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.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable incompetence and discredit
Review: Reading such a book containing that many historical and philosophical mistakes is appalling. And seeing that all these Christian reviewers give such high marks to such a compilation of mistakes says much about their poor discernment capacities. And these guys want us to believe they have the truth? I admit that some Christian authors produce academic or otherwise serious books, but what should I think when I see that Christian readers cannot discern (among their own books) the good ones from the awful piece of drivel such as this present book? I agree with the reviewer below (name: Klebanoff, Dec. 1998; whom I understand is an atheist like me): this book is worthless, save your money. Read instead Drange's nonbelief. And I will not recommend the books by better, serious Christian thinkers, that's their problem, they have to know themselves their more acceptable, serious books.
Rating: 
Summary: Reasoned view of history. Truly predicts current society.
Review: Schaeffer follows history through the ages and shows that man can choose two paths: (1)God's way which leads to maximum responsibility and maximum freedom or (2) man's way (do your own thing) which leads to minimal responsibility and minimal freedom (tyranny). As the US follows man's way and we reject God we see our government taking over our liberties and violence in schools erupting. Just as Schaeffer predicted.
Rating:
Summary: "As a man thinketh, so is he."
Review: Schaeffer's analysis of a world which chooses to deny theexistence of a supreme Creator is dead on. Furthermore, the facts of history bear out Schaeffer's most poignant assertion--men tend to live according to their presuppositions whether or not they realize they are doing so. Man's pessimism in a world which he believes to have been created by time plus chance alone follows from his denial of the Christian worldview. Nonetheless, humanist man still struggles to sow meaning from a meaningless foundation. Schaeffer shows with compassion and honesty that Christianity is the cure for a hurting world.
Rating:
Summary: Hidden Christian agenda
Review: Schaeffer, a Christian evangelist, goes through the decadence of the West. Needless to say he remains quite close-minded, presenting only things that fit in the calvinist branch of Christianity. What is terrible is that he is kind of saying that there can't be no civilization without Christianity!! What about Greece and Rome then? This is not only stupid, but also dangerous : does he want to run another Holocaust to fix the problem of the majority of the people, who are not Christian but disdain Christianity??
Rating:
Summary: Intellectual Foundation of the Modern Christian Right
Review: The reader from Texas has this absolutely correct. One cannot understand current Conservative defense of privilege, property, and patriarchy without reference to this author. This guy rivals Joseph Cambell with an all-inclusive unified vision of culture where everything has meaning: (Before the Calvinist Reformation = Bad; Calvinist Reformation = Good; After the Calvinist Reformation = Bad; 20th Century = Excremental, particularly art, music, literature, film, political thought, sexual expression, etc. etc...) To see where this slippery slope leads, one need only check in with Francis Schaeffer's son, Frank Schaeffer, who edits a journal called "The Christian Activist" which openly advocates Orthodox Theocracy - sort of a Christian Taliban. It appears Frank Schaeffer has honestly examined the logical conclusions of his father's presuppositions...
Rating:
Summary: Every college student should read! Best book of the century
Review: The world finally makes sense! Where we've been, where we are going, the consequences of our choices. The owner's manual for the world around us. Schaeffer does in one book what college and grad school could not do in 8 years. Schaeffer looks at different world views and leads you to there logical conclusions, through art, science philosophy and religion. A must read for any thinking human.
Rating:
Summary: Answers the question of "what has happened to America?"
Review: This book and video was taught as a night class where I was minoring in Political Science and majoring in nursing. Found it to succinctly answer the question of what has happened to America the beautiful and why is it becoming America the ugly? True Christianity gives meaning and beauty to all of individual and corporate life. Anything short of it brings death in every area of life.
Rating:
Summary: Authoritative assessment of Western society's ills
Review: This book summarizes the dynamics involved in the current zeitgist of Western society and the logical extremes such thinking will take this country in its political structure and actions. Schaeffer's words are timeless truths bathed in reasonable and persuasive argument for both contemporary intellectual and lay person. If his synopsis of society doesn't persuade you, your own logic may be fouled. "Come, let us reason together..."
Rating: 
Summary: One of Schaeffer's Best Works
Review: This book, which was also produced into a film, is one of Schaeffer's best works. This is because, he matches history, art, rise of cultures, etc, and compares them to a Christian worldview and how Western Culture has steadly declined after certain ideas have surfaced in soceity. These ideas and their consequences are demonstrated and connected to certain events in history. For example, he connects the Englightenment ideas to the French revolution and the horrors it produced. (Another reviewer dismisssed this idea, however, it has been well documented by many historians that the French revolution and its terror was a result of Enlightenment thinking-because there were no moral restraints). Schaefffer is not a historian, expert in art (even though he loved art) or a professional philosopher and sometimes this is appearant as he makes some conclusions that are not completely warranted. For example, to connect humanistic ideas with Michelango's David is a far reach (P. 72). The strength of his critique on the decline of Western Culture is in the realm of morals and virtues. The assertions are warranted and very accurate. It is also quite prophetic and chapters 8 thru 13 are well worth the read. Lastly, coming from Schaeffer, this is a pleasent read. Some of his books are slow and difficult to get through. His style has often been burdensome. This book, is very easy, yet, detailed, and not cumbersome in any way. A very good book on modern culture, even though it is twenty plus years old.
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