This May marks the 30th anniversary of Francis Schaeffer’s death
To many he was one of most outstanding evangelical leaders of the 20th century.
His influence throughout the church was vast – though always unpretentious and certainly never expected. EN discovered the effect of his life, literature, and the work of L’Abri on a range of evangelical leaders.
L’Abri
L’Abri Fellowship started in 1955 when Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their Swiss chalet for people to come for ‘shelter’ (French: abri), care and satisfying answers to their questions. Nigel Goodwin of Genesis Arts Trust experienced it as ‘a home where all the “broken pieces” of this world were welcomed with unconditional love.’
Today the Fellowship has 11 branches worldwide. Andrew Fellows, the director of L’Abri Fellowship UK, describes his own experience: ‘In my early years as a Christian I was taught that I must give my mind solely to theology, and leave behind the philosophical interests I had prior to my conversion. My life as a believer soon began to shrivel. It was in reading Schaeffer that the false dichotomy was overcome. Suddenly a whole new world opened up. It was like a second conversion’.
Literature
Many more people had their thinking revolutionised by one or other of Schaeffer’s 25 books. For the Revd Dr Peter Sanlon of St Mark’s, Tunbridge Wells, it was True Spirituality, a book he has read annually since he was 18 years old for its ‘rich and realistic vision of developing a relationship with God’. The Revd Mostyn Roberts of Welwyn Evangelical Church had his teenage existentialism ‘torpedoed’ by Escape from Reason. Melvin Tinker of St John Newland, Hull says of reading the same book: ‘Suddenly Christianity was something which related to everything: art, philosophy, science, history! It was exciting and liberating’.
The God Who Is There has also rescued many lives. Richard Cunningham, the director of UCCF explains: ‘As a first-year student I was struggling to believe Christianity was true. Eventually, I read The God Who Is There. It was a revelation. Schaeffer met me in my bewildered and nearly overwhelmed state and brought me to a place of confidence, joy and evangelistic fruitfulness’. Jason Fletcher of Heritage School, Cambridge agrees: ‘I read it at a time my Christian faith hung in the balance. Schaeffer’s writings provided persuasive answers to my questions and an abiding confidence’.
Films
Schaeffer’s film series were also influential. Professor Julian Rivers, an academic lawyer at the University of Bristol, was hooked by How Then Shall We Live?, while Dr Sharon James of the Christian Institute was struck by Whatever Happened to the Human Race: ‘I remember the galvanising effect it had on many evangelicals – nudging us out of apathy about ethical and social concerns such as abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, prompting us to greater involvement and prayer’.
Life
‘Schaeffer spoke not only about the importance of authentic thinking, but also authentic living’, says David Illman of Christian Heritage, Cambridge, ‘and of love as the final apologetic’. There was certainly something distinctive about Schaeffer’s life that appealed to a generation searching for authenticity. Dr Greg Pritchard, the director of the European Leadership Forum, recollects: ‘I had the wonderful opportunity as an eager young Christian to spend time with Francis Schaeffer. God used him to provide a picture of a life and mind wholly committed to the Lord and his Word’. The speaker Ann Brown agrees: ‘It was such a relief to encounter someone who took peoples’ questions seriously and answered them carefully’.
‘When I met Francis Schaeffer as a young graduate’, says Dr Michael Schluter CBE, of Relationships Global, ‘he encouraged me to recognise that Christianity went beyond a personal relationship with Christ to a world-view that impacted on how one understood culture and its impact on society’. Echoing this sentiment is Dr David Wells of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: ‘Through Schaeffer I came to see what a big thing Christianity is. It gives us a place to stand amidst the fast moving, swirling currents of modern life’.
Legacy
Thirty years after his death, Schaeffer’s legacy lives on in the multiple lives that he influenced. ‘His exceptional care for the whole person with an integrated Christian apologetic and commitment to d e m o n s t r a b l e Christian living continue to be profoundly relevant,’ says the Revd Dr Gavin J McGrath of St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks.
David Jackman, of the Proclamation Trust, concludes: ‘So much of what Schaeffer wrote was prophetic of our times. My hope is that he will be rediscovered by a new generation and understood in a way that was all too rare during his lifetime’.
In case you need further convincing, Professor Douglas Groothuis of Denver Seminary recently posted a photograph of Schaeffer online with the caption: ‘This great man’s thinking and life did more to shape my life than probably anyone else. He is the mentor I never met. Read his works. Study his life. He was the real thing’.
Here are some more tributes to Schaeffer.
Dr Os Guinness, author
‘I owe the world to Francis and Edith Schaeffer and my years at L’Abri. When asked what I saw as the secret of Schaeffer’s extraordinary contribution, I say: he took God passionately seriously, he took people passionately seriously, and he took truth passionately seriously. I have never met anyone who rivalled him in that way.’
Becky Manley Pippert, author
‘I went to L’Abri one summer as a university student with lots of questions. Schaeffer’s passion for God, for truth and for people had a lifelong influence on me. His desire to think Christianly, his commitment to understanding the wider culture around us, his devotion to prayer, his simple trust in God, and his appreciation for all disciplines (especially literature and the arts) also made an enormous impression.’
David Robertson, Solas Centre for Public Christianity
‘Francis Schaeffer showed me that biblical theology applied to the world of art, music, history and politics today. His writing, thought and gracious manner had a profound effect.’
