Thursday 26 April 2012

Francis Schaeffer: a new biography

'When Francis Schaeffer was converted to faith in Christ he did not at first call himself a Christian because, to him, Christianity was the 'unreal stuff' he had experienced at church. What he discovered was, for him, a whole new way of thinking and of life. From then on his great desire was to tell people 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'.


"This is a masterful introduction to Francis Schaeffer. In one concise summary you get both the biographical outline as well as a comprehensive overview of the ideas that this remarkable man communicated and lived out. My hope is that Mostyn Roberts’ book will enable a present generation of Christians to grasp these vitally needed truths."
Andrew Fellows
(Director of the English L'Abri Fellowship)


This new addition to Evangelical Press's 'Bitesize Biography' series should be available towards the end of May. My hope is that it will introduce Schaeffer to a new generation of Christians, and also refresh the memories of older Christians about his value for us today.

(This feels like blowing my own trumpet; in fact I want to make Schaeffer known, not myself, but I have been told by more than one source that the best publicist for a book is the author!)

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