Church and Nation The Bishop Paddock Lectures for 1914-15

Delivered to American theological students at the height of the First World War, these lectures offer a measured, deeply reflective examination of how faith intersects with national conflict. The speaker, a seasoned clergyman and educator, grapples with the sudden shift from domestic reform concerns to the urgent reality of a global war, seeking to clarify what a Christian conscience must confront when nations clash.

The work unfolds around several core convictions: Britain’s moral imperative to enter and pursue the war, the recognition that the conflict exposes long‑standing, un‑Christian patterns of oppression, and the call for a fellowship that transcends race and nationality. It stresses that love, forgiveness, and the power of the Cross remain vital even amid battle, and argues that any lasting peace must be rooted in genuine Christian principles. Readers are invited to consider how the church might reshape its mission toward a broader ideal of brotherhood in a world reshaped by war.