After reading several of Schaeffer's books firsthand, (The Mark of the
Christian; The Great Evangelical Disaster; A Christian Manifesto; How
Should We Then Live?; He is There and He is Not Silent) I was eager to
learn more about the life and thought of this great evangelical
apologist from the last century.
Colin Duriez's biography certainly did
not disappoint me on that quest to know Francis Schaeffer better.
Duriez,
who bases his "Authentic Life" on voluminous personal interviews
(including an interview with Schaeffer himself added as an appendix)
does an admirable job in tying together first-hand witnesses, written
sources, letters, and the author's own personal experiences at L'Abri in
Schaeffer's presence.
Duriez traces the unassuming young man
from his rural Pennsylvania upbringing, through his fundamentalist early
years in the pastoral ministry, into his European study excursion, and
ultimately to his founding of L'Abri and corresponding meteoric rise in
international prominence, driven by his writings and film production.
Thankfully,
someone has done a full-length biography of this prophetic pastor, and
cultural guru before the generation of living witnesses to his ministry
thins and ultimately dies out. This book combines the authoritative
force of a well-researched documentary, with the personal ethos of a
student of Fran who knew him personally.
By the time the author
traces Francis Schaeffer's life to his demise at the mercy of cancer in
1984, the reader feels that he too--along with the whole evangelical
community--has lost an important voice for truth.
Thankfully,
Schaeffer's writings live on, continuing to influence generations still
today. This biography would serve as an excellent companion for those
considering spending some time in Schaeffer's mind though his writings
and films. Colin Duriez's book will doubtlessly last as a helpful
companion to understanding the life and mind of the author of these
epochal works.
Matthew Everhard is the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida.
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