Pointing to the many contradictions between the Bible and the practice of the church, Jacques Ellul asserts that what we today call Christianity is...
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Apr 28, 2009
Jeffrey
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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 f More...
Ellul brought a powerful mind to a challengingly acerbic theological thesis. In more than a f More...
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Nov 14, 2008
Eric_W
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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.
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Jul 25, 2008
James
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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 c
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Jun 06, 2009
Collin
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Dense. It's a fascinating topic, but reading this book is like eating a sleeve of saltine crackers without anything to drink. It's taking me quite a while to read because I can only stand a couple of pages at a time.
--update: I skimmed the penultimate chapter, skipped the last chapter altogether, and threw it away. I don't like the way the author writes PLUS I don't trust the translation (it was originally written in French), I don't like how self-absorbed the author is (only his More...
--update: I skimmed the penultimate chapter, skipped the last chapter altogether, and threw it away. I don't like the way the author writes PLUS I don't trust the translation (it was originally written in French), I don't like how self-absorbed the author is (only his More...
Feb 22, 2011
Sara
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Sometimes a bit hard to read because he rather likes tangents and doesn't follow all the "correct" writing forms. Some things I didn't fully agree with and/or was confused by, but in general I really appreciated all that he had to say. I will need to do some digesting and mulling for a while. I stimulated on of the best discussions we've had at book club!
May 30, 2010
Kevin
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I highly recommend this book. It needs to be read slowly, but is really perspective changing. The only reason that I do not give it 5 stars, is because it falls apart a little bit at the end. A definite must read for anyone interested in Theology....
Jul 05, 2009
Scott
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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.
Oct 11, 2011
Andrew
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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 th
Apr 01, 2011
Jordan
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So far, this is my favorite book by Ellul. It (very) loosely reads like "A People's History of Christianity," pointing out the ways that lies have crept into the Church over 2,000 years. The sections about women (specifically in the chapter on Moralism) are fantastic. Please read it.
Jan 12, 2008
Paco
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Incredible and awesome. Makes your life really difficult to live afterwards though. Shows in Ellul's usual clear and sometimes hilarious style how far off course Christianity has gotten.
Jan 23, 2008
Aaron
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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.
Aug 23, 2007
Michael
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Thoughtful, challenging and fascinating, the best book on Christianity that I have ever read.
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