A Christian Manifesto / Francis A. Schaeffer

A Christian Manifesto / Francis A. Schaeffer. Crossway Books, Westchester, 7e druk, 1982; 157 bladzijden. ISBN 0891072330. Een lezer schrijft: "I am just coming to read the books of Francis Schaeffer, and what has impressed me initially is his holistic perspective of Christianity. Schaeffer insists that Christian belief and God's reality necessarily pervade the whole of life, and he justifies his insistence with Biblical/theological evidence that is both reasonable and practical. This book focuses on how Christian belief should extend into the realm of government. He persuasively argues that not only is the United States founded upon the Christian belief in an ultimate truth, God, but also that this is the only foundation upon which a government can truly stand. "A Christian Manifesto" is essentially a warning cry about the encroachment of humanism, but rather than being an alarmist writing (although at times it ventures dangerously close to that ground), "Manifesto" is instead a reasonable, logical presentation of predictable results of the humanist world view. If there is anything alarming about "Manifesto" it is the realization that the humanist world view cannot compel a person to obey the law for any other reason than force. Equally interesting is Schaeffer's discussion of a Christian's proper response to government, the basis of a government's authority, and the Christian response to government that usurps it's authority. In all of these discussions Schaeffer undergirds his arguments with the ultimate reality of God and the implications of this reality. I found myself uncomfortable at times as I made my way through this book because I came at it from a liberal Christian perspective. However uncomfortable I felt, I found his arguments difficult to deny."