Francis August Schaeffer who was an American theologian, Presbyterian pastor and philosopher was born on January 30, 1912, and he passed away on May 15 th May 1984. Schaeffer was opposed to the concept of theological modernism which made him instead to promote Protestant faith which he believed would be the best choice in dealing with the questions of his age. This belief is what led him to write his book How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
Schaeffer began his book by outlining the history of the Romans concerning religion and the role they played in influencing modern day religion. Schaffer in his assertions claimed that Romans could be considered as the originators of civilization which has formed the basis of the Western civilization. However, the Roman thinking borrowed heavily from the Greeks when they were submitted to the Roman rule in 146 BC. Moreover, the Romans built their various cultures which were centrally modeled according to their gods with these gods resembling the Romans in character since they were sexual, limited, finite and sinful in nature (Schaeffer, 1976). This according to Schaeffer was not the right way for religious to go by having gods who acted in the same manner as the human beings. This then denies human beings the real meaning of religion which Schaeffer frowns upon. Additionally, Caesar Augustus who rose to power after 12 B.C. became the ultimate head of state religion and he was on record for urging the Romans to direct their worship to Rome’s spirit which formed the stage for the worship of the Roman Emperors. This then can be seen as a way of diluting the worship by bringing so many objects of worship.
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The Christians in Rome were initially able to survive this kind of worship of many gods, emperors and the Spirit of Rome. However, this was short-lived since the Roman authorities could not tolerate the Christians practice of monotheism which was unheard of. They, therefore, persecuted these Christians for their stand as well as true allegiance to Christ. For Romans, this was considered as treason since the only people who had to be accorded allegiance were the Roman emperors (Til, 1988). According to Schaeffer this kind of treatment which wax melted on these Christians revealed the totalitarianism of Rome which could not allow being judged by these Christians
The Reformation period according to Schaeffer was a very significant period for the Christian movement since it brought along some religious freedoms that had not been there initially in the Middle Ages. The reformers of this age including Martin Luther and John Calvin made great strides by helping to get rid of human distortions that had taken center stage in the religious spheres. Moreover, these reformers broke the barrier that had existed between the priests and the faithful. Initially, wood and iron grills were erected to separate worshippers from the altar (Schaeffer, 1976). However, these reformers changed this by replacing such grills with the Bible. This was aimed at according the worshippers more freedom and a feeling of coming close to God. While this may be commendable, it may be a major reason contributing to increases in sinful acts as worshippers have become used to God and they do not feel any fear of him as it was in pre-Reformation periods.
The Reformation period was not a smooth sailing for the Christian religion since this period witnessed various shortcomings on the part of the Christians. Consequently, the Christian ideals were not brought out especially in the area of race and wealth. They began viewing slaves as lesser beings by believing in what Aristotle termed slaves as tools to be used by others to advance their interests (Schaeffer, 1976). Additionally, these Christians treated some human beings as being less of human beings especially if they were sinners who then reduced the fundamental concern of Christianity which was supposed to be a place of refuge. Rather Christianity became a religion of the perfect human beings which should not have been the case, therefore, shunning those individuals who would have needed it more. This then led to the presence of many fake Christians who were not concerned at all with the suffering of their fellow men, therefore, making this religion to become diluted. It must, however, be noted that there existed true Christians whom God used to bring to an end the slave trade that was rampant at the time. Principal among such believers were John Wesley and John Newton who went through a lot of efforts so as to end slave trade by preaching vehemently against it (Bahnsen, n.d).
The Industrial Revolution brought with it new means of getting wealth, and it became a stumbling block for many Christians of the time who forgot the Biblical principles of caring for the less fortunate in the society. The Industrial Revolution consequently led to the growth of slums around the factories as the poor in the society sought employment opportunities in the new found companies and industries. As a result, women, and children become the primary targets of exploitation by the factory owners since they provided readily available and cheap labor to such plants (Schrock, 2013). The Christian community of the time was not moved by this situation as they were busy accumulating wealth for themselves and indeed used these needy individuals for their advancement in life. This according to Schaeffer was a major religious hypocrisy which indeed is still prevalent in modern days as Christians compete with their fellow human beings to pursue wealth. This happens when the society has a lot of individuals who are living in poverty with no one to consider their needs. However, there are Christians and non-Christians who take it upon themselves to take care of such individuals.
The Scientific Revolution had a great impact on religion especially the Christian religion as various philosophers, and religious leaders tried to make sense out of it. Most of the Christian leaders tried to link Christianity and science by claiming that scientific revolution was a result of the Christian worldview (Bahnsen, nd). Key among were Robert Oppenheimer and Alfred North Whitehead who claimed that Christianity could be considered as the mother of science since Christianity insisted on the rationality of God as from medieval times. This goes ahead to show that Christianity has been at the center of major happenings and changes in the world for a much extended period. Furthermore, Christian perspectives are very vital in understanding various phenomena by tying them to the divine nature of God who controls the universe (Schrock, 2013). Additionally, the Christians of the time believed that nature was ultimately the handiwork of God and no other deities and it is God who fuelled the minds of individuals to come up with scientific ideas.
Schaeffer further put his focus to relate with the ideas of non-Christian philosophers to highlight their take on various issues in the world. These philosophers according to Schaeffer had various similar characteristics considering that they were majorly rationalists who believed that man could find answers to his problems by searching them within himself. More so they were logical in nature since they were convinced that reason was a beneficial instrument for solving man’s problems in addition to the fact that they were very optimistic individuals who believed impossibilities where there seemed to be none (Til, 1988). A lot of lessons can be drawn from these philosophers by Christians despite the fact that these philosophers were not Christian themselves. They seemed to hold the key to solving many mysteries in life by being optimistic and searching for answers from within the human beings rather than from other unreliable sources.
Modern philosophy and theology according to Schaeffer is different from what existed in earlier period with philosophers having different takes on theology and religion. Some like Nietzsche went further to claim that God is dead an idea that was quickly picked up by several others by arguing that if God is dead, then everything related to him is dead as well. Consequently, the modern world has found itself in such a shift that the new generation has no role models to follow in terms of religion since the older generation similarly seems to have lost its former religious grip (Schock, 2013). More so the modern art and music depict the despair of humankind as they struggle to make sense of the changing perspectives in the modern world. As a result, human beings have turned to seeking personal peace devoid of any disturbances as he prefers to be left alone to deal with his issues. More so, the human beings have resorted to the accumulation of wealth in the hope that it will afford them convenience and peace of mind.
However, this has not been the case since most people do not find happiness and peace in their lives (Bahnsen nd). In fact, the more an individual as the more he or she feels prone to dangers that lurk everywhere in the globe. The mass media has not done much to help as it tends to paint a better picture for human being which is not usually the reality of the ground as it tries to manipulate the human thinking. This manipulation according to Schaeffer may result in loss of freedom for individuals as this manipulation extends to the governance and all other institutions mandated to rake care of human beings interests.
References
Bahnsen, G. L. (n. d) False Antithesis: A Critique of the Notion of Antithesis in Francis Schaeffer's Apologetic. Centre for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. Retrieved from http://www.reformed.org/webfiles/antithesis/v1n3/ant_v1n3_schaeffer.html.
Schaeffer, F.A. (1976) How Should We Then Live Wheaton: Crossway Books
Schrock, D. (2013). It Is There, and It Should Not Be Silent: Van Til’s Critique of Schaeffer. Reformed Forum. Retrieved from http://reformedforum.org/schaeffer-and-van-til-on-presuppositions/.
Til, N.V. (1988). Francis Schaeffer's Apologetics: A Critique. Pro Rege, 16(3)
