The Keys of the Kingdom
By A.J. Cronin

480 Pages • $13.95

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
AND REFLECTION

The Keys of the Kingdom
By A.J. Cronin

[Open a pdf version]

Use the following questions as guides to deeper individual understanding of the novel or for group discussion.

1. What is your general impression of Father Francis Chisholm’s personality and character?

2. Father Chisholm believes himself to be prideful. At one point he scolds himself for “my incorrigibly rebellious nature” (p. 194). Do you see these faults in him? Does he have other faults?

3. Father Chisholm endures great frustration in his work. Few of his superiors and coworkers are sympathetic. He suffers great hardship and personal danger. What equips him to persevere?

4. What kind of spiritual life does Father Chisholm have?

5. Father Chisholm makes no effort to lead the dying agnostic Dr. Tulloch to Christian faith, and Dr. Tulloch thanks him “for not trying to bully me to heaven” (p. 285). What is your reaction to this scene? Should Father Chisholm have acted differently?

6. A dramatic peak in the novel comes when Mother Maria-Veronica accuses Father Chisholm of error in suggesting that Dr. Tulloch might have been saved despite his unbelief. Father Chisholm replies by saying “God judges us not only by what we believe . . . but by what we do” (p. 289). Does one of them “win” this theological argument, or does each of them have a point?

7. Father Chisholm professes pacifist beliefs, yet he intervenes on one side of the battle between warlords, and his actions cause the death of dozens of men. Did he act rightly? Does Father Chisholm himself think he acted rightly?

8. What do you think of Cronin’s portrayal of the Chinese characters in the novel? Are they convincingly portrayed? Are they as convincing as the European characters?

9. The Keys of the Kingdom critiques a harsh, legalistic approach to the Catholic faith. This approach is embodied in the callous attitude of Father Kezer: “‘Do this or be damned’ was imprinted on his heart”
(p. 139). Why do Father Kezer and the religious people like him act this way? Is their understanding of the Christian faith deficient, or are they people with serious character defects?

10. The title of the book is a reference to the Gospel passage where Jesus confers authority on Peter and is often interpreted as scriptural basis for the authority of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. However, the book is highly critical of the hierarchy. What, then, does the title mean?

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