- The Bible is very clear about the origin of evil in our world. Other world religions are much more ambiguous on this topic. How would you explain the origin of evil in your own words to someone who was not familiar with the Bible?
- Sometimes many of us feel helpless in the face of bad choices, but we are told in the Bible that we can “resist the devil.” Have you ever openly defied Satan and told him to “get lost” when you confronted an evil situation? Do you trust God’s promise that Satan will flee if we invoke Jesus’ name?
- Most of us recognize sin in our personal lives and in the lives of others we know, but recognizing corporate sin – sin that is also called “structural evil” is harder to identify. What corporate sin do you see in your neighborhood, city or country?
- The Bible does not paint an idyllic picture of the early church, as we see in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. What was their sin? What can we learn from this story?
- The Bible warns against using religion for political purposes and the story of Jeroboam illustrates this. Do you see evidence of this in your own city, state or country? In what ways can even mild forms of “civil religion” can be a threat to true religion?