Faith Autopsy – Discussions Questions, Journaling Prompts & CBT Practices

from the Book

Here are all the Group Discussion Questions, Journaling Prompts, abd CBT practices from the book together in one place. For listenability, these were omitted from the Audio edition.

Download the PDF Version here.

Intro – Faith Autopsy—what this is (and isn’t) (pp. 31–32)

Group Discussion

1. When has faith felt like “autopsy” for you—in a way that harmed or healed?
2. Where have you seen teaching about LGBTQ+ people produce good fruit? Where has it produced harm?
3. What are you hoping this book will do in you—honestly?

Journaling Prompts

• Where are you carrying fear or shame around these questions? Name it in God’s presence; ask for gentleness.
• Write about one trusted person you can process this journey with. What makes them safe?

CBT / Healing Practice (4–8 minutes)

1. Observe (TEB): Situation: “Talking about faith and sexuality” → Thought: “This will blow up” → Emotion: anxiety (0–100) → Behavior: avoid.
2. Charge Up: List three grounding practices (walk, music, breathing) you can use before/after hard conversations.
3. Explore Thoughts: Notice all-or-nothing or catastrophe thoughts. Write a more balanced one (“Some people may react badly; others will show up for me”).
4. Face Fears: Choose one small, values-aligned step (sharing with a friend, reading with a group, emailing a pastor).
5. Solve Problems: Break that step into a tiny plan (who, when, what you’ll say). Review after and adjust.

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Story & Hermeneutics – Seven Checkpoints / Fruit Tests (pp. 42–43)

Group Discussion (for groups)

1. Where have you seen Scripture used to heal? To harm?
2. Which of the seven checkpoints is newest or most challenging for you?

Journaling (for individuals)

• Which checkpoint do you already practice instinctively? Where do you want to grow?
• Write about a time when someone’s reading of Scripture bore good fruit in you.

CBT Practice (4–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Think of a moment when a verse was used against you. Name the TEB cycle: Trigger (what happened) → Thought (“God is against me”) → Emotion (0–100) → Behavior (what you did next).
2. Charge Up: Choose one grounding practice before you revisit that memory (breath, movement, prayer).
3. Explore Thoughts: Gently ask, “Does this reading pass Jesus’ fruit tests?” Note any alternative readings this book has opened for you.
4. Face Fears: Share this new lens with a trusted person or counselor.
5. Solve Problems: Identify one small boundary you can set to avoid future weaponizing of Scripture (e.g., leave a toxic thread, change who you ask for counsel).

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1 Corinthians 6:9–10 – Vice Lists & Exploitation (pp. 77–78)

Group Discussion

• Read 1 Corinthians 6:9–11. How does v. 11 (“such were some of you… but you were washed”) shape your reading of the list?
• Where do you see sexual or economic exploitation in your city? How should your church respond?

Journaling Prompts

• When has a label been put on you that didn’t fit? How did it shape you?
• Where are you tempted to reduce others to a label instead of seeing their story?

CBT / Healing Practice (5–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: labeled by a vice list → Thought: “This list defines my identity” → Emotion: anxiety → Behavior: spiral online.
2. Charge Up: Read 1 Cor 6:9–11 aloud; underline “And such were some of you… but you were washed.”
3. Explore Thoughts: Vice lists paint moral landscapes, not identity labels. Re-frame: “Paul targets exploitation; my aim is covenantal love.”
4. Face Fears: Script a one-sentence response you could give a family member: “Let’s talk about how Paul treats exploitation versus covenant.”
5. Solve Problems: Pick one practice that grows integrity (accountability, porn filter, honest check-in).

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1 Timothy 1:9–10 – Law, Enslavers & Arsenokoitai (pp. 84–85)

Group Discussion

• Read 1 Timothy 1:5–11. What is the goal of instruction (v. 5), and how do the listed sins sabotage it?
• Why might andrapodistai (enslavers) placed next to arsenokoitai matter for interpretation today?

Journaling Prompts

• Where has “law” language in church felt like protection? Where has it felt like a weapon?
• What practices in your community most need the law’s lawful use—to restrain harm and make room for love?

CBT / Healing Practices (4–6 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: “The Bible names you as sin” → Thought: “I’m lumped with the worst” → Emotion: despair → Behavior: numb out.
2. Charge Up: Read 1 Tim 1:5–11; circle “love… from a pure heart.”
3. Explore Thoughts: Arsenokoitai sits beside “slave-traders”—people who use others. Balanced thought: “This text restrains harm and protects people.”
4. Face Fears: Share your covenant ethic (consent, fidelity, honesty, non-exploitation) with a trusted leader.
5. Solve Problems: Identify one policy your church could clarify for safety (reporting line, two-adult rule).

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Romans 1–2 – Idolatry, “Against Nature,” & Paul’s Trap (pp. 92–93)

Group Discussion

• Read Romans 1:18–32; 2:1–4; 3:21–26. How does reading them together reframe the point?
• Where do you see idolatry → excess → exploitation at work today (sex, money, power)? What gospel practices confront it?

Journaling Prompts

• How has Romans 1 been used in your story? What does Paul’s turn in 2:1 invite you to do with that history—toward yourself and toward others?
• Where are you tempted to hold the gavel? What would dropping it look like this week?

CBT / Healing Practice (5–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: Romans 1 posted at you → Thought: “Paul condemns me” → Emotion: shame → Behavior: avoid church.
2. Charge Up: Read Rom 1:18–2:4 aloud with a friend; note the 2:1 pivot.
3. Explore Thoughts: Para physin (“against nature”) is idiomatic; Paul uses it positively in 11:24. Re-frame: “Rom 1 names idolatry/excess; 2:1 catches the judge.”
4. Face Fears: Prepare a boundary reply: “Happy to discuss Romans—let’s keep reading into 2:1–4.”
5. Solve Problems: Put a date on your calendar to debrief how this shifted your response.

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Jude 7 – “Strange Flesh” & Predators (pp. 98–99)

Group Discussion

1. Read Jude 4–8. What traits mark the people Jude warns about? Where do those show up today?
2. What structures (policies, teams, practices) would actually protect your community from this pattern?

Journaling Prompts

• Where have you seen charisma without character in Christian spaces? How did it fracture trust?
• What boundaries do you need to stay grounded in love that does no harm?

CBT / Healing Practices (5–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: Jude 7 used as a threat → Thought: “This targets me” → Emotion: fear → Behavior: silence.
2. Charge Up: Read Jude 4–8; list the traits of abusive leaders.
3. Explore Thoughts: Second Temple “Watchers” backdrop = boundary-crossing predators, not covenant couples. Balanced thought: “Jude warns against abusers.”
4. Face Fears: Identify one safeguarding policy you’ll ask about at your church.
5. Solve Problems: Decide who you would tell if you witnessed spiritual/sexual abuse; note the reporting path.

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Orthodoxy & Orthopraxy – When Practice Leads Doctrine (pp. 126–127)

Group Discussion

1. Where have you seen “right belief” used to justify wrong treatment?
2. One practice your church could change this month to move closer to Jesus’ mercy?

Journaling

• Write about a time when someone’s actions—not their statements—revealed Christ to you.

CBT / Healing Practice (4–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: “Right belief” used to excuse harm → Thought: “Doctrine always wins over people” → Emotion: cynicism → Behavior: disengage.
2. Charge Up: Re-read Gal 2 and Luke 10 (Good Samaritan); jot one line: “Go and do likewise.”
3. Explore Thoughts: Jesus tests belief by practice. Re-frame: “If it’s gospel, it will protect the vulnerable.”
4. Face Fears: Take one small act of mercy this week (meal, ride, call) with someone on the margin.
5. Solve Problems: Propose one practical change your church could make (table practice, small-group norm).

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Bad Fruit & Fruit Audits – Testing Theology by Outcomes (pp. 135–136)

Group Discussion

1. What fruit have you seen from the sexual ethics you were taught—good, bad, mixed?
2. How could your elders/staff build “fruit audits” into policy reviews?

Journaling

• Do a fruit inventory: what is your theology producing in you—and in those you shepherd?

CBT / Healing Practice (4–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: anxiety about “Am I faithful?” → Thought: “I’m failing” → Emotion: dread → Behavior: perfectionism.
2. Charge Up: List one instance of each fruit you saw this week (love, joy, peace, etc.).
3. Explore Thoughts: Fruit exposes whether teaching/practice aligns with Jesus. Balanced thought: “I can watch outcomes, not just intentions.”
4. Face Fears: Invite one friend to give honest feedback about the fruit your current choices produce.
5. Solve Problems: Pick one small shift to grow a weak fruit (e.g., gentle words at dinner, a patience cue).

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A Positive Christian Sexual Ethic – Celibacy, Covenant & Community (p. 178)

Group Discussion

1. Which piece is most challenging? Most freeing?
2. How do we bake this into premarital, membership, leadership expectations?

Journaling

• Draft your own sexual ethic in one paragraph. Where does it confront what you were taught?

(No dedicated CBT block in this section.)

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Practices of an Affirming Church – Putting Positive Theology Into Practice (p. 213)

Group Discussion

1. What practices in your church already move toward this kind of community? Where are the gaps?
2. Which vulnerable group (youth, trans people, single adults, elders) most needs focused attention right now?

Journaling Prompts

• If you’re a leader: Where are you tempted to delay change out of conflict-avoidance? What would courage look like?
• If you’re not in formal leadership: Where do you have real influence (relationships, teams, home)?

CBT Practice (5–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: “Bringing this up will split the church” → Thought: “Better to stay silent” → Emotion: fear → Behavior: avoidance.
2. Charge Up: List three supports (friends, mentors, resources) you can lean on as you advocate.
3. Explore Thoughts: Ask, “What if conflict is part of faithful change?” Write one balanced statement that holds both risk and hope.
4. Face Fears: Choose one step (coffee with a leader, joining a working group, sharing a story in small group).
5. Solve Problems: Plan that step (who/when/what), then review afterward: what fruit did it bear?

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Conclusion – “Nothing in Christ. Come and belong.” (p. 220)

Group Discussion

1. Which part of this journey changed how you read Scripture most?
2. What fruit—good or bad—have you seen from your community’s current theology and practices?
3. What’s a concrete policy or practice your church can change in the next 90 days to align with covenant, consent, and non-exploitation?

Journaling Prompts

• Write the sentence you most need to hear from Jesus about your sexuality or identity today.
• Draft a brief “rule of life” that helps you practice liking yourself and loving God at the same time.

CBT / Healing Practice (4–8 minutes)

1. Observe: Trigger: “Right belief” used to excuse harm → Thought: “Doctrine always wins over people” → Emotion: cynicism → Behavior: disengage.
2. Charge Up: Re-read Gal 2 and Luke 10 (Good Samaritan); jot one line: “Go and do likewise.”
3. Explore Thoughts: Jesus tests belief by practice. Re-frame: “If it’s gospel, it will protect the vulnerable.”
4. Face Fears: Take one small act of mercy this week (meal, ride, call) with someone on the margin.
5. Solve Problems: Propose one practical change your church could make (table practice, small-group norm).