Living Truthfully: Ellul, Propaganda, and the Christian Mind

In his 1962 book, Propaganda, Jacques Ellul outlines three conditions for propaganda’s success. Bombard people with excessive information so they will forget, always have “breaking news” so they do not reflect or think critically, and have no North Star or standard to measure deviation. As Christians we are called to remember, called to think, and called to follow our certain and firm North Star. Dr. Nichols will discuss how a Christian worldview speaks to these conditions and encourage us to both speak and live truthfully in difficult times.

Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. He has master’s degrees in theology and philosophy, and he received his Ph.D. from Westminster
Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His areas of specialization include the Reformation, American Christian history, and Jonathan Edwards. He is author of thirty books, including biographies of Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and R. C. Sproul. Additionally, he has written A Time for Confidence, A Student’s Guide to Apologetics, and Jesus Made in America. He’s the coeditor of the series Theologians on the Christian Life, for which he wrote the volume on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He served as the general editor of the Church History Study Bible. His podcast 5 Minutes in Church History has been airing weekly since 2013. He also hosts the podcast Open Book. Steve is a frequent lecturer and conference speaker and hosts church history tours in America and Europe. He and his wife, Heidi, and three children live in Central Florida.