Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 24:2 (Summer 2020)
Article: How Should We Then Preach? What Today’s Pastors Must Learn From Francis Schaeffer
Author: Levi J. Secord

SBJT 24:2 (Summer 2020) p. 109

How Should We Then Preach? What Today’s Pastors Must Learn From Francis Schaeffer

Levi J. Secord

Levi J. Secord serves as the Pastor of Christian Life and Growth at Riverview Baptist in West St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, where he also earned his MDiv. He has publications with “The Front Porch Republic” and writes frequently for “CrossPolitic.” Levi lives in Minnesota with his wife, Emily, and their four children.

One day in high school, a friend asked me, “Why do you believe in God? Why are you a Christian?” I replied, “I have no idea what I believe anymore.”

This answer echoes in my ears, as it reflected the ongoing erosion of my faith. Despite growing up in a Christian home and attending a typical evangelical church, I was on the verge of walking away from the faith. One of the primary causes was my belief that Christianity lacked the substance to answer life’s questions. As I look back on that day, it strikes me how God later used Francis Schaeffer to awaken my faith and call me to ministry.

Given that the hectic nature of ministry limits a pastors’ time, pastors must be selective in their reading. Why, then, should any pastor choose to read Francis Schaeffer given all that there is to read, and given that he lived over a generation ago?

My own story illustrates the value of Schaeffer’s books. After high school, I decided to attend a local conservative Christian college, not out of any spiritual concern, but to play basketball. That did not last long. My basketball career ended after less than two seasons. One day by Providence, the

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professor of my Christian Thought class assigned one of Schaeffer’s books. Throughout the semester, Schaeffer and my professor argued in unison for a fully developed Christian worldview, and I was never to be the same.

Since that day, I have devoured Schaeffer’s books, and his works transformed my understanding of God, Christianity, and life. Without his works, I would not be a pastor. Why was Schaeffer’s work so transformative? Because he offered real answers to the difficult questions of life. More importantly, his responses were distinctively Christian. In a world increasingly hostile to Christianity, such thinking is sorely needed.

In his day, Schaeffer appealed to younger people as they wrestled with living in a truthless age. Despite the prevalence of relativism, many younger people desired more. They wanted answers and to live by truth. Sadly, when these young people looked to the church, no answers were given. Today’s young people are ...