A Christian Manifesto [Paperback]

Francis A. Schaeffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1981

Looking at the creeping erosion of morality and justice in the western world, Francis Schaeffer calls for Christians to change the course of history by returning to biblical truth and by allowing Christ to be Lord in all of life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Schaeffer was right. Today, we need leaders who can show us how to operate... in a way that does not neglect or enshrine politics. We need to discern which behaviors by Christians are helpful... and which are not." -- --Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief, World magazine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"Schaeffer was right. Today, we need leaders who can show us how to operate . . . in a way that does not neglect or enshrine politics. We need to discern which behaviors by Christians are helpful . . . and which are not."
—Marvin Olasky, Editor-in-chief, World

"When I went to L'Abri many years ago as an agnostic, it was the first time I encountered Christians who engaged with the cultural and intellectual world. A leader distinguished by his integrity and authenticity, Francis Schaeffer shows how the richness of biblical truth illuminates the course of history as well as our individual lives."
—Nancy Pearcey, Author, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity

"I can think of no one who has had more impact on evangelical theology and social policy in the last three decades than Francis Schaeffer. Dr. Schaeffer had enormous influence on a whole generation of baby-boomer evangelicals, calling us to engagement with society and inspiring us to be the salt and light that Jesus commanded. The culmination of Schaeffer's call for the church to be the church were How Should We Then Live? and A Christian Manifesto. We all owe Dr. Schaeffer an incalculable debt."
—Richard Land, President, The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

"Go to any evangelical Christian gathering . . . and ask twenty people the simple question: 'What single person has most affected your thinking and your worldview?' If Francis Schaeffer doesn't lead the list of answers, and probably by a significant margin, I'd ask for a recount."
—Joel Belz, Founder, World Magazine

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books; Revised edition (October 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891072330
• ISBN-13: 978-0891072331
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Recognized internationally for his work in Christianity and culture, Francis A. Schaeffer authored more than twenty books, which have been translated into a score of languages and sold millions worldwide. He and his wife, Edith, founded L'Abri Fellowship international study and discipleship centers. Schaeffer passed away in 1984, but his influence and legacy continue worldwide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking and interesting book, July 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Christian Manifesto (Paperback)

I am just coming to read the books of Francis Schaeffer, and what has impressed me initially is his holistic perspective of Christianity. Schaeffer insists that Christian belief and God's reality necessarily pervade the whole of life, and he justifies his insistence with Biblical/theological evidence that is both reasonable and practical. This book focuses on how Christian belief should extend into the realm of government. He persuasively argues that not only is the United States founded upon the Christian belief in an ultimate truth, God, but also that this is the only foundation upon which a government can truly stand. "A Christian Manifesto" is essentially a warning cry about the encroachment of humanism, but rather than being an alarmist writing (although at times it ventures dangerously close to that ground), "Manifesto" is instead a reasonable, logical presentation of predictable results of the humanist world view. If there is anything alarming about "Manifesto" it is the realization that the humanist world view cannot compel a person to obey the law for any other reason than force.

Equally interesting is Schaeffer's discussion of a Christian's proper response to government, the basis of a government's authority, and the Christian response to government that usurps it's authority. In all of these discussions Schaeffer undergirds his arguments with the ultimate reality of God and the implications of this reality.

I found myself uncomfortable at times as I made my way through this book because I came at it from a liberal Christian perspective. However uncomfortable I felt, I found his arguments difficult to deny.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic, March 27, 2004

By 

R. Kirkham "jrkirkham" (Rushville, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Christian Manifesto (Paperback)

Francis Schaeffer had amazing insight into the world around him. He looked around and made predictions that others thought impossible to ever come true. He tied together causes that others disregarded. He described a coming world view that others comsidered extreme and alarmist.

Now . . . it has come to pass. Many today will read this book and have trouble believing that Schaeffer's world ever existed. To others, Schaeffer's words will seem as if they were penned only yesterday. Some will probably call him immoral. Others will call him a prophet. He is certainly politically incorrect.

And all of this change happened in the span of about 20 years. This book was penned in 1981. You owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this book and look around at the change that has happened to society. It is sobering.

Schaeffer wrote his Christian Manifesto as an antithesis to the Communist Manifesto. He imagined the logical progression of a world built upon a morality other than God. Imagine if you will, what a world would be like if the government totally removed God as the basis for law and morality. It might be like a snowball rolling down a long hill with nothing to stop it. What would be the results way down the hill into the far future? How could the snowball ever be stopped once it reached critical mass? How long before it reached critical mass? How should Christians react to this changing world?

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book Before Its Time, September 29, 2003

By 

"mswates" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Christian Manifesto (Paperback)

Seldom do I read many things that peak my attention such as the works of Francis Schaeffer. "A Christian Manifesto" reads as though it were written today. One can imagine it was a book before its time as the idea of "post-modern" Christianity has now become a forward-moving trend. Above all, I believe what this book succeeds in doing is calling Christians to serious reform in worldview; linking the problems of our society today to a humanistic view of total reality that has lost its morality and spiritual roots. He renounces dualism and admonishes us to look at issues in their totaliy as symptoms of a greater problem. In this book, Schaeffer sites some of the top legal decisions that will affect the people of faith in the coming decade. The issues still stand even today. He challenges the censorship of the open marketplace where people should be able to decide for themselves whose "god" is God. This is perhaps one of the most profound reads in quite awhile. You will be challenged, if not changed.