Product Details

• Actors: Dr. Francis Shaeffer
• Directors: -
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Vision Video
• DVD Release Date: January 15, 2009
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BS70P4
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,265 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor

Francis A. Schaeffer - an American Evangelical theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor, is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland. Opposed to theological modernism, Shaeffer promoted an orthodox Protestant faith and a pre-suppositional approach to Christian apologetics, which he believed would answer the questions of the age. A number of scholars credit his ideas with helping spark the rise of the Christian Right in the United States. Dr. Schaeffer is also the father of the author Frank Shaeffer.

Product Description

This is Dr. Francis Schaeffer's spectacular series on the rise and decline of Western culture from a Christian perspective. The series presents profound truths in simple language and concludes that man's only hope is a return to God's Biblical absolute -- the Truth revealed in Christ through the Scriptures. Each 30-minute episode focuses on a significant era of history while presenting answers to modern problems:

The Roman Age
The Middle Ages
The Renaissance
The Reformation
The Revolutionary Age
The Scientific Age
The Age of Non-reason
The Age of Fragmentation
The Age of Personal Peace & Affluence
Final Choices

This special edition includes an intimate in-depth interview with Francis and Edith Schaeffer (in two parts) as well as a 10-week study guide in PDF.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Schaeffer November 15, 2005

By Mark Nenadov

This is Francis Schaeffer at his best. Francis gives calm, well-reasoned, and interesting analysis of history. He teaches with the view that history is going somewhere, it isn't just an endless flow of nothingness. And he give a sensible view of why both form and freedom are necessary, and why society needs a stable basis for what it tries to accomplish.

This video contains some drama and acting, but a lot of it is Francis standing a talking, usually to a semi-interesting backdrop (ie. historical sites, etc.).

This video is wonderful as study material and should be mandatory viewing for anyone who wants to understand history, particularly the history of culture from a Christian perspective. The interview with Edith & Francis is also a great treat!

I recommend the purchase of this wonderful resource!

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perspective November 14, 2005

By Karen E. Durham

This is more than just an informative historical overview of history. Schaeffer's knowledge of history, philosophy and theology increases understanding of the past and helps comprehend the present (even though the film dates from the seventies, I think). The thread that ties all of history together, however lies in the central theme that through the person and work of Jesus Christ God has come to rescue sinful men of all generations. The series begins with the Roman Age and progresses through to the twentieth century. The beautiful places he visits and his explanation of works of art are fantastic as well. We see how people in the past have lived according to their faith in spite of hardship, thus we are encouraged consider how to live and confess our faith in this age.

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent interpretation of our relativistic era. March 10, 2006

By Robert M. Kelley

If you have never read a general book on apologetics or seen a DVD on this subject or perhaps the history of philosophy, How Should we then Live is an excellent start. Schaeffer not only has a deep appreciation of scripture (which is not preachy & sparingly used) but also see the philosophies of the past & realizes how important it is to know that "IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES". Understanding this, Schaeffer creates a systamatic approach toward today's cultural shortcomings by taking the manhy pieces of history, theology & philosophy & weaving this patchwork pieces into a grand blanket of scriptural, historical & social truth of our age.

My favorite part is not very enjoyable but a vivid reminder of the 21st century foibles as seen from the 1st century. Early in the DVD, Schaeffer answers the questions, Why did the Roman Empire persecute the Christians?" Many think it is because they worshipped Christ that they underwent so much punishment in the first 400 years of the church. But schaeffer skillfully shows that it was the treason of the church to buck the trend of the time and worship Christ along with Jupiter, and many other gods. The church was seen as hardheaded & treasonous because everyone was expected to say "Caesar is Lord!!" in public & then allowed to worship any religion they wanted to in private. But the Christians said "Christ is Lord" alone & would not bow to any other god/goddess. Thus they were sent as a threat to the culture of your scratch my politcal-religious back & I'll scratch yours. The Christians seemed so bull-headed & then people tried to condemn them by pointing out they could not be trusted, they were blasphomous toward emperor worship & thus, were seditious because the Christians seem to "eat blood & flesh"in secret meetings they called a Lord's supper, so they were obviously up to no good for the Empire.

Schaeffer does a great of showing that which gave the western civilization Lex Rex and the present Constitution the US has.

This is enjoyable for religious, spiritual, historic or philosophic students.