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- Author: Jacob E. Van Vleet
- Full Title: Jacques Ellul
- Category: #books
- In the late 1960s however, he became increasingly skeptical of anything institutional, including denominational churches and establishments. This attitude primarily grew from Ellul’s distaste of modern politics, which he believed to be mirrored in many religious institutions.
- Though Ellul was skeptical and critical of institutional Christianity, he was a strong advocate of personal Bible studies and home churches.
- Kierkegaard emphasized the need for believers to live out the faith rather than turn it into a dogmatic system of rules and strictures. The goal of Christianity, according to the Dane, is to enter into a direct and personal existential relationship with God, and then to practice one’s faith in a concrete and practical way. Christianity, at its heart, is not an empirically objective or scientifically logical belief system for Kierkegaard. It is instead a deeply personal experience with God, and it must be lived and practiced. Ellul inherited this existential understanding of the faith, along with Kierkegaard’s skepticism of religious institutions and dogma.
- His emphasis, following Kierkegaard and Barth, was on becoming one with God, embracing God’s mysteriousness, and living out one’s faith as the presence of the kingdom on earth.
- First, technique refers to the accumulation and domination of technologies, which surround and envelop all human activities. Second, technique is a blindly adopted mind-set that strikingly mirrors technology. This consciousness—as Ellul sometimes calls it—strives for efficiency, control of others and nature, and views all people and the earth as a means rather than an end. Through the lenses of technique, we see others and ourselves as mere instruments or as pieces of technology that can be used for a practical purpose.
- Instead, quick and forceful acts of violence are chosen, be they bullets fired by law enforcement or sugar-coated lies told by politicians. For Ellul, these solutions represent the mind-set of technique in their quest for efficiency and desire for power—and the spirit motivating these violent acts is antithetical to the spirit of Christ.
- He maintains that if anyone—atheist or believer—carefully and objectively observes the violent methods employed by various law enforcement institutions—military, courts, police—one will see that violence works only for the destruction of liberty and democracy. Whether physical or psychological violence is used, truth, freedom, and even human lives are sacrificed for the sake of efficiency.
- Ellul urges the Christian to not dodge his or her responsibility, but to be in the world, living out the faith in a public, unapologetic manner.
- According to Ellul, modern secular society exists in a fallen state of futility. Within these conditions, and without the grace of God, nonbelievers can never be expected to adhere to a Christian ethic. Instead of trying to force and project their morals onto others, Christians must be the light, salt, and sheep of the fallen world, primarily by resisting violence and refusing to bow down to the modern idols of technology and political institutions.
- Note: Show the world that this way of life is possible—that’s all, that’s enough.