Christian Apologetics: Two Purposes Francis Schaeffer’s holds a rather basic view concerning apologetics. He explains there are two purposes of Christian apologetics. “The first is defense. The second is to communicate Christianity in a way that any given generation can understand” (The God Who Is There, 151). Schaeffer begins his approach to apologetics by pointing […]
Tag Archives: Francis Schaeffer
Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: Epistemology – Part 5
The Importance of Presuppositions Dr. Schaeffer’s epistemology is integral to his approach to apologetics and may be described simply as follows: First, one must understand that pagan thought endorses a belief in the uniformity of natural causes in a closed system. Propositional and verbal revelation is nonsense in this scheme. Christian epistemology stands in starkContinue reading “Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: Epistemology – Part 5”
Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: Consequences of Pitting Rationality Against Faith – Part 4
The decisive result of falling below the line of despair is a pitting of rationality against faith. Schaeffer sees this as an enormous problem and details four consequences in his book, Escape From Reason. Pitting Rationality Against Faith First, when rationality contends against faith, one is not able to establish a system of morality. ItContinue reading “Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: Consequences of Pitting Rationality Against Faith – Part 4”
Why Francis Schaefer Matters: The Line of Despair – Part 3
The Loss of Antithesis The loss of antithesis in American culture led to what Dr. Schaeffer coined the “line of despair” or giving up all hope of achieving a rational unified answer to knowledge and life. Schaeffer outlines what he believes are the various steps below this line of despair. He begins with the GermanContinue reading “Why Francis Schaefer Matters: The Line of Despair – Part 3”
Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: The Turning Point in Truth – Part 2
The Truth Crisis Francis Schaeffer sets the tone for his apologetical procedure by explaining the crisis of truth in America: “We are fundamentally affected by a new way of looking at truth. This change in the concept of the way we come to knowledge and truth is the most crucial problem facing America today” (The […]
Why Francis Schaeffer Matters: An Introduction – Part 1
Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984) may very well be one of the most important Christian thinkers of the twentieth century. Schaeffer graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary and was heavily influenced by J. Gresham Machen, Cornelius Van Til, and the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper. In 1948, after a ten year pastorate in the United States, he […]
A Black-And-White Proposal: Farewell To Fuzzy Thinking
Donald Miller raises the banner for “fuzzy thinking” in a recent blog post entitled, “The Problem with Black-and-White Thinking” (re-posted on relevantmagazine.com). His main thought: “Black-and-white, either-or thinking polarizes people and stunts progressive thought.” Additionally, he holds that this kind of thinking stunts our “ability to find truth.” DEFENDING THE GOOD IN MILLER’S PROPOSAL MillerContinue reading “A Black-And-White Proposal: Farewell To Fuzzy Thinking”
No Final Conflict – Francis Schaeffer (1975)
“It is my conviction that the crucial area of discussion for evangelicalism in the next years will be Scripture. At stake is whether evangelicalism will remain evangelical.” So stated Francis Schaeffer in his 1975 landmine, No Final Conflict. While this treasure was penned nearly thirty years ago, it remains relevant and applicable to 21st-century culture. […]
He is There and He is Not Silent- Francis Schaeffer (1972)
I first read He is There and He is Not Silent by Francis Schaeffer in 1992. Multiple readings have ensued and I turn back to Schaeffer’s book again and again for help with apologetics. Schaeffer argues for three basic areas of philosophical thought: metaphysics (being or existence), morals (the dilemma of man), and epistemology (the […]
Two Contents, Two Realities – Francis Schaeffer (1974)
Sometimes the best things come in small packages. Case in point: Two Contents, Two Realities by Francis Schaeffer. To call it a booklet would be inaccurate. To call it a pamphlet would be insulting. The worst accusation one could hurl at this work is irrelevant or outdated. Originally published in 1974 as a position paper that […]
Veritas et Lux 