| Ellul, Subversion, 11, 13. |
"X" is Ellul's abbreviation for "the
revelation and work of God accomplished in Jesus Christ," "the being of the
church as the body of Christ," and "the faith and life of Christians in truth
and love." "X," he says, "is subversive in every respect, and Christianity has
become conservative and antisubversive. X is subversive relative to every kind
of power."
Marva Dawn's dissertation would
probably be of help in elucidating
these loci of power. |
| Ellul,
Subversion, 13. |
In this connection Ellul describes five kinds of power: money, political power,
religion, morality, and culture.
Money: "No one can serve two masters," that is,
There is a radical incompatibility between money and
Christ. Jesus recommends to his disciples that they have none. Paul shows that
it is there simply to give away. James argues that the money heaped up by the
wealthy inevitably results from theft that victimizes the worker.
Political power:"Christians were attacked in the
Roman Empire as dangerous anarchists" because they refused to
participate in the military or government offices. So as the number of Christians
increased, soldiers were hired from among the
"barbarians" and government offices went unfilled. Here
we see how J understands power at its most basic level:
...we are not dealing with a program
of political replacement, with a desire to change political
institutions or personnel, with a preference for democracy rather
than dictatorship, with an attempt at social transformation (cf.
slavery, which the early Christians are accused of failing to
abolish). The attitude in question was the more radical one of a
rejection of all such things, a questioning not just of one power
but of all power, a desired transparency in human dealings that
manifests itself in bonds (including those of family) and
relationships (including social) of a completely new kind.
The
startling Christian ethic (as in Yoder):
In the world everyone wants to be a
"wolf," and no one is called to play the part of a
"sheep." Yet the world cannot live without this
living witness of sacrifice. That is why it is essential that
Christians should be very careful not to be "wolves" in
the spiritual sense�that is, people who try to dominate
others. Christians must accept the domination of other people, and
offer the daily sacrifice of their lives, which is united with the
sacrifice of Christ.
This "quality of living" is not "something
which 'happens' to the Christian accidentally."