• How Should We Then Live

  • The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
  • By: Francis A. Schaeffer
  • Narrated by: Kate Reading
  • Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (761 ratings)

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How Should We Then Live

By: Francis A. Schaeffer
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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Publisher's summary

As one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the 20th century, Francis Schaeffer long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this brilliant book, he analyzed the reasons for modern society's state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God's revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.

How Should We Then Live? has become the benchmark for Christian worldview thinking today. This edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of L'Abri Fellowship, founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer.

©2005 Francis A. Schaffer (P)2009 christianaudio.com

What listeners say about How Should We Then Live

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Want To Be Left Alone? Better Read Schaeffer

I listened to this just after watching the ten part video series of the same name. This makes a great follow-up to the video series. And even though the videos total five hours of time this book goes into the subject with more depth. Francis Schaeffer, more than any other Christian author in the 20th century properly identifies the basic problem with man and how to fix it. If you have seen the ten part series you will know that Schaeffer is a bit if an anachronism. His dress and manner of speech is from another, simpler, time. Despite personally living almost as a man out of time he has the pulse of our society on his fingertips. In this book you will learn what is really means to try to live according to the principles of Biblical Christianity in this age of declining morality. The last section deals with the pervading malady of mankind today: the persuit of Personal Peace and Affluence. Schaeffer exhorts the faithful to abandon the idea that we should just want to be left alone and accumulate material wealth. This, he says, is the very antithesis of Christianity.

Kate Reading narrates this book. At first this seemed a bit strange after hearing Francis Schaeffer talk for five hours on the videos but then her voice blended into the background and I was able to listen past her and hear the text itself.

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12 people found this helpful

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Schaeffer's classic confronts and challenges

Where does How Should We Then Live rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is the only audiobook I've listened to in its entirety.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed reviewing several well-known aspect of world history, and learning of many other unfamiliar ones, woven together in a coherent worldview.

What aspect of Kate Reading’s performance would you have changed?

I don't disapprove of her performance at all... this was my first audiobook and it was a bit of a challenge to engage the male author while hearing his words in a female voice. I'm not sure I ever made the connection completely.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Schaeffer's indictment of Christians who have held to thoroughly orthodox views in most areas while ignoring Scriptural teaching on race and compassionate use of wealth.

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8 people found this helpful

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Need the hard copy

Some books just shouldn't be made into an audio book. This is one such book. Too much depth to follow the narrative in audio format.

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Perspective-changing book

What other book might you compare How Should We Then Live to and why?

I had read Total Truth before, which includes many references to Francis Schaeffer. My daughter had some coursework in High School which included Schaeffer, so I was interested in hearing some of his original work. Total Truth is a great book as well.

Any additional comments?

This was a fantastic book! Does a great job at showing the big picture history of different worldviews, and helped me to see much better how they show up in our world today. I'm listening to it for a second time now!

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A story of the decline of the humanness of man.

read the book when it came out. audio version revealed much missed and forgotten wisdom.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolute eye opening!!!

This book was an absolute master piece. The insights that God has blessed this man with is beyond belief. I will be listening again cause the depth of info was so much that it can not be taken in with one listen. I will never look at history and ideas in the same way that I have.

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Excellent info

Probably would be a good text to have as there is much historical info. Interesting and makes me want to read more of Francis Schaffer work.

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Unexpectedly Excellent

Let me get the criticisms out of the way first.

As a non-Christian, I have understandably mixed views on Schaeffer's foundational principles, namely that Christianity is truth. He speaks of it as undeniable, and it does come through in his arguments. From a purely acedemic perspective, it rankles me. But such is his faith, and I have no quibble with his faith.

In spite of that [honestly] minor quibble, this book is quite fantastic! I 100% agree with his points, however biased they may be. He writes very well and in a way that's quite accessible to the layman. I think he captured perfectly the idea I've held for years: Christianity was the moral glue of modern Western civilization, and its growing lack has led to society's degradation.

As always, Kate Redding does a phenomenal job in reading the text. She's easily one of my favorite readers all around.

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Utterly captivating from start to finish

I had sort of read this book as a young 20 something but with now listening to it with much more maturity I never realized how the journey of where we started and where we are now did not start with Woodstock but actually with the Reformation and how it started first with our art, then music, and the influence led us to where we are today.

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All-round great

Kate Reading is fantastic as always. Great book- very timely message. Thankful for Francis, Kate and Audible!

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