Discussion Questions

David Bercot claims Augustine “has ultimately had more influence on the Western Church than even the apostles themselves, because the Western Church has read the apostles through his eyes.” What are some ways you’ve seen Christian communities (or yourself) interpret Scripture through a favored theologian’s categories, and what practical steps would it take to “read the apostles” more directly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are some ways you’ve seen Christians (or yourself) read the Bible through the “lens” of a favorite theologian? What would help you read what the apostles wrote more directly?

The chapter links Augustine’s Western logic and his lack of Greek to major departures from earlier Christianity, noting the New Testament and most early writers were Greek-speaking. How should the language/culture gap between the New Testament world and later Western theology shape the level of confidence we place in inherited doctrinal systems? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Since the New Testament and early Christian writers used Greek, how should the language and culture gap affect how confident we are in later Western doctrine systems?

Bercot lists a “partial list” of Augustine-backed doctrines and practices (Mary without actual sin, unbaptized infants damned, sex within marriage debased, holy war, no literal millennium, no forgiveness outside the Catholic Church, some apostolic practices no longer apply, purgatorial fire, Mass benefiting the dead, persecuting heretics). Which items most disturb you—and what do your reactions reveal about what you assume God is like (merciful, severe, pragmatic, consistent, etc.)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which Augustine-linked teachings on Bercot’s list bother you the most? What do your reactions say about what you think God is like?

Augustine argues for a “righteous persecution” the Church inflicts “in the spirit of love,” appealing to Nebuchadnezzar’s law, Sarah and Hagar, the Psalms, and fear of hell. What view of God’s intentions and methods is required for coercion to be called “love,” and where do you see similar reasoning functioning today (even without physical force)? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would you have to believe about God for forcing people to obey to count as “love”? Where do you see similar pressure used today, even without violence?

Augustine’s quote distinguishes persecution “of unrighteousness” against the Church from “righteous persecution” by the Church. If the “true Church” is recognized by suffering rather than inflicting persecution (as Bercot notes some say), what criteria should a serious Christian use to discern when the Church has crossed from discipline into coercive control? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can a serious Christian tell when church discipline has crossed the line into controlling or coercive behavior? What signs or standards would you use?

Bercot describes the AD 400 church as largely creed-reciting, Sunday-meeting people with “no genuine relationship with God,” and presents Pelagius as reacting with a “no-nonsense message of repentance and holiness.” In what ways might a modern church look “spiritually anemic” while still being doctrinally busy, and what kind of repentance/holiness preaching would actually address the problem rather than just intensify shame? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can a church look spiritually weak while still being busy with correct doctrine and church activities? What kind of preaching on repentance and holiness would truly help without just piling on shame?

Calistius’s reasoning says: if you can obey for one day, you can extend it indefinitely; Bercot calls that fallacious and illustrates with running three miles vs 300 and typing three minutes vs three days. Where do you see this “small scale implies unlimited scale” logic sneaking into Christian expectations about sanctification, accountability, or spiritual disciplines—and what would a more realistic view of human weakness look like without excusing sin? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see the idea “if you can do a little, you can do it forever” shaping Christian expectations about sanctification or spiritual habits? What would a more realistic view of human weakness look like that still takes sin seriously?

Bercot says Pelagius/Calistius “weren’t that far removed” from early Christians because early Christians held both personal responsibility and the real need for saving and empowering grace. What does it look like, in lived experience, to hold together “we are capable of living obediently to God” and “without grace, there can be no salvation” without collapsing into either self-reliance or passivity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In real life, how can someone hold both “we can obey God” and “we need God’s grace to be saved” without becoming either proud and self-reliant or lazy and passive?

Augustine’s reaction to Pelagianism is summarized in seven points (total depravity; inability even to believe; faith only if God gives it; God’s choice arbitrary; predestination to salvation or damnation; perseverance as a separate gift; no one can know the elect; everything is gift). Which of these points most changes the way you would pray, repent, evangelize, or pursue obedience—and what does that change imply about God’s character and fairness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which of Augustine’s seven points would most change how you pray, repent, share your faith, or try to obey God? What would that change suggest about God’s character and fairness?

The chapter ends saying Augustine “obliterated” early Christian teachings on free will and human involvement in salvation, replacing them with “cold, grim… absolute predestination.” If you try to imagine a congregation shaped by Augustine’s framework versus one shaped by the earlier Christian balance described here, what differences would show up in assurance, fear, moral effort, compassion toward strugglers, and the way people talk about grace and obedience? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Imagine one church shaped by Augustine’s predestination view and another shaped by the earlier Christian balance described here. How would they differ in assurance, fear, moral effort, care for struggling people, and how they talk about grace and obedience?