Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of Francis Schaeffer, the 20th century American pastor, theologian, and philosopher. Udo Middleman, President of The Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation, describes him as one who “communicated the truth of historic Biblical Christianity in a way that combined intellectual integrity, artistic sensitivity and a practical loving care. With a sharpened analytical mind he understood and uncovered the roots of modern thinking and its logical conclusion across a wide range of disciplines.”
Schaeffer wrote 22 books in his lifetime (1912–1984). It is a testimony to the worth of his thinking and writing that almost every one of these books is still individually available in print.
Below is a list of his five bestselling titles on Amazon, as well as some additional resources.
Bestselling Books
- How Should We Then Live? – This one has a 5-hour corresponding DVD.
- Art and the Bible
- The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy – Includes the books The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, and He Is There and He Is Not Silent.
- True Spirituality
- Genesis in Space and Time
For the most value, you can get all 22 of his books in The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer for less than $100. (See also the great deals Crossway has on some of his works.)
Free Online Content
Thanks to Joe Carter for listing most of these in his post on The Gospel Coalition blog last week. They are either by or about Schaeffer.
- A Christian Manifesto (A lecture based on the book of the same title.)
- Francis Schaeffer’s Philosophy of History [PDF]
- Schaeffer on Education
- FrancisSchaefferStudies.org YouTube channel
Legacy
Two of the most significant organizations or institutions that Schaeffer either founded or influenced:
- L’Abri Fellowship – “The L’Abri communities are study centers in Europe, Asia and America where individuals have the opportunity to seek answers to honest questions about God and the significance of human life. L’Abri believes that Christianity speaks to all aspects of life.”
- The Francis A. Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Seminary – “By modeling respectful dialogue with those who are not Christians and training Christians to observe and understand the culture in which they live, the Schaeffer Institute helps people break down barriers to Christianity and become more faithful and effective in evangelism.”
Win the Complete Works
To mark the occasion, I am giving away two sets of The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer. This includes all 22 of the books he wrote in a beautifully-crafted 5-volume hardback set. You can enter below. I am using the PunchTab program which offers you many ways to increase your chances of winning. Start below…
