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Jacques Ellul 1912-1994 |
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This page was constructed by Robert Nowlin for an undergraduate
course called “Sociology of Religion” at Point
Loma Nazarene University. |
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Jacques Ellul is known
among Christian theologians, and sociologists, for the many books and
articles that he wrote during his eighty-two years of life. He has authored over fifty books, and
nearly one thousand articles, many of which have been translated into several
languages, including English. His
works include The Presence of the
Kingdom (1948), Propaganda; The Formation of Men's Attitudes (1962), The Political Illusion (1964)[1], and The Meaning of the City (trans. Engl. 1970). Much of his
writing addressed costs that the state places on humanity, through his
tendency toward “non-violence” and/or “non-power[2].” Jacques Ellul was born on January
6, 1912 in Bordeaux, France. According
to multiple sources of mine, he spent most of his lifetime in or around
Bordeaux. His father didn’t let him do
any religious activity except for reading the bible. He managed, however, to become converted
when he was a teenager. He attended
school at the University of Bordeaux and the University of Paris. Studying law and philosophy, he lectured in
various locations to various audiences.
During the Second World War, Ellul was a key participant in the
underground French Resistance, when the Nazis had taken control of France[3]. Except for this and his position as a
deputy mayor in the mid-1940’s, he shied away from participation within the
nation-state. From 1946 to 1980, Ellul
lived and worked as a professor of “political studies” and “social history”
(see footnote 1). After living through
all but one decade of the twentieth century, Jacques Ellul passed away on May
19, 1994 in Bordeaux. With friends and
family at his side, he had fought illness during the final years of his
life. Ellul’s writings continue to be
taught and discussed among various fields of thought- including Christian
theology and sociology.
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View a previous essay I wrote on Ellul's "The
Meaning of the City" (1970). |
Revised 2004-10-24
Site created by Robert Nowlin