Francis Schaeffer

Francis Schaeffer: Prophet of Truth in an Age of Lies

The Man in the Mountains

He wasn’t flashy.
He wasn’t polished.
He was a man of God with a Bible in one hand and culture in the other.
From the mountains of Switzerland, Francis Schaeffer issued a call — not to escape the world, but to engage it with truth.

The Foundation: The Word of God

Schaeffer believed the Bible is not a truth — it is THE Truth.
Infallible. Inerrant. Non-negotiable.

“All Scripture is God-breathed…” — 2 Timothy 3:16

You can’t understand man, morality, meaning, or beauty unless you start with God’s revealed Word.
No apologies. No compromise.

Christianity Is Not Just “Faith” — It’s a Worldview

Christianity is not a private opinion.
It is a comprehensive understanding of all of life.

• Philosophy? Christ is Lord.

• Art? Christ is Lord.

• Government? Christ is Lord.

• Science? Christ is Lord.

“The Lordship of Christ covers all of life and all of life equally.”

The Christian must not retreat into a corner.
He must stand in the public square, armed with truth and humility.

Humanism Is a Religion — and It Has a God: Man

Modern man has not just forgotten God.
He has replaced Him — with himself.

Schaeffer called this out:

“Secular humanism is not neutral. It is a religion. And it is a tyrannical one.”

When man becomes god, he destroys all truth, all meaning, all freedom.
The end result?

• Relativism.

• Despair.

• Death.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” — Proverbs 14:12

He Loved Truth — But He Also Loved Beauty

Schaeffer didn’t just preach.
He painted a picture — literally and spiritually.
He saw beauty as a witness to the glory of God.

In a world of cold rationalism or empty emotionalism, he reminded us:
The Christian life is whole. It sings. It paints. It builds. It thinks.
Art and imagination belong to Christ, not the devil.

Apologist with Tears

Schaeffer didn’t just win arguments — he loved people.
He welcomed seekers and skeptics to L’Abri, asking their questions before answering them.
His apologetics weren’t just intellectual — they were relational.

Truth with compassion.
Conviction with gentleness.

“Always be prepared to give an answer... with gentleness and respect.” — 1 Peter 3:15

He wasn’t fighting against people.
He was fighting for their souls.

He Rebuilt What Evangelicals Had Abandoned

Many churches fled from:

• Culture

• Philosophy

• Public life

They buried their heads in “personal piety” and “heaven one day.”

Schaeffer shook the Church and said:

“Truth is not just for the prayer closet — it’s for the marketplace.”

He stood where others retreated.
He called the Church back to total Lordship, not half-hearted religion.

A Historian of Decline

In How Should We Then Live?, he traced the West’s collapse:

• Middle Ages: God was central. Man had value because of Him.

• Renaissance: Man was elevated. God was diminished.

• Enlightenment: Reason replaced revelation.

• Modernity: Man tried to live without God.

• Postmodernity: Man gave up on truth altogether.

Once the absolutes were abandoned, society began to crumble.
And Schaeffer saw it coming like a freight train.

A Watchman on the Wall

In A Christian Manifesto, Schaeffer cried out like Ezekiel:

“If the watchman sees the sword coming… and does not blow the trumpet…” — Ezekiel 33:6

He blew the trumpet.
Loud and clear.

He warned of abortion, statism, and judicial tyranny.
He called Christians to stand up — not with violence, but with faithful resistance.

“We must obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:29

Civil Disobedience — A Biblical Duty

This is where he got controversial.

He said when the state becomes God, the Christian must say NO.
Not because he hates the government.
But because he fears a higher King.

“To make no decision in the face of evil is a decision — a decision to comply.”

When laws defy God’s law, silence is sin.

A Legacy of Courage

Schaeffer didn’t live to see how far the West would fall.
But he warned us.
He told the truth.
He loved the lost.
And he never bowed to Baal.

Final Words

Francis Schaeffer didn’t invent truth.
He simply pointed to it — in the Word of God and in the world God made.

His life says:

Christianity is not fragile.
It is not private.
It is not weak.
It is true.

So Christian, take up the torch.
Don’t retreat.
Don’t conform.
Don’t apologize for the truth.

Stand. Speak. Create. Love. Fight.
In Christ — for His glory — in all of life.

“If Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” — Francis Schaeffer