Book Review: True Spirituality

True Spirituality

Schaeffer, Francis A.,

Tyndale House Publishers,

c1971, 2001, 2011

171 pp

 

 

         Back in April, 1971, Francis Schaeffer dedicated this book to his wife, Edith, and his children and grandchildren—eighteen in total. I’ve read most of his books and I consider this one of his very best works—it is a true classic. The subtitle (not in the early editions) is “How to live for Jesus moment by moment.”

Farel House at L'Abri, Huémoz, Switzerland

         I became a bit of a Schaeffer fan in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and even visited L’Abri in Switzerland one clear, bright September Sunday in 1976. Schaeffer himself was away in Italy so his son-in-law, Udo Middelmann preached.

        A great deal of Schaeffer’s work is philosophical and perhaps difficult to follow. This book is right down to earth and practical for Christian living.

  

        In Section I, Freedom Now from the Bonds of Sin (Chapters 1-7), he lays down the very basis of any true spirituality— “It is impossible... to know anything of true spirituality before one is a Christian. And the only way to become a Christian is... by accepting Christ as Savior.” He points out that the very center of the Christian message “is not Christ’s life, nor his miracles, but his death.”



After-service discussions, Farel House



        Schaeffer talks about the order of things—through death to resurrection. Here he starts to use some of his self-coined words, but we can see what he means in context:— for instance “spaceness”, “space-timeness”, “until-ness”, “unfaith”. One detail he strongly points out about Jesus is, “What we see him to be after his resurrection... we shall be.”

 

         Section II, Freedom Now from the Results of the Bonds of Sin (Chapters 8-13), is more difficult to grasp. Schaeffer speaks of “freedom from conscience”, avoiding the equal extremes of “perfectionism”, and “looking lightly at sin in our lives.” He looks at “freedom in the thought-life” because “in relation to morals, the thought is the thing.” Chapters well worth reading look at “substantial healing in personal relationships” and “substantial healing in the Church.”

        At one point, Schaeffer writes in amazement, “How beautiful Christianity is!” We have to agree! And on the next page he says, “God means Christianity to be fun.” True again!

 

 

 

 

                         Snow-capped Alps across the Rhone valley

        Francis Schaeffer was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1912, and passed away May 15, 1984, in Rochester, Minnesota.

        Spin-offs from the whole L’Abri establishment/culture include branches in Canada (Bowen Island, BC), England, the USA, and five other countries. Books include the story of L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer; The Unhurried chase that Ended at L’Abri and A Song from L’Abri, both by Betty Carlson; and currently, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young (see her comments in the Introduction). Other authors associated with L’Abri over the years have been Udo Middelman and Os Guiness.

Reviewed by Glenn Wilson Ì