Feb 17, 2010
Francis Schaeffer and Apologetics
Throughout his life and even in death, Francis Schaeffer has had an enduring influence in defending the Christian faith. But what should those of us who hold to a presuppositional approach to apologetics think about Schaeffer? How does Schaeffer's method compare to Van Til's presuppositionalism? What can we learn from his life and ministry?
John Frame has often commented on Schaeffer, but until now little effort has been made to bring his thoughts together into a coherent treatment. Thankfully, Steve Scrivener recently answered this oversight by compiling Frame's thoughts, even doing it in an interesting and engaging way. He lays out Frame's comments in a Question and Answer format. The result is "Some Thoughts on Schaeffer’s Apologetics" by John Frame. Here we find everything from Frame's outline and evaluation of Francis Schaeffer’s apologetics to how it compares with Cornelius Van Til's methodology. This compiled article is filled with insightful information and will serve as a great introduction to Schaeffer and how he relates to presuppositional apologetics. The "Further Reading" bibliography alone will prove immensely helpful for those who want to further explore these questions.
While I realize that Frame is controversial in some presuppositional circles (due to his triperspectivalism, his understanding of the relationship between the transcendental arguments and traditional arguments, etc.), I still heartily recommend reading this article. You will definitely come out with a better understanding of Francis Schaeffer and his legacy.
John Divito
Member, Heritage Baptist Church
M.Div. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Comments
David Charles on Feb 19, 2010 3:41pm
Thanks for the link John. Now, why not take some time and deal with some of the controversy around John Frame?
:-)
Seriously, I have benefited from John Frame, but I have found some of his statements a bit odd at times.