Play the Man by Mark Batterson
Week 6: Chapter 5 — Virtue 5: Moral Courage
Read Chapter 5 of Play the Man by Mark Batterson.
Previewing Week 6 of Play the Man
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 10-week guide when you’re ready.
Physical courage gets all the glory, but Batterson argues that moral courage — the willingness to do what is right when it costs you something — is the rarer and more urgent virtue for men today.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Batterson distinguishes between physical courage (facing danger) and moral courage (facing disapproval, loss, or consequence for doing what is right). Which kind of courage do you find more difficult? Why?
2.The chapter likely revisits Polycarp, who is the supreme example of moral courage in the book — choosing death over denial. What makes his example compelling rather than merely distant and historical? What is the modern equivalent of that choice?
3.Batterson argues that many men live in quiet moral compromise — not in dramatic failures but in small daily surrenders. Where in your life are you making quiet compromises that you would be uncomfortable naming out loud?
a.What is the cost of those compromises to your integrity, your relationships, and your calling?
b.What would it take to draw a line and hold it?