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Jumpstarter 8 of 10

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Question 8

The lesson portrays Psalm 44:22 as prophecy shaping Christian nonviolence: “Like sheep before their slaughterers, Christians do not fight back,” and cites Tertullian (“If dragged to trial, he does not resist…When condemned, he rejoices”); what would have to change in your instincts, politics, and personal safety assumptions to live that way, and what objections rise up in you as you imagine it?

Another way to ask: The lesson says Psalm 44:22 supports Christian nonviolence—like sheep, Christians don’t fight back—and quotes Tertullian about not resisting. What would need to change in your instincts, politics, and sense of personal safety to live like that, and what objections come up inside you?

Direct Answer To live as “sheep for the slaughter,” a Christian would need to give up the instinct to retaliate or preserve life at all costs and accept suffering without violent resistance. The transcript doesn’t address modern politics directly, but it clearly portrays early Christian assumptions: nonresistance, confession of Christ, and joy in suffering.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot reads Psalm 44:22 as shaping Christian behavior: “Like sheep before their slaughterers, Christians do not fight back against their persecutors.”
He says Christians “did not use earthly weapons in this battle against Satan and his earthly agents.”
Tertullian: “If he is dragged to trial, he does not resist…When questioned, he confesses. When condemned, he rejoices.”
He frames suffering as spiritual combat: by “remaining faithful through suffering and even death, Christians conquered their persecutors.”
Origen interprets “killed all day long” as lifelong readiness: “not enough…to die for Christ for one hour…but all day long…for the entire length of my life.”

Discussion Follow-ups What fears (loss of safety, justice, control) make this hardest to imagine, and how does the transcript’s spiritual-warfare framing answer those fears?

Jumpstarter 8 of 10