The God Who Is There, 30th Anniversary Edition

By: Francis A. Schaeffer

Narrated by: John Lescault

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

In 2006, Christianity Today voted The God Who Is There as one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals.

For decades, The God Who Is There has been the landmark book that changed the way the church sees the world. In Francis Schaeffer's remarkable analysis, we learn where the clashing ideas about God, science, history, and art came from and where they are going. This edition includes a foreword by James W. Sire that places Schaeffer's seminal work in the context of the intellectual turbulence of the early 21st century.

More than ever, The God Who Is There demonstrates how historic Christianity can fearlessly confront the competing philosophies of the world. The God who has always been there continues to provide the anchor of truth and the power of love to meet the world's deepest problems.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2016 Francis A. Schaeffer (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Important

This important work should be read by all Christian teachers and preachers who are seeking to reach the current generation with the Gospel.

So Satisfying

Schaeffer is not for the weak of mind or timid of spirit. His is a forceful, well-considered world view. He is honest and loving, full of integrity, and earnest in his convictions. I share his presuppositions, reasoning, and conclusions. I only wish I had trained myself as deeply as he and had his ability to convey True Truth as clearly. Schaeffer: always challenging, always worthwhile.

Great book, not an easy listen

I think it helps if a person has some philosophy or theological training to listen to this book and carry away the points. If not (like me) it is a great book, but one that requires stopping and doing some research along the way as to the person mentioned or the philosophy.
All the points are great and I really liked it. But for a person not at the authors level of academics it's a challenge.

Francis Schaeffer

If you have never had the opportunity to enjoy a book by someone who is trying to connect with the deeper issues our society faces and build into the life of the reader, than I highly recommend this book. It was very thought provoking and personal. It tried to answer questions that we can’t quite reason out, or believe there is no answer to,

Deep

This was a complex, informative work that presented a unique but presuppositional apologetic against the spirits of the age(s)

How to think properly

Dr Schaefer systematically elaborates how Christianity makes sense intellectually and philosophically. He says that we naturally think in terms of antithesis and you must deny the God who is there to think in terms of synthesis, but you can’t consistently live that way when you go home at the end of the day

Brilliant

A must read for anyone serious about answering the hopelessness brought about by rationalism in the modern age; as relevant now as it was in the late 60's.

FrancisSchaeffer

Good. word meanings from a different generation. simple but nuanced. Glad I listened and partook.

Roman Catholic- I was impressed

I first came to know about Francis Schaeffer after reading Nancy Pearcy’s “Love Thy Body” book.
I am Roman Catholic, but must say I was very pleased at reading this book. I found Schaeffer’s thoughts and proposed system very balanced and encompassing, an unusual trait in our often compartmentalized world. I definitely would like to know and read more of Schaeffer’s works.

These are some of the highlights of this book for me:

-Schaeffer’s analysis of Art, Philosophy and Theology, and his insight on the “above/under the line of despair”

-His validation of antithesis as a key approach to reality at an epistemological and hermeneutical level.

-His upper story/lower story example as a key of interpretation in Philosophy, Theology and the Arts.

-His insistence that Christianity is an answer to the “whole of reality”. The famous “leap of faith” is not a good criterion for approaching reality, but rather allowing the truth of biblical Christianity permeate the whole of reality. I find this approach most appealing.

-His insistence on truth and especially moral truth.

Since this is my first exposure to Schaeffer, I may have missed other points. These are the ones that caught my attention the most!

Good Book, Even if a Bit Difficult at Times and Skipping Baptism

This book is dense, and may be overwhelming to some readers. However, there are parts of the book that are easy enough for anyone to understand, and I think Schaeffer’s point gets across well enough in these bits. I have seen people living in despair and I know how uncomfortable it is to face the logical conclusion of such a philosophy. All the more reason why we should be well equipped to preach the gospel.

The only major complaint I have about the book is that Schaeffer skips over the importance of baptism. I find it ridiculous that it would not make his list of “essential“ steps to becoming a Christian, since it is an emulation of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus (consult John chapter 3 and Mark 16:16 if you doubt its importance).