Discussion Questions

Jesus told Pilate, “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight”; what does that claim reveal about what God is like and how God intends His kingdom to be preserved and advanced? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Jesus told Pilate His servants would fight if His kingdom were from this world, what does that show about what God is like? What does it say about how God wants His kingdom to grow and be protected?

Jesus prayed that His disciples would be “sent into the world” yet “not of the world”; what practical differences should show up in a believer’s daily life if that prayer is actually being answered? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Christians are “in the world” but “not of the world,” what should look different in their everyday choices, habits, and attitudes? What changes would you expect to see if Jesus’ prayer is really being answered?

John ties being “not of the world” to refusing “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”; where do you see those three forces most subtly discipling Christians today, and what would “dead to all of its attractions” require in those areas? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see “lust of the flesh,” “lust of the eyes,” and “pride of life” quietly shaping Christians today? What would it take to stop being pulled in by those things?

The chapter calls “Christian nation” an oxymoron and says Jesus and the apostles never spoke in those terms; how does that challenge common assumptions about patriotism, political identity, and Christian influence in society? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If “Christian nation” is a contradiction and Jesus and the apostles didn’t talk that way, how does that challenge how people think about patriotism and politics? How might it change what we expect Christian influence to look like in society?

Bercot argues the New Testament gives instructions only to Christian subjects, never to Christian rulers; what do you think that omission is meant to teach, and how should it shape a Christian’s ambitions regarding government power? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the New Testament gives guidance to Christian citizens but not to Christian rulers, what do you think that is meant to teach? How should that affect a Christian’s desire to gain or use government power?

The “dye pack” illustration suggests the world leaves visible marks on its friends even when they try to look innocent in worship; what “red dye marks” might show up in a church’s priorities, tone, or lifestyle even if it loudly claims faithfulness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the world leaves “dye marks” on its friends, what signs might show up in a church even if it says it is faithful? What might those marks look like in what the church cares about, how it talks, or how it lives?

The chapter claims that since Constantine the institutional church has repeatedly adopted the world’s values (burning at the stake, torture, racism) and typically only repents after the world changes; what does that pattern imply about the church’s ability to hear Jesus, and what might it mean for how we evaluate our own era’s blind spots? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the church has often copied the world’s values and only apologized after society changed, what does that say about how well the church listens to Jesus? How should that affect how we look for our own blind spots today?

The racism example argues that “Jesus’ teachings never pierced the hearts” of many white Southern Christians until society shifted; what would it look like for Jesus’ teachings to pierce a church before the world changes, and what would we have to risk to live that way? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like for a church to obey Jesus’ teachings before the culture forces it to change? What might we have to risk to live like that?

Using divorce and feminism as examples, the chapter says the church changes as the world changes while Jesus “never changes”; where do you see modern churches reinterpreting Scripture because of cultural pressure, and how can a group discern the difference between faithful clarification and world-driven revision? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see churches changing how they explain the Bible because of pressure from culture? How can we tell the difference between a clearer understanding of Scripture and changing it to fit the world?

Bercot argues the church has adopted a gender double standard (enforcing men’s uncovered heads while ignoring women’s covering, emphasizing commands for men while “neutralizing” commands for women) and warns that telling women they “don’t have to obey” sets them up to be disqualified; what makes this argument hard to hear, and what would repentance or reform look like if the chapter’s warning is true? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why is Bercot’s claim about a gender double standard in the church hard for people to accept? If his warning is true, what would real repentance or change in the church look like?