The book follows this shift in attitudes to truth through the fields of philosophy, art, music, literature, language and finally theology, pointing out the flaws by following it to its logical conclusion. He looks at pioneers in these fields, including Hegel, Picasso, Dylan Thomas, Salvador Dali and Leonard Bernstein. In each case he explores what influenced them, how they put their philosophy into practice in their life and work, and how in turn they influenced culture and popular thought.
Schaeffer seeks to help us understand the concept and implications of having a ‘God who is there’ - not just a figment of our imagination, but actually there! He reminds us how exciting this is and shows that, in contrast to the new philosophy, our view is entirely consistent with what we observe in ourselves and the world around us. He discusses how Christianity is different and how, knowing this, we can communicate it adequately to our culture.
The God Who Is There is quite hard work, and contains some complicated concepts. However, diagrams are used very effectively and the explanations are sufficient to understand what is being said. There are also stories from the author’s experience, and we see his great compassion for people and love for God.
I found this book useful in understanding and tackling the way my friends react to the gospel. I also look at modern art, music and literature in a completely different way! Having said that, even though it was very interesting, I found it heavy going and I’m not sure whether I would have got through it if I hadn’t been reviewing it. However if you have some spare time (and spare brain cells) I would highly recommend it.
Sarah Teague
Christian Medical Fellowship
