C. S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time [Paperback]

Scott R. Burson (Author), Jerry L. Walls (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 1998

In some ways, they could not be more different: the pipe-smoking, Anglican Oxford don and the blue-collar scion of conservative Presbyterianism. But C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, each in his unique way, fashioned Christian apologetics that influenced millions in their lifetimes. And the work of each continues to be read and studied today. In this book Scott Burson and Jerry Walls compare and contrast for the first time the thought of Lewis and Schaeffer. With great respect for the legacy of each man, but with critical insight as well, they suggest strengths and weaknesses of their apologetics. All the while they consider what Lewis and Schaeffer still have to offer in light of postmodernism and other cultural currents that, since their deaths, have changed the apologetic landscape. This incisive book stands as both an excellent introduction to the work of these two important figures and a fresh proposal for apologetics at the dawn of a new century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Apologetics can create a climate for faith. Standing on the shoulders of giants like these, we can learn to tell the Story ever more beautifully and effectively." (Clark H. Pinnock )

"Burson and Walls offer students of Lewis and Schaeffer a rare treat: fresh insights into the commonalities and dissonances between these influential thinkers, climaxed by a compelling, holistic agenda for apologetics in the next millennium." (Bruce L. Edwards, author of A Rhetoric of Reading: C. S. Lewis's Defense of Western Literacy )

"This is a first-rate study of Schaeffer and Lewis. It is also a splendid exploration of the issues they sought to identify and explore. Fans of Schaeffer and Lewis will be challenged to enrich what they have already found; newcomers will be drawn into a conversation of striking clarity and depth." (William J. Abraham, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University )

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (March 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830819355
• ISBN-13: 978-0830819355
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lessons Indeed from Two Valiant Christian Warriors, October 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: C. S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time (Paperback)

Burson and Walls have written an insightful, timely book here which draws upon the thoughts and ideas of two men, whom they rightly proclaim as the most influencial Christian apologists of our century. This book should be widely read by Christians everywhere, but it most likely won't be, because interest in theology and apologetics doesn't seem to be exactly thriving these days. Still, to those who feel that theology matters, this book is chock full of useful information. Schaeffer and Lewis are shown here to have held many different views towards issues such as predestination, the atonement, and divine revelation, but one thing they most certainly did agree upon: the absolute necessity for Christians to engage their culture with the liberating truths of their Master, Jesus. Burson and Walls make this clear, and glean some very practical lessons for the rest of us to take and ponder while continuing to "bear the Light" in the world as these two giants did. This book reveals the genius, passion and courage of both men, and I for one hope and pray that it will encourage believers everywhere to follow in their footsteps.

50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Someone ought to analyze Burson's and Wall's heterodoxy, May 26, 2000

By 

Randy Grandle - See all my reviews

This review is from: C. S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time (Paperback)

While presenting a generally concise and accurate summary of much of what Lewis and Schaeffer wrote and taught, the authors (Burson and Walls) seem to have a "hidden agenda" of damning Francis Schaeffer with "faint praise." The authors reject Schaeffer's Reformed views on Predestination (not surprising given that both are professors at a leading theological seminary with a decidedly Arminian tradition). They promote a view of human freedom that is quite consistent with a generally Arminian perspective on such matters. Moreover, the authors seem to leave the door open for the "Openness of God" and other such postmodernist and heterodox viewpoints of God's omniscience...

Burson and Walls also question Schaeffer's views on Inerrancy and reject his views affirming the substitutionary atonement. Instead, they seem to embrace a "limited errancy" view on the doctrine of the inspiration of scripture. They also emphatically embrace a view of salvation and eternal damnation that includes Purgatory and postmortem evangelism.

Overall, this book is worth reading to see how far the "Great Evangelical Disaster" has progressed since Francis Schaeffer's passing in 1984. These two leading evangelical professors can promote heterodoxy with little fear of confrontation or protest from the evangelical academic community. Schaeffer has long been despised by of the evangelical academic community because he exposed their accommodation to the twin idols of academic freedom and academic respectability. May God raise up a generation of Francis Schaeffer's who can bypass the evangelical academic backwaters for the fresh streams of Kingdom service--unencumbered by accommodation to modern idols...

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid Writing, Suspect Conclusions, August 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: C. S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time (Paperback)

I must admit that I found this book intriguing and valuable, however, only as a sense of somebody else's opinions on two influential apologists. Many of the authors' conclusions and critiques on Lewis and Schaeffer were well presented, except for one thing. One got the sense as the book was read, that the authors were very proficient and setting up straw men to knock down or using statements somewhat out of context to support their own theological views. While I have no problem using other's statements to support your own theological views, I do have a problem with writing a book under the guise of a critique of apologists in order to support and strengthen your own theological slant.

I can't say that their theological slant was that much different then my own. There are differences, but I found myself agreeing with the bulk of their presentation theologically. However, I do feel that they may have done Schaeffer and Lewis an injustice by oversimplifying their positions. The book is worth reading, but not for a completely accurate depiction of Lewis and Schaeffer's positions.