Session 6: Biblical Resources for the Church's Witness
1 Timothy 2:1-6
Preparation Resources
1) Tim Keller sermon: The Testimony of Justice
Discussion Topics
1) McCaulley points out that the purpose of the call to pray for our leaders in 1Tim 2:1-4 is so
that we may have a quiet life that allows the Gospel to spread. However, he says that if we look
in Revelations, we see John critiquing Rome as similar to earlier governments that oppressed
Israel. When we bring both texts in conversation with each other we see prayer does not
eliminate the possibility of criticism. Does this make sense to you?
2) According to McCaulley, what are some ways the Old Testament prophets pointed out
injustice and called for transformation? How did they touch on personal morality and structural
injustice?
3) How did Jesus’s message embody this prophetic tradition? How do the calls in the
beatitudes to mourn, to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to be a peacemaker work in this
context? How might this be useful for thinking about possibilities for the Church’s public witness
to God’s justice?
4) What are some examples of the Church’s public witness in pressing back against systemic
injustice in the book of Acts? Identify other scriptural examples that inform what it means to
contend for justice.
5) Think about the relationship between peacemaking and arbitration that Prof. McCaulley
describes [15:40]. How can you see yourself being a Christian peacemaker by discerning truth
and engaging in Christian truth-telling?
1) Tim Keller sermon: The Testimony of Justice
Discussion Topics
1) McCaulley points out that the purpose of the call to pray for our leaders in 1Tim 2:1-4 is so
that we may have a quiet life that allows the Gospel to spread. However, he says that if we look
in Revelations, we see John critiquing Rome as similar to earlier governments that oppressed
Israel. When we bring both texts in conversation with each other we see prayer does not
eliminate the possibility of criticism. Does this make sense to you?
2) According to McCaulley, what are some ways the Old Testament prophets pointed out
injustice and called for transformation? How did they touch on personal morality and structural
injustice?
3) How did Jesus’s message embody this prophetic tradition? How do the calls in the
beatitudes to mourn, to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to be a peacemaker work in this
context? How might this be useful for thinking about possibilities for the Church’s public witness
to God’s justice?
4) What are some examples of the Church’s public witness in pressing back against systemic
injustice in the book of Acts? Identify other scriptural examples that inform what it means to
contend for justice.
5) Think about the relationship between peacemaking and arbitration that Prof. McCaulley
describes [15:40]. How can you see yourself being a Christian peacemaker by discerning truth
and engaging in Christian truth-telling?