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What Can We Learn from This Father and Son? Making Sense of Frank Schaeffer’S Disturbing Book, Crazy for God by David R

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What Can We Learn from This Father and Son? Making Sense of Frank Schaeffer’S Disturbing Book, Crazy for God by David R RBC F E A T U RE What can we learn from this father and son? Making sense of Frank Schaeffer’s disturbing book, Crazy for God by David R. Swartz I grew up thinking that my faith was intellectually losophy and culture. credible. Many in my parents’ generation did not—until The Reformation syn- they came across their liberator, Francis Schaeffer. A thesis of reason, truth, starched fundamentalist Presbyterian until his forties, and faith, Schaeffer Ihe moved to Switzerland as a missionary in the 1950s. expounded, had been Pleasant encounters with European bohemians soon lost. The “new theolo- turned Schaeffer into something of a hippie guru who gy,” which denied “the mixed a countercultural style with traditional defenses of God behind truth,” was the faith. Soon Schaeffer’s Swiss chalet and his reputa- soft. It had separated tion as a thinker willing to take on all philosophical com- the “lower story” of ers attracted youths traveling from India to the West still natural revelation from high on opium as well as earnest evangelical students the “upper story” of divine revelation. This separation, traveling east from America. They all came in search marked by a “line of despair,” left the “upper story” of resolution to existential questions. Clad in knee-high unhinged and susceptible to mysticism, despair, and the knickers, beige Nehru jackets, long hair, and a white nihilism of modern existentialism. Conservative evan- goatee, Schaeffer engaged them through rambling lec- gelical faith, rooted in verifiable natural theology, alone tures delivered in a peculiarly high-pitched, American- offered the truth that the counterculture sought in vain. Austrian accent over modest meals of soup, bread, and Schaeffer thus insisted that Christians can and should cheese. “rationally prove the authority of the Bible.” In the He engaged American evangelicals more widely context of a “God-is-dead” theology so prominent in the through his prolific writings. As a child I first encoun- 1960s, Schaeffer’s confidence was inspiring indeed. tered Schaeffer in my parents’ bookshelves. Escape Schaeffer’s use of modern culture proved even more from Reason and The God Who Is There, they told me, thrilling to many evangelicals, for he sought to mar- had been assigned to them in the 1970s by Rosedale shal secularism against itself through its films, music, Bible Institute instructors. In these books Schaeffer led and literature. Out of a tradition that often demanded readers on a sweeping journey through modern phi- distance from contemporary culture, Schaeffer spoke with fluency of Van Gogh, Henry Miller, the Beatles, and Federico Fellini, describing their common cries of despair and how that contributed to modern ailments such as environmental degradation, racism, and the “plastic culture.” While evangelical scholars typically dismissed Schaeffer’s analyses as lightweight, his attrac- tion to evangelical students often unversed in high or popular culture was evident. He introduced young evan- gelicals to the exotica of the counterculture under the guise of criticism. For evangelical students struggling with college administrations that had outlawed the movie Bambi, Schaeffer’s calm, didactic discussions of Fellini in campus chapel services felt both incongruous and lib- erating. Schaeffer’s riffs on John Cage and Salvador Dali delighted students worried about intellectual integrity. Thousands of young American evangelicals made their way through the Swiss mountains to L’Abri. 4 November 2008 • BROTHERHOOD BEACON Books warning of the political seduction of evangelicals: Those who didn’t make the journey heard In the right context, this sort of con- Schaeffer speak at their evangelical col- frontation might be helpful and appropriate. • Charles Colson, Born Again (1976): lege campuses—or read one of his books The problem is not only that he is unkind or The story of a top Nixon aide impli- (InterVarsity Press published over 2.5 mil- that his memory is faulty (many reviewers cated in the Watergate scandal. What can we learn lion copies of his eighteen books from have disputed his accuracy and perspective), Colson describes how he found new 1965 to 1975). Schaeffer, idolized by mil- but also that he seems to have failed to fol- life in Jesus rather than success and lions, had become the intellectual guru of low biblical rules of confrontation. Rather power. from this father and son? evangelicalism. than privately approaching his parents in a • Ed Dobson and Cal Thomas, Blinded And then last year his son Frank spirit of humility—or failing that, with two by Might: Can the Religious Right released a bombshell, a book entitled Crazy or three others—Frank exposes their foibles Save America? (1999): Two for- for God: How I Grew Up before a watching world. mer religious right insiders decry as One of the Elect, Helped “If I read it,” Edith told the political entrapment of Pat Found the Religious Right, Crazy for God a family friend about one Robertson and Jerry Falwell out of and Lived to Take All (or is a surprisingly of Frank’s earlier books, raw ambition and by conservative Almost All) of It Back. “it would probably break operatives. Notable not only for its riveting tale, not my heart.” This book too at all what you • David Kuo, Tempting Faith: An very long and bombas- would have disappointed Inside Story of Political Seduction tic subtitle, the book also would expect out her, and it prompted me, (2006): An expose of how the Bush painted an unorthodox por- a young father of three, Administration used the Office trait of the evangelical idol. of a memoir about to pledge all over again to growing up the son of Faith-Based and Community Frank portrays his father be a good family man just Initiatives for political purposes as inattentive (as a father), of a theologian- in case one of my sons is while ridiculing evangelical voters. impious (for not publicly an articulate novelist with praying for meals while philosopher. It is few qualms about spilling on vacation), immoder- also a morality tale prurient family secrets. Books by Frank Schaeffer ate (for being demanding full of insights about Despite himself, • Addicted to Mediocrity: 20th- of his wife Edith), naïve the dilemmas Frank does make several Century Christians and the Arts (for being co-opted politi- important points, both (1982): a condemnation of Christian cally in the late 1970s), of confession, theological and practical. kitsch. He writes, “Whenever and duplicitous (for help- celebrity, and First, he wants his par- Christians, and evangelicals in par- ing religious right leaders politics. ents’ idolizers to know ticular, have attempted to ‘reach the despite loathing them). that the great Francis world’ through the media—TV, film, Crazy for God is a surpris- and Edith Schaeffer have publishing and so on—the thinking ingly riveting tale, not at all what you would “feet of clay.” All of us public gets the firm idea that, like expect out of a memoir about growing up sin, even the most talent- soup in a bad restaurant, Christians’ Franky and Francis the son of a theologian-philosopher. It is ed, most holy, most spiri- brains are best left unstirred.” Frank also a morality tale full of insights about tual. We all need redemption through Jesus’ rather urges evangelicals to seek the dilemmas of confession, celebrity, and death and resurrection. And no followers of excellence in writing, painting, and politics. Christ, Frank suggests, are perfect. No one, filmmaking. not even the great Francis Schaeffer, can Confessing our sins be completely trusted on matters as diverse • A Time for Anger: The Myth of Neutrality (1982): An angry book Crazy for God is, on the face of it, as the family, politics, philosophy, and that advocates non-stop picketing of a confession. Frank (then called Franky) spirituality. abortion clinics and the harassment admits to sleeping around with young Second, he reminds us that specificity of abortion doctors to the point that female visitors to L’Abri, smacking his in confession is cathartic and biblical. There they are “driven from our communi- young daughter in a fit of rage, and failing is value in the recitation of sin. While jar- ties.” (despite heroic efforts) to quench an insuf- ring and uncomfortable for the reader, Frank ferable thirst for attention. The problem is is helped by disclosing his failings. And “Ours has been a religion of faith that Frank not only confesses his own sins, he will undoubtedly help others who read without deeds for too long. It is time but others’ sins, especially his parents’. He about these failings. I remember when my that mighty deeds be done again. calls his mother Edith, who is still living, a parents told me a particularly shocking (for Truth equals confrontation.” James “high-powered nut” and describes her as a me) secret far back in my genealogy. It kept Dobson once gave out 150,000 cop- wannabe Euro-sophisticate “best at the mar- me from idolizing the past and warned me ies of this book to his radio listen- tyrdom game.” Bitter, disturbingly explicit, of the consequences of imprudence. While ers. and self-flagellating, Frank in the end comes we must be careful in how and where and • Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story off more as a tattle-tale than a penitent when, it is important to expose and repent about Love and the U.S. Marine confessor. of sin. Corps (2002): A memoir co-written BROTHERHOOD BEACON • November 2008 5 RBC F E A T U RE with his son John about the terror and pride of serving in the Marine Spiritual celebrities media attention, and political clout, these Corps. Crazy for God also reveals the danger of evangelical personalities inevitably outshine celebrity.
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