What was the perception of Dr. Schaeffer in the established church?
J.W.W.: When youre popular, virtually everyone jumps on board. But I dont think people really understood Schaeffer. To most people, he was more of a symbol or a persona. His ideas were not like much of the Pablum that passes for spirituality. Thus, they were not easily assimilated. The fact that Schaeffer was not well-understood shows today because its difficult to find his books in Christian bookstores. When I speak to Christian audiences, I often ask how many people have read a Francis Schaeffer book. Even in large audiences, very few raise their hands. Sadly, Francis Schaeffer has largely been forgotten. The basic problem with Christians in this country in the last 80 years or so, in regard to society and government, is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of in total. They have very gradually become disturbed over permissiveness, pornography, the public schools, the breakdown in the family and, finally, abortion. But they have not seen this as a total. Each thing i
