The writings of Jacques Ellul have brought him into the first rank as theologian and social critic. Martin Marty commented that if he had to introduce one man from the Protestant world to tell the church what its agenda should be, that man would be Ellul.The eminent Frenchman now brings us his most profound, most moving theological statement. For years, Jacques Ellul tells us in his preface, he had wanted to write a book on "The Age of Abandonment," for it seemed to him that both society and the church had reached that point described in Scripture when God turns his back and is silent. But when he came to elaborate this theme, Ellul found himself inexplicably writing on the theme of hope, despite the fact that his analysis of society remained unchanged. Hope was now no longer a matter of intellect, but a word asked by God of the heart for its salvation.More than ever before, in this book Jacques Ellul shares with readers not only the darkest forebodings of contemporary man's soul, but also his own struggle to emerge from despair to a stronger level of Christian faith--and hope. He writes of hope, not in the vein of Moltmann and Metz, but in a highly original and penetrating manner.

Feeling abandoned by God and others occurs in our life. Let’s learn how to see that abandonment does not occur for the Christian—just more intimacy with God, even when painful.

Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) was Professor of the History and Sociology of Institutions at the University of Bordeaux. A sociologist, historian, and Protestant lay theologian, Ellul is primarily known for his writings on technology, propaganda, and Christian anarchism. He influenced a wide array of thinkers including Ivan Illich, William Stringfellow, Thomas Merton, Paul Virilio, and Neil Postman. In this book, Jacob Van Vleet and Jacob Marques Rollison guide readers through Ellul's most influential theological and sociological writings. By understanding Ellul's primary works, readers will be able to clearly grasp his social theory and theological ethics, profiting from his deep insight and prophetic wisdom.

The hermeneutic contribution of the French theologian and sociologist Jacques Ellul is given new prominence in this striking collection of essays, revealing him to be one of the twentieth century's most creative and insightful interpreters of the Bible. With a breadth of contributors ranging from established biblical scholars and theologians to pastoral practitioners, from top Ellul scholars to emerging voices - and including six first-time English translations of Ellul's own articles - this volume not only provides a detailed overview of Ellul's biblical approach but also constitutes a crucial moment in Ellul's theological reception. The essays gathered here represent a clear demonstration that the full potential of Ellul's theological interpretation of Scripture to rejuvenate and reconfigure contemporary biblical hermeneutics has yet to be seen.

Includes section "Book reviews."

Gracie came out of the womb giggling. Well, she might as well have. She was born happy, optimistic, and always giggling so much so that her nickname was Giggles. Her joy was infectious, and she made it her mission to put a smile on everyone's face. As a kid, whenever she saw someone sad, she would dance, sing, do somersaults, jump up and down, and be silly, anything it took to get a smile. Gracie and her older brother thought they had the most cool parents that they loved so much. Her happy place was being with her family and pretending they lived in one of her favorite fairy tales. As a happy innocent child that focused on making people smile, naturally she would not notice adult issues that were going on behind the scenes. Suddenly, while she wasn't looking, her whole world unraveled and fell apart overnight. "Abandoned but Not Alone" tells the true story about a little girl that lost her pure innocent joy when she was suddenly abandoned by someone she loved and idolized crumbling her perfect family dream. Discover how the error of shouldering the blame for this incident as a child shaped her life and all of her relationships. Gracie would spend the next fifty years fighting the uphill battles of trusting others with her heart, loving others, letting them love her, and trying to control relationships in her life. Enjoy traveling through her story and seeing how she found hope, healing, and happiness along the way and how she finally learned the meaning of true love. Her prayer is that her story will encourage and inspire you to find healing, hope, and happiness in your experience with abandonment.