • Bercot calls the log “wretchedly revealing,” signaling the moral blindness in applying election language to a slave-trading venture.
  • The broader chapter shows extreme cruelty on these voyages (packed bodies, disease, forced feeding), heightening the contrast between piety and practice.
  • Bercot frames the whole era as Mammon worship, suggesting religious phrases can serve a rival god.
Discussion Follow-ups How can Christians test whether their confidence in God is producing humility and justice—or simply baptizing their own safety and prosperity?

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