Understanding Jacques Ellul

by Jeffrey P. Greenman, Noah J. Toly, Read Mercer Schuchardt

Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) was one of the world's last great polymaths and one of the most important Christian thinkers of his time, engaging the world with a simplicity, sincerity, courage, and passion that few have matched. However, Ellul is an often misunderstood thinker. As more than fifty books and over one thousand articles bear his name, embarking on a study of Ellul's thought can be daunting. This book provides an introduction to Ellul's life and work, analyzing and assessing his thought across the most important themes of his scholarship. Readers will see that his remarkably broad field of vision, clarity of focus, and boldly prophetic voice make his work worth reading and considering, rereading and discussing.

Genres: Philosophy, Sociology, Theology, Religion, Biography, Technology, Nonfiction

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 2012

About the author

Jeffrey P. Greenman (Ph.D., University of Virginia) is associate dean of biblical and theological studies and professor of Christian ethics at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is a coauthor with George Sumner of Unwearied Praises and is coeditor for the books The Sermon on the Mount Through the Centuries, Reading Romans Through the Centuries and Teach Me Your Paths.

Reviews

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacques Ellul is a complex but perceptive thinker whose works are oriented to "secular" social theory and lay theology. Jeff Greenman et al. provide readers with an accessible introduction and explanation of the main currents of Ellul's thought - namely technology and technique (whereas Karl Marx, who strongly influenced Ellul, saw capital as the idea that framed all relations and systems, Ellul saw technique as fulfilling this role), communication, the city, politics and economics, the Bible (he wrote several works on a handful of biblical books), and ethics. The bulk of "Understanding Jacques Ellul" is dedicated to examining his views on these concepts.

The authors remind us that Ellul was a very unique figure, "an outsider" - both an academic and an activist, of mixed heritage, and a Reformed Christian (particularly influenced by Karl Barth) in a historically Roman Catholic country. They also stress the necessity of grasping the dialectical undercurrent in Ellul's thought. Ellul lamented that his work - his social theory and his theological writings - were not read together as he intended them to be. As the authors explain, "For Ellul, hope is the place where the two sides of his correlative work meet. His social theoretical work offers no genuine hope, creating a crisis for the reader, while his theological work offers the hope of God's new creation" (p. 153). The most intriguing section for me was the chapter on ethics. Ellul rejected the idea of "natural law." The authors state:

"Ellul's evaluation of the relative yet positive value of natural morality for non-Christians and for social order is an important part of his understanding of the role of Christians in the world. He asserts that 'one of the essential rules of the Christian life is never to ask a non-Christian to conduct himself like a Christian.' This is the error of Constantianism, the 'dreadful situation' that arises when a codified Christian moral standard is imposed on an entire population apart from confession of personal faith. This transforms Christian morality into a universal morality, which eventually undercuts the vitality of Christianity itself. For Ellul, the Christian should engage the moral issues of society primarily on the basis of society's own agreed moral standards, not on the basis of Christian revelation. Taking the example of Christian protests against state torture, Ellul contends that to protest 'in the name of Jesus Christ is absurd. To protest in the name of the declaration of rights, a moral principle that the state itself has established, is legitimate. So the Christian, recognizing the relative validity of that morality, should recall it to non-Christians, for it is an element of the preservation of society, a principle of life, and he should, in a way, act as a guardian of it.' An important role for Christians in society is to hold the secular world accountable to its own best ideals and to work for its preservation" (p. 129-30).

Greenman et al. commend Ellul to readers but do not write uncritically of him. They point out that he is often too individualistic in his beliefs, for instance, minimizing the role of the church in one's spiritual formation, which is somewhat ironic given his scholarly expertise was in the study of institutions (p. 143-44). However, even where the authors themselves, and other interlocutors of Ellul, are critical of him, they assert he is always thought-provoking and worthwhile to read. Aside from Ellul's own book "The Presence of the Kingdom," this book is an excellent primer on the French thinker's corpus.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given his immense body of writings, I found this concise statement of his basic ideas helpful.

Ellul had a remarkable gift for seeing things from an ever-wider perspective, putting detailed observations into broader historical, philosophical, political contexts. As i read through some of his basic thoughts I found more than a few aHa moments, jolting me into higher levels of thinking, giving me new understandings of observations in even today's world. With the times of current events being dominated by major shifts in cultural and political norms, this has been helpful.

I quickly grew impatient with his one-note solution to navigating all dilemmas, conflicts, changes--turn to Jesus. While there is something to be said for adopting a single code of living, a code based on a single cultural religious belief system strikes me as superficial to the point of silliness. Evidently that didn't stop him from relying on that solution.

Nonetheless, aside from the solutions he offers, I found his observations along the way refreshing and mind-opening.

[Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eugene Peterson describes Ellul, along with Wendell Berry and others, as someone he returned to over and over to " keep his head on straight." This book is a very helpful and comprehensive survey of Jacques Ellul's life, thought and writings. Ellul is an important Christian thinker and one who I owe a great debt. His emphasis on the importance of the lay person and the inescapable tension of being a Christian in the modern world made a lasting impression on me.

[Anthony Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really helpful introduction for a neophyte like me.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because this more or less delivered as promised. Good introduction. No fluff. No wasted time. Pretty straight and to the point.

[Josh Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary of Ellul's work, I'm sure I will refer back to it often.

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a great fan of Ellul but recognize that few are going to be in for his fairly lengthy and difficult books. The authors are correct in noting that there has not been an accessible introduction available, and this book in just the ticket. Well done!