The God Who Is There

“We must never forget that the first part of the gospel is not ‘Accept Christ as Savior’ but ‘God is there.’ Only then are we ready to hear God’s solution for man’s moral dilemma in the substitutionary work of Christ.”

Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (1968), pp. 162–163, as quoted by Shane Lems, The Reformed Reader Blog, “Taking the Roof Off (Francis Schaeffer)” (2018). Short excerpt from an in-copyright work, used under fair use.in copyright · fair use

In the gameSchaeffer’s order for telling the gospel to a modern person. The first line is not a request to accept Christ. It is the plain claim that God is there. Nothing after it makes sense to a listener who has not heard that first.

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being. As some of your own poets have said.”

Acts 17:28 (WEB) — Paul at the Areopagus, quoting the Athenians’ own poets back to them.

In the gamePick the part of the opponent’s case that is true and affirm it. That point can no longer be used against you, and the opponent’s Defend falls sharply. It deals no damage. Affirm something false and you have only agreed with an error.

“There is no romanticism as one seeks to move a man in the direction of honesty. On the basis of his system you are pushing him further and further towards that which is not only totally against God, but also against himself. You are pushing him out of the real universe.”

Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (1968), pp. 162–163, as quoted by Shane Lems, The Reformed Reader Blog, “Taking the Roof Off (Francis Schaeffer)” (2018). Short excerpt from an in-copyright work, used under fair use.in copyright · fair use

In the gameSchaeffer says the work is honest and it is hard, and there is nothing romantic about it. You press a person’s view toward its own conclusion until they can see where it runs out of world.

“Of course it hurts; of course it is dark in the place where a man, in order to be consistent in his non-Christian presuppositions, must deny what is there in this life and in the next.”

Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (1968), pp. 162–163, as quoted by Shane Lems, The Reformed Reader Blog, “Taking the Roof Off (Francis Schaeffer)” (2018). Short excerpt from an in-copyright work, used under fair use.in copyright · fair use

In the gameThe line that explains why the previous move hurts. To be consistent in a view that has no place for God, a person must deny what is really there, in this life and the next. Schaeffer says it is dark there, and he does not enjoy saying it.

“Unless the Bible is without error, not only when it speaks of matters of salvation, but also when it speaks of history and the cosmos, we have no foundation for answering questions concerning the existence of the universe and its form and the uniqueness of man.”

Francis Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (1984), as quoted by Louis Markos, The Gospel Coalition, “Why Francis Schaeffer Still Matters” (2026). Short excerpt from an in-copyright work, used under fair use.in copyright · fair use

In the gameSchaeffer’s last book was a warning to his own side. If the Bible is trusted only where it talks about salvation, then it cannot answer the questions about where the world came from or what a human being is. The foundation has to be the whole book.

“The more comprehending we are as we take the roof off, the worse the man will feel if he rejects the Christian answer. In a fallen world we must be willing to face the fact that however lovingly we preach the gospel, if a man rejects it he will be miserable. It is dark out there….”

Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There (1968), pp. 162–163, as quoted by Shane Lems, The Reformed Reader Blog, “Taking the Roof Off (Francis Schaeffer)” (2018). Short excerpt from an in-copyright work, used under fair use.in copyright · fair use

In the gameSchaeffer’s picture of what an honest conversation does. Show a person what their own view leads to, slowly, and without pretending it is easy. It hurts, and it is meant to, because the alternative is to leave someone comfortable in a house with no roof.