Jacques Ellul - Presence in the Modern World: A New Translation

Jacques Ellul

A New Translation by Lisa Richmond

Foreword by Ted Lewis

Introduction to Jacques Elluls Life and Thought by David W. Gill

R eaders of Jacques Elluls magnum opus, The Technological Society , can hardly be faulted for concluding that his analysis of modern society is pessimistic and fatalistic. Nothing in society, so it seems, remains unsullied by the totalistic force of technique. But Ellul never intended this book to be understood in isolation from his other writings. In his 1981 essay On Dialectic, he bemoaned the fact that, No one is using my studies in correlation with one another. Perhaps it was a tall order for all of his readers, Christian and non-Christian alike, to appreciate the dialectical tension he established between his sociological works and his biblical or theological works. On the one hand, he was unveiling a dark vision of technological totalitarianism that pulls every facet of Western culture (and every person) into its vortex; on the other hand, he was presenting a theological vision where human freedom and responsibility could lead to a hopeful future. What all readers need to see, however, is how Elluls social analysis was always answered by his biblical commentary, not in the sense that there are dogmatic religious answers, but rather in the sense of how divine revelation presents the opposite dialectical pole to technocracy. Indebted to Marx, Kierkegaard, and Barth for their respective dialectical methods, Ellul consistently worked within a framework where opposites do not synthesize but remain in a mid-zone of creative tension where awareness and social change can be stimulated.

It is in this dialectical framework that we can best appreciate the significance of Elluls Presence in the Modern World. With the French edition coming out in 1948 , this work can be seen as a blueprint for all of his later books. As Ellul later explained, the chapters grew out of four presentations he gave to a Christian audience in 1946 . I established the very broad plan for a work that would consist in studying the modern world and the Christian requirement in parallel, he said in 1989 . When I was writing this book, I had the impression that this was the direction that I needed to work in, and that this book could be the introduction to the whole. Likewise, Bernard Rordorf noted in his introduction to the second French edition that this book announces Elluls whole future body of work, bearing within itself the seed of that works choices and developments. That seed, according to Rordorf, is Elluls intentional duality, which is the key for understanding Elluls entire body of work. Even the original title ( Presence in the Modern World ) evokes the tension of this dialectic between spiritual and material realms.

Rejecting both Christian escapism from society and Christian collusion with society, Ellul set out to develop how Christians are to be present in a world with a style that is truly revolutionary. He repeatedly pointed out that Christian mission can be truly understood only in its confrontation with society. To do this, though, Ellul soon realized that he had to plumb the depths of modern society. I needed to devote myself to discerning the foundations, structures, and components of the present age, that is, the twentieth century (Preface). And thus began the book that you now hold in your hands: Elluls early sketchbook of social analysis, in conjunction with biblical reflection, which all together would find greater development in his subsequent writings. (Unless otherwise noted, all forthcoming quotes are by Ellul as translated in the chapters of this book.)

How might one who is not a Christian read a book that is wholly structured around the topic of Christian presence in the world? To begin with, Elluls ideas largely grew out of his conversation with non-Christian sources. Without Marx, his extensive reconfiguration of the End and Means topic might not have unfolded. Without grappling with fascist or communist methods for manipulating facts, Ellul might not have developed his theories of propaganda that are foreshadowed in the chapter on Communication. These two chapters, in fact, may serve as better starting points for readers who want to identify Elluls early articulations of his social critique. While Ellul wrote specifically for the Christian intellectual, he also wrote indirectly for all intellectuals who view themselves in the time for awareness. Just as Christians must honestly see themselves on the level of other human beings, along with them, subject to the same laws, influences, and despair, so those who are not Christians can also wake up from this hideous nightmare in which techniques induce the world to slumber and, according to Ellul, perhaps alter the course of social trends.