Francis Schaeffer: A Mind and Heart for God was not exactly what I
thought it would be when I purchased this brief book. Judging by the
subtitle on the cover (a proverbial error!) I suspected this tiny work
of about 100 pages would be a mini-biography of the great apologist. It
was not. This is not to say that I was disappointed, however.
Instead
the book contains five brief chapters that were given at a conference
on the life and thought of Francis Schaeffer. Notable among the
contributers are Udo Middleman (would that more parents name their
children Udo!) the son-in-law of Rev. Schaeffer, and a key expert on his
personal life as well as his theology.
Also memorable were the
two essays presented by Jarram Barrs, a former L'Abri student of
Schaeffer, and now one of the foremost experts on Schaeffer studies at
Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
Dick Keyes presents a
well-written article on Sentimentality at the end of the book, although
it is not directly connected with Schaeffer, other than that Keyes
suggests this is the kind of work that Schaeffer might have done had he
been alive today. Perhaps. The inclusion of this essay, while helpful,
certainly bore little relevance to the title or subtitle of the book.
While
I was hoping for a short biographical introduction to the life of
Schaeffer, these brief chapters gave some helpful context to shed light
on some of Schaeffer's own books.
Matthew Everhard is the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville Florida
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