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Historical Kingdom Christian Movements  /  The Lollards  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
The Lollard Conclusions (1394) include strong critiques of Rome (transubstantiation, blessings as “necromancy,” pilgrimages, confession power games), yet Article 6 still calls the “temporal and spiritual…two halves of the entire Holy Church”; what do you learn from that mixture of insight and confusion about how reform movements can recover truth in some areas while staying captive in others?
Another way to ask: The Lollards saw some real problems in Rome but still mixed church and state as “two halves” of the church. What does this teach you about how reform groups can be right in some areas but still stuck in old ways in others?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests reform movements can recover major biblical truths (Scripture’s authority, rejecting abuses) while still carrying inherited assumptions—especially the Augustinian habit of blending church and state. The Lollards show both real light and real confusion at the same time.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says the Lollard Conclusions are “an interesting mix of both Augustinian teaching and genuine kingdom restoration.”
  • Their insights include rejecting transubstantiation (Article 4) and calling ritual blessings “necromancy rather than…sacred theology” (Article 5).
  • They denounce pilgrimages and image devotion as “akin to idolatry” (Article 8) and expose confession’s power dynamics (Article 9).
  • But Article 6 claims “the temporal and spiritual are two halves of the entire Holy Church,” and says the one who serves one “should not meddle with the other.”
  • Bercot’s critique is pointed: “unfortunately…they did not understand the doctrine of the two kingdoms” because they still treated the secular realm as part of “the Holy Church.”
Discussion Follow-ups This raises a diagnostic question: what “half-reformed” assumptions do we keep because they feel normal—especially about politics, coercion, or how the church should use state power?

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