FRANCIS SCHAEFFER (Bitesize Biographies) by Mostyn Roberts

Bitesize Biographies

by Mostyn Roberts

When Frances Schaeffer was converted to faith in Christ he at first refused to call himself a Christian because he thought Christianity was the 'unreal stuff' he had experienced at church. What he discovered was a whole new way of life. From then on his great desire and commitment was to tell others about God, that the Bible is true, and that it answers the big questions of life that philosophy can only raise. Schaeffer trained for the ministry and was sent, with his wife Edith, to Europe. They established child evangelism work and he developed a profound understanding of contemporary culture and the state of the church. He experienced a spiritual crisis which made faith and prayer more real to him, and founded the L'Abri Fellowship. Here, thousands of people have heard about the God who is Creator and Saviour. In his last decade Schaeffer became famous for his Christian film series and his anti-abortion stance. As Mostyn Roberts reviews the life of this man of God, variously called a prophet for his prescient analysis of trends in culture that explain where we are today, an apologist, and even a philosopher, he shows us that fundamentally Schaeffer rejoiced, to the end, in being a pastor and evangelist. 'Francis Schaeffer, who was born exactly a hundred years ago, is arguably one of the five most important Evangelical leaders of the second half of the 20th century. This brief but excellent summary of his life and ideas is a helpful reminder of his importance. As a genuine prophet, Schaffer's assessment of our times and of what we should be doing about them is, if anything, more relevant today than when he first wrote.' Ranald Macaulay Founder and a director of Christian Heritage, Cambridge

Genres: Biography

Paperback

First published May 14, 2012

Reviews

[Iwan Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great subject; Schaeffer is a fascinating guy! The biography itself was mid, conveyed the information and gave good context, but felt more like a collection of chapters rather than a narrative of Schaeffer's life.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful biography of Francis Schaeffer by Mostyn Roberts. Very readable, and helpful in clarifying the central tenets of Schaeffer's apologetics, and consequently where this led him (and ought to lead us) in ethical issues. For anyone wanting to get a fairly simple introduction to the life and work of Schaeffer, they can do no better than to read this book. Very warmly commended.

[Peter Bines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with other reviewers here that this little offering on Francis Schaeffer from Mostyn Roberts is a very helpful introduction to the man and his thought. If you know little or nothing about Schaeffer this is a great way to begin to get to know him from an author who clearly values his subject but is not blind to his faults.

I would recommend that you then move on to Schaeffer's foundational trilogy of writings - The God who is There; Escape from Reason and He is There and he is not Silent. Then you could also look at 'Francis A Schaeffer: Portraits of the Man and his Work' edited by Lane T Dennis' and published by Crossway books.

Francis Schaeffer was not infallible (who is!), But he was a prophetic voice ready to speak God's unchanging truth into his generation and beyond.

[plá · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a good start for those who want to engage with Schaeffer's works later in their lives. Schaeffer contributed very much both to the secular world and to the Christian world. He could connect the secular worldview with Christianity in a way which is very helpful for persons who like to observe or discover, meditate upon the relation between arts and philosophy and God.

Thank you Schaeffer and thank you Mostyn. Mostyn was the preacher in the chuch I went to when I stayed in England. His style of writing matches his style of preaching. Pristine, intelligent, clear, amazing. Thank you!

[Eilidh Shrimpton · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times Mostyn Roberts is rather defensive of Schaeffer and his views. In my opinion, too much of the book is devoted to describing Schaeffer's views rather than his life, which can become decidedly repetitive as the main points are also made in relevant places in the biographical sections. I suspect that both problems stem from the same source: that Roberts likes Schaeffer too much to write his biography well.

[Nelleke Plouffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, brief introduction to the life and thought of Francis Schaeffer. It's a good first book to read on Schaeffer, because it will point you in the right direction as to what Schaeffer book to read first. I appreciated his insight and analysis.

[maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 'slips down easily' overview of the life of Francis Schaeffer. I was left impressed with Schaeffer's phenomenal ability to think through and articulate his faith in a way that was acceptable to non-believers.

[Michael Wayne Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is on Amazon.com

[William Dicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my short review at my blog.