Francis Schaeffer would have been 100 years old yesterday. Chuck Colson describes the life and influence of this remarkable man in the short clip below. I count myself as one of many deeply affected by Schaeffer. In college I heard him deliver a series of lectures that formed the basis for his book, "The God Who Is There." He powerfully impressed me with his obvious passion and deep concern for "Speaking Historic Christianity into the 20th Century." Like many others, I found his grasp of the ramifications of Christian faith for the whole of life and culture foundational and formative to my thinking.
In the clip above, Chuck Colson sounds a call for Christians to "get out of the pew and engage culture!" and urges people to sign the Manhattan Declaration.
Recommendations of T.A. Moore at the Colson Center:
Bing Davis, “Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer”
Barry Hankins, “Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelicals” (podcast)
Peggy J. Haslar, “Francis Schaeffer’s Double-edged Ethic”
Todd Kappelman, “The Need to Read: Francis Schaeffer”
Fred Sanders, “Come, Christian Triune God Who Lives”
Links from the "Colson Library" include:
Ranald Macauley - Learning from Francis Schaeffer: The Legacy and Relevance of His Vision
Francis Schaeffer, the founder of L’Abri Fellowship, espoused two main concepts in his vision for genuine and effective Christian living: “true truth” and “true spirituality.” The idea of “true truth” came out of Schaeffer’s love for Scripture, which forms a lens through which all other reality makes sense. He encouraged others to recognize the falseness of all worldviews other than a biblically Christian one from his home in Switzerland, which he called L’Abri (or, “the Shelter” in French). The ministry of Francis and his wife Edith slowly grew to become the first of eight communities and study centers that now exist around the world. The idea of “true spirituality” was implemented at L’Abri by substituting organization and programs with prayer in an effort to emphasize the importance of experiencing and imitating Christ. Though influential both in Europe and America, parts of Schaffer’s message were either misunderstood or ignored. However, his concerns are still relevant today, nearly fifty years later, in light of the condition of modern society.
Barry Hankins - Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelicals
Timothy George interviews Barry Hankins about his biography Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America. Although initially an ardent separatist-fundamentalist, Schaeffer became one of the most influential components of evangelical cultural engagement.