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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 12, Life Under Two Kingdoms  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
Bercot says Caesar’s laws and Christ’s laws “most often conflict in the area of non-resistance,” especially military service, because Jesus commands love of enemies; how do you reconcile (or fail to reconcile) the chapter’s claim that you “cannot obey both Christ and Caesar” with the normal Christian acceptance of war, self-defense, and national loyalty?
Another way to ask: If Jesus calls us to love our enemies and not fight back, how can someone support war, self-defense, or strong national loyalty? Do you agree with the claim that you can’t fully obey both Christ and Caesar here, and why?

Direct Answer Bercot does not try to reconcile the two; he argues they fundamentally conflict when Caesar demands killing, because Jesus commanded love of enemies and non-resistance. In his view, normal Christian acceptance of war and national loyalty shows that many believers have, in practice, given ultimate allegiance to Caesar rather than to Christ.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says conflicts “most often” arise in “non-resistance,” especially when government requires a man to “take up arms, and kill others.”
  • He contrasts this with Jesus’ command: “love our enemies, not…hate them,” concluding “we cannot obey both Christ and Caesar.”
  • He argues killing enemies contradicts love: “Whether they are Buddhists, Muslims, or atheists, we can hardly slaughter them and yet claim that we love them.”
  • He intensifies the point about Christians on both sides of wars for 1,700 years, asking how believers can kill fellow Christians.
  • He concludes that when a Christian kills at a ruler’s command, he is “acknowledging that his ultimate allegiance belongs to his earthly ruler.”
Discussion Follow-ups If you feel tension here, where exactly do you locate the “escape valve”—redefining love, redefining enemy, or redefining allegiance? What would you say Bercot believes is at stake: a political stance, or the basic meaning of Jesus’ kingship?

Jumpstarter 9 of 10
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