One of the most original thinkers of the twentieth century, Jacques Ellul (1912–1994) was a French law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and self-described “Christian anarchist.” On Being Rich and Poor is a collection of Ellul’s prescient reflections on some of the most important theological questions of the modern age. In these lectures, which follow on those presented in On Freedom, Love, and Power, Ellul asks how it is that Christianity can justify the abandonment of the poorest, weakest, and most vulnerable members of society, the marginalization of youth and the denial of a liveable future for the next generation, and an unprecedented wave of environmental destruction.

Ellul observes that some of the harshest language in the Jewish and Christian Bibles is reserved for those who are rich and powerful, and thus able to bend others to their will. Through his analysis of the prophetic book of Amos and the letter of James, Ellul exposes the gap between the principles of Christian life and the practices of secular mass society. Criticizing a world that values domination over collaboration, he offers an alternative path.

Transcribed from the original audio recordings and translated by Willem H. Vanderburg, a student and long-time colleague of Ellul’s, On Being Rich and Poor is an unprecedented look at how one of the twentieth century’s foremost thinkers grappled with some of today’s most challenging issues.

WILLEM H. VANDERBURG is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, where he was the founding director of the Centre for Technology and Social Development. He was a NATO post-doctoral fellow under Jacques Ellul from 1973 to 1978 at the University of Bordeaux.