Contend Earnestly: L'Abri and Schaeffer's Legacy

Saturday, November 08, 2008

L'Abri and Schaeffer's Legacy

I found a very well done article at Christianty Today on the current state of Schaeffer's L'Abri in Switzerland. It is sad where it has gone and what is also interesting is that those that are at L'Abri are out of touch with their own postmodernism. They make some very incoherant statements about postmodernism and Schaeffer himself and I find it very irritating. One statement is that Schaeffer's work is outdated because he was working against modernism, which questioned basic truths, but now we work with postmodernism that asks, "Is there anything that is absolute truth?" The problem with their conclusion at L'Abri is that they figure that people today don't want to know truth, which they do and are searching for. Schaeffer's work still stands because it will take the postmodern to the fact that there not only is truth, but Christianity is that truth they are seeking for.

I am saddened to read how far L'Abri has deserted Schaeffer's desire, but I guess it shouldn't with the state of our crappy, who cares attitude with standing for the faith in the United States. Take a look at this article, as it actually gives a glimpse into what is going on with those young people who are questioning truth altogether.

Not Your Father's L'Abri

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Seth

Would you really take Molly Worthen's critique by itself to evaluate L'Abri?

As a matter of interest - she also writes about Doug Wilson: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/magazine/30Christian-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Is there a balance that can be brought to this blogg?

John said...

Hi Seth -

I spent the first 7 months of this year at Swiss L'Abri, and I am saddened to read this blog post. I was there at L'Abri when Molly's article came out, and let me tell you, the workers were not pleased that their quotes had been "ripped out of context" as one worker put it.
Let me assure you that L'Abri, and the workers, are committed to the fact that there is absolutely truth and that we can know it. However, they're not running scared from postmodernism, but instead are engaging it, dialoguing about it, and trying to learn from it, while rejecting the false things about it.

I encourage you to find a more balanced view of the current state of L'Abri than that of an atheist doing her PhD on the evangelical church.

Cheers.

Seth McBee said...

John.
thanks for the comment and it is good to know that L'Abri isn't as off track as one would first think.

Is this article completely off base? If it is I will take it down.

Thanks for stopping by.

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