Discussion Questions

David Bercot warns that “a person can proof text history just like you can proof text the Bible”; where have you seen selective quoting used to create a “Christian America” narrative (or an anti-religious narrative), and what practices would help a Christian community stay committed to truth instead of agenda? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you seen people quote history in a selective way to push a “Christian America” story (or an anti-religion story)? What can a Christian community do to stay committed to truth instead of an agenda?

Bercot says none of the key founders he studied were “born again Christians,” yet some were “conventional Christians”; what does this lesson suggest about the difference between public Christian identity, churchgoing, and the kind of faithfulness Jesus actually requires? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If many founders were not “born again” but were still seen as “conventional Christians,” what does that show about the difference between calling yourself Christian, going to church, and the kind of life Jesus asks for?

Bercot repeatedly mentions the founders’ ignorance of “the two kingdoms” and says none were “kingdom Christians” because they supported violent revolution—even killing “thousands of professing Christians”; what does that imply about God’s priorities for His people when political causes feel urgent or morally justified? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the founders supported a violent revolution, what does that suggest about what God wants from His people when politics feels urgent or “right”?

Samuel Adams is presented as strongly Christian in profession and rhetoric, yet “the least Christian in his conduct” regarding Jesus’ teachings (truthfulness, peacemaking, turning the other cheek); what does this expose about how easily “Christian language” can be used to sanctify actions that contradict Jesus? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Samuel Adams sounded very Christian but didn’t live out Jesus’ teachings like truth-telling and peacemaking, what does that show about how easy it is to use Christian words to cover un-Christlike actions?

Bercot describes Samuel Adams as a “master at propaganda,” willing to foment riots while publicly writing, “I am no friend of riots”; what forms of “holy spin” or strategic deception do Christians today excuse in politics or culture-war battles, and what do Jesus’ teachings about truthfulness do to those excuses? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of “holy spin” or planned deception do Christians today excuse in politics or culture wars? How do Jesus’ teachings about truth challenge those excuses?

The lesson highlights the hypocrisy of the Sons of Liberty demanding consent-based government while coercing merchants through intimidation and threats; where do you see modern Christians demanding freedom for themselves while using social, economic, or political force to pressure others, and how should disciples of Jesus respond when “our side” uses those tactics? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see Christians asking for freedom for themselves while pressuring others through social, money, or political power? How should Jesus’ followers respond when “our side” uses intimidation?

Samuel Adams argued that God rewards or punishes nations based on public virtue and that “the benevolent creator designed the Republican form of government for man”; what picture of God is operating behind those claims, and how does it compare with the way early Christians talked about God’s kingdom and the nations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Samuel Adams said God rewards or punishes nations based on public virtue and that God designed a republic for people, what view of God is behind that? How is that different from how early Christians talked about God’s kingdom and the nations?

Patrick Henry is shown as devout and moral yet supportive of state-sponsored financial support for churches through the 1784 Assessment Bill; how do you think early Christians would have reacted to the idea of funding “the church of your choice” through taxation, and what would they fear it would do to the church’s purity and witness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do you think early Christians would respond to taxes funding “the church of your choice”? What would they worry it might do to the church’s purity and witness?

Bercot notes that many modern “God and country evangelicals” wouldn’t consider Episcopalians like Patrick Henry, John Jay, and Hamilton “Christians,” yet these men spoke reverently of Christ, communion, and Scripture; what does this tension reveal about modern evangelical definitions of Christianity versus older assumptions about faith, works, and assurance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If some modern evangelicals wouldn’t call leaders like Patrick Henry, John Jay, and Hamilton Christians, but those men respected Christ, communion, and Scripture, what does that show about how people define “Christian” today compared to older views about faith, works, and assurance?

Alexander Hamilton’s duel decision (refusing to shoot, willing to die “innocent than live guilty”) sounds like personal Christian scruple inside an honor-violence framework; what does this mixture of conscience and worldly codes reveal about the limits of “conventional Christianity,” and where might our own lives show the same kind of compromise between Jesus’ commands and cultural expectations? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Hamilton’s duel choice mixed conscience with an honor-and-violence culture; what does that show about the limits of “conventional Christianity”? Where do we also compromise between Jesus’ commands and what our culture expects?