FALL CLASS STARTING! WHO IS WATCHING?

francisschaefferstudies.org is excited to announce it's fall class on The Church Before The Watching World, starting this Sunday, Sept. 2nd at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. As you may have noticed we are still working steadily on the video of our spring class of The Mark Of A Christian, so you may see video being released of both through the end of the year and early into spring. We will also be working on filming of some earlier class material that has not yet been recorded that we will start releasing before the end of the year in honor of the Francis Schaeffer Centennial! So be on the lookout for that.

The Church Before The Watching World continues to expand on the concepts we explored in our spring class, but in greater depth and a broader subject base. Schaeffer had numerous works on the subject of the church, starting with his third work Death In The City. Yet in 1970-71 he published three significant works on the church: The Church At The End Of The Twentieth Century, The Mark Of A Christian, and The Church Before The Watching World. It is telling that in 1971 he also published his landmark work on spirituality, True Spirituality. There is no doubt that the connection between True Spirituality and Schaeffer's Ecclesiology is significant.

Schaeffer published his final work, The Great Evangelical Disaster, in 1984. What subject did he choose? His last message was to the church. Therein he indicates a dissatisfaction that the Biblical principles he had spent his entire life teaching had still gone largely unheeded by the church. With this study we seek to go back and look at what he was trying to communicate earlier on. 

As with all of our classes, the desire is to encourage others to read Schaeffer's works for themselves and provide a means for others to pass the works of Schaeffer on to the next generation. Please keep us in your prayers as we further expand this mission.     

WHAT IS FRANCIS SCHAEFFER STUDIES?

Occasionally in our work we find that people sometimes may be confused or have questions about who we are and what we do, so we feel that from time to time it is important that we review what we are about. The following will help explain our guiding principles: 

What is Francis Schaeffer Studies?

• francisschaefferstudies.org is a fan site founded in 2011 to promote the study of the works of Francis and Edith Schaeffer.
• FSS was founded to assist in passing the works of Francis & Edith Schaeffer to the next generation and make their thought and teaching more accessible for general inquiry.
• FSS is a service to the Francis Schaeffer and L’Abri community. We both promote and serve by creating web content such as social media promotions, graphics and videos.

How do you promote the works of Francis & Edith Schaeffer?

• We create studies around their works.
• We film classes on their works.
• We promote their works through our website by providing a reference for all of their books.
• We promote their works on social media such as Facebook by providing both a discussion group and fan pages, Twitter, YouTube, and our blog.
• We produce content and materials such as graphics, promotional and documentary videos and other web related projects for other Schaeffer related ministries and promote them.
• We occasionally have events to this end.

What are your affiliations?

• Most of us are members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, KS and thus submit to the guidance and leadership of our pastors and elders. All of the classes on Schaeffer’s works are filmed at Redeemer unless otherwise noted.
• We must clarify that we are NOT a part of L'Abri or in any way officially associated with the estate of Francis Schaeffer or the ministry of L'Abri International. However, we are in contact with L'Abri and do seek their guidance and input in regard to the site. In accordance with Eph. 5:21, "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ," we humbly submit to the insight and guidance of the L'Abri leadership for the cause of Christ, and properly respecting the legacy of Francis & Edith Schaeffer. We feel very strongly about this, as we believe in many respects the "real work" is going on in the various locations of L'Abri throughout the world, where the various Biblical principles taught by Schaeffer are daily being put into practice. Many, many people have been transformed by the witness of L'Abri, as it's workers invite people to come and live with them and experience Christian community. It is our aim to simply promote and share these teachings and provide a free service to L'Abri and the Francis Schaeffer community.
• THE FRANCIS SCHAEFFER COLLECTION? Recently, as of this writing we have been doing a lot of work in regard to the Francis Schaeffer Collection. We are not officially connected with the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith & Culture or Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, The Francis Schaeffer Foundation, or Hill House. All of our work has been done under the guidance and direction of Dr. Bruce A. Little to freely promote the collection and the importance these materials are to the next generation of scholars.
• We are likewise not officially associated with any other Schaeffer related ministry, even though we might actively promote them.

How are you funded?

• At this time we are funded by our own out of pocket money and by prayer.
• Since we are web, graphic, and video professionals, we do all of the work in-house and at our own time and expense, if any is required.
• In the two years of service God has provided by sometimes providentially giving paid work for businesses or other ministries to us personally which we have then appropriated to the most immediate need. One example of this is when Dan needed his copy of the complete works of Francis Schaeffer. He prayed and God provided a web job at just the right time that paid for the amount needed. As we have learned from the L’Abri example, God provides what we need.

Why are you doing this?

• Firstly, because we believe scripture instructs us to remember our leaders. Here are our three guiding verses:
• Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Hebrews 13:7 ESV)
• Further instruction in this role of “imitating their faith”:
• Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Philippians 3:17 ESV)
• Paul instructs as to why we should imitate him:
• Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. (1 Corinthians 11:1-2 ESV)
• Secondly, we are doing this because Francis and Edith’s works are so important. There are numerous reasons that we could state here, but in short, it is because their works teach these important points and more:
• an emphasis on the inerrancy of scripture
• the Biblical emphasis on the dignity of mankind
• an understanding of true-truth and substantial truth for life and godliness
• a moment-by-moment spirituality that brings reality in the Christian walk
• an intellectual apologetic that engages both the heart and the mind
• the belief in honest answers to honest questions
• the call to a life of prayer
• a proper Christian worldview and worldview thinking
• a cultural apologetic that engages culture and informs the mind
• the application of Biblical truth to the whole of life, even government
• and last but not least, the final apologetic, the practice and balance of living out an observable love toward true Christians without compromise as a demonstration to a watching world, and standing for Biblical truth without compromise in the midst of a post-Christian culture.

 

Where can I find Francis Schaeffer Studies?

• Our main web site francisschaefferstudies.org
• On facebook:
• Our facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/francisschaefferstudies
• Our facebook fan page dedicated to Edith: http://www.facebook.com/Edith.Rachel.Merritt.Seville.Schaeffer
• Our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/francisschaefferstudies/
• Dan's personal page: http://www.facebook.com/dan.guinn
• On Twitter: http://twitter.com/studyschaeffer
• On Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/b/112699455648301251198/112699455648301251198/posts
• On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/schaefferstudies
• On GodTube: http://www.godtube.com/schaefferstudies
• On vimeo: http://vimeo.com/channels/229491
• On flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67742561@N02/

ENGAGING CULTURE & ACCUSATIONS OF HATE

The first graphic.

Over just a weekend 170,000 people viewed the graphic on the left produced by FrancisSchaefferStudies.org, and it was shared over 3,000 times in the first several days. In the following week the graphic and it's variations (see below) were shared nealy 15,000 times with a reach of over 1.2 million people. This was no promotional stunt, it actually took us a bit by surprise. Yet we knew we struck a nerve.

What the graphic points out is an important logical fallacy in those that believe that when some one says they are wrong or disagrees with them that it automatically equals hatred. We also believe this graphic cuts both ways, as sometimes Christians may be affirming something that is not true by their actions.

For those not fond of the Papyrus font.

Our primary goal at FrancisSchaefferStudies.org is to communicate the thought and teachings of Francis and Edith Schaeffer and encourage others to read their books for themselves. Yet one of the core tenants in Schaeffer's thinking is engaging culture. So I am confident that Schaeffer would not have us promoting his works and yet standing idle and silent on the side lines. Schaeffer shows in his works that it is paramount that we are constantly speaking into culture. So as students of Schaeffer's works we constantly seek opportunities to do just that in the most gracious way that we can. We believe that confronting culture does not mean we have to lower ourselves to brutally attacking others or engaging in a mere war of words. We believe that being discerning, listening, using wisdom and precise words can sometimes make more headway toward making people think and changing people's opinion than argumentation alone.

I disagree is not hate either.

If you missed all the controversy, when Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy offered his own personal views on the national debate over same-sex marriage he was immediately tried, convicted, and sentenced in the media. Further still, several elected officials came out stating that they would ban Chick-fil-A from their area and block them. Several have since had to recant on that, since that is illegal in America. This had many Christians  wondering, how could this be happening? How can one of the most well known philanthropist be falsely targeted for hate. What if all institutions in America that object to same-sex marriages were treated the same way? Could the government begin rejecting evangelical churches from their area? For that matter, why aren't Muslim and Jewish groups being targeted with the same ridicule?

Tranlated into Portuguese Mateus Scherer Cardoso .

Christians everywhere rose to the defense of Dan Cathy on principle. As soon as we thought about the debate and what was being said we questioned how can we best assist Christians in speaking into this debate? How can we speak to non-Christians and help them understand the illogical leap to false judgment they are making in reference to Christians? The graphic was the result.

Schaeffer indicated in A Christian Manifesto that we have a short window of opportunity to speak into our culture before the window is completely shut. The time is now to speak up, speak intellegently, and with discernment. All along we should realize that we are dealing with real people, with real problems.

Lest we get too full of ourselves and our clever arguments, we also need to reflect and lament that the Church is also guilty of not protecting the family. 47% of Christian families said pornography is a problem in their home. (Focus on the Family Poll, October 1, 2003) The Internet was a significant factor in 2 out of 3 divorces. (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2003 - divorcewizards.com) This is a discussion that needs to take place in the public square and within our homes. We must not take it lightly or merely assign all the blame to the current liberal mindset. We must lament that we too have our share of blame.

Schaeffer outlined important steps toward changing culture in his work True Spirituality. It starts with the person dealing with the results and bonds of sin and then on to our relationships. As our relationships are changed it goes on to our family and then to our church and then to our culture and finally into our government. It is our prayer that we rediscover True Spirituality in America.

Where can you find the graphics and share?

http://www.facebook.com/YoureWrongIsNotEqualToIHateYou

Additional work:

See also this reply to "So You Still Think Homosexuality is Sinful."