Great Evangelical Disaster (Cssts ed)

Rating:
Summary: Evangelical Accommodation
Review: Famous 20th Century theologian, Francis A. Schaeffer's last book before his death in 1984 is an examination of the accommodation of humanistic/secular ideas in the 'visible Church' which started with teh higher critical methods in the late 1800's, gained ground n the 1920's and 30's and led to a fruition in Western culture in 1960's and on.

There are many points in this book that are worthy for all Christians to heed. The book is very critical of liberal Chrsitian theology, but acknowledges where consrevative Chrsitians lost ground and the impending result of such mistakes by Evangelicals.

Schaeffer correctly points out the creeping compromise of relativism in the Christian community and shows this most profoundly in the idea of divorce. He writes about the consrevative schoalers of the 20's who produced the 'fundamentals', the social gospel, and the threat of secular/humanism and its devaluing of the sanicty of human life.

He offers words of wisdom as wellthat Chrsitian must remember and strive for, to uphold the 'purity of the visble church' but no matter what we must also, 'show forth the love of God'. There are so many good points here that asmall review cannot do this book justice. Then why the for stars, well, Schaeffer fails to see that part of the problem is that he, although he might not agree, holds to the Barthian notion of a visble Church, but in Protestantism, there is no visble Church. There are visble Christians, and the distinction is important because it often is the diffrence in the nethodology proposed. Otherwise an improtant work.

Rating:
Summary: Great Evangelical Disaster
Review: Francis Schaeffer's predictions are coming true today! Schaeffer was an extraordinary apologist and evangelist. His ministry was rooted and grounded in the basic tenet that the Bible IS the Word of God. It is inspired and sufficient. He was one of the few to see that modern evangelicalism was quickly drifting from its biblical moorings. This volume points out numerous ways in which the church started to drift even during Schaeffer's lifetime. New authors such as David Wells are attesting to the validity of Schaeffer's well written prophecy. If you're interested in evangelicalism or the debate concerning the inerrancy and authority of the Bible then you will love this volume. This was the forerunner of all modern discussions concerning the church's constant need to be anchored in God's inspired Book--the Bible.

Rating:
Summary: Great Evangelical Disaster
Review: Francis Schaeffer's predictions are coming true today! Schaeffer was an extraordinary apologist and evangelist. His ministry was rooted and grounded in the basic tenet that the Bible IS the Word of God. It is inspired and sufficient. He was one of the few to see that modern evangelicalism was quickly drifting from its biblical moorings. This volume points out numerous ways in which the church started to drift even during Schaeffer's lifetime. New authors such as David Wells are attesting to the validity of Schaeffer's well written prophecy. If you're interested in evangelicalism or the debate concerning the inerrancy and authority of the Bible then you will love this volume. This was the forerunner of all modern discussions concerning the church's constant need to be anchored in God's inspired Book--the Bible.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Wait. Read This Now
Review: I have had this book on my shelf since 1985 (sorry Amazon.com, but it was before you were around) and was fearful of picking it up. The title, along with Franky Schaeffer's book Addicted to Mediocrity, and Franky's eventual abandonment of evangelical brand of Christianity for Eastern Orthodox, led me to believe that this might be a screed against evangelicalism. How silly was my fear. This book is a treasure!

Humbly written, full of love, strong in conviction, Dr. Schaeffer sounds a warning to all Bible-believing evangelicals of a form of theology that has, in many people's opinion, infected and killed the mainline denominations in the beginning of the 20th century. His is a warning against the Modernist (or Neo-orthodox) theology that questions Scriptural authority in matters of history and science (the cosmos).

This book is not meant as a proof text against liberal theology. It is directed at those who already believe in the infallibility of the Bible, but who are sleeping while Neo-orthodoxy spreads like a virus through out evangelical institutions. It is a call to action on behalf of those who care about the purity of the Church.

It is much more than a typical Fundamentalist call to arms though. Schaeffer places equal importance on the value of LIVING like we believe the Bible is infallible. He states with great humility, that evangelical accommodation to the spirit of our age is to blame for the negligible cultural impact we have had. This accommodation has harmed the Bible's authority every bit as much as Neo-orthodoxy. His is a call to be as ready to LIVE the Bible (with humility, prayer, and love) as well as DEFEND the Bible.

But the best part about the book is the concluding chapter called The Mark of a Christian. It is a reprint of an earlier booklet that Schaeffer wrote and could not be better placed. If the challenge herein does not cause you to re-think how you love your fellow Christian, or how unified (or un-unified) we as Christians are, then you need to check your pulse to see if there is a heartbeat. It is a must-read for all who care about these things.

If you are a liberal theologian, this is probably not your cup of tea. Nothing in here will change your mind. It is not "evidence" for a conservative theology. It merely describes the consequences of such a liberal mind set. This is a message from the General to his troops.

Don't wait 17 years to read this. Read it now.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Wait. Read This Now
Review: I have had this book on my shelf since 1985 (sorry Amazon.com, but it was before you were around) and was fearful of picking it up. The title, along with Franky Schaeffer's book Addicted to Mediocrity, and Franky's eventual abandonment of evangelical brand of Christianity for Eastern Orthodox, led me to believe that this might be a screed against evangelicalism. How silly was my fear. This book is a treasure!

Humbly written, full of love, strong in conviction, Dr. Schaeffer sounds a warning to all Bible-believing evangelicals of a form of theology that has, in many people's opinion, infected and killed the mainline denominations in the beginning of the 20th century. His is a warning against the Modernist (or Neo-orthodox) theology that questions Scriptural authority in matters of history and science (the cosmos).

This book is not meant as a proof text against liberal theology. It is directed at those who already believe in the infallibility of the Bible, but who are sleeping while Neo-orthodoxy spreads like a virus through out evangelical institutions. It is a call to action on behalf of those who care about the purity of the Church.

It is much more than a typical Fundamentalist call to arms though. Schaeffer places equal importance on the value of LIVING like we believe the Bible is infallible. He states with great humility, that evangelical accommodation to the spirit of our age is to blame for the negligible cultural impact we have had. This accommodation has harmed the Bible's authority every bit as much as Neo-orthodoxy. His is a call to be as ready to LIVE the Bible (with humility, prayer, and love) as well as DEFEND the Bible.

But the best part about the book is the concluding chapter called The Mark of a Christian. It is a reprint of an earlier booklet that Schaeffer wrote and could not be better placed. If the challenge herein does not cause you to re-think how you love your fellow Christian, or how unified (or un-unified) we as Christians are, then you need to check your pulse to see if there is a heartbeat. It is a must-read for all who care about these things.

If you are a liberal theologian, this is probably not your cup of tea. Nothing in here will change your mind. It is not "evidence" for a conservative theology. It merely describes the consequences of such a liberal mind set. This is a message from the General to his troops.

Don't wait 17 years to read this. Read it now.

Rating:
Summary: Modern-day prophet's last warning
Review: Schaeffer was as a voice crying out in the wilderness. In recent years the evangelical movement has incessantly turned to compromise after compromise. Schaeffer saw it coming, and said so very eloquently in this book. It is a must-read for anyone who has enough objectivity to look at how modern evangelicalism has failed.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Wake up Call
Review: This was an excellent book showing the decline of the modern day church. Schaeffer shows that the church has lost its will to discern right from wrong. He does a terrific job critiquing what he calls the watershed of the Evangelical Faith. That is, the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Too many people are accepting people who call themselves "Evangelicals", but they are really are nothing but rank liberals.

This is a short pithy work, but it shows the sadness of the times we are in. I love the short history that Schaeffer gives. Since he was a Presbyterian, I love him talking about J. Gresham Machen (a brilliant defender of Orthodoxy). I also love him talking about how "Fundamentalism" got started. Most people see "Fundamentalism" as being anti-intellectual. But, historially speaking, "Fundamentalism" was actually an intellectual defense of Christian orthodoxy (it all started by a group of Christian scholars getting together defending historic Christian doctrine in book form, of which Machen was one of them).

This was a tremendous book for someone wanting to study how the Bible has been affected by liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. If it would have been a little more thorough, I would have rated it five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Wake up Call
Review: This was an excellent book showing the decline of the modern day church. Schaeffer shows that the church has lost its will to discern right from wrong. He does a terrific job critiquing what he calls the watershed of the Evangelical Faith. That is, the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Too many people are accepting people who call themselves "Evangelicals", but they are really are nothing but rank liberals.

This is a short pithy work, but it shows the sadness of the times we are in. I love the short history that Schaeffer gives. Since he was a Presbyterian, I love him talking about J. Gresham Machen (a brilliant defender of Orthodoxy). I also love him talking about how "Fundamentalism" got started. Most people see "Fundamentalism" as being anti-intellectual. But, historially speaking, "Fundamentalism" was actually an intellectual defense of Christian orthodoxy (it all started by a group of Christian scholars getting together defending historic Christian doctrine in book form, of which Machen was one of them).

This was a tremendous book for someone wanting to study how the Bible has been affected by liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. If it would have been a little more thorough, I would have rated it five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Day Wake up Call
Review: This was an excellent book showing the decline of the modern day church. The church has lost its will to discern right from wrong. Schaeffer does a terrific job critiquing what he calls the watershed of the Evangelical Faith. That is, the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Too many people are accepting people who call themselves "Evangelicals", but they are really are nothing but rank liberals. This is a short pithy work, but it shows the sadness of the times we are in. I love the short history that Schaeffer gives. Since, he was a Presbyterian, I love him talking about J. Gresham Machen (a brilliant defender of Orthodoxy). I also love him talking about how "Fundamentalism" got started. Most people see "Fundamentalism" as being anti-intellectual. But, historially speaking, "Fundamentalism" was actually an intellectual defense of Christian orthodoxy (it all started by a group of Christian scholars getting together defending historic Christian doctrine in book form, of which Machen was one of them). This was a tremendous book for someone wanting to study how the Bible has been affected by the liberalism and neo-orthodoxy. If it would have been a little more thorough, I would have rated it five stars.