Showing posts with label Francis Schaeffer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Francis Schaeffer. Show all posts

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Review: Francis Schaeffer by Mostyn Roberts

FrancisSchaeffer-MostynRoberts

Title: Francis Schaeffer
Author: Mostyn Roberts
Series: Bitesize Biographies
Publisher: EP Books
Year: 2012
ISBN: 0-85234-792-8
ISBN-13: 978-085234-792-8
Pages: 146
Format: Paperback

Francis Schaeffer is one of the 20th century’s greatest influencers towards thinking Christianity. To him, Christianity was not simply a form of mysticism, and neither was it a leap of faith into the unknown. To Francis Schaeffer, Christianity was rational—not rationalistic. Christianity had all the answers to life’s big questions, and Schaeffer did not shy away from answering those questions.

From academics, to blue collar workers, all were important to Schaeffer, and he believed that each one had to be answered on his own level.

Mostyn Roberts wrote a very easy to read introduction to the life and ideas of Francis Schaeffer. Roberts writes about Schaeffer’s early years all the way to the end of his life in 1984, laying out a history of Schaeffer’s life, but also includes his teachings, apologetics, films, politics and his final battle with cancer.

Schaeffer left a legacy that every Christian would do well to learn from and emulate. Schaeffer taught us that it is important for Christians to think.

If you want to learn about Schaeffer, this is the book to start on. It is easy to read, doesn’t drag things out and it really accomplishes its purpose, which is to introduce the reader to Francis Schaeffer.

Once you are done reading this book, and you would like to know more about Schaeffer, then you can move onto FRANCIS SCHAEFFER: an Authentic Life by Colin Duriez (hardcover, kindle).



Sunday, May 12, 2013

Quoting big names out of context

I found this review of a book that seems like pure science fiction instead of reality. The book is called “Exo-Vaticana: Petrus Romanus, Project L.U.C.I.F.E.R., and the Vatican’s Astonishing Plan for the Arrival of an Alien Savior.” Apparently a MUST-READ! I love sci-fi and always have. And this book seems to fit right in there with the best of them: Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Gate, etc. You can find out more about the book here.

The only difference between this book and the rest, is that it claims to be meticulously researched truth! It sounds more like a hashed-up conspiracy theory, and we all know how these conspiracy theories are laced together to build an alternate truth!

Of course, they can “conspiracize” as much as they like to. The problem I have with them is that they quote Francis Schaeffer as backup for their cause. Maybe Schaeffer did write something that showed that he believed like they do? The problem is that they quote Schaeffer out of context as if he does agree with them. The point is that Schaeffer didn’t!

They quote the following from Schaeffer in his book, “Genesis in Space and Time,”

“More and more we are finding that mythology in general, though greatly contorted, very often has some historical base.  And the interesting thing is that one myth that one finds over and over again in many parts of the world is that somewhere a long time ago supernatural beings had sexual intercourse with natural women and produced a special breed of people.” (p125-126)

I have “The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer” in 5 volumes. So, I decided to check it out. So, what did Schaeffer actually say?

The context in which Schaeffer made the quoted statement is within an explanation of two possible interpretations of Gen 6:1-2:

“(1)  Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,  (2)  that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Schaeffer, in the context of the quote pointed out two different options for interpreting these verses of which the quote was part of option 1. In this option he explained the belief by some that angels came to earth, mated with these beautiful women and produced the Nephilim, hybrid creatures made of angelic and human DNA.

schaefferworksAfter this part, Schaeffer continued:

“The other reading—that verse 2 denotes that there were those in the godly line [of these genealogies] who intermarried with others in the ungodly line to the destruction of the godly line—fits into the whole of Scripture, for there is a constant prohibition throughout the Old and New Testaments against the people of God marrying those who re not of the people of God. The Old Testament says repeatedly: if you marry those who are not God’s people, and if you give your sons and daughters to them, the godly line will be destroyed. The New Testament contains the same command: ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?’ (2 Cor. 6:14). This passage has to do with those links which are central to men’s lives, and no link is more central than marriage. This point is made explicit in the great marriage passage in 1 Corinthians 7:”39. Paul instructs the church that ‘the wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.’ The principle is clear: God’s people are to marry God’s people. It is therefore possible to interpret Genesis 6:2 as indicating the intermarriage between the godly line and the ungodly line.” (The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Volume Two, Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1982, p89)

Right after this passage in Schaeffer’s book he continues to speak of the godly line, and how the genealogies lead up to Noah as the last in the godly line.

So, Schaeffer is in no way underscoring the beliefs of the writers of “Exo-Vaticana!”



Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Francis Schaeffer Lecture Collection

Francis Schaeffer (30 January 1912 – 15 May 1984) has long been one of the most popular Christian philosophers and theologians, even after his death in 1994. He has written several books and lectured all over the world.apologetics315

Wheaton College has made available a large collection of lectures by the late Francis Schaeffer. A short list of categories can be found at Apologetics315.



Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Dealing with doubt

Francis Schaeffer, the thinker!
Most Christians, at least those that are real people, encounter doubt about their faith sometime in their lives. To some, this is the greatest sin a Christian can ever commit! Yet, those that have encountered a crisis of faith such as Francis Schaeffer did, and have had to struggle with the questions of life, usually came out stronger in their faith after the crisis.

But, the fact is that not all of us are great intense thinkers! The good thing is that there are, and have been, some really great Christian thinkers. Some that come to mind are St. Augustine, Pascal, William Wilberforce, William Gladstone (whom I was named after), Isaac Newton, Schaeffer and many more. We can make use of the resources these people have produced in writing to learn from and to bolster our faith.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...