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Francis Schaeffer

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (January 30, 1912-May 15, 1984)
    Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Preached an approach to Christian apologetics that strives for a middle path between evidentialism and presuppositionalism while opposing theological modernism
    Graduated magna cum laude from Hampden-Sydney College (1935)
    Graduated from Faith Theological Seminary, graduating (1938)
    Established the L'Abri community, an institution for studying and discussing philosophical and religious beliefs that mixes elements of a seminary, commune, and retreat (June 5, 1955)
    Writings include 'Escape from Reason' (1968), 'The God Who Is There' (1968), 'True Spirituality' (1971), 'Back to Freedom and Dignity' (1972), 'Genesis in Space and Time: The Flow of Biblical History' (1972), 'He Is There and He Is Not Silent' (1972), 'Art and the Bible' (1973), 'Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History' (1975), 'How Should We Then Live?' (1976), and 'A Christian Manifesto' (1982)
    Died of lymphoma in Rochester, Minnesota

Why he might be annoying:

    His ideas contributed to the rise of the Christian right in American politics.
    His son claimed that he was physically and mentally abusive to his wife, but this claim was challenged by members of the L'Abri community.
    He was described as extremely cynical and petulant, often suffering from bouts of depression.
    Apparently, L'Abri can't guarantee visiting women that they won't get pregnant by other people, as his son impregnated one when he was 17.
    He homeschooled his son, who felt unprepared to take over his father's legacy when he was groomed to do so.
    His statement that pluralism led to the decline of Western culture has been interpreted by some that he rejects pluralism in general.
    Since his death, some scholars have criticized his thought as derivative and sometimes mistaken and shallow.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He sought to remind and explain people that God is always present and never silent.
    He challenged evangelical Christians to come out of their comfort zones in response to a world that challenges their worldview.
    He grew up with a father with a third-grade education and a depressed mother.
    Despite his contributions to the rise of the Christian right in politics, he still favored separation of church and state.
    He expressed his love for disadvantaged people through some cases, such as tutoring a young boy with Down's Syndrome and threatening to resign if a black person feels unwelcome in his church.
    Michael Hamilton wrote in Christianity Today that no other theologian besides C.S. Lewis influenced modern evangelical Christian thinking to a massive extent than Schaeffer himself.
    L'Abri managed to expand amidst doubts on the future of his legacy when his son rejected his views.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying