The Great Evangelical Disaster
Overview
Have Christians compromised their stand on truth and morality until there is almost nothing they will speak out against? Has the evangelical church itself sold out to the world? A provocative and challenging book—but one that is tempered by Dr. Schaeffer’s deep commitment to Christ and love for the church.
Top Highlights
“Or to say it another way: the culture is to be constantly judged by the Bible, rather than the Bible being bent to conform to the surrounding culture.” (Page 56)
“Here the problem of the 1920s to the 1980s is properly spelled out. It is the attempt to have absolute freedom—to be totally autonomous from any intrinsic limits. It is the attempt to throw off anything that would restrain one’s own personal autonomy. But it is especially a direct and deliberate rebellion against God and his law.” (Page 21)
“Basically he is saying that those who believe that we must hold to the inerrancy of Scripture in order to be truly evangelical, and those who also take a strong stand against abortion, are expressing a ‘new sort of fundamentalist legalism.’” (Page 68)
“Here is the great evangelical disaster—the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this—namely accommodation: the evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age.” (Page 37)
“One principle is that of the purity of the visible church. Scripture commands that we must do more than just talk about the purity of the visible church; we must actually practice it, even when it is costly.” (Page 70)
- Title: The Great Evangelical Disaster
- Author: Francis Schaeffer
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 1984
- Logos Release Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Evangelicalism; Church and the world
- ISBNs: 9780891073086, 0891073086, 9781433511660, 9781433511653, 9781433517242, 1433511665, 1433511657, 1433517248
- Resource ID: LLS:GRTVNGLCLDSSTR
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:23:39Z
Francis Schaeffer (1912–1984) was an evangelical missionary. After studying at Hampden-Sydney College, Westminister Theological Seminary (where he studied under Cornelius Van Til), and Faith Theological Seminary, Schaeffer pastored churches in Pennsylvania and Missouri.
In 1948, Schaeffer moved to Switzerland and founded L’Abri, a community where people discuss philosophy and religion. Thousands of people have passed through L’Abri, and it has expanded into several other countries. Schaeffer held a presuppositional approach to apologetics which many believe heavily influenced the Christian Right movement in the United States.
He was the author of many books, including Escape from Reason and How Should We Then Live?, which have sold millions of copies worldwide.