I never had the opportunity to spend time with or even meet the late Francis Schaeffer. Nonetheless, after reading through his published works and listening to hundreds of hours of his lectures in the context of living and working in L’Abri, I sometimes feel as if I did know him. In this light, I can think of no higher compliment than to say that this rather taut volume of just five chapters has helped me to know Francis Schaeffer even better. And for that alone I am deeply thankful.

Bruce Little, professor of philosophy and director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, has edited an enthusiastic series of lectures originally delivered at a 2008 conference focused upon the thought of Francis Schaeffer and its relevance for today. The contributors, who each worked with Schaeffer and have continued to expand and augment his cultural apologetic, provide a sympathetic yet honest and beneficial discussion of Schaeffer’s continuing applicability.

Udo Middleman, president of the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation and Schaeffer’s son-in-law, leads off by unpacking Schaeffer’s basic ministry perspective and explaining why so many still look back to him. Middleman emphasizes Schaeffer’s confidence in the Bible as inerrant revelation and as the sole provider of a fitting interpretation of the real world; his belief in the power of ideas as shaping the beliefs and actions of humanity; and his genuine willingness to doubt and question—an attitude and perspective that seems to have enabled others to engage Schaeffer and to be helped by him.

Jerram Barrs, founder and resident scholar of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute, contributes two chapters. The first addresses Schaeffer’s apologetics and the second his legacy and influence on evangelicalism. The essays gently critique three persistent criticisms of Schaeffer’s apologetic approach, clarify the question of Schaeffer’s apologetic methodology, and outline eight important themes or characteristics of Francis and Edith’s ministry. That Barrs shares so much of his own story admirably underscores Schaeffer’s commitment to people over developing or defending a particular apologetic methodology.

Ranald Macaulay, another son-in-law, former L’Abri worker, and now director of Christian Heritage Cambridge, speaks to Schaeffer’s prescience concerning cultural currents and ideas. In relatively short compass, Macaulay raises and answers an assemblage of questions: If Schaeffer were with us here and now, what would he say? What, based upon the West’s Christian lineage (and in light of Schaeffer’s own understanding of the flow of ideas), awaits us? How much attention did evangelicals in the UK and the USA pay to Schaeffer’s message? Was Schaeffer too pessimistic? How would he explain our culture’s severance from its religious roots and contemporary evangelicalism’s apparent powerlessness to redeem the situation?

The concluding chapter of this volume, authored by Dick Keyes, long-time L’Abri worker and director of Southborough L’Abri, does not talk about Francis Schaeffer the man or treat some characteristic aspect of his message. Instead, Keyes provides an example of how to evaluate and speak back to a specific facet of present culture in Schaeffer-like fashion. The most sagacious cultural apologist in North America today, Keyes targets sentimentality as a largely unnoticed threat to Christian faith. Upon describing what he means by ‘sentimentality,’ Keyes evaluates the three defining characteristics of sentimentality. He then warns of two particular problems that sentimentality presents to Christian faith. And finally, by engaging the Bible and revealing what manner of people we become when sentimentality reigns, Keyes leads us into greater honesty and into the hope of the gospel.

For a short book, Francis Schaeffer: A Mind and Heart for God covers a lot of valuable ground. It provides a compelling portrait of Schaeffer as churchman, evangelist, deep-thinker, and a most compassionate individual. It offers important vantage points from which to view Schaeffer’s ministry, especially his remarkable ability to convey biblical truth to so many whether Christian or not. It shows an awareness of Schaeffer’s legacy beyond L’Abri and beyond formal ministries dedicated to apologetics and outreach. And more than simply looking backwards, this volume explores ways in which Schaeffer might aid Christians today in holding out the gospel to a lost and decaying culture.

Of course, the book’s strength (covering so much so briefly) is also its Achilles heel. Although this compact volume must certainly be considered a vital resource for understanding Schaeffer and his legacy, it is not a “stand alone” resource. To understand Schaeffer the man, one will still need to read Colin Duriez’s biography: Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life (Crossway, 2008). Similarly, to appreciate Schaeffer’s apologetic, one will need to read Bryan Follis, Truth With Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer (Crossway, 2006). As is always the case, one will also need to read Schaeffer himself!

Ultimately, one must judge a volume against its own intended aims and purposes. Far from attempting comprehensiveness, this book and the conference that gave rise to its contents intends to acquaint a generation of evangelicals unfamiliar with Schaeffer with his life and ministry while promoting Schaeffer’s emphases and approach as a model of cultural engagement that is both relevant and simultaneously faithful to the Christian gospel. Weighed in these scales, this short, accessible, and thoroughly enjoyable volume succeeds on both counts. I hope many read this and are aided in developing their own mind and heart for God.

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