Admittedly I've taken a bit of a break from reading Jacques Ellul since Christmas. (Can't find any Ellul for the Kindle out there... yet. I'm also learning that Kindle doesn't always handle the non-fiction efficiently.)
However, here's a quote I recorded in my journal on the 22nd. Any thoughts? How does this intersect or conflict with your own definition of conversion?
"To convert! This great word has been diluted. The people of the third century and later have converted to Christianity in morality and religion, but they have kept intact their mode of thinking."(The Subversion of Christianity, p. 26. Emphasis mine)
Odd that you bring up the issue of conversion. While you got back into Ellul I returned to T.F.Torrance of Scotland who lectured and mentored Baxter Kruger when Kruger was working on his thesis at Edinburgh university. Torrance is brilliant in his breadth and the following is extracted from his book "When Christ Comes and Comes Again." I simply quote extracts from chapter 3 that deals with individual conversion and (with shades of the "recapitulation" doctrine of Irenaeus (c. 200) which I love), I will be surprised if it does'nt trigger some comment.
FIRST:P.35: "He was able to make a decision for Christ because Christ had already made a decision on his behalf."
Also: "In Jesus God has already made a decision that we are His children The decision has already been taken...we simply let it happen to us." And do keep in mind I lean away from Calvinism's determinism. DRT
Posted by: Dave | December 31, 2009 at 11:48 AM