Aspects related to the influence of Christianity on the Society

In this paper the author analyzes the influence of Christianity on society. There will be demonstrated that through its structure, man was created to live in the community. He discovers himself by relating to the world surrounding him, as it is argued by Martin Heidegger, and Martin Buber. Here we also include the relationship with the transcendent. The philosophical and sociological arguments help us understand the influence Christianity had on European society. The religion of the European nations had a strong influence on the civilization of the continent and the world. Researchers have come to the conclusion that man was created with an innate religious feeling. Rudolf Otto sought to demonstrate that man's religious experience can only be explained by the aprioric existence of the sacred. So did Mircea Eliade, who introduced a new term "hierophany" to define the act of experiencing the sacred. There were also researchers who reinterpreted the relationship with the sacred. Emile Durkheim argued that ultimately, religion in its present form will be replaced by a so-called "civic religion," which will replace religious services in churches. Accepting the perspective of Scripture, the author tries to show the idea of the presence of Divinity in the believer's life (John 14:15-26). Jurgen Moltman asserts that if society were to enter the process of Christ's discipleship, she would discover the divine alternatives that bring the long-awaited results. Max Weber argued that Christian religion, and especially the sects of Protestantism, had a decisive role in influencing the culture and civilization of modern Europe, and the world at large. From his point of view, the decision of man in capitalist society to make a great effort in his work, has a religious motivation, namely, the doctrine of predestination. Considering that the moral and theological dimension of Christianity lies at the root of human significance, Christians struggle to defend the revealed message. A good example is given by Francis Schaeffer, who in his book Trilogy pleads to preserve the traditional moral values of the Bible. Schaeffer attempts to link the idea of revelation, as it is presented in the Christian Bible, with the discovering of man's significance.

Does Our Lord Ask Too Much? A Neglected Issue in Apologetics Today

The Article Begins With A Historical Survey Of Challengers Of Hypocrisy And Inauthentic Christianity Throughout Church History: Søren Kierkegaard, Bernard De Clairvaux, Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, And Francis Schaeffer. It Continues With Two Questions About The Biblical Warrant And Feasibility Of Such Warnings. Finally, It Concludes With A Consideration Of Two Dangers Facing The Church Today: Conservatism And Escapism In The Church. In The End, We Can Only Face Up These Challenges In The Task Of Apologetics Through The Power Of The Gospel. KEYWORDS: Søren Kierkegaard, Bernard De Clairvaux, Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Francis Schaeffer, Hypocrisy, Mission Of The Church, Conservatism

Francis Schaeffer’s Relevance to Contemporary Apologetics

Thirty-five years have elapsed since the passing of evangelist/apologist Francis Schaeffer. He has been criticized by many but lauded by more. He was one who could not escape the ire of his own son, but one thing remains true: he has touched more people than one could count. His legacy as a gentleman evangelist remains and a number of aspects used in his apologetics approach that came so naturally for Schaeffer can not be emulated even three and a half decades after his death. The context in which Schaeffer taught and lived in the tumultuous sixties and seventies were not so different than the context in which we live today. Culture has largely abandoned Christianity and hedonism is one of the hallmarks of (post)modern culture. We might find a resurgence of spirituality in the twenty-first century but we discover that this spirituality is largely based on personal experience and preference. We are called to confront this culture that has abandoned the truth and is steeped in a materialism and consumerism that have somehow been made part and parcel of the spiritual experience of those living in the twenty-first century. In this regard, in order to be most effective, our apologetic task must be biblical, reasonable, relational, conversational and incarnational.

Reality and Evangelism in the Lives and Works of C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer

The thesis of this paper is that the shared commitment of C.S. Lewis and Francis A. Schaeffer to metaphysical realism formed the basis of their development and practice of pre-evangelism. Pre-evangelism is defined as a work to be done prior to evangelism. It appears each developed his views independent of the other suggesting it was their mutual commitment to metaphysical realism that accounts for their similar views of pre-evangelism. These shared ontological commitments led Lewis and Schaeffer to ask defining questions of the naturalists (Lewis) and the existentialists (Schaeffer to lead the non-believer to consider held beliefs in light of the way things are. In this way, the non-believers’ beliefs were not first measured against Christian beliefs, but against the way creation presents itself to everybody. As Schaeffer would say, allow the non-believer to see the conclusions of his own beliefs. Put another way, Lewis would say that it was to show a person that he was wrong before showing him why he was wrong. Both believed mind independent reality as precisely the way to do this. The conclusion here is that metaphysical realism offers the same advantages for evangelism in the post Christian and atheistic atmosphere of the 21st Century.

The Success and Failure of the Religious Right, 1970s–2010

Chapter 7 explores the successes and failures of what came to be called the Religious Right during the last third of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century. Evangelical Protestantism contributed significantly to the moralism of the movement while lending apparent biblical sanction to already well-established conservative political positions such as limited government and free market economics. Participants in the Religious Right drew selectively from theologians such as Rousas John Rushdoony and Francis Schaeffer, but a nontheological pragmatism ultimately came to characterize the movement under television evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, the emergence of the Tea Party movement confirmed how conventional conservative concerns about deficits and creeping socialism had successfully displaced ethical issues. This nontheological pragmatism can help explain the high levels of support for Donald Trump’s 2016 candidacy by white evangelicals.

The Critiques of Francis Schaeffer's Work

<p>This paper will attempt to discuss Francis Schaeffer’s life and thought, with special emphasis on his apologetics. The primary resource is one of his books, ‘How Should We Then Live?’ and also several books about Schaeffer from various other authors: (1) Francis Schaeffer’s Apologetics: A Critique by Thomas Morris, (2) Reflection on Francis Schaeffer, edited by Ronald W. Ruegsegger, and (3) Francis Schaeffer: The Man and His Message, written by Louis Gifford Parkhurst, Jr. In his method of apologetical verification, he used of elements of common ground as a point of contact with unbelievers. Unlike the inductive approach, he majors on inner, existential values as well as outer empirical data. In contrast with the pre-suppositional approach, Schaeffer’s method discovers and appeals to factual and personal data in confirmation of his hypothesis.</p><p><strong>BAHASA INDONESIA <strong>ABSTRAK</strong>:</strong> Tulisan ini mencoba untuk mendiskusikan kehidupan dan pemikiran Francis Schaeffer, terutama pada bidang apologetik. Bahan utama diskusi adalah berasal dari bukunya yang berjudul How Should we Then Live, dan juga pengarang-pengarang lainnya yang membahas pemikiran Shaeffer dalam buku-bukunya antara lain: (1) Francis Schaeffer’s Apologetics: A Critique by Thomas Morris, (2) Reflection on Francis Schaeffer, edited by Ronald W. Ruegsegger, dan (3) Francis Schaeffer: The Man and His Message, written by Louis Gifford Parkhurst, Jr. Dalam metodenya verifikasi apologetik, Shaeffer menggunakan unsur-unsur kesamaan sebagai titik kontak dengan orang-orang yang belum mengenal Tuhan. Berbeda dengan pendekatan induktif, ia mengutamakan pada bagian dalam (inner) manusia, nilai-nilai eksistensial dan data-data empiris. Berbeda dengan pendekatan pre-suposisi, metode Schaeffer membuka banyak data faktual dan personal yang mengonfirmasi hipotesisnya.</p>

THE CRITIQUES OF FRANCIS SCHAEFFER’S WORK

This paper will attempt to reflect Francis Schaeffer’s life and thought, with special emphasis on his apologetics. The primary resource was one of his books<em> How Should We Then Live </em>and also several books about Schaeffer from many authors: (1) Francis Schaeffer’s Apologetics: A Critique by Thomas Morris, (2) Reflection on Francis Schaeffer, edited by Ronald W. Ruegsegger, and (3) Francis Schaeffer: The Man and His Message, written by Louis Gifford Parkhurst, Jr. In his Verification Apologetical methods, he used of elements of <em>common ground</em> as a point of contact with unbelievers. Unlike the inductive approach, he majors on inner, existential values as well as outer empirical data. Also dissimilar with the pre-suppositional approach, Schaeffer’s method discovers and appeals to factual and personal data in confirmation of his hypothesis