Presence in the Modern World

Notes from my 2023-2025 read-through of Jacques Ellul's Presence in the Modern World (translated by Lisa Richmond; original published 1948, second edition 1988, translation 2016).

Chapter 1 - The Christian in the World

• Salt, Light, Sheep (pp. 1-4)
• Sin & Scandal (pp. 4-6)
• We Cannot Solve Sin's Consequences by Human Means (pp. 7-8)
• Laypeople of the World, Unite (pp. 8-9)
• Do Not Confuse Christian Ethics with Morality (pp. 9-11)
• Stop Making Sense (pp. 11-12)
• Thoughts & Prayers (pp. 12-13)
• Walking the Talk, Redeeming the Time (pp. 13-14)
• The World's Will Is Always a Will to Suicide (pp. 14-16)

Chapter 2 - Revolutionary Christianity

• The World Is Ending Today and Yesterday and Tomorrow (pp. 17-19)
• Things Fall Apart, But the Center, It Holds (pp. 19-21)
• Ellul on the Revolutionary Spirit Against the Facts (pp. 22-26)
• Ellul on the State of Permanent Christian Revolution (pp. 26-27)
• Ellul on Being Christian in a Disordered World (pp. 27-30)
• Ellul on Living into the Future (pp. 30-32)
• Ellul on Christian Realism (pp. 32-36)
• Ellul on Christian Freedom (pp. 36-38)

Chapter 3 - End and Means

• Ellul on the Disappearing End (pp. 39-45)
• Ellul on Self-Justifying Means (pp. 45-48)
• Ellul on the Illusion of Inner Freedom (pp. 48-51)
• Ellul on God's Unified Means and End (pp. 51-55)
• Ellul on the True Value of Means (pp. 55-58)
• Ellul on Being Alive (pp. 58-62)

Chapter 4 - Communication

• Ellul on the Unreal Life (pp. 65-68)
• Ellul on the Renewed Mind and the Fog of Facts (pp 63-65, 68-70)
• Ellul on the Suicide of the Mind (pp 70-71)
• Ellul on the Death of Contemplation and Intuition (pp 71-74)
• Ellul on the Void and the Wasteland (p. 74-77)
• More to come

Chapter 5 - Prologue & Conclusion

• To come