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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 16, But is this historic Christianity  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
Tertullian argues that “sheep” are those who are slain with patience rather than those who die “repelling force with force”; what picture of God’s protection and victory is assumed there, and how does it confront modern Christian narratives that equate courage with fighting back?
Another way to ask: Tertullian says real “sheep” suffer patiently instead of fighting back. What does that assume about how God protects and wins, and how does it clash with the idea that bravery means hitting back?

Direct Answer Tertullian assumes God’s victory and “saving” of His people does not depend on them winning by force; rather, faithful endurance and patient suffering can be the path of obedience and divine rescue. This confronts modern narratives that treat fighting back as the main form of courage, redefining courage as patient faithfulness.

Support from Transcript:

  • Tertullian contrasts the identities: “No one gives the name of sheep to those who fall in battle…repelling force with force.”
  • “Sheep” are “only…those who are slain, yielding themselves up…with patience, rather than fighting in self-defense.”
  • He frames God as the deliverer: “The Lord will save them in that day, even His people, like sheep.”
  • Lactantius supports the same posture: “we leave vengeance to God,” and “We do not resist those who injure us.”
  • Bercot summarizes: early Christians followed Jesus’ teachings on non-resistance “quite literally.”
Discussion Follow-ups Where have you absorbed the idea that courage equals force? How would it change your imagination of “victory” if God’s protection is shown through endurance rather than dominance?

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