Schaeffer in the 21st Century: Updates and Applications Donald T. Williams, PhD Toccoa Falls College

Francis A. Schaeffer

Christ “gave himself for our sins that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of God the Father” (Gal. 1:4).

Since the Seventies Fall of the Soviet Union Pro-Life Issues The Economy Terrorism Rise of Post-Modernism

Fall of the Soviet Union “. . . Could produce a situation that would be forever irreversible.” “Forever” not a part of History God is still Sovereign But Consequences Remain Russian poverty, corruption, instability Communism still alive

Pro-Life Issues Abortion Infanticide/Euthanasia Stem-Cell Research Movement losing Momentum? Holiness and Love? Infanticide/Euthanasia Stem-Cell Research Cloning

The Economy Personal Peace and Affluence Dot-Com Bubble Recession Vanishing Surplus Old Worries Back

Rise of Global Terrorism Schaeffer’s Era concerned with Superpowers Internet: Decentralization of Good and Evil Add to the List of “Pressures”/”Hammer-Blows”

Christianity Absolute Universal GOD Eternity Meaning (reality) Christ Relative Particular MAN Time Facts

Platonism Ideas ESSENCE Form (reality) (less real) Things EXISTENCE Matter

Pantheism

Secularism No Absolutes No GOD No Meaning (no reality) (reality) Relativism MAN Facts/Data

Post-Modernism

The Alternatives THE IMPERSONAL GOD

Rise of Post-Modernism Reaction to Failure of Modernism Modernism: Man’s effort to take control of Nature, History, and Human Destiny through Human Intellect alone Intellect: Rational, Scientific Objectivity

Nature of Post-Modernism Rejection of Authority Next Step in Relativism Modernist Relativism Only “Scientific” Statements objectively True Value/Meaning Truth Claims = Deluded Post-Modernist Relativism Nothing = Objective, not even Science All Truth Claims = Evil (manipulation)

Jargon of Post-Modernism Metanarrative Totalizing/Centering Discourse Logocentric Socially Constructed Deconstruction

Manifestations of Post-Modernism Deconstruction (ultimate attack on Author-ity) Militant Multi-Culturalism (“DWEMS”) Groupthink (the new tribalism) “Tolerance” as cloak for Relativism Primacy of the Image

Christ “gave himself for our sins that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of God the Father” (Gal. 1:4).

How does Christ Deliver Us? Awareness of the Need A Purpose of the Atonement Church as Christian Counter-Culture Connection to Eternity Church: Trans-Generational, Traditional Scripture Breaks the Power of the god of this Age

Schaeffer in the 21st Century: Updates and Applications “I call upon you to join me in being different!” Donald T. Williams, PhD Toccoa Falls College

Mere Humanity Apologetics in the tradition of Schaeffer and Lewis Explication of The Space Trilogy, Narnia, and Middle Earth in terms of the authors’ Christian faith Reductionism beat soundly about the head and face . . .

CREDO The Doctrinal Basis of the Christian World View “In Credo, Don Williams proclaims exactly what our world needs in this time of wobbling foundations.” -- Donna Fletcher Crowe The ancient Faith for modern people!

The Devil’s Dictionary of the Christian Faith If Screwtape had written The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church . . . “Piously irreverent, stylishly traditional, affectionately combative, respectfully cheeky, and humorously serious.” -- Michael Bauman “MEEK (adj.): Able to listen to preachers, theologians, and denominational officials with a humble mien and a straight face.”

STARS THROUGH THE CLOUDS The collected poetry of Donald T. Williams Exciting new innovations: Meter! Rhyme! Content! One reviewer called the author “The Believer’s Robert Frost”