Editing Francis Schaeffer (section)

=== ''A Christian Manifesto'' ===
Schaeffer's book ''A Christian Manifesto''<ref>{{Citation | first = Francis | last = Schaeffer | year = 1982 | title = A Christian Manifesto | edition = revised | publisher = Crossway | isbn = 0-89107-233-0}}.</ref> was published in 1981 and later delivered as a sermon in 1982.  It was intended as a Christian answer to ''[[The Communist Manifesto]]'' of 1848 and the ''[[Humanist Manifesto]]'' documents of 1933 and 1973. Schaeffer's diagnosis is that the decline of Western Civilization is due to society having become increasingly [[Religious pluralism|pluralistic]], resulting in a shift "away from a world view that was at least vaguely Christian in people's memory… toward something completely different."{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}  Schaeffer argues that there is a philosophical struggle between the people of God and the secular humanists.{{Synthesis inline|date= August 2011}}  

In the sermon version of the book, Schaeffer defines [[secular humanism]] as the worldview where "man is the measure of all things".{{citation needed|date= March 2015}}  He claims that critics of the [[Christian right]] miss the mark by confusing the "humanist religion" with humanitarianism, the humanities, or love of humans.  He describes the conflict with secular humanism as a battle in which "these two religions, Christianity and humanism, stand over against each other as totalities."{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} He writes that the decline of commitment to objective truth that he perceives in the various institutions of society is "not because of a conspiracy, but because the church has forsaken its duty to be the salt of the culture."<ref>{{Citation | last = Schaeffer | first = Francis | year = 1982 | publisher = People for life | url = http://www.peopleforlife.org/francis.html | title = A Christian Manifesto | access-date = June 24, 2005}}.</ref>

{{blockquote|A true Christian in [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s Germany and in the occupied countries should have defied the false and counterfeit state and hidden his [[Jewish]] neighbors from the German [[Schutzstaffel|SS Troops]]. The government had abrogated its authority, and it had no right to make any demands.}}

He then suggests that similar tactics be used to stop abortion. But Schaeffer argues he is not talking about a theocracy:

{{blockquote |State officials must know that we are serious about stopping abortion…  ''First'', we must make definite that we are in no way talking about any kind of theocracy. Let me say that with great emphasis.  Witherspoon, Jefferson, the American Founders had no idea of a theocracy. That is made plain by the First Amendment, and we must continually emphasize the fact that we are not talking about some kind, or any kind, of a theocracy.<ref>Schaeffer, Francis, ''A Christian Manifesto,'' in ''The Collected Works…'' Volume 5, pp. 485–86.</ref>}}

[[Christian Reconstructionism|Christian Reconstructionists]] [[Gary North (economist)|Gary North]] and [[David Chilton]] were highly critical of ''A Christian Manifesto'' and Schaeffer.<ref>{{Citation | first1 = Gary | last1 = North | first2 = David | last2 = Chilton | contribution = Apologetics and Strategy | title = Tactics of Christian Resistance: A Symposium | editor-first = Gary | editor-last = North | place = Tyler, [[Texas|TX]] | publisher = Geneva Divinity School | year = 1983 | pages = 100–40}}.</ref> Their critical comments were prompted, they wrote, by the popularity of Schaeffer's book.{{Sfn | North | Chilton | 1983 | pp = 116–17}}  They suggested that Schaeffer supports pluralism because he sees the First Amendment as freedom of religion for all; and they themselves reject pluralism.{{Sfn | North | Chilton | 1983 | pp = 128–29}} Pointing out negative statements Schaeffer made about theocracy, North and Chilton then explain why they promote it.{{Sfn | North | Chilton | 1983 | pp = 121–22}} They extend their criticism of Schaeffer:

{{blockquote| The fact remains that ''Dr. Schaeffer's manifesto offers no prescriptions for a Christian society.'' We mention that merely in the interests of clarity, for we are not sure that anybody has noticed it up to now.  The same comment applies to ''all'' of Dr. Schaeffer's writings: he does not spell out the Christian alternative.{{Sfn | North | Chilton | 1983 | pp = 127–28}}}}