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To Will & To Do: An Introduction to Christian Ethics, Volume I
To Will & To Do presents one of the most significant theological contributions of the dynamic twentieth-century thinker Jacques Ellul. Benefiting from recent scholarship on Ellul and a discovery of a lost manuscript, this new edition renders the full text available in English for the first time, combining a fresh translation of Volume I with a first English translation of Volume II. Together, the two volumes constitute the introductory first part of Ellul's planned four-part treatment of Christian ethics. Volume I examines the origin of the problem of Good and Evil, outlines the contemporary morality of Western society, and provocatively sketches the paradox of an impossible and yet necessary Christian ethics. Volume II carries this discussion forward, outlining the characteristics and conditions of Christian ethics. It then treats the relationship between ethics and the legal texts of the Bible, the relationship between ethics and dogmatic theology, and concludes by reimagining the theological use of the "analogy of faith" for scriptural interpretation. In constant dialogue with Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Ricoeur, and many other theologians and philosophers, To Will & To Do constitutes a major intervention in twentieth-century theological ethics.
- GenresTheologyPhilosophy
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2020
11 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Jacques Ellul
118 books457 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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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 24, 2021
Rollison’s translation is accessible and concise. Ellul here plots out a robust introduction to theological ethics in the lineage of Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, and Barth. Theologically, Ellul draws most heavily upon Barth’s relativizing of “ethics” in so far as they attempt to commodify and manipulate the Command of God who is living. Ellul draws also from his own sociological background, analyzing the ethical phenomenon of diversity and change. Altogether a great lead up to the second volume.
August 28, 2024
I'm not sure sure what Ellul's ethical project is here. Although there are some really interesting ideas.
March 22, 2026
I'm going to go ahead and use this review for both volumes of To Will and To Do. They're both one book, but I believe they were separated due to the second volume being more recently released than the first. To Will and To Do is basically Jacques Ellul's theology book, and his stance on things. The title comes for the Philippians 2:13, and I really liked this book. It is not for the faint of heart, it is very heady, but I think Ellul had some really good thoughts.
Jacques Ellul draws from several influences, but the ones he quotes the most are Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both had good thoughts, although I don't care for Barth so much. Ellul's thoughts themselves were also very good, and a major theme of To Will and To Do is what the Christian life is and how it is lived. Because of this Ellul goes into what it is not, and unfortunately a lot of what Jacques Ellul says is not Christianity is probably what most people think it is. Ellul, while still appreciating morality, hates that it has become the guideline for who is a Christian. He takes a similar stance as Bonhoeffer in the idea that is isn't what you do or how you live that necessarily defines or proves that you are a Christian (although they can and often are indicators), but you're utter dependence on Christ.
Both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are long, but I liked both of them. While I would recommend other Jacques Ellul books to this one, I still think it is a very worthwhile read.
Jacques Ellul draws from several influences, but the ones he quotes the most are Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both had good thoughts, although I don't care for Barth so much. Ellul's thoughts themselves were also very good, and a major theme of To Will and To Do is what the Christian life is and how it is lived. Because of this Ellul goes into what it is not, and unfortunately a lot of what Jacques Ellul says is not Christianity is probably what most people think it is. Ellul, while still appreciating morality, hates that it has become the guideline for who is a Christian. He takes a similar stance as Bonhoeffer in the idea that is isn't what you do or how you live that necessarily defines or proves that you are a Christian (although they can and often are indicators), but you're utter dependence on Christ.
Both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are long, but I liked both of them. While I would recommend other Jacques Ellul books to this one, I still think it is a very worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews