Sterile Protest and Productive Work

This report contrasts sterile protest with productive work, using 14th-century England as an example. It shows how discontent can lead to destructive rebellion, like John Ball’s violent class revolt, or to constructive progress through faithful work. Both rulers and rebels misunderstood the root problem—a spiritual sickness. True power lies in productive work under God’s law, while sterile protest breeds lawlessness and theft. The state is never morally neutral; only a return to God’s law can restore justice and order.