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La petite vermillon #145
The Subversion of Christianity
Argues that the Christian church and culture of today is far removed from Biblical precepts and examines the possible causes
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2006
33 people are currently reading
1324 people want to read
About the author
Jacques Ellul
119 books446 followersBaptised Catholic, Ellul became an atheist and Marxist at 19, and a Christian of the Reformed Church at 22. During his Marxist days, he was a member of the French Communist Party. During World War II, he fought with the French Underground against the Nazi occupation of France.
Educated at the Universities of Bordeaux and Paris, he taught Sociology and the History of Law at the Universities of Strausbourg and Montpellier. In 1946 he returned to Bordeaux where he lived, wrote, served as Mayor, and taught until his death in 1994.
In the 40 books and hundreds of articles Ellul wrote in his lifetime, his dominant theme was always the threat to human freedom posed by modern technology. His tenor and methodology is objective and scholarly, and the perspective is a sociological one. Few of his books are overtly political -- even though they deal directly with political phenomena -- and several of his books, including "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" and "The Technological Society" are required reading in many graduate communication curricula.
Ellul was also a respected and serious Christian theologian whose 1948 work, "The Presence of the Kingdom," makes explicit a dual theme inherent, though subtly stated, in all of his writing, a sort of yin and yang of modern technological society: sin and sacramentality.
Educated at the Universities of Bordeaux and Paris, he taught Sociology and the History of Law at the Universities of Strausbourg and Montpellier. In 1946 he returned to Bordeaux where he lived, wrote, served as Mayor, and taught until his death in 1994.
In the 40 books and hundreds of articles Ellul wrote in his lifetime, his dominant theme was always the threat to human freedom posed by modern technology. His tenor and methodology is objective and scholarly, and the perspective is a sociological one. Few of his books are overtly political -- even though they deal directly with political phenomena -- and several of his books, including "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" and "The Technological Society" are required reading in many graduate communication curricula.
Ellul was also a respected and serious Christian theologian whose 1948 work, "The Presence of the Kingdom," makes explicit a dual theme inherent, though subtly stated, in all of his writing, a sort of yin and yang of modern technological society: sin and sacramentality.
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March 30, 2021
Recognizing where Christianity has been Subverted carries the seeds of how it will be Reclaimed
Rarely have I taken as long to read a book as I have in working through this one. The content demanded reading, re-reading and pauses to consider what was being said. Make no mistake, this is a book that requires careful and attentive reading to hear what it is saying as well as to discern what it is not saying.
Jacques Ellul was a prolific writer in his native French and more of his works are being translated into English. He is known to most as a philosopher and in particular for his deterministic approach toward technology and its impact upon individuals and society. Ellul however, was a Christian Anarchist too, who had a great deal to say about personal faith, the true nature of the church and the societal, cultural and historical changes that have taken place. The term Christian Anarchist is one that remains grossly misunderstood by many. This is not anarchism in the sense of 18th and 19th century political anarchism. This is in many ways a return to early Christianity and the early churches recognition that relationship and a personal walk with Christ was far more to be desired and in fact was antithetical to a walk based upon obligation and external social pressures toward conformity with an established norm. At its heart it is a return to Christ's direct teaching and strong aversion to the religion of the Pharisees of his day who focused upon the external appearance and had nothing to do with the Kingdom Christ had to establish.
It is really from this that the entire premise of this book springs. Ellul draws a stark distinction between the faith Christ delivered once and for all (Christianity) and what it has become over time due to the influences of Greek Philosophy, Roman Law and many other societal trends over time and in the present age (Christendom.) Christendom, Ellul states, has largely departed from, and indeed is many instances is diametrically opposite that which Christ originally taught and modeled.
Keep in mind that this book was originally written in 1984 in French. This translation of Ellul's 40th book came in 1986. Despite the more than 25 years that have passed since it's being written and the great upheavals and exponential technological change, this message is still very timely and contemporary.
The book itself moves in broad themes to demonstrate the radical changes in the understanding of the basics of Christianity. After initially defining the contradictions that he observed in the first chapter Ellul then moves systematically though several influences outside of the core teaching and relationship model of Christianity that he sees as particularly key. The contradictions noted include,
* the denial of progressive revelation in theory but the practice of progressive changes of interpretation.
* the ongoing struggle of grace and law and the creative and myriad ways that grace is diminished while law is promoted.
* the continued synthesis of cultural and societal values into the core of the Christian religion which in the end comes to reflect society rather than being a change agent within it.
* the foundation of Christ's clear teachings and simple message undermined by Greek Philosophy, Roman Law and turned into an "ism".
* the clear teachings of Christ rationalized away in favor of an intellectually consistent, but content-wise opposite message watered down with the original message cast aside.
With the problem thus defined, Ellul moves on to address how the current forms of Christendom have been arrived upon. The principle elements focused upon is Christianity's historic alignment with political power in direct contradiction to the teachings of Christ about such compromise and use of earthly means to attempt to bring about spiritual results. In a very cursory manner, Ellul covers many of the elements of the paganizing of the church that are covered in far greater detail in Frank Viola and George Barna's Pagan Christianity. Included in these forms is the tendency to moralize or move to legalistic checklists to define how true a person's religion is or may be. The emphasis upon money and wealth in the western church context along with the alignment of Christendom with different forms of governmental theory to prove, after the fact, the validity of the current societally in-vogue economic theory whether that be LaisseFaire capitalism or Marxism, to give but two.
From here then Ellul begins to paint in broad themes through chapters that continue to build upon the foundation laid. He moves from forms within Christendom illustrating his point and then to some of the overlying societal influences that have shaped Christendom into what it is today in the western world especially.
Most of the chapters can actually stand on their own as essays on each individual element addressed. The issues touched up include:
* The artificial distinction between the "sacred" and "secular" in institutional religion.
* The false equation of Christianity with Morality.
* The role of women within society and the church.
* The historical influence of Islam back upon Christendom.
* The perversion of Christendom intertwined with political power.
* The progression of Nihilism in response to societal woes and the themes of it within organized Christianity.
* The heart of why Christianity as a religion is diametrically opposite to historical Christianity as delivered by Christ and received by the early saints.
* The influence of "Dominions and Powers" behind the scenes. (This has to be read to be understood ... it's not what Christians today, would expect it to be.)
* A conclusion that recognizes that despite the broad trends, a remnant or core still remains of faithful people who "get it" and walk outside of and despite the broader perversions and trends that plague organized religion.
Ellul has proven to be an extremely challenging and beneficial read for me. In fact a read that can be said to be pivotal in many understandings that I am currently relearning. Make no mistake, though, Ellul is not a traditional or an easy read. I found elements of things that I'm not in complete agreement with as well. For example, Ellul holds to a form of Universalism and some of his examples of the Trinity come close (or maybe even cross into) modalism. Ellul's personal history as a young Marxist before he came to Christ as well as the context he writes from with the church in France as his experiential model don't line up with everything "neatly" that an evangelical American can relate directly to perhaps.
All these things aside however, this is a powerful read. I strongly recommend it.
5 stars.
barton breen
Rarely have I taken as long to read a book as I have in working through this one. The content demanded reading, re-reading and pauses to consider what was being said. Make no mistake, this is a book that requires careful and attentive reading to hear what it is saying as well as to discern what it is not saying.
Jacques Ellul was a prolific writer in his native French and more of his works are being translated into English. He is known to most as a philosopher and in particular for his deterministic approach toward technology and its impact upon individuals and society. Ellul however, was a Christian Anarchist too, who had a great deal to say about personal faith, the true nature of the church and the societal, cultural and historical changes that have taken place. The term Christian Anarchist is one that remains grossly misunderstood by many. This is not anarchism in the sense of 18th and 19th century political anarchism. This is in many ways a return to early Christianity and the early churches recognition that relationship and a personal walk with Christ was far more to be desired and in fact was antithetical to a walk based upon obligation and external social pressures toward conformity with an established norm. At its heart it is a return to Christ's direct teaching and strong aversion to the religion of the Pharisees of his day who focused upon the external appearance and had nothing to do with the Kingdom Christ had to establish.
It is really from this that the entire premise of this book springs. Ellul draws a stark distinction between the faith Christ delivered once and for all (Christianity) and what it has become over time due to the influences of Greek Philosophy, Roman Law and many other societal trends over time and in the present age (Christendom.) Christendom, Ellul states, has largely departed from, and indeed is many instances is diametrically opposite that which Christ originally taught and modeled.
Keep in mind that this book was originally written in 1984 in French. This translation of Ellul's 40th book came in 1986. Despite the more than 25 years that have passed since it's being written and the great upheavals and exponential technological change, this message is still very timely and contemporary.
The book itself moves in broad themes to demonstrate the radical changes in the understanding of the basics of Christianity. After initially defining the contradictions that he observed in the first chapter Ellul then moves systematically though several influences outside of the core teaching and relationship model of Christianity that he sees as particularly key. The contradictions noted include,
* the denial of progressive revelation in theory but the practice of progressive changes of interpretation.
* the ongoing struggle of grace and law and the creative and myriad ways that grace is diminished while law is promoted.
* the continued synthesis of cultural and societal values into the core of the Christian religion which in the end comes to reflect society rather than being a change agent within it.
* the foundation of Christ's clear teachings and simple message undermined by Greek Philosophy, Roman Law and turned into an "ism".
* the clear teachings of Christ rationalized away in favor of an intellectually consistent, but content-wise opposite message watered down with the original message cast aside.
With the problem thus defined, Ellul moves on to address how the current forms of Christendom have been arrived upon. The principle elements focused upon is Christianity's historic alignment with political power in direct contradiction to the teachings of Christ about such compromise and use of earthly means to attempt to bring about spiritual results. In a very cursory manner, Ellul covers many of the elements of the paganizing of the church that are covered in far greater detail in Frank Viola and George Barna's Pagan Christianity. Included in these forms is the tendency to moralize or move to legalistic checklists to define how true a person's religion is or may be. The emphasis upon money and wealth in the western church context along with the alignment of Christendom with different forms of governmental theory to prove, after the fact, the validity of the current societally in-vogue economic theory whether that be LaisseFaire capitalism or Marxism, to give but two.
From here then Ellul begins to paint in broad themes through chapters that continue to build upon the foundation laid. He moves from forms within Christendom illustrating his point and then to some of the overlying societal influences that have shaped Christendom into what it is today in the western world especially.
Most of the chapters can actually stand on their own as essays on each individual element addressed. The issues touched up include:
* The artificial distinction between the "sacred" and "secular" in institutional religion.
* The false equation of Christianity with Morality.
* The role of women within society and the church.
* The historical influence of Islam back upon Christendom.
* The perversion of Christendom intertwined with political power.
* The progression of Nihilism in response to societal woes and the themes of it within organized Christianity.
* The heart of why Christianity as a religion is diametrically opposite to historical Christianity as delivered by Christ and received by the early saints.
* The influence of "Dominions and Powers" behind the scenes. (This has to be read to be understood ... it's not what Christians today, would expect it to be.)
* A conclusion that recognizes that despite the broad trends, a remnant or core still remains of faithful people who "get it" and walk outside of and despite the broader perversions and trends that plague organized religion.
Ellul has proven to be an extremely challenging and beneficial read for me. In fact a read that can be said to be pivotal in many understandings that I am currently relearning. Make no mistake, though, Ellul is not a traditional or an easy read. I found elements of things that I'm not in complete agreement with as well. For example, Ellul holds to a form of Universalism and some of his examples of the Trinity come close (or maybe even cross into) modalism. Ellul's personal history as a young Marxist before he came to Christ as well as the context he writes from with the church in France as his experiential model don't line up with everything "neatly" that an evangelical American can relate directly to perhaps.
All these things aside however, this is a powerful read. I strongly recommend it.
5 stars.
barton breen
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2021
J. Ellul writes The Subversion of Christianity (fr. La subversion du christianisme) in 1984. However, I'm afraid the book is more relevant today than it was 4 decades ago because Christianity was further subverted. I have read the Romanian translation of the book, which I think is well written, although it contains some typos.
Ellul is criticising the diversion of the institutional Church (Christendom) from the Bible inspired Christianity. The diversion is not only in theory. It has corrupted its mode of being, its practice and its core assumptions. We notice that Christianity was subverted when Revelation is compared with the practice of the church. The contradiction is obvious. The Ellul’s book examines the process by which Christianity was subverted and turned into an ideology (i.e. Christianism) throughout its history in Chapters 2-7. Moreover, it explores the reasons behind the subversion in Chapters 8-9.
There is an important premise for properly reading the book (especially for Christians): i.e. the distinction between Christianism/Christendom and Christianity (using Kierkegaard’s dichotomy). In other words, there is a distinction between the Church as the Body of Christ (organised by the Holy Spirit) and the church as an institution (denomination) that is organised by humans as a political or corporational entity. The premise is theologically verifiable and I find it to be definitely true. For Ellul true Christianity is defined in the following way: the revelation and creation of God in Jesus Christ, the true Church (Body of Christ) and the faith and life of christians characterised by love and truth. On the other hand, Christianism is an ideological and social movement which perverts Christianity with myths, legends, rituals, sacraments, officials, etc.
In Ellul’s opinion the Revelation should be interpreted historically. God reveals itself in relation to the man and for the man. Without the progress of the people with God in history, we could not understand the will of God. He is called Jesus-Emmanuel (God is with us). When the Church confuses Greek philosophy and the Roman right with the Revelation, the message of the Revelation is edulcorated. The moral and metaphysical models have no correspondence in the Bible. However, maybe the most important factor of the subversion of Christianity was the alliance with the Empire, which makes the church an instrument of propaganda. It becomes responsible both for the morality and unity of the empire. That leads both to the persecution of the heretics and to the implantation of pagans custom in the church. Even in the service of the state, it cannot be fully separated from the Revelation. So, the christianisation of the society has a lot of good implications for society. Christianity determines the apparition of the secular state, democracy, human rights, science and technology etc. However, Christianity is a polemic term which was subverted when the whole society was "christianised". True Christianity is an anti-religion. It desacralise the world, it destroys the sacred and the religious of each society. When the revelation is subverted, the Church starts to re-sacralise the world. The state and religious powers are, from my perspective, the main beasts in the book of Revelation. Christianity is also influced by Islam. From islam it borrows the holy war (Crusades), the idea that Christianity is a natural religion, the mysticism and the idea of fatality and predestination. The X century arab model of slavery and colonisation was imported in the XV century in Occident. Moreover, Ellul sees Christendom responsible for the prolificity of Nihilism today.
Christianity was subverted because it was socially intolerable. The idea of grace, of non-power and liberty are intolerable for each human society. Besides this, Christianity fights against the main powers of the world: money, prince of the world, father of lies, Satan (accuser), Devil (slanderer). Ellul is often called a Christian-anarhists. It is important to know that Chrsitian-anarhism does not refer to a social or political ideology, but to a way of living.
Ellul is not a church apologist, but he is neither a shallow critic of Christendom. Much of today's church criticism (e.g. the new atheism) is exaggerated, malicious and false. Antichristians today are sharing unverified propagandistic lies about the Church and the truth of the Gospel. However, the idea of a pure and immaculate church is also untrue. The church should not pretend otherwise. Rather, it should listen with humility, repent when the accusation is just and, if necessary, reform in accordance with the truth. I believe these are the sincere observations of a weary heart. Also, I agree with the main thesis of Ellul that Christianity was subverted and with most (but not all) of its arguments. I think the book could be written more scientifically and theologically rigorous. Besides this, Ellul is very precise in presenting the church's errors and their long-term implications. Despite all the Church’s errors, it continues to exist because God remains faithful to His promise that the Church shall prevail even against Death. If the church is in decline in one part of the world, it is thriving in another. Also, when the truth was forgotten, God has sent theologians and mystics to reform the church and rediscover the fundamental truths. The church will always survive in its saints. It doesn’t really matter if they are known or not. It doesn't matter if the saint is an old woman who prays in a country church, a familist middle-age man, an academic theologian or a teeneger who shares the Gospel of love with his friends.
Ellul is criticising the diversion of the institutional Church (Christendom) from the Bible inspired Christianity. The diversion is not only in theory. It has corrupted its mode of being, its practice and its core assumptions. We notice that Christianity was subverted when Revelation is compared with the practice of the church. The contradiction is obvious. The Ellul’s book examines the process by which Christianity was subverted and turned into an ideology (i.e. Christianism) throughout its history in Chapters 2-7. Moreover, it explores the reasons behind the subversion in Chapters 8-9.
There is an important premise for properly reading the book (especially for Christians): i.e. the distinction between Christianism/Christendom and Christianity (using Kierkegaard’s dichotomy). In other words, there is a distinction between the Church as the Body of Christ (organised by the Holy Spirit) and the church as an institution (denomination) that is organised by humans as a political or corporational entity. The premise is theologically verifiable and I find it to be definitely true. For Ellul true Christianity is defined in the following way: the revelation and creation of God in Jesus Christ, the true Church (Body of Christ) and the faith and life of christians characterised by love and truth. On the other hand, Christianism is an ideological and social movement which perverts Christianity with myths, legends, rituals, sacraments, officials, etc.
In Ellul’s opinion the Revelation should be interpreted historically. God reveals itself in relation to the man and for the man. Without the progress of the people with God in history, we could not understand the will of God. He is called Jesus-Emmanuel (God is with us). When the Church confuses Greek philosophy and the Roman right with the Revelation, the message of the Revelation is edulcorated. The moral and metaphysical models have no correspondence in the Bible. However, maybe the most important factor of the subversion of Christianity was the alliance with the Empire, which makes the church an instrument of propaganda. It becomes responsible both for the morality and unity of the empire. That leads both to the persecution of the heretics and to the implantation of pagans custom in the church. Even in the service of the state, it cannot be fully separated from the Revelation. So, the christianisation of the society has a lot of good implications for society. Christianity determines the apparition of the secular state, democracy, human rights, science and technology etc. However, Christianity is a polemic term which was subverted when the whole society was "christianised". True Christianity is an anti-religion. It desacralise the world, it destroys the sacred and the religious of each society. When the revelation is subverted, the Church starts to re-sacralise the world. The state and religious powers are, from my perspective, the main beasts in the book of Revelation. Christianity is also influced by Islam. From islam it borrows the holy war (Crusades), the idea that Christianity is a natural religion, the mysticism and the idea of fatality and predestination. The X century arab model of slavery and colonisation was imported in the XV century in Occident. Moreover, Ellul sees Christendom responsible for the prolificity of Nihilism today.
Christianity was subverted because it was socially intolerable. The idea of grace, of non-power and liberty are intolerable for each human society. Besides this, Christianity fights against the main powers of the world: money, prince of the world, father of lies, Satan (accuser), Devil (slanderer). Ellul is often called a Christian-anarhists. It is important to know that Chrsitian-anarhism does not refer to a social or political ideology, but to a way of living.
Ellul is not a church apologist, but he is neither a shallow critic of Christendom. Much of today's church criticism (e.g. the new atheism) is exaggerated, malicious and false. Antichristians today are sharing unverified propagandistic lies about the Church and the truth of the Gospel. However, the idea of a pure and immaculate church is also untrue. The church should not pretend otherwise. Rather, it should listen with humility, repent when the accusation is just and, if necessary, reform in accordance with the truth. I believe these are the sincere observations of a weary heart. Also, I agree with the main thesis of Ellul that Christianity was subverted and with most (but not all) of its arguments. I think the book could be written more scientifically and theologically rigorous. Besides this, Ellul is very precise in presenting the church's errors and their long-term implications. Despite all the Church’s errors, it continues to exist because God remains faithful to His promise that the Church shall prevail even against Death. If the church is in decline in one part of the world, it is thriving in another. Also, when the truth was forgotten, God has sent theologians and mystics to reform the church and rediscover the fundamental truths. The church will always survive in its saints. It doesn’t really matter if they are known or not. It doesn't matter if the saint is an old woman who prays in a country church, a familist middle-age man, an academic theologian or a teeneger who shares the Gospel of love with his friends.
December 31, 2023
Jacques Ellul as always is the goat and I also hate him simultaneously. I think he’s probably the best theologian ever because it’s very difficult for me to give him more than three stars. His method of just… saying things… makes me think very deeply.
The whole question of this book is why doesn’t Christianity today match the teachings of Jesus? What has caused it to lose its way. For Ellul, all deviations stem from “First, the revelation and work of God accomplished in Jesus Christ, second, the being of the church as the body of Christ, and third, the faith and life of Christians in truth and love.”
He identifies Christendom as the culprit here. The creation of a Christian culture, the imposition of the Mosaic Law as a legal system, associations and support of power and governments. And he is beyond right: “But there is no formulation of a "Christian" morality that is independent of faith. The Bible decrees no universal morality.” (This opens an interesting rejection of any arguments for God’s existence via some internal sense of a natural law!)
His Islamphobia is present unfortunately and causes him to argue poorly. However, a fascinating statement from him that’s probably right is that Islam is perfect identifiable with natural theology. If we do not end up Muslim through natural theology it is because we erred. This is doubly interesting because he is a (post-)Barthian.
His rejection of liberation theology(or at least some of its notable contributors) is pretty concerning to me though. But, he is right to say “The Bible does not enable me in any way to declare that a given regime is in conformity with God's will. It is not my job as a Christian to identify history with God's will.” I think, however, the prophetic dimensions of the Old Testament of criticizing power structures lines up well with his Christian anarchism keeping the door open.
As always I love and hate Ellul’s analyses. He always challenges me and requires his readers to grapple with the truly radical and impossibly difficult gospel of Christ.
The whole question of this book is why doesn’t Christianity today match the teachings of Jesus? What has caused it to lose its way. For Ellul, all deviations stem from “First, the revelation and work of God accomplished in Jesus Christ, second, the being of the church as the body of Christ, and third, the faith and life of Christians in truth and love.”
He identifies Christendom as the culprit here. The creation of a Christian culture, the imposition of the Mosaic Law as a legal system, associations and support of power and governments. And he is beyond right: “But there is no formulation of a "Christian" morality that is independent of faith. The Bible decrees no universal morality.” (This opens an interesting rejection of any arguments for God’s existence via some internal sense of a natural law!)
His Islamphobia is present unfortunately and causes him to argue poorly. However, a fascinating statement from him that’s probably right is that Islam is perfect identifiable with natural theology. If we do not end up Muslim through natural theology it is because we erred. This is doubly interesting because he is a (post-)Barthian.
His rejection of liberation theology(or at least some of its notable contributors) is pretty concerning to me though. But, he is right to say “The Bible does not enable me in any way to declare that a given regime is in conformity with God's will. It is not my job as a Christian to identify history with God's will.” I think, however, the prophetic dimensions of the Old Testament of criticizing power structures lines up well with his Christian anarchism keeping the door open.
As always I love and hate Ellul’s analyses. He always challenges me and requires his readers to grapple with the truly radical and impossibly difficult gospel of Christ.
October 21, 2025
I reread this book this month. Since Christ put it in my heart that He is the Truth (2020), I have slowly but surely wandered from that initial euphoria into darkness and despair all over again. About 2-3 months ago it got to a point where I was no longer certain what it meant for my life to belong to Jesus anymore. I was clouded in years of theological study, routine church attendance, the routine of Christendom had fully sank its teeth into my soul and I felt more empty than I ever had in my life, including the 32 years I spent in total ignorance of Christ. Then Kierkegaard showed up on a bookshelf one day, and somehow that lead me back to this book by Ellul. To be honest, I’m not sure I can express the miraculous work God has done by way of those two authors in me this last month. He has pulled me out of the void of “Christianity” and brought me back to His Son, to a life ransomed by Christ, to the freedom to radically love because I am no longer bound by sin and death. It would be to denigrate the whole thing were I to say much more, I think. God’s work in men is individual, and much of it is meant to be between that man and God, I would say. Nevertheless, if you know Jesus Christ is Truth itself, and the Bible is the Word of God, but feel yourself spiritually deadened to that reality, I cannot recommend Ellul (or Kierkegaard) enough. Amen.
“In sum, what the recognition of the state and the entry of Christians and the church into politics have produced is a mutation that amounts to subversion. Revelation inevitably meant a break in the human order, in society, in power. Jesus came to cast a fire on the earth. He did not come to bring peace but a sword. He brought division between members of the same household. He is the occasion of a break and a fall for many. If the world hates his disciples, they must know that it hated him first. Just as conversion always means a break in individual life, so the intervention of revelation means a break in the whole group, in all society, and it unavoidably challenges the institution and established power, no matter what form this may take. But adulteration by political power has changed all this. Christianity has become a religion of conformity, of integration into the social body. It has come to be regarded as useful for social cohesion (the exact opposite of what it is in its source and truth).”
- Jacques Ellul, ‘The Subversion of Christianity’
“In sum, what the recognition of the state and the entry of Christians and the church into politics have produced is a mutation that amounts to subversion. Revelation inevitably meant a break in the human order, in society, in power. Jesus came to cast a fire on the earth. He did not come to bring peace but a sword. He brought division between members of the same household. He is the occasion of a break and a fall for many. If the world hates his disciples, they must know that it hated him first. Just as conversion always means a break in individual life, so the intervention of revelation means a break in the whole group, in all society, and it unavoidably challenges the institution and established power, no matter what form this may take. But adulteration by political power has changed all this. Christianity has become a religion of conformity, of integration into the social body. It has come to be regarded as useful for social cohesion (the exact opposite of what it is in its source and truth).”
- Jacques Ellul, ‘The Subversion of Christianity’
February 10, 2015
In summary, it's the Grand Inquisitor (Dostoevsky), expanded and retold by a French sociologist Jacques Ellul who concludes in the spirit of Alyosha.
I had never read anything by Ellul but was drawn to him through some references made by Walter Brueggemann (and I think also by Neil Postman). Influences of Kierkegaard and Barth are evident.
There were occasions where I felt some strain in his exegesis but he offers an enlightening perspective on church history not to condemn but to awaken -- although his words do pierce where most would take offense like those of a prophet. Neither Catholics nor Protestants, liberals nor conservatives, theologians nor mystics will be left acquitted.
His tone is passionate, as the subject matter deserves, and resonates well with my spirit also. Recommended for those of Christian faith with ears to hear quietly without self-defense, interjections, or apology -- that you might be inspired rather than discouraged.
March 25, 2023
These are taken from my notes on the book, lightly edited for readability. They're a basic summary of what Ellul covers.
How did a movement that was intended to subvert the powers of the world end up subverted by them? How did Christianity become “the opposite of what we are shown by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ?"” (18)? This is the question that Jacques Ellul attempts to answer. Christianity is intended to be the revelation of the work and nature Jesus Christ, the existence of the church as his body, and the faith and life of Christians in truth and love. However, in Christendom, Christianity has come to represent something else, so Ellul drops the term and refers to the original revelation simply as “X.”
The subversion of Christianity is most readily seen in its institutions. As the Christian movement succeeded in growing in adherents and wealth, it necessarily had to institutionalize. Within these institutions, the powers and principles that drive the world found a foothold. The church necessarily gravitated away from organic relationships grounded in grace and love to institutional influence and programmed social action. The more institutional it became, the more difficult it was to follow the way of Jesus, which is relational. The way of Jesus doesn't consist of principles for organizational development, cultural influence, or social change, though these things may happen.
Each chapter identifies a factor that subtly subverted the church over the centuries.
Sacralization: Christianity wasn’t to be a religion that defeats other religions. Rather, Christianity was to be the end of religion. Christianity was subverted when it became one religion among many.
Moralism: Ellul shockingly posits that there is no Christian morality. Christian morality developed when unregenerate people were brought into the church and needed to be told how to live. Christianity is intended to be about freely loving as an outgrowth of one’s being, not in conformity to a moral principle or law. It was subverted when regeneration was replaced with moralism.
Islam: Islam imposes religious conformity upon others through Islamic law and jihad. The founding of Islamic societies and holy wars against the infidels shaped a Christendom response in like manner. In Christendom, as in Islam, Christian values and morals are enforced legislatively, the state is sacralized to enforce these values and laws, and these values must be defended militarily. Ironically, Christianity was subverted by imitating Islam.
Politics: The church has given in to the temptation that Jesus resisted when Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world. In an effort to make “a less unsatisfactory society,” it dilutes the preaching of the gospel with a quest for secular power and influence. When it acquires political power, the church sacralizes and supports secular power, simultaneously becoming weaker itself. Because even the best governments can not help but be unjust, the church becomes complicit in these injustices through its support and blessing of government. Eventually, those standing for justice must stand against the church. Ellul makes this startling claim in regard to the church and politics: when the Church becomes “the guardian of order and power, atheism is a condition of social change and the atheistic wave is thus a blessing. … We must desacralize and dechristianize the system. To bear witness to the truth of God, we must renounce Christian society …. On the basis of atheism, a more just structure of society is possible. Atheism gives revealed truth a chance to rediscover itself.” [135] Christianity was subverted by its involvement in politics.
Nihilism: People’s search for meaning and hope in religion ends up leaving them disappointed. As Christianity became a religion, it could not satisfy their deepest needs. It was subverted by the hopelessness that resulted from false promises.
“The Heart of the Problem” is that people can’t stomach the gospel with its radical faith in what God has done in Christ. They prefer a system, a strong institution, an organization, and a moral standard to be enforced. But what God has offered us in Jesus isn’t an organization or a system to fix the world. He offers us a new beginning, a new “being.”
Ellul doesn’t lay all the blame for this on disobedient or rebellious Christians. Rather, he names 6 powers that are at work in the world, which can also be found in the church. Some will be bothered that he doesn’t believe in a personal devil, Satan, or demons. Regardless of what one believes regarding spiritual beings, there is value in identifying these as powers that flow through the church to its detriment: money, power, deception, accusation, division, and destruction. Ellul demonstrates how each of these have gotten a foothold in the church and how these powers can be found at work equally in the world. Though the church was to stand against them, it has instead become subverted by them.
While there are evil powers at work and while the church’s success made institutionalism inevitable, Ellul also holds Christian leaders responsible: “We state definitively that the robbing of the gospel of it’s significance is linked always with the appropriation of God’s Word by the theologian, the ecclesiastic, or the church.”
In spite of the book’s negative tone, Ellul ends on a positive note. “I am persuaded that if church is not dead, if the Christian church is always - in spite of everything - alive, if God’s Word can still be preached and is still significant today, this is undoubtedly due in the first instance to the presence of the Holy Spirit, to the faithfulness of Christ, but humanly speaking it is due to the simple faith of humble people whose names and works no one knows save God and yet who are among the saints on the earth.”
Occasionally Ellul’s arguments were difficult to follow, and sometimes, he overstated the case. There’s value in wrestling with his ideas, though it isn’t an easy read.
How did a movement that was intended to subvert the powers of the world end up subverted by them? How did Christianity become “the opposite of what we are shown by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ?"” (18)? This is the question that Jacques Ellul attempts to answer. Christianity is intended to be the revelation of the work and nature Jesus Christ, the existence of the church as his body, and the faith and life of Christians in truth and love. However, in Christendom, Christianity has come to represent something else, so Ellul drops the term and refers to the original revelation simply as “X.”
The subversion of Christianity is most readily seen in its institutions. As the Christian movement succeeded in growing in adherents and wealth, it necessarily had to institutionalize. Within these institutions, the powers and principles that drive the world found a foothold. The church necessarily gravitated away from organic relationships grounded in grace and love to institutional influence and programmed social action. The more institutional it became, the more difficult it was to follow the way of Jesus, which is relational. The way of Jesus doesn't consist of principles for organizational development, cultural influence, or social change, though these things may happen.
Each chapter identifies a factor that subtly subverted the church over the centuries.
Sacralization: Christianity wasn’t to be a religion that defeats other religions. Rather, Christianity was to be the end of religion. Christianity was subverted when it became one religion among many.
Moralism: Ellul shockingly posits that there is no Christian morality. Christian morality developed when unregenerate people were brought into the church and needed to be told how to live. Christianity is intended to be about freely loving as an outgrowth of one’s being, not in conformity to a moral principle or law. It was subverted when regeneration was replaced with moralism.
Islam: Islam imposes religious conformity upon others through Islamic law and jihad. The founding of Islamic societies and holy wars against the infidels shaped a Christendom response in like manner. In Christendom, as in Islam, Christian values and morals are enforced legislatively, the state is sacralized to enforce these values and laws, and these values must be defended militarily. Ironically, Christianity was subverted by imitating Islam.
Politics: The church has given in to the temptation that Jesus resisted when Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world. In an effort to make “a less unsatisfactory society,” it dilutes the preaching of the gospel with a quest for secular power and influence. When it acquires political power, the church sacralizes and supports secular power, simultaneously becoming weaker itself. Because even the best governments can not help but be unjust, the church becomes complicit in these injustices through its support and blessing of government. Eventually, those standing for justice must stand against the church. Ellul makes this startling claim in regard to the church and politics: when the Church becomes “the guardian of order and power, atheism is a condition of social change and the atheistic wave is thus a blessing. … We must desacralize and dechristianize the system. To bear witness to the truth of God, we must renounce Christian society …. On the basis of atheism, a more just structure of society is possible. Atheism gives revealed truth a chance to rediscover itself.” [135] Christianity was subverted by its involvement in politics.
Nihilism: People’s search for meaning and hope in religion ends up leaving them disappointed. As Christianity became a religion, it could not satisfy their deepest needs. It was subverted by the hopelessness that resulted from false promises.
“The Heart of the Problem” is that people can’t stomach the gospel with its radical faith in what God has done in Christ. They prefer a system, a strong institution, an organization, and a moral standard to be enforced. But what God has offered us in Jesus isn’t an organization or a system to fix the world. He offers us a new beginning, a new “being.”
Ellul doesn’t lay all the blame for this on disobedient or rebellious Christians. Rather, he names 6 powers that are at work in the world, which can also be found in the church. Some will be bothered that he doesn’t believe in a personal devil, Satan, or demons. Regardless of what one believes regarding spiritual beings, there is value in identifying these as powers that flow through the church to its detriment: money, power, deception, accusation, division, and destruction. Ellul demonstrates how each of these have gotten a foothold in the church and how these powers can be found at work equally in the world. Though the church was to stand against them, it has instead become subverted by them.
While there are evil powers at work and while the church’s success made institutionalism inevitable, Ellul also holds Christian leaders responsible: “We state definitively that the robbing of the gospel of it’s significance is linked always with the appropriation of God’s Word by the theologian, the ecclesiastic, or the church.”
In spite of the book’s negative tone, Ellul ends on a positive note. “I am persuaded that if church is not dead, if the Christian church is always - in spite of everything - alive, if God’s Word can still be preached and is still significant today, this is undoubtedly due in the first instance to the presence of the Holy Spirit, to the faithfulness of Christ, but humanly speaking it is due to the simple faith of humble people whose names and works no one knows save God and yet who are among the saints on the earth.”
Occasionally Ellul’s arguments were difficult to follow, and sometimes, he overstated the case. There’s value in wrestling with his ideas, though it isn’t an easy read.
April 29, 2009
Ellul's radical thesis in this book: Christianity has been perverted from its original essence. The formalistic organizations of the Church; the affirmation of the various social status quo within the Protestant Ethics; the substitution of revelation for easy to understand images (e.g. Father, Son, Baby...), and more--all these pervert the purpose, and indeed, the true meaning of Christianity.
Ellul brought a powerful mind to a challengingly acerbic theological thesis. In more than a few parts, Ellul nearly fell into Gnosticism given how important his rhetoric of secret knowledge and revelation plays in his thesis. Ellul is likely to demur from mysticism--he himself rejected this position in the book--yet one is unable to read this book at least on first reading without thinking that Ellul himself was also a mystic; at least a mystic that often found himself arguing against the poverty and reductionism of the organized rationalistic world. Here, one is likely to find the spiritual hypothesis of Ellul's earlier thesis in 'La Technique'.
Where this book really shines is Ellul's preservation of a Christian conscience in a thesis that ineluctably argues against what is perceivably, and acceptably, Christianity. Too often we find theologians either arguing for Christ against the Church, or for Christ against Paul. Surprisingly, Ellul was able to thread this fine (and very meaningful line) well, since it is within this often conflictive tripartite relationship between Christ, the Church and the Pauline doctrines where he expounded his thesis. In an age where even apologetics have chosen the path of going against or deviating from the Word, Ellul did amazingly well--he chose the Word yet remained undogmatic, thereby demonstrating that a conscientious Christian thinker can also be a philosophical one.
While I deemed Ellul successful on first read to have argued his case convincingly, he was less successful, I think, when he ventured into bits of speculative metaphysics (though it was all quite persuasive) to expound on the connection between the 'dominions and powers' of this age with his own thesis. Between the intellectual choice of a pure spiritualistic approach and the allegorical choice of representing these spiritual entities with simple to understand manifestations, Ellul could not really make up his mind. I suppose a deeper commitment to either choice would also have been a wiser and certainly clearer choice. Furthermore, Ellul made multiple propositions within his text--too many to count really--that at least on the pains of immediacy and superficiality, seem to contradict many Scriptural implications.
Part political thesis, part theological argument, and part Gnostic revelation, Ellul's book aspires to great affront for every Christian (and well so) but also inspires great promise for the reader who complements Scriptural readings with hermeneutical expositions.
At its core, even though Ellul reiterated that Christianity, and more so, Christ, can never be compressed and reduced into an idea, an image or a philosophy, he had nonetheless elected to use philosophy in order to represent these ideas. And so what I deem this book to be: a most intriguing set of arguments, and consistent to the pluralism in Christianity today, that these practices of Christianity have almost nothing to do, and as a matter of fact, overwhelmingly contradict the message and purpose of Christ.
Ellul brought a powerful mind to a challengingly acerbic theological thesis. In more than a few parts, Ellul nearly fell into Gnosticism given how important his rhetoric of secret knowledge and revelation plays in his thesis. Ellul is likely to demur from mysticism--he himself rejected this position in the book--yet one is unable to read this book at least on first reading without thinking that Ellul himself was also a mystic; at least a mystic that often found himself arguing against the poverty and reductionism of the organized rationalistic world. Here, one is likely to find the spiritual hypothesis of Ellul's earlier thesis in 'La Technique'.
Where this book really shines is Ellul's preservation of a Christian conscience in a thesis that ineluctably argues against what is perceivably, and acceptably, Christianity. Too often we find theologians either arguing for Christ against the Church, or for Christ against Paul. Surprisingly, Ellul was able to thread this fine (and very meaningful line) well, since it is within this often conflictive tripartite relationship between Christ, the Church and the Pauline doctrines where he expounded his thesis. In an age where even apologetics have chosen the path of going against or deviating from the Word, Ellul did amazingly well--he chose the Word yet remained undogmatic, thereby demonstrating that a conscientious Christian thinker can also be a philosophical one.
While I deemed Ellul successful on first read to have argued his case convincingly, he was less successful, I think, when he ventured into bits of speculative metaphysics (though it was all quite persuasive) to expound on the connection between the 'dominions and powers' of this age with his own thesis. Between the intellectual choice of a pure spiritualistic approach and the allegorical choice of representing these spiritual entities with simple to understand manifestations, Ellul could not really make up his mind. I suppose a deeper commitment to either choice would also have been a wiser and certainly clearer choice. Furthermore, Ellul made multiple propositions within his text--too many to count really--that at least on the pains of immediacy and superficiality, seem to contradict many Scriptural implications.
Part political thesis, part theological argument, and part Gnostic revelation, Ellul's book aspires to great affront for every Christian (and well so) but also inspires great promise for the reader who complements Scriptural readings with hermeneutical expositions.
At its core, even though Ellul reiterated that Christianity, and more so, Christ, can never be compressed and reduced into an idea, an image or a philosophy, he had nonetheless elected to use philosophy in order to represent these ideas. And so what I deem this book to be: a most intriguing set of arguments, and consistent to the pluralism in Christianity today, that these practices of Christianity have almost nothing to do, and as a matter of fact, overwhelmingly contradict the message and purpose of Christ.
April 16, 2024
Like Barth and Brunner before him, Jacques Ellul makes a distinction between the true faith and a institutionalized, world-encrusted religion. In "The Subversion of Christianity," Ellul condemns the Christian religion as a faith subverted by the world. He decries the triumph of philosophy. Theologians readily begin with the biblical witness or revelation but then quickly leave it behind. In a desire to reach the truth, they develop moral codes, philosophical systems, and metaphysical constructs. Although they have good intentions, their result destroys the love and grace of the gospel.
Jacques Ellul is very careful about the charges that he makes against Christianity. His arguments are subtle, and Ellul is quick to acknowledge the hyperbole of those who criticize the faith from the outside. Nonetheless, he often finds a kernel of truth at the root of those criticisms. Ellul blames the worst of Christianity on it's subversion. Moreover, the author levels charges against the church that even her greatest critics do not. For example, he suggests that Christianity itself is at least partly responsible for the rise of nihilism. Biblical revelation destroys the legitimacy of every other worldview. A weakened and subverted Christianity then provides a poor substitute, basically leaving us to ourselves.
At the end, Ellul still offers hope. The institutionalization of the faith appears almost inevitable, but the resurgence of the gospel is likewise inevitable. As Jesus said, the "gates of hell will not prevail against [the church]" (Matthew 16:18). That does not mean there is one particular solution. In reality there are times and places of renewal and retreat. Many times revival comes not as the church relates to itself. Instead, revival comes as the church relates to the world.
"The Subversion of Christianity" is a profound work that deserves more than a cursory read.
Jacques Ellul is very careful about the charges that he makes against Christianity. His arguments are subtle, and Ellul is quick to acknowledge the hyperbole of those who criticize the faith from the outside. Nonetheless, he often finds a kernel of truth at the root of those criticisms. Ellul blames the worst of Christianity on it's subversion. Moreover, the author levels charges against the church that even her greatest critics do not. For example, he suggests that Christianity itself is at least partly responsible for the rise of nihilism. Biblical revelation destroys the legitimacy of every other worldview. A weakened and subverted Christianity then provides a poor substitute, basically leaving us to ourselves.
At the end, Ellul still offers hope. The institutionalization of the faith appears almost inevitable, but the resurgence of the gospel is likewise inevitable. As Jesus said, the "gates of hell will not prevail against [the church]" (Matthew 16:18). That does not mean there is one particular solution. In reality there are times and places of renewal and retreat. Many times revival comes not as the church relates to itself. Instead, revival comes as the church relates to the world.
"The Subversion of Christianity" is a profound work that deserves more than a cursory read.
June 22, 2018
I read "The Subversion of Christianity" to gear up for the upcoming International Jacques Ellul Society Conference at Regent College. I have always found Ellul a challenging and difficult thinker but this (my fourth or fifth book of his) is a provocative exploration of ways Ellul believes Christianity has been distorted. Seeking to ground the faith in Scripture (though here Ellul suggests doubts about the veracity of some biblical passages), Ellul is dismissive of tradition and laments the syncretism and moralism that has invaded Christianity (he writes with punch but needs more nuance).
October 11, 2011
I like Ellul and he's a competent and lucid debater. I think many of his arguments in this book fall into the same traps that plague just about every debate over the "real meaning" of Christianity. For Ellul, he takes passages and says "look what it clearly says here!" and at other times "this is what it says but the Holy Spirit/sense says we should actually understand it as saying..." Toward the end I was thinking the title is more apt as "The Subversion of the Reformation."
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February 28, 2025In The Subversion of Christianity, French Christian anarchist Jacques Ellul contrasts primitive Christianity with what he calls, derogatorily, "Christendom." The latter, by his definition, includes the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches; basically, the entire edifice of organized so-called Christianity throughout history wasn't true Christianity at all, according to Ellul, but rather something very close to its opposite. Authentic Christianity, he contends, expresses an anarchistic ethos. It rejects hierarchal, patriarchal structures of priests, pastors, and strict rituals as contrary to a proper understanding the Christian God. It is for the community and against the state.
Ellul makes several arguments I find unpersuasive. These include a rationalization of why the ancient Hebrews, contrary to his thesis, seem to have God-anointed kings, and blaming the habit of "Christians" of converting heathens by force on the influence of the Islamic Jihad. Still, even as a non believer without a dog in the fight about what true Christianity is, I found this book as audacious as it is thought provoking, a lucid and psychologically penetrating polemic that rejects traditional thinking and seeks to overturn millennia of entrenched thought. At the risk of oversimplifying, I'd summarize Ellul's thesis thus: "the Fall" refers more to the corruption of man's institutions than his inner nature. If this is correct, it puts his interpretation of Christianity more in the tradition of Pelagius, as opposed to that of St. Augustine and the doctrine of original sin.
I picked this book up about twenty years ago. I can't remember why. I was reading a lot of Reformation history then, so I might have been looking some contrarian perspectives on the nature and development of Christianity. Or my interest might have been piqued by learning that Ellul, as a critic of technology, was one of the primary influences on Ted Kaczynski, a figure who fascinated me back then, as now. (To be clear, Ellul would not have approved of Kaczynski's methods.) The Subversion of Christianity is a book I always recommend to left wing or non-traditional Christians. I have yet to encounter one who'd heard of it.
Ellul makes several arguments I find unpersuasive. These include a rationalization of why the ancient Hebrews, contrary to his thesis, seem to have God-anointed kings, and blaming the habit of "Christians" of converting heathens by force on the influence of the Islamic Jihad. Still, even as a non believer without a dog in the fight about what true Christianity is, I found this book as audacious as it is thought provoking, a lucid and psychologically penetrating polemic that rejects traditional thinking and seeks to overturn millennia of entrenched thought. At the risk of oversimplifying, I'd summarize Ellul's thesis thus: "the Fall" refers more to the corruption of man's institutions than his inner nature. If this is correct, it puts his interpretation of Christianity more in the tradition of Pelagius, as opposed to that of St. Augustine and the doctrine of original sin.
I picked this book up about twenty years ago. I can't remember why. I was reading a lot of Reformation history then, so I might have been looking some contrarian perspectives on the nature and development of Christianity. Or my interest might have been piqued by learning that Ellul, as a critic of technology, was one of the primary influences on Ted Kaczynski, a figure who fascinated me back then, as now. (To be clear, Ellul would not have approved of Kaczynski's methods.) The Subversion of Christianity is a book I always recommend to left wing or non-traditional Christians. I have yet to encounter one who'd heard of it.
December 8, 2020
La subversion du christianisme de Jacques Ellul expose les principes qui ont amené à ce que le "X" initial, le "christianisme initial" soit subverti au profit de la chrétienté.
Dans le chapitre 1, il constate la différence entre le X et le christianisme, montre où est le problème et la principale cause: le fait que la "pensée vive" de Jésus soit devenue la doctrine morte du christianISME, que l'on ait abandonné la praxis de la liberté et de l'amour voulue par Jésus au profit d'un système théologique.
Dans le chapitre 2, il expose des raisons historiques qui ont amené à cette subversion, et le chapitre est un raisonnement historique marxien sur les cycles de désacralisation/sacralisation qu'Ellul croit discerner dans l'histoire. Ces deux chapitres prétendent être des réflexions historiques, mais une connaissance moyenne des pères de l'église suffira à montrer la vanité du raisonnement d'Ellul: il accuse les théologiens du passé d'avoir ignoré l'histoire au profit de la philosophie. En réalité, c'est Ellul qui déforme l'histoire à cause de son système philosophique!
A partir de là, pardonnez moi, mais j'ai eu beaucoup moins d'intérêt à le lire, car le défaut que j'ai souligné se retrouve dans le chapitre 4 (le moralisme) et les suivants: Ellul n'est pas malhonnête, et il connaît plutôt bien l'histoire. Après tout, il était professeur d'histoire des institutions. En revanche, il a été complètement aveugle à la force de ses présupposés, et l'interprétation qu'il fait de l'histoire en est compromise. Le lecteur n'apprendra donc rien de très vrai sur le processus historique de subversion du christianisme. Par contre il en apprendra pas mal sur la philosophie d'Ellul.
Pour ce qui concerne le style d'écriture, il est agréable et facile à lire, sans aucune obscurité inutile. Je ne suis pas d'accord avec Ellul, mais il écrit bien, et pense en profondeur. Il faut lui reconnaître cela.
Dans le chapitre 1, il constate la différence entre le X et le christianisme, montre où est le problème et la principale cause: le fait que la "pensée vive" de Jésus soit devenue la doctrine morte du christianISME, que l'on ait abandonné la praxis de la liberté et de l'amour voulue par Jésus au profit d'un système théologique.
Dans le chapitre 2, il expose des raisons historiques qui ont amené à cette subversion, et le chapitre est un raisonnement historique marxien sur les cycles de désacralisation/sacralisation qu'Ellul croit discerner dans l'histoire. Ces deux chapitres prétendent être des réflexions historiques, mais une connaissance moyenne des pères de l'église suffira à montrer la vanité du raisonnement d'Ellul: il accuse les théologiens du passé d'avoir ignoré l'histoire au profit de la philosophie. En réalité, c'est Ellul qui déforme l'histoire à cause de son système philosophique!
A partir de là, pardonnez moi, mais j'ai eu beaucoup moins d'intérêt à le lire, car le défaut que j'ai souligné se retrouve dans le chapitre 4 (le moralisme) et les suivants: Ellul n'est pas malhonnête, et il connaît plutôt bien l'histoire. Après tout, il était professeur d'histoire des institutions. En revanche, il a été complètement aveugle à la force de ses présupposés, et l'interprétation qu'il fait de l'histoire en est compromise. Le lecteur n'apprendra donc rien de très vrai sur le processus historique de subversion du christianisme. Par contre il en apprendra pas mal sur la philosophie d'Ellul.
Pour ce qui concerne le style d'écriture, il est agréable et facile à lire, sans aucune obscurité inutile. Je ne suis pas d'accord avec Ellul, mais il écrit bien, et pense en profondeur. Il faut lui reconnaître cela.
August 19, 2020
“The Christianity of Christendom…takes away from Christianity the offense, the paradox, etc., and instead of that introduces probability, the plainly comprehensible. That is, it transforms Christianity into something entirely different from what it is in the New Testament, yea, into exactly the opposite; and this is the Christianity of Christendom, of us men.” – Soren Kierkegaard, The Instant
Christianity has become completely subverted in every way from what we see in the New Testament. Christianity, as revealed in the New Testament, is a destroyer of idols and all that is sacred, it brings freedom and is opposed to moralism, it provides freedom for women and a living and active God, it is opposed to political power and the seeking and using of power, it brings hope to the world, and it is filled with paradoxes beyond human comprehension. The Christianity of Christendom, and of the modern world has become a corruption which is now the opposite of these aspects of Christianity. Christianity, the religion, re-sacralizes the world and takes in all the surrounding cultures viewed as sacred into itself. It teaches an impossible moral and establishes a new law for us to keep. It becomes the oppressor of women instead of their liberator. It provides us with a God of the philosophers who is distant and too far beyond us for us to influence. It seeks to influence politics and uses earthly power, including money. It becomes the source of nihilism in the world. It soothes over the paradoxes in Christianity for a message which is logically consistent but opposed to the revelation of God as taught in scripture.
The Subversion of Christianity is Jacques Ellul’s attempt to explain both the how and the why behind these corruptions of Christianity. As you might guess from the opening quote and what I have written so far, this is a provocative book. Ellul is trying to find the essence of Christianity and then determine what has caused Christianity to become corrupted to the complete opposite.
The problem with Christianity is that Christianity has become an ideology by becoming an “ism”. When Christianity, or anything, becomes an “ism”, then the dynamic heart and complexity of the original is eliminated and replaced by commonality and simplicity. We see this with Calvinism. The dynamic and complex thought of Calvin is reduced to a way of understanding scripture with the result that much of the complexity and power of Calvin himself has been lost. Once Christianity becomes an “ism”, then Christianity becomes another religion, and loses the core of the biblical revelation. The biblical revelation which has been subverted can be summarized into three points:
1) The revelation and work of God accomplished in Christ.
2) The being of the church as the body of Christ.
3) The faith and life of Christians in truth and love.
These three points are what Christianity should be, but Christianity instead has devolved far from these three points. The biblical revelation is subversive to all kinds of power, while Christianity joins with and seeks power. The biblical revelation is opposed to wealth, while Christianity justifies wealth and seeks it. The biblical revelation is opposed to morality, while Christianity gives us a profound and deep system of morality. The biblical revelation is opposed to merging with the surrounding cultures, while Christianity continually merges with them and takes their practices and values into herself.
The Subversion of Christianity is a book of both theology and history. He rereads Christian history to show where the errors crop up and what caused them. I do not have the historical expertise to challenge any of his arguments made, but what he argued for seemed in line with my own understanding of Christian history. Of course, to write a book about the subversion of Christianity and what caused Christianity to be subverted would also require a work of theology, and Ellul does that as well. The combination is unique for any book I have read and makes for a fascinating read.
The two chapters which I found to be the most challenging were the two chapters on “Moralism” and “The Heart of the Problem”. In “Moralism”, Ellul starts by saying “God’s revelation has nothing whatever to do with morality. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” This claim is provocative, but Ellul is not saying much different than what Martin Luther said in The Freedom of a Christian, or Saint Paul said in Galatians. If what he says is provocative, then we have not been paying attention to what our freedom in Christ truly means. Christ did not come to provide us with a set of morals. We have nothing to do with morals anymore. The only thing which matters now is love working through faith. We are lord of all, free to do as we please, yet we are also bound to all by love, a servant of all. For Ellul our freedom has other implications which are even more provocative. If Christ did not come to provide morals, then we are not to use the commands and regulations in the bible to legislate public morality. Once we provide morality to others or ourselves then we have subverted the Word of God which is given to us in a relationship and abstracted it away and made God’s word into a set of morals. We cannot then draw universal, timeless principles from the Law and use them for governing. We no longer can say what is good or bad, but only what is God’s will. And since only those whom God has called can do God’s will, we cannot give those on the outside with morals.
“The Heart of the Problem” says Nietzsche was right. Christianity is intolerable to natural man, and only our subversion would make Christianity an acceptable and tolerable religion. Grace is intolerable; no one truly desires grace. We want fairness and justice not grace. Christianity teaches us to reconcile with our oppressors and for slaves to serve cheerfully under cruel masters. Christianity says that meekness, poverty of spirit, and becoming a servant is what we should do. We want power, wealth, and earthly glory. True freedom is intolerable, which is why so many are quick to make Christianity a religion of morality. True freedom comes with insecurity and responsibility, which we do not truly want. After the Exodus the Israelites despised their freedom. They wanted the security that came with being in bondage instead of the insecurity of freedom. A similar reality has played out in American slavery as well where freed slaves sometimes preferred to go back to being enslaved over the uncertainty of freedom. We want the liberty to make small choices such as where our kids go to school, but we do not truly desire freedom. We want the illusion of freedom, but not freedom itself.
Despite the bleak tone and the stark picture of Christianity Ellul paints, he does not leave us without hope. A different history could be told than the one Ellul tells. A history could be written with St. Francis, Luther, Calvin, the Anabaptists, John Wesley, Poland’s Solidarity, Karl Barth, Celestine V, or Las Casas. A history could be written, in other words, of the rebirth and rediscovery of Christian life and truth out of the subversion. Despite the subversion at every level of what Christianity was supposed to be, the power of the revelation of Jesus Christ is always able to make another breakthrough in our lives and history. Christianity, the religion, which has subverted the biblical revelation, contains the seed of its own demise. For by subverting so completely the biblical revelation, a negation of Christianity must arise to negate Christianity. Hope then remains, though we can pin down no method or certain way to bring about revival. We live in the world where Jesus Christ is for us and he will not abandon us to despair or hopelessness.
The Subversion of Christianity isn’t long, but the content is thought provoking and Jacques Ellul knows how to write and argument and provoke you to come to a decision. You may agree or disagree with him, but you will react to what he is saying in this book. Even those who find themselves in agreement with Ellul on most points, like me, still are forced to think and work through the logic of what he is saying. One of the challenging aspects of reading Ellul is that he does not spell out all the implications of his positions, nor is he in any rush to try and resolve seeming contradictions. Your job as the reader is to think for yourself over what he is saying and to come to a decision. This is both frustrating and appreciated. Sometimes Ellul sketches out a fascinating idea in only a sentence or paragraph only to assume it is true without further development of the argument. The work is up to you to think though if Ellul is right.
No one who reads this book will think Ellul is right on everything. And most people who read The Subversion of Christianity will find their own beliefs challenged and criticized. Feminists, the Roman Catholic church, liberation theologians, scholastic protestants, evangelicals, capitalists, classical theists, and many more all draw criticism from Ellul. But The Subversion of Christianity is an important work, and I would hope we would take seriously what Ellul says here. Even if you don’t agree with the depth of the problem we all should be in agreement that a problem exists, and if we can see where we have gone astray in the past and why then we have should, out of love, make every effort to not fall into the same mistakes again.
December 30, 2021
I ran across this book many years ago in a display of new releases at local public library, never realizing the impact it would have on me.
Ellul, a French theologian, takes a hard look at 'Christianity' and makes the case that Jesus would not endorse much of what He sees today by that name. Because of this Ellul suggests that the word 'Christian' and 'Christianity' has become useless. In its place for the rest of the book he refers to the essence of what Jesus calls us to as "X" - His life and work on the cross, the Church as His body, and truth and love of His followers.
Ellul then proceeds to describe the bent of people to use God for their own purposes - greed, pride and power- and describes the way people have subverted 'Christianity' to justify their existing culture and solidify power over others (the Roman empire, serfdom, politics). He also outlines the way 'Christianity' adapts external cultural values to win influence and maintain power. His reference Christendom's adaption to Islam's influence is even more interesting thirty years later.
This book opened my eyes to my own justification of practices and behaviors that have no part of following Jesus wholeheartedly. I also became aware how the western Church has been subverted from it's true purpose of being Jesus continuing presence in the world. It is hard to truly be 'X'. Jesus told us it would be. Because of Ellul's words I am more painfully aware of my temptation to allow my own obediance to Him to be subverted by culture and my own desires.
After thinking through this for this review I believe I just may need to re-read this and be reminded again.
Ellul, a French theologian, takes a hard look at 'Christianity' and makes the case that Jesus would not endorse much of what He sees today by that name. Because of this Ellul suggests that the word 'Christian' and 'Christianity' has become useless. In its place for the rest of the book he refers to the essence of what Jesus calls us to as "X" - His life and work on the cross, the Church as His body, and truth and love of His followers.
Ellul then proceeds to describe the bent of people to use God for their own purposes - greed, pride and power- and describes the way people have subverted 'Christianity' to justify their existing culture and solidify power over others (the Roman empire, serfdom, politics). He also outlines the way 'Christianity' adapts external cultural values to win influence and maintain power. His reference Christendom's adaption to Islam's influence is even more interesting thirty years later.
This book opened my eyes to my own justification of practices and behaviors that have no part of following Jesus wholeheartedly. I also became aware how the western Church has been subverted from it's true purpose of being Jesus continuing presence in the world. It is hard to truly be 'X'. Jesus told us it would be. Because of Ellul's words I am more painfully aware of my temptation to allow my own obediance to Him to be subverted by culture and my own desires.
After thinking through this for this review I believe I just may need to re-read this and be reminded again.
August 2, 2015
Jacques Ellul's thesis is simple: God's revelation to the world in Christ has been infiltrated and warped into something it's not. The result of this infiltration is: Christendom. The Christian religion is synonymous with "Christendom." In its inherent form, the revelation of God in Christ is not a religion; it is, rather, the end of religion. It is anti-religious (hence why the first Christ followers were labelled "atheists" - they did not believe in any of the sacred festivals and superstitions of the pagans). Religions seek to pin down sacred places, times, festivals, practices, and rituals. Christianity, and Judaism before it, reveal that there is no such thing. Nothing in this world, in this human sphere, is synonymous with God. There is an "infinite qualitative distinction" between God and man, said Kierkegaard and Barth. It is this theological project that Ellul picks up.
From Ellul's perspective, the Christian religion is not only not to be identified with the revelation of God in Christ; but, more severely, the revelation of God in Christ announces the end of Christianity, and not just Christianity, but all religion, and not just all religion, but the whole world. Nothing escapes the judgment of God sentenced upon the world. All is summed up in Christ. Christianity, Jacques Ellul thinks, is not the revelation of God. Taking up the critiques of the institution we call “Christianity” which started with Kierkegaard, Overbeck, and Barth, Ellul says that the history of Christianity is a hoax.
“God’s revelation has nothing whatever to do with morality. Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” says Jacques Ellul. What, then, does God’s revelation have to do with—in the sphere of human conduct and action? “Love and freedom,” Ellul responds. As he says, “The great mutation is that we have been freed in Jesus Christ… This freedom does not mean doing anything at all [as if “anything goes,” as caricatures of postmodernism go]. It is freedom of love. Love, which cannot be regulated, categorized, or analyzed into principles or commandments, takes the place of law. The relationship with others is not one of duty but of love.” The difference between love and morality, freedom and law, cannot be overstated. Jesus did not come to give us a morality. The Gospels do not give us morality. Paul’s letters are not morality. The Scriptures do not give morally universal categories that fit into a system. In fact, the revelation of God is radically against morality, says Ellul. What the Gospels and Epistles give us is something that resists articulation that fit moral terms completely. We are given, instead, “the proclamation of grace, the declaration of pardon, and the opening up of life to freedom—which are the exact opposite of morals. God reveals a model of life that is very free, that involves constant risks, that is constantly renewed—not repetitive. The behavior we are called to surpasses all morality which is shown to be an obstacle to encounter with the living God. What we are called to is a way of being that is forgiving, gracious, merciful, passionate about justice (redemptive justice, not retributive justice)—and not a list of commands and rules that are unchanging and binding to all persons in all circumstances. Indeed, there is something about love that ruptures moral standards altogether. Love came to us, broke established rules and cultural regulations (“this man eats with sinners!”), got in trouble (to put it lightly) with the authorities, and was crucified onto a tree by those in power. Suddenly, any thought of a “Christian” ethic becomes absurd. As Ellul says, “God himself frees us from morality and places us in the only true ethical situation, that of personal choice, of responsibility, of the invention and imagination that we must exercise if we are to find the concrete form of obedience to our Father.” What we have in the Old Testament commandments or in Paul’s admonitions, he thinks, are on the one hand, “the frontier between what brings life and what brings death,” and on the other hand, “examples, metaphors, analogies, or parables that incite us to invention.”
From Ellul's perspective, the Christian religion is not only not to be identified with the revelation of God in Christ; but, more severely, the revelation of God in Christ announces the end of Christianity, and not just Christianity, but all religion, and not just all religion, but the whole world. Nothing escapes the judgment of God sentenced upon the world. All is summed up in Christ. Christianity, Jacques Ellul thinks, is not the revelation of God. Taking up the critiques of the institution we call “Christianity” which started with Kierkegaard, Overbeck, and Barth, Ellul says that the history of Christianity is a hoax.
“God’s revelation has nothing whatever to do with morality. Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” says Jacques Ellul. What, then, does God’s revelation have to do with—in the sphere of human conduct and action? “Love and freedom,” Ellul responds. As he says, “The great mutation is that we have been freed in Jesus Christ… This freedom does not mean doing anything at all [as if “anything goes,” as caricatures of postmodernism go]. It is freedom of love. Love, which cannot be regulated, categorized, or analyzed into principles or commandments, takes the place of law. The relationship with others is not one of duty but of love.” The difference between love and morality, freedom and law, cannot be overstated. Jesus did not come to give us a morality. The Gospels do not give us morality. Paul’s letters are not morality. The Scriptures do not give morally universal categories that fit into a system. In fact, the revelation of God is radically against morality, says Ellul. What the Gospels and Epistles give us is something that resists articulation that fit moral terms completely. We are given, instead, “the proclamation of grace, the declaration of pardon, and the opening up of life to freedom—which are the exact opposite of morals. God reveals a model of life that is very free, that involves constant risks, that is constantly renewed—not repetitive. The behavior we are called to surpasses all morality which is shown to be an obstacle to encounter with the living God. What we are called to is a way of being that is forgiving, gracious, merciful, passionate about justice (redemptive justice, not retributive justice)—and not a list of commands and rules that are unchanging and binding to all persons in all circumstances. Indeed, there is something about love that ruptures moral standards altogether. Love came to us, broke established rules and cultural regulations (“this man eats with sinners!”), got in trouble (to put it lightly) with the authorities, and was crucified onto a tree by those in power. Suddenly, any thought of a “Christian” ethic becomes absurd. As Ellul says, “God himself frees us from morality and places us in the only true ethical situation, that of personal choice, of responsibility, of the invention and imagination that we must exercise if we are to find the concrete form of obedience to our Father.” What we have in the Old Testament commandments or in Paul’s admonitions, he thinks, are on the one hand, “the frontier between what brings life and what brings death,” and on the other hand, “examples, metaphors, analogies, or parables that incite us to invention.”
June 11, 2019
THE SUBVERSION OF CHRISTIANITY reminds me of the quote from the late Richard Halverson, former pastor of Fourth Pres in Bethesda, MD, and former Chaplain of the US Senate, "In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America where it became an enterprise." It seems that the church went off the rails, or was subverted, very early, as most of the apostles' epistles to the churches show, correcting error as they do. Worldly practices and ideas were adopted, and these became institutionalized. It's often hard to find the actual Spirit of Jesus Christ in the church, as he's obscured by all the clutter.
November 14, 2008
We read this book in our reading club several years ago. Ellul was a French philosopher who argues that in the 4th century the alliance of Christianity with the power of the state under Constantine essentially changed the very nature of Christianity and encouraged the development of authoritarian thinking as the church now had the power of the state to enforce orthodoxy.
May 6, 2012
A must read for every Christian. Jacques Ellul cuts to the chase in exposing the many misguided practices and beliefs of the church throughout history. The true message of the gospel has been perverted and Ellul will help you see the original meaning with new eyes.
December 23, 2007
Jaques Ellul is my favorite author on spirituality and politics
January 23, 2008
This may be the most influential book I've read to date. It started a shift in my thinking that has changed the way I think and live on many different levels.
July 6, 2009
That what I (as an Western, Conservative, American, Californian) think of and practice as "Christianity" is very possibly a shallow and subverted version of what Jesus taught.
April 2, 2021
The first person that I've ever read that wrote what he wrote about Christianity so brutally honest and clear. Check your rose colored glasses at the door if you ever intend to read this book.
Read
January 19, 2020Toen ik bij mijn ouders op de bank dit aan het lezen was, kwam mijn vader naar me toe om te vragen in welk boek ik verdiept was. Ik hield de kaft omhoog.
Als antwoord grinnikte hij wat verslagen en zei iets in de trant van: "Het is eigenlijk helemaal niet goed dat ik je dingen zoals Kierkegaard en Ellul geef. Het is prachtig, en ze hebben wel gelijk op een manier, maar wat kan je er nu eigenlijk mee?" Ik begreep zijn sentiment volkomen.
Jacques Ellul is een streng man, maar niet op de manier waarop je denkt dat een Calvinistische theoloog dat is. Bij hem gaat het niet om talloze regels, strenge wetten, harde ascese en een permanente so(m)bere frons op het gezicht. Integendeel; het is een boodschap van liefde, genade, machteloosheid en vrijheid.
Vervolgens legt hij uit dat deze boodschap voor de mens volledig onverdraaglijk is.
Dit boek beschrijft de geschiedenis van de kerk, een instituut dat door de eeuwen heen probeerde het evangelie, iets dat volledig in strijd is met wereldse machten, te verzoenen met de wereld. Dit heeft gezorgd voor de corrumpering van het ware Christendom. En hij rekent niet alleen af met de veelgenoemde zwarte bladzijden, zoals de oorlog en de vervolgingen, maar met elke vorm van macht, commercie, ja zelfs idealisme.
En Ellul is werkelijk radicaal. Hij zegt vele malen met een nonchalance, alsof het vanzelfsprekend is, dat het Christendom geen moraal heeft, geen ethiek, geen filosofie, dat er niets heiligs is. En noem het vooral geen religie, dan heb je er niets van begrepen.
En hoe raar het allemaal klinkt, het betoog is overtuigend, zeker wanneer je zijn definities snapt. Het biedt een enorm verfrissende kijk op wat Christendom is, maar wijkt niet af van de kernboodschap. Sterker nog, ik zou Elluls filosofie fundamentalistisch willen noemen, in die zin dat het teruggaat naar de vroegste kern en enkel dat als uitgangspunt neemt. Het Christendom is dan in oppositie met al het andere, omdat in al het andere het egoïstische, machtswellustige deel van de mens schuilt.
Ellul heeft als het ware de rol aangenomen van Dostojewski's inquisiteur van Sevilla. Hij laat zien hoe onmogelijk het is voor mensen om de liefde te kiezen, en verklaart zo het jammerlijke falen van de kerk.
Terug naar mijn vader, als dominee onderdeel van dit blijkbaar verdorven instituut. Ik deel zijn intellectuele waardering voor het boek, maar vooral zijn moedeloosheid. Zijn alle goede bedoelingen dan zinloos? Wat kan je nu echt met Elluls onbuigzame gelijk?
Toegegeven, er is altijd de genade, en de mens is dus nooit verloren. Ons falen is geen schande. Bovendien is hij milder in de epiloog, en heeft hij het over mensen die in de ware Christelijke geest handelden: Franciscus van Assissi, de beweging Solidarnosc, en vele mensen zonder naam.
Toch klinkt dit als een kleine groep mensen. Bij Dostojewski zegt de duivel ook dat de leer van Christus mooi is, maar enkel mogelijk voor de uitverkorenen, nooit voor iedereen. Het antwoord op het indrukwekkende relaas van de inquisiteur was niets meer dan een kus, een teken van liefde. Een teken dat iedereen kan navolgen. Laten we daar maar aan vast houden.
Als antwoord grinnikte hij wat verslagen en zei iets in de trant van: "Het is eigenlijk helemaal niet goed dat ik je dingen zoals Kierkegaard en Ellul geef. Het is prachtig, en ze hebben wel gelijk op een manier, maar wat kan je er nu eigenlijk mee?" Ik begreep zijn sentiment volkomen.
Jacques Ellul is een streng man, maar niet op de manier waarop je denkt dat een Calvinistische theoloog dat is. Bij hem gaat het niet om talloze regels, strenge wetten, harde ascese en een permanente so(m)bere frons op het gezicht. Integendeel; het is een boodschap van liefde, genade, machteloosheid en vrijheid.
Vervolgens legt hij uit dat deze boodschap voor de mens volledig onverdraaglijk is.
Dit boek beschrijft de geschiedenis van de kerk, een instituut dat door de eeuwen heen probeerde het evangelie, iets dat volledig in strijd is met wereldse machten, te verzoenen met de wereld. Dit heeft gezorgd voor de corrumpering van het ware Christendom. En hij rekent niet alleen af met de veelgenoemde zwarte bladzijden, zoals de oorlog en de vervolgingen, maar met elke vorm van macht, commercie, ja zelfs idealisme.
En Ellul is werkelijk radicaal. Hij zegt vele malen met een nonchalance, alsof het vanzelfsprekend is, dat het Christendom geen moraal heeft, geen ethiek, geen filosofie, dat er niets heiligs is. En noem het vooral geen religie, dan heb je er niets van begrepen.
En hoe raar het allemaal klinkt, het betoog is overtuigend, zeker wanneer je zijn definities snapt. Het biedt een enorm verfrissende kijk op wat Christendom is, maar wijkt niet af van de kernboodschap. Sterker nog, ik zou Elluls filosofie fundamentalistisch willen noemen, in die zin dat het teruggaat naar de vroegste kern en enkel dat als uitgangspunt neemt. Het Christendom is dan in oppositie met al het andere, omdat in al het andere het egoïstische, machtswellustige deel van de mens schuilt.
Ellul heeft als het ware de rol aangenomen van Dostojewski's inquisiteur van Sevilla. Hij laat zien hoe onmogelijk het is voor mensen om de liefde te kiezen, en verklaart zo het jammerlijke falen van de kerk.
Terug naar mijn vader, als dominee onderdeel van dit blijkbaar verdorven instituut. Ik deel zijn intellectuele waardering voor het boek, maar vooral zijn moedeloosheid. Zijn alle goede bedoelingen dan zinloos? Wat kan je nu echt met Elluls onbuigzame gelijk?
Toegegeven, er is altijd de genade, en de mens is dus nooit verloren. Ons falen is geen schande. Bovendien is hij milder in de epiloog, en heeft hij het over mensen die in de ware Christelijke geest handelden: Franciscus van Assissi, de beweging Solidarnosc, en vele mensen zonder naam.
Toch klinkt dit als een kleine groep mensen. Bij Dostojewski zegt de duivel ook dat de leer van Christus mooi is, maar enkel mogelijk voor de uitverkorenen, nooit voor iedereen. Het antwoord op het indrukwekkende relaas van de inquisiteur was niets meer dan een kus, een teken van liefde. Een teken dat iedereen kan navolgen. Laten we daar maar aan vast houden.
November 9, 2020
Ellul's is always an unparalleled vision that cuts through as much of the smoke and mirrors as possible to trace the origins of ideas and the courses they have taken. Here, he turns his attention to the defection of Christianity from its founder and its founding principles. Working between history, theology, sociology, and philosophy, Ellul takes issue with the way that Christianity has grown, spread, and changed over time, evacuating its claims to moral superiority by adherence to cultural rather than spiritual standards. In this, his diagnosis is concise and hard-hitting: Christianity as we know it today is nothing like it is supposed to be. Reading this work in the twenty-first century and in the week leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election was surreal; Ellul's claims regarding the moral, political, and social status of true Christianity versus the faith that Christianity has turned into was like reading a hard-hitting expose on the problems of evangelicals and the church in relation to American politics today. All of this, I think, proves Ellul's point, underscores the reality that he points to, and asks a lot of hard questions of those who would call themselves Christians today.
March 30, 2022
For Jacques Ellul, the fact that Christian thought and practice is divided, leads to the secularization of the public square. This leads us away from the goal of synthesizing a culture that enters into Nihilism. Indeed the moral division between Christian ethics and Christian history is something to be reckoned with. On one hand, the Church taught the transcendence of God to protect both creation and creator, but this is ironically through the sacramental ministry of the Church holding this paradox. The problem became when the emphasis on de-sacramental aspects turned Christianity into merely a morality to follow. With the blending of political and Christian aspects, the Christian Church adopted an Islamic natural theology throughout its political and deistic aspects. The Church forgot that the world is not their kingdom, but that their reality is one that is eschatological. With the overtaking of Islamic Deism, the Western culture took this Deism to its logical end of Nihilistic thought or a secular realm. Therefore the problem that Christianity ran into was a division between the pursuit of the sacramental and natural theology.
January 8, 2022
Great book. Explores in depth many different factors which subverted Christianity to achieve the Christendom we experience in the world. But it ends on a hopeful note. The main thrust is that Christianity at its core has always been a subversive movement. The moment it stops trying to be one, it stagnates and becomes itself subverted. By nihilism, by money, by political power, by religious competition, by a mission to proselytize, etc... Christianity conforms instead of subverts, and is therefore itself subverted.
January 23, 2019
Any reader of Kierkegaard or Hauerwas or Yoder will want to read this book, as well as many other works by Ellul. How is it possible, Ellul writes, that the Christianity of the New Testament has become the complete opposite, not just on one point but on all points? Ellul puts forward strong arguments for how the subversion of real Christianity (what he calls X) could have happened.
Highly recommend this book for anyone who feels that Christianity is not what it should be.
Highly recommend this book for anyone who feels that Christianity is not what it should be.
August 7, 2023
Ellul's book focuses on how Christians have unwittingly subverted their own mission by making unholy alliances with politics and with moralism. His perspective is historical European Christianity, so North American readers may not necessarily readily identify with all of his arguments. While Ellul points out the shortcomings of the Church, he remains hopeful. Nevertheless, he does not provide clear-cut solutions overcoming the subversion of Christianity.
July 9, 2021
Beaucoup d'idées intéressantes dans ce livre. Mais probablement une vision très intellectuelle et individuelle de la foi chrétienne. On passe à côté de l'esprit d'unité et d'obéissance qui caractérise l'Eglise. Je regrette la négation de la primauté des successeurs de Pierre ("tu es Pierre...") et du Démon en tant que personne.
July 20, 2022
Ambivalent.
Un drôle de livre dans lequel Ellul enchaîne les propos les plus justes, les raccourcis les plus grossier, la phrase lumineuse, l'aberration théologique etc..
On dira "oui c'est tout les livres comme ça". Possible.
Mais là c'est dans le même paragraphe ! Ce qui rend la lecture particulièrement frustrante.
On a parfois du mal à retrouver la profondeur de pensée de l'auteur de "la parole humiliée".
On a ici plus une réaction qu'une réflexion au final.
Mais pour celui qui se donne la peine il y a plus de positif que de négatif à en retirer...
Un drôle de livre dans lequel Ellul enchaîne les propos les plus justes, les raccourcis les plus grossier, la phrase lumineuse, l'aberration théologique etc..
On dira "oui c'est tout les livres comme ça". Possible.
Mais là c'est dans le même paragraphe ! Ce qui rend la lecture particulièrement frustrante.
On a parfois du mal à retrouver la profondeur de pensée de l'auteur de "la parole humiliée".
On a ici plus une réaction qu'une réflexion au final.
Mais pour celui qui se donne la peine il y a plus de positif que de négatif à en retirer...
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