March 17, 2005







  • Jacques Ellul, The Subversion of Christianity


    "At the end of the third century Christianity became fashionable.  But this presupposed a movement of elucidation, of general response.  In effect, theology, instead of being content to expound revelation, began to be interested in questions of all kinds and to do philosophy.  Thus it wanted, for example, to show a correspondence between Seneca and St. Paul, etc.  Discussing problems of the day was the price of success.  Success was achieved, but there then came what seems to have been the inevitable and tragic reaction that whereas the good news had been first published for its own sake with no concern for success, now ineluctably success brought, as always, a desire for it from which Christians were not exempt.  The only reproach that one can bring against them is that they were not aware of what was happening, namely, that society was inverting Christianity instead of being subverted by it."