In the first chapter of The Subversion of Christianity, Jacques Ellul clearly outlines the fundamental premise of his book, that Christianity, as it is practiced both in recent and not-so-recent history, is a perversion of what is described in the new testament.
He makes a point to say that, despite this judgment, we should not reject the church's entire past nor should we explain the difference by saying that "things are different today."
To me, one of the most powerful thoughts shared in this chapter was the following:
"If the Holy Spirit is and has been with Christians and the churches, we should not have seen the terrible subversion that has substituted the exact opposite for Christianity....replacing it with a Christianity that is remodeled by the world....the failure of a Christianity that expresses what we have made of revelation does not change at all what God has accomplished...In fabricating Christianity, therefore, Christians have known what they were doing....They have not aspired to the full gift of the Holy Spirit that would have enabled them to take the new way that he opened up. They have made a different choice and left the Holy Spirit unemployed, idle, present only on sufferance...Why?....human aggrandizement and nothing else."
In light of the conversations in our church about the work of the Holy Spirit, these ideas are revolutionary. No longer should we be looking for the "great feats" and miracles, but the revelation of God, free from the cultural and organizational bonds of organized religion. Great ideas to consider as I continue with this book in the months to come.
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