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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 30, The Alternate Stream  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
The Lollards argued that war contradicts the “law of grace,” saying when men fight “love is forgotten after the first blow,” and “whoever dies without love goes down the straight road to hell”; what does this claim expose about heart motives in violence, how does it confront modern assumptions about “just war” or “Christian patriotism,” and what concrete changes would it require in how we talk about enemies, self-defense, and national loyalty?
Another way to ask: If fighting makes people stop loving, what does that say about what violence does to the heart? How does that challenge ideas like “just war” or “Christian patriotism,” and what would it change in how we talk about enemies, self-defense, and loyalty to our nation?

Direct Answer The Lollards’ argument exposes that violence quickly destroys love, and without love a person is in spiritual danger; therefore war is incompatible with the New Testament “law of grace.” While the transcript doesn’t speak to modern “just war” language directly, it clearly challenges any Christian mindset that treats killing as compatible with Jesus’ enemy-love.

Support from Transcript:

  • The Lollards say “Manslaughter in war… is expressly contrary to the New Testament,” which is “the law of grace and full of mercies.”
  • They ground it in Jesus’ example and command: He taught to “love his enemies… show them pity and not to slay them.”
  • They diagnose the heart: “when men fight, love is forgotten after the first blow.”
  • They warn spiritually: “whoever dies without love goes down the straight road to hell.”
  • They reject crusading: “The Crusaders deserve ill thanks from the King of Peace,” because faith spreads by “humility and patience.”
  • They quote Jesus: “He who smites with the sword shall perish by the sword.”
Discussion Follow-ups Concrete implications (by inference from their claims): Christians would need to stop praising killing as virtuous, speak of enemies with mercy, and measure loyalty by obedience to the “King of Peace” rather than by national causes.

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