The Kingdom of God Is Within You, Chapter 5 summary
Chapter 5 of 12 · 31 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 5, the argument presents Christianity as a new understanding of life that requires practical change, not merely acceptance of religious beliefs. It examines economic exploitation, obedience to unjust laws, and preparations for war as conflicts with Christian conscience, arguing that their suffering makes the existing social order intolerable.
What happens
- The argument identifies the central misunderstanding of Christianity as believing that accepting it requires no change in conduct.
- Human development provides an analogy: Christian brotherhood seems strange just as family and state duties once seem strange.
- Workers suffer exploitation, while privileged people suffer guilt or fear because inequality contradicts their professed beliefs.
- People obey state laws despite recognizing their injustice and rejecting their claim to unquestionable authority.
- Quoted commentators expose military spending, compulsory service, and preparations for killing as contradictions of Christian brotherhood.
- The conclusion connects despair and habitual distraction with the conflict between conscience and modern life, especially compulsory military service.
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Why does Lawson contrast Sunday school with the army?
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