Review - How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture

Francis Schaeffer is one this past century’s greatest Christian thinkers and this book really shows why. He has a great knack for describing sophisticated topics in a cogent, interesting manner. I never felt that I was lost in a long complicated explanation of something.

I enjoyed how Schaeffer described the differences between the Renaissance and the Reformation. He describes how the Renaissance was centered on the intelligence of man which led to the Enlightenment which led to Humanism which ultimately led to Hitler. While the Reformation was centered on God and the return to the Scriptures which led to the belief that man was deprived and if a government was to ever be successful it had to have laws greater than any one man (or woman). This of course led to the United States and the first constitution.

At some points it shows that it is dated. Example, he spends a lot of time criticizing Communism which has since been shown to be a complete failure. But all in all a great book.