Rating: 
Summary: Very useful if you need the intellectual angle.
Review: How Then Shall We Live: was very well written. I read this book years ago before the death of the author. God has used it in my life to help educate me and to answer many questions asked of me over the years as I have witnessed for Christ. It is a great book but certainly not scripture,and maybe too heady. If you think that you can intellectually debate someone into the Kingdom of God, think again it is all about love, sharing, commitment. Tell them about their need, forgiveness, God's grace, and the Cross.
Rating: 
Summary: If only reality were so simple...
Review: I was drawn to Francis Schaeffer because of his reputation as a "scholarly" apologist, and I came away from this book impressed with the scope of his knowledge. Unfortunately, Mr. Schaeffer's considerable erudition is misused, and the book is essentially a series of bald assertions, questionable generalizations, and gross oversimplifications. (His caricature of Aldous Huxley borders on the slanderous.) Mr. Shaeffer is not analyzing history; he is filtering it to find support for his predetermined conclusions. Sympathetic readers might find his arguments compelling; I found them appallingly specious.
Rating:
Summary: The Intellectual Foundation of the Modern Christian Right
Review: If you want to understand the terms of the culture war, and why so many people are dedicated to restoring Christian values in our society, read this book. Schaeffer explains his world view in terms of a divinely inspired Bible, it's truths, and why they are true. There's more, too. Even for the skeptic, this book provides an excellent background (used as supporting evidence) in Western culture, arts, philosophy, music, and architecture from the Roman Empire days until present. Schaeffer, in his 40 years of study and skepicism himself found the truth of the Bible and God's revelation alive in just about all mankind does. An excellent book. An excellent reference. Schaeffer is in the same league as C.S. Lewis and "Mere Christianity".
Rating: 
Summary: Still an Important Work 25 years Later
Review: In "How Should We Then Live," Francis Schaeffer seeks to give an analysis of the events of history and how they have shaped our present cultural philosophies, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Schaeffer begins with the culture of Ancient Rome and leads us all the way through to (written in 1976) the present. How has our current way of thinking developed? Through philosophy? The arts? Science? Religion? The answer is through all of them, and Schaeffer shows how a Christian worldview (or a lack of one) did and continues to affect people and nations. According to Schaeffer, modern man really only cares about two things: personal peace and prosperity...at any cost. How we have arrived here is a very interesting story...Schaeffer himself admits in the introduction that a comprehensive study of the rise and fall of Western thought and culture would be a near impossibility. He's right. But many times in the book I think he fell short. Schaeffer tends to explain concepts during certain periods in history very clearly, then assumes that the reader is familiar with other periods without the same foundation being laid. Again, as he said, the problem is he can't treat the subject comprehensively in only 258 pages (many of which are photographs). I also felt that Schaeffer was somewhat uncomfortable in knowing how to fit musical influences into the book. His musical statements don't seem to support some of his ideas very well at times. (However, he handles the influence of art quite well.) Also, as with any book examining culture that is 25 years old, much of the material is outdated. It's a shame that Schaeffer didn't live to see and comment on some of the events of the past decade. It would have been very interesting to hear him speak of things (such as cloning) which are now very real. I have read four previous Schaeffer works. None of the books I have read are very long (well under 300 pages), but some can be a pretty rough road. "How Should We Then Live" is very readable and most of the time very clear. The book is well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Still an Important Work 25 years Later
Review: In "How Should We Then Live," Francis Schaeffer seeks to give an analysis of the events of history and how they have shaped our present cultural philosophies, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Schaeffer begins with the culture of Ancient Rome and leads us all the way through to (written in 1976) the present. How has our current way of thinking developed? Through philosophy? The arts? Science? Religion? The answer is through all of them, and Schaeffer shows how a Christian worldview (or a lack of one) did and continues to affect people and nations. According to Schaeffer, modern man really only cares about two things: personal peace and prosperity...at any cost. How we have arrived here is a very interesting story... Schaeffer himself admits in the introduction that a comprehensive study of the rise and fall of Western thought and culture would be a near impossibility. He's right. But many times in the book I think he fell short. Schaeffer tends to explain concepts during certain periods in history very clearly, then assumes that the reader is familiar with other periods without the same foundation being laid. Again, as he said, the problem is he can't treat the subject comprehensively in only 258 pages (many of which are photographs). I also felt that Schaeffer was somewhat uncomfortable in knowing how to fit musical influences into the book. His musical statements don't seem to support some of his ideas very well at times. (However, he handles the influence of art quite well.) Also, as with any book examining culture that is 25 years old, much of the material is outdated. It's a shame that Schaeffer didn't live to see and comment on some of the events of the past decade. It would have been very interesting to hear him speak of things (such as cloning) which are now very real. I have read four previous Schaeffer works. None of the books I have read are very long (well under 300 pages), but some can be a pretty rough road. "How Should We Then Live" is very readable and most of the time very clear. The book is well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Ideas matter
Review: In 1972, I received my MA in English, with a concentration in 19th century American Literature, from a very secular university. With that in hand and serious doubts about the historical authenticity and relevance of Christianity, I read some of the earlier works in which Schaeffer explored the ideas developed in HSWTL. I was struck by the piercing insights into Western Thought and Culture that paralleled my English studies. On a personal level -- and there is always a personal level, one of the ideas in the book -- I have had many opportunities to examine the presuppositions of my education, upbringing, and culture in the light of those ideas. In 30 years, I have found those ideas to be challenging and illuminating. I can say from personal experience that in no way does Schaeffer offer glib answers. Also, there is nothing intellectually cheap about his analysis. The cultural analysis framework in HSWTL has continued to be helpful through a career in Information Systems and Enterprise Architecture. I find that framework still helps me see the "really big picture" facing companies in the 21st century (which, it turns out, includes deep moral issues). One of Schaeffer's notable ideas is that truth should not only be self-consistent but practical/livable. Based on my experience, "How Should We Then Live?" is a credible analysis of the history of ideas. PS: Perhaps the reader might wonder I did not end by saying the book contains a "powerful prescription" or "an excellent social roadmap," etc, as if Schaeffer had an agenda he wants all of us to follow, lock-step. He is unapologetic about being a Christian and pointing to the person of Christ (of the Bible) for credible answers to modern dilemmas. If that makes readers uncomfortable.... Well, that is his purpose--to make us (the modern Church) uncomfortable.
Rating:
Summary: A compact history of western culture.
Review: In this intriguing, thought-provoking, interesting work, Schaeffer analyzes the rise of Western culture (after the fall of Rome) and why the current society seems in such disaray. Schaeffer's thesis is bascially this: that the reason the world in which we live is in such chaos is because we no longer have a moral and ethical foundation to build upon. In as much detail as possible (that roughly 260 pages allows) Schaffer illustrates that it was because of the Judeo-Christian value-foundation of Western civilization that the rise of Western culture occurred and that it is because of the forsaking of that value base that has brought about a decline in our current civilization. Schaeffer examines everything from philosophy to history to literature to music to cinema to support his point. Though not all may agree with what Schaeffer writes, this book is full of useful information, is quite thought-provoking, and provides some great reading.
Rating:
Summary: A work of genius
Review: Incredibly thought-provoking.
Stimulating.
A work of real genius.
Schaeffer knew more about the history of mankind, and of what mankind is suffering from at the moment, then anyone else I've ever read. Only C.S. Lewis comes close...
Rating:
Summary: A Life Changing Book
Review: Not many people know that there was a 10 episode film series with the same title, and that there is a paper back study guide that compliments this book. I first read this book 22 years ago when I was trying to figure out why the world was going to hell in a handbasket. It answered a lot of my questions and made me ask more questions. I rate this as one of the 10 most important books I've read in my lifetime, and I'm getting to be an old lady now. I'm getting ready to read it again because I feel it has a new relevance for our time in light of the persecution of Christianity in the public arena. I also bring to your attention his book, A Christian Manifesto. If you seek true wisdom born of knowledge, this is your book!
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking --but it only goes so far.
Review: Previous reviewers have called this a wonderful book, Schaeffer's best, and a book with a Christian agenda. Their ratings vary from best to worst. This reader thinks they are all correct. Schaeffer does present us with an effective sketch of Western Culture from Plato to the 1960's. He does provide an interesting framework within which to understand the ebbs and flows of philosophic thought through time. As for a Christian agenda, he makes no secret about the fact that he is viewing history from a Christian world view. However, one must pay close attention to Schaeffer's opening and closing point: persons operate based on presuppostitions about what is true, sometimes without knowing it. Schaeffer is not immune. While excellent in some respects, the book is trapped in a Cold War mentality. Further, several of Schaeffer's views on art seem quite arbitrary since he never defends them. For instance, throughout the book, Schaeffer is categorically against non-realistic art, but he never defends his position that realistic art is inherently good. In the final analysis, HSWTL provides a thought-provoking analysis of western thought. However, it should not be taken as the final word on the subject. I believe Schaeffer himself would agree that no 258 page book on the subject could ever really cover the complexities therein. As a starting point, it works. As a final statement, it is woefully inadequate.
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