David Bercot calls “peace and justice activism” the reverse side of “God and country activism,” saying both assume the kingdoms of this world are part of God’s kingdom or can be run by Jesus’ teachings; where do you see that assumption show up in your own instincts about politics, and what would it look like to uproot it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you catch yourself assuming politics can be run by Jesus’ teachings as if it were part of God’s kingdom? What would you need to change to stop thinking that way?
He asks whether Jesus tried to “Christianize the world,” pointing to Jesus before Pilate and the lack of New Testament efforts to end Roman capital punishment and torture; how do those examples challenge the way you measure faithfulness in the public square? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus didn’t try to take over Rome or end its punishments—how does that change what you think “being faithful” should look like in public life?
Bercot says peace-and-justice Christians often believe they are uniquely “otherworldly” compared to “right-wing…fundamentalists,” but concludes they are “just as worldly” because they align with the liberal left; what criteria from the chapter help you discern whether a cause is “kingdom” or simply another alignment with “the world”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you tell when a cause is truly about God’s kingdom and not just following the liberal left (or any worldly group)? What signs from the chapter help you decide?
He accuses both left and right of a “pick-and-choose approach to Jesus’ commandments,” with the left selecting what is politically correct in left-wing circles (war and greed) while being silent on divorce, abortion, and homosexuality; what Jesus-commandments are easiest for you to emphasize because your culture applauds them, and which ones are you tempted to mute because your culture punishes them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which of Jesus’ commands are you quick to stress because your culture cheers them on? Which commands do you downplay because your culture would judge you for them?
“They imagine that they can be an active citizen of God’s kingdom and yet never have to be politically incorrect. But Jesus is never politically correct”; when have you felt pressure to protect your reputation or social acceptance, and how does this chapter redefine what faithfulness should cost? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When have you stayed quiet or played it safe to protect your image or fit in? What does this chapter say following Jesus should cost you?
Bercot contrasts “changing governments” with “transforming individuals,” using “tax the rich” versus “you give up your comforts,” and Zacchaeus being changed rather than coerced; what does that contrast imply about how Jesus intends economic justice to happen, and what personal sacrifices does that expose in your life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does the chapter’s contrast between changing laws and changing people say about how Jesus wants economic justice to happen? What comforts might you need to give up personally?
He highlights perceived inconsistencies: opposing capital punishment (hundreds) while being silent on abortion (over a million), protesting discrimination against women while being mute about discrimination against men, and speaking about persecuted left-wing revolutionaries while ignoring persecuted Christians in leftist dictatorships; what does this suggest about how “the world dictates their agenda,” and how can a disciple test whether their outrage is being curated by a tribe? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What do these one-sided outrages suggest about letting the world set the agenda? How can you check whether your anger is being shaped by your political “team” instead of Jesus?
The chapter says some Christians treat America as the primary source of nearly all evils while “closing their eyes” to other governments’ oppressions; what habits of news consumption, social media, and friendship circles make it easier for you to see one nation’s sins clearly and excuse or ignore another’s? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What news, social media, or friend-group habits make you focus on America’s sins while overlooking other countries’ oppression?
Bercot refuses both idealizing and demonizing America, calling it self-interested and inconsistent yet “one of the most benevolent world powers” and unusually tolerant toward “kingdom Christianity”; how should Christians practice gratitude for freedoms without slipping into believing America is “God’s country,” and what would repentance look like when those freedoms become idols? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can you be thankful for America’s freedoms without treating it like “God’s country”? What would it look like to repent if those freedoms become too important to you?
He concludes that “the narrow way…excludes political activists of both the right and the left,” while kingdom Christians still “honor and obey” governments without treating them as partners of God’s kingdom; what would that actually change about your speech, voting, activism, and use of time and money over the next year if you took this boundary seriously? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you took seriously the idea that kingdom Christians shouldn’t be political activists on either side, what would change in your words, voting, activism, and how you spend your time and money this next year?
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