How Should We Then Live? (1-3)

with Francis Schaeffer

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How Should We Then Live? (1-1)

with Francis Schaeffer

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The Francis Schaeffer Centennial – FSS History and Vision

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Francis Schaeffer

Like many other folks, I was influenced early in my ministry by the books, audio messages, and video recordings of Francis Schaeffer. I never gave in to trying to grow his goatee or dress like him… but I’m certain from time to time I surely must have tried to speak like him.

I used to obsessively study philosophy, worldview-thinking, ethics, theology, culture, and apologetics through seminary and well into the first half of my ministry. Francis Schaeffer helped me navigate much of that journey. He helped show me how those subjects were all connected as well as how understanding such things was essential for practical day-to-day life and ministry.

Reading Schaeffer’s works and learning more about him, his family, and his ministry also led me to discover others who have greatly impacted my thinking and ministry, such as Jerram Barrs, Os Guinness, and Dick Keyes.

This post is late to the dance because this past Monday (January 30) was the centennial celebration of Schaeffer’s birth. I’ve read some great tributes to his life and ministry over the last few weeks and I thought I might share some of those, as well as some inspiring websites and ministries that are carrying on the work that Schaeffer helped revitalize in his day.

As is often the case with my blog, this post is not properly a “Top Ten” list, but it makes for a good title to the post.

I hope something mentioned here will bless you.

Grace and Truth,
Dale

A few articles about Schaeffer…

Remembering Francis Schaeffer by T.M. Moore (good list of links at the end of the article). In many ways Charles Colson and his various ministries (The Colson Center, BreakPoint, etc., are carrying on in the same spirit as Schaeffer.

100th Anniversary of Francis Schaeffer’s Birth by Nathan Bingham at Ligonier Ministries

Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life (a review by Hunter Baker) at Gospel Coalition

The Need to Read Francis Schaeffer by Todd Kappelman at Probe Ministries

Francis Schaeffer and a World in Desperate Need by Lane Dennis at Crossway

Francis Schaeffer at Wheaton

How Then Should We Live?: Francis Schaeffer at 100 by Charles Colson

Some great websites/ministries serving in the “Schaeffer spirit”…

L’Abri Fellowship -This is the ministry that Schaeffer and his wife founded. It has greatly expanded and continues to do a wonderful job of ministering today. Check out their page on the history of L’Abri.

Francis A. Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary. Jerram Barrs is closely connected to this. Two of his courses, on the early and later years of Schaeffer, are available (for free!!!) at the Covenant website.

Francis Schaeffer Studies.org -a new website and ministry launched to celebrate the 100th birthday of Schaeffer. Lots of great resources available.

Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation - The Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation was incorporated in 1988 by Edith Schaeffer, Udo and Deborah Middelmann and several of their friends as a foundation of ideas.

The Francis Schaeffer Study Center - This is an awesome ministry to students. From their webpage… “The focus of the Study Center curriculum is on equipping high school students with basic biblical knowledge, an understanding of the Christian world-view and an integrated study of the literature, history, and art of western civilization.”

Other helpful resources…

• The Shelter
• Schaeffer Institute
• Francis Schaeffer Papers

And… what would a post on Schaeffer be without something from the man himself…

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Truth and the Christian Worldview, Part 2

The Christian Worldview’s Foundation

From the very beginning, the Christian faith has proclaimed and defended the position that it is a revealed-religion. Never has it declared itself to be a speculative philosophy. It has always submitted to a higher authority. Ronald Nash says that Christianity’s “touchstone proposition” is that “Human beings and the universe in which they reside are the creation of the God who has revealed himself in Scripture. The basic presupposition of the Christian world-view is the existence of the God revealed in Scripture.” This is both the ontological and epistemological foundation for the Christian faith. An appeal to any other authority than the living God, is an appeal to human speculation and vain autonomy. Carl Henry correctly observes that:

“All merely human affirmations about God curl into a question mark. We cannot spy out the secrets of God by obtrusive curiosity. …Apart from God’s initiative, God’s act, God’s revelation, no confident basis exists for God-talk. …If we are authorized to say anything at all about the living God, it is only because of God’s initiative and revelation. God’s disclosure alone can transform our wavering questions concerning ultimate reality into confident exclamations!”

Christians are therefore not arrogant because they claim to know the truth. Christians confess to be humble servants of the one true God who has revealed the truth to them and has called them to be witnesses in the world to this. However, it is not simply by “revelation-in-general,” that human beings come to this epistemological foundation.

Instead, it is through the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible through which God has specifically revealed himself, and not simply “in Christ.” Francis Schaeffer has brought attention to the fact that “the Reformation said ‘Scripture Alone’ and not ‘the Revelation of God in Christ Alone.’ If you do not have the view of the Scriptures that the Reformers had, you really have no content in the word ‘Christ’…” This is important to point out, because without the proper epistemological foundation, truth shifts to preference and utter subjectivity. Indeed this is what has happened.

Next time we’ll take a look at the results of the wrong foundation.

Blessings,
Dale

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