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 PrintableVersion Francis SchaefferAn authentic lifeThe man who taught us to thinkFRANCIS SCHAEFFER Francis and Edith Schaeffer, who together founded L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland in 1955, touched the lives of people across the world through books, films and personal contact. Nearly 25 years after Francis’s death this biography puts his work and ideas into context. Francis Schaeffer’s work has often been pigeon-holed as a ministry to intellectuals, because he first became known here in the UK through his books published by IVP in the late 1960s. However, he had spent over 30 years in Christian work before any books were published. Colin Duriez explores Schaeffer’s working-class childhood in Pennsylvania, his awakening interest in philosophy and art in his teenage years, and his decision to read right through the Bible seeking answers to his questions. This was the start of Schaeffer’s Christian commitment and, at the age of 18, he wrote in his diary ‘all truth is from the Bible’. This conviction radically shaped his future life and thought. Swiss family SchaefferDuriez outlines the development of Schaeffer’s ministry from pastorates in the USA, to his move to Europe in the 50s to survey churches across the war-ravaged continent, focusing on children’s work. Schaeffer’s three daughters were fully involved, as the family opened their Swiss home to local children, and Duriez has drawn on conversations with them all. Their memories illuminate the gradual emergence of the work that later became known as L’Abri. Starting with discussions around the family dinner table, as the girls brought their university friends home to visit, more and more young people were attracted, till an international community grew up on the Swiss mountainside. Out of these conversations, the lectures, books and finally films, developed. While the films, directed by his son, brought Schaeffer’s thinking to a far wider audience, particularly in the USA, they also led him into an ambivalent relationship with Christian leaders who were becoming the core of ‘the religious right’ in American politics. HonestyThis biography honestly documents Schaeffer’s strengths and weaknesses and reminds us that his greatest gift was spending time with individuals, listening to their questions and taking them seriously, opening up the Bible and pointing people to ‘The God who is there’. Those patient conversations, together with the flowering of creativity and demonstration of Christian love, faith and prayer in the day-to-day life of L’Abri, are what have left a lasting legacy in many lives. This is a work that L’Abri Fellowship quietly continues on several continents today, and Colin Duriez’s engaging book is a timely reminder of the legacy of its founder and its relevance today. Miriam Sampson,
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