Studying Schaeffer in the field of Humanities Enriches our Understanding of Consumer Behavior

Religion is a study in communication, but more than that, it is a study in human behavior. This article is an analysis by one of the most powerful minds of 20th century Christian apologetics. Dr. Schaeffer presents a clear justification for the Christian faith and explains the demise of its nemesis during the past few centuries, Rationalism. He is considered a founder of the Christian right (see Wikipedia, 2009, p. 1) and is often compared to C.S. Lewis or Michael Polanyi (see Burson, 1996, p. 1). Studying Schaeffer enhances our understanding of Consumer Behavior in three ways.

First it is a fundamental characteristic of a significant group of consumers in the United States and gives us understanding of that group’s behavior. According to Hawkins, et al (2007, p. 181), 79% of Americans believe in God, more than 50% say religion is an important part of their lives and 36% say they regularly attend services. Secondly, religion provides insight about human behavior. Finally, marketing is itself a religion with a commercial ratio that parallels traditional religion.

Marketing is a religion in that it is a meaning making process. Marketing creates an identity and negotiates its meaning and therefore its image with a target audience (see Drewniany and Jewler, 2008, pp 36-45). Marketing breathes life into the image in the imagination of the audience through communications based on a model of self-concept and perception for the audience (see Hawkins, 2007, pp 434). Redemption for those of us who worship the marketing image is through consumption rather than faith.

Schaeffer’s article analyzes the essence of the meaning making process: self-concept and perception. He tells us that the failure of Rationalism and its attendant secular humanism should not be a concern for Christians, or by extrapolation to marketers, because the presuppositions, the fundamental assumptions, of Rationalism were flawed. He argues that we can know each other, or in other words, we can know an audience. He further, convincingly, asserts that meaningful communication is possible.

Christians formed early science with the perspective that a reasonable God created the universe so therefore our communication and interaction to understand it is reasonable as well. Do we find the same perspective in early marketing, advertising and consumer behavior? According to Twitchell (1996, p. 36), there is what he calls a preponderance of “evangelical con artists” in the formation of modern marketing. He lists a dozen of the leading apostles of the then new science who were Christian preachers or sons and daughters of preachers, some founding agencies that continue to dominate today. One luminary is Helen Lansdowne.

She was the daughter of a Presbyterian minister and she studied three years at Princeton Theological before devoting herself to advertising (Twitchell, 1996, p. 33). Wikipedia (2009a, p. 1) notes that while Stanley Resor was the executive during the rise to prominence of J. Walter Thompson, Helen Lansdowne was “the creative genius behind JWT's ad campaigns.”

Pope (2003, p. 8) relates that Lansdowne’s first innovation was to advertise to the consumer’s concerns rather than about a product’s qualities. Based on her consumer findings, (p. 9) she developed the catch phrase “A Skin You Love to Touch” that she added to “gauzily romantic paintings of elegant young ladies, happily receiving the admiring attention of dashing young gentlemen.” This was not the life situation for most of the audience but she had found it to be their aspiration.

She was also the first to use sex appeal in advertising.

Schaeffer’s argument is important, postmodern despair is not any more correct than failed Rationalism. Reason can be applied to our endeavors, rather than resigning ourselves to the overwhelming effect of randomness. The consumer behavior model initiated by bible thumpers has worked and is still in use, much enhanced today by the application of reason from both academia and practice.

The self-concept of an audience can be discovered sufficiently. Meaningful communications can be made. This requires research but there should be optimism it will succeed. Hawkins, et al (2007, p. 434), like Schaeffer, divide self-concept into inner and outer spheres, they designate as the private self and the social self. They further categorize self-concept and establish relationships with it and life-styles (p. 441). This implicitly reaffirms Schaeffer’s point that although Rationalism failed as a basis to explain such actions, Christian epistemology does support the concepts of categories, self-concept, and associations between subject and the world that can be communicated.

Another area of consumer behavior that Schaeffer’s article can illuminate is an understanding of the 79% of the American public that is Christian (see Hawkins, 2007, p. 181). Hawkins, et al go on to say (p. 183) that Catholics and Protestants represent a significant subculture in the United States. They also note (p. 84) that Christians tend to be more conservative in beliefs and are active in action against non-Christian proposals such as liquor, gambling, pornography and other marketing activities. This is consistent with the activism promoted by Schaeffer, especially his later work A Christian Manifesto.

This has resulted in actions by some Christians such as boycotts. One such boycott (see Hawkins, 2007, p. 184) is against Disney. This was not only because of Disney’s support for gay and lesbian life-styles but also for a continuing practice of sexual messaging. In addition to Hawkins, et al, see Vitigliano (1997, pp 1-2), Tucker (2008, p. 1), and Anomalies Unlimited (2005, p. 1). Representative is the penis subliminal messaging in the Little Mermaid.

This caused concern, as did Disney’s misrepresentations about the relationship with the artist who admitted doing this in other work for Disney as well. It illustrates the extent some Christians pursue a company once it becomes part of their activated consciousness.

Implications for Consumer Behavior of Schaeffer’s Work
Schaeffer emphasizes the vital importance of imagination in the experience of human beings. The advertising consultant Roy Williams (2001, pp 20-1) suggests that reality begins with imagination, quoting the master philosopher Henri Poincare. Here Williams suggests that imagination becomes reality when we put energy behind it. He goes on (p. 68) to say that powerful marketing communications with the consumer begin by first engaging their imagination, “and take it where you will.” When reviewing the work of Dr. Jorge Martin de Oliveria, Williams (p. 18) extends Oliveria’s findings to marketing communications by asserting that the central aspect of all efforts in human persuasion is “the fact that people can only do what they have first imagined.”

WALLACE SAYS THAT CREATIVITY IS MOTIVATED BY THE NEED TO REDUCE THE DISONACE BETWEEN IMAGINATION AND REALITY.

A prominent example of imagination in marketing and consumer influence was by one of the most extraordinary persons of the 20th century, Greta Garbo. She captured the imagination of women in the 20s and 30s and is now considered the first new woman by feminists (see Fischer, 2001, p. 90). Both the style of her screen persona and the facts of her personal life inflamed the imaginations of her audience, primarily women. I have seen most of her movies and there is a theme in them all, a triangle – she is married to an older, overbearing man and having an affair with a younger man (see for example Vieira, 2005, p. 8). When discovered in the act, she is neither embarrassed nor repentant but instead is contemptuous, weary or angry with her older man. Conveniently for her character and to the relief of the audience, he is killed or dies off, leaving her to her virile suitor. She played her characters as women with mastery over their own image.

In her personal life, after her first films proved extremely popular and profitable, she challenged the MGM power structure. She ignored studio dictates, refused to participate in staged publicity and premiers, did not wear traditional foundational garments beneath her clothes, and was in general insubordinate, all of which created a growing tension. It reached the tipping point when she demanded seven times her salary to become the highest paid professional in the business and refused to do the film Women Love Diamonds because she thought it foolish (see Paris, 1994, pp127-8).

MGM finally detonated, finding her in breach of contract, and issued her a cease and desist letter. She went over their heads to Loews Inc., the parent company, and focused on the factual errors in the letter (see Vieira, 2005, pp 45-8). It was also observed that had MGM listened to her they would not have lost $30,000 with Women Love Diamonds (MGM went on with it using a different actress). Loews agreed, and MGM was forced to capitulate to the 21-year-old girl. The humiliation of the best brains in a place like MGM rocked Hollywood (see Paris, 1994, pp 129-30). She was given the salary and creative license and for the next decade produced a series of extremely profitable films.

In addition to her mastery of the moviegoers’ imagination, her own imagination played an important role in her success. Paris (1993, p. 9) quotes her reflecting back on her life alone, “Even as a tiny girl I preferred being alone….I could give my imagination free rein and live in a world of lovely dreams.” He also reports (p. 19) that she received intense religious training from her Lutheran church when young and later in life worked at converting to Catholicism.

Not one of my textbooks in the WVU IMC program has an index topic of imagination. Of course, I did find some by practioners such as Williams cited above. This seems to be an oversight in current academic thinking about consumer behavior. Imagination is a critical aspect of people. People of Garbo’s stature have used the imagination of their audience to create a world that could be but isn’t. Imagination is fertile ground for an aspiration that people may not have thought of or considered. Marketing that creates an imaginary world that engages the imagination of the consumer can also have the towering success that someone like Garbo achieved.

Another implication is Schaeffer’s reference to Chomsky’s Basic Grammar categories to make a point. After an exhaustive literature search on it, I found only one article not imbued with extensive mathematical symbolism, Talmy’s The Cognitive Culture System.
Talmy (1995, p 4) says there may be a correlation between Chomsky’s linguistic categories and the universals of cultural structure that Murdock reported in 1966. Murdock found the following seventy-three cultural categories in every culture:

age-grading, athletic sports, bodily adornment, calendar, cleanliness training, community organization, cooking, cooperative labor, cosmology, courtship, dancing, decorative art, divination, division of labor, dream interpretation, education, eschatology, ethics, ethnobotany, etiquette, faith healing, family, feasting, fire-making, folklore, food taboos, funeral rites, games, gestures, gift-giving, government, greetings, hair-styles, hospitality, housing, hygiene, incest taboos, inheritance rules, joking, kin groups, kinship nomenclature, language, law, luck superstitions, magic, marriage, meal times, medicine, modesty concerning natural functions, mourning, music, mythology, numerals, obstetrics, penal sanctions, personal names, population policy, postnatal care, pregnancy usages, property rights, propitiation of supernatural beings, puberty customs, religious ritual, residence rules, sexual restrictions, soul concepts, status differentiation, surgery, tool making, trade visiting, weaning, weather control.

I think this is the start of a useful taxonomy to organize our understanding of a culture, especially differences. I am not suggesting that cultures are the same in these categories as far as marketing communications is concerned. I do suggest that these seventy-three common categories would be a way of organizing culturally relevant information.

A less mathematic, more up-to-date and more actionable study in this area could benefit consumer behavior. One area that comes to mind is avoiding embarrassing cross-cultural marketing mistakes. As examples, three of the cultural cognitive categories are mourning, numerals, and athletics. The category mourning would store the aspects of mourning in different cultures, aspects such as symbolic colors, white is Asia, black in the west, and brown in India; also numerals - 13 bad luck in the U.S., and 4 is bad luck in Japan; as well as athletics - use local sports stars - Nike wasted years pushing American sports stars in Europe to no effect.

List of Figures
Figure 1 Francis Schaeffer, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.rationalpi.com/theshelter/

Figure 2 L’Abri Retreat, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.labri.org/swiss/photo.html

Figure 3 Jose Ortega y Gasset, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Ortega_y_Gasset

Figure 4 Resor and Lansdowne, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://adage.com/century/people014.html

Figure 5 Woodbury Soap ad by Lansdowne, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.paperboynews.com/links.asp?catagory=4&sub_id=528

Figure 6 Disconcerting Disney Artwork, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney/Mermaid.html

Figure 7 Greta Garbo in Mysterious Lady, digital rights owned by George Ray


(these images are incorporated according to the Fair Use provisions of the copyright laws for educational purpose)

References
Anomolies Unlimited (2005). Well, it does look like one. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney/Mermaid.html

Burson, Scott R. (Summer 1996). A Comparative Analysis of C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer-The Most Influential Apologists of Our Time. Lamp-Post of the Southern California C. S. Lewis Society 1996 Summer; 20 (2): 4-29. Retrieved on April 5, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Clarkson, Frederick (1994). "Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence". The Public Eye Magazine VIII (1 & 2). Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v08n1/chrisre2.html

Cochrane, Matthew (April 24, 2007). Book Review: A Christian Manifesto. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.notconformedthoughts.com/displayone.cfm?docid=2857

Drewniany, B and J Jewler (2008). Creative Strategy in Advertising. Wadsworth.

Elliott, Hannah (November 20, 2006 ) Baylor prof says Francis Schaeffer returned to fundamentalist views. Associated Baptist Press. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1628&Itemid=119

Gelles, John (Oct 12, 2007). Ann Coulter's Ridiculous Claim that Jews Are Christians! Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.amazon.com/tag/politics/forum?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1S3QSZRUL93V8&cdPage=6&cdThread=Tx2MR9D14ZDZGZA&cdShowEdit=Mx300RQENP9YDC7

Hamilton, Gregory W. (2007). A Review of “A Christian Manifesto” in the Light of Scriptural Revelation. Liberty Express journal. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.nrla.com/article.php?id=29

Hawkins, Del, David Mothersbaugh and Roger Best (2007). Consumer Behavior. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Kaplan, Robert (2001). The Coming Anarchy. Vintage.

Olasky, Marvin (March 03, 2005). Francis Schaeffer's political legacy. TownHall.Com. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://townhall.com/columnists/MarvinOlasky/2005/03/03/francis_schaeffers_political_legacy

Parkhurst, L.G. (2008). Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://labri.net/FAS/content/view/27/27/

Pope, Daniel (6/13/2003). Making Sense of Advertisements. George Mason University.
Retrieved on April 8, 2009 from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads/ads.pdf )

Schaefer, Francis (January 1972). He is There and He is not Silent. Bibliotheca Sacra. Retrieved on April 2, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Spanos, William (4/22/2003 ). The Detective and The Boundary: Some Notes on PostModern Literary Imagination. State University of New York at Binghamton. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Taleb, Nassim Nickolas (2007). The Black Swan. Random House.

Talmy, Leonard (Jan 95). The cognitive culture system. Monist; Jan95, Vol. 78 Issue 1, p80, 35p. Retrieved on April 8, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Tucker, Maryanne (2008). Subliminal Messaging and The Disney Corporation. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/maryanne_web/index_files/Page766.htm

Twitchell, James (1996). AdCult USA. Columbia Press.

Vitagliano, Ed (1997). Why Boycott Disney? AFA Journal. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.solargeneral.com/ja/disney/why_boycott_disney.htm

Wallace, AFC (1963). Culture and Personality. Random House.

Wikipedia (2009). Francis Schaeffer. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Schaeffer

Wikipedia (2009a). Stanley Resor. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_B._Resor

Whitehead, John W. (3/8/2007). Is the Christian Right a Fascist Movement? The Rutherford Institute. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=462

Williams, Roy (2001). Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads. Bard Press.

Critque of Francis Schaefer’s Article "He is There and He is not Silent" from Bibliotheca Sacra

Primary Strengths
Dr. Schaeffer looks beyond the failure of Rationalism, because its failure does not require us to abandon the hope it failed to justify. It masqueraded as a foundation for the hope of improving the human condition but has been exposed by philosophy as groundless. In contrast, the nemesis to despair is an ancient epistemology that Rationalism rose up to challenge some three hundred years ago. Schaeffer argues convincingly that this framework for knowledge and reason is true; it has withstood the test of free inquiry by skeptics.

This is important in all realms of human life and Schaeffer uses early science as an illustration. Early science, that of Galileo, Copernicus, Newton and the others was based on the ancient epistemology, while modern science is based on Rationalism. The fall of Rationalism has taken modern science down with it.

The implications for the failure of modern science are profound. Schaeffer says science will die, becoming only technology. By this he means that it is no longer a process for discovery but merely a mechanism to record evidence. He further asserts that science has become a game of splintering its body of findings into ever more finite categories. Science is disappearing.

Kaplan (2001, pp 172-3, 183) notes that this splintering produces “grave deformities” and “vicious forms of human existence.” He recounts the 1929 work of Jose Ortega y Gasset in The Revolt of the Masses.
Mass man knows expertly his small island but is ignorant of the rest of the world and has no bridge to reach it. So it is with the splinters of modern science. There has supposedly been a rapid expansion of knowledge but how much is useful, how much is even usable? Gasset finds an inverse relation between wisdom and specialization. Schaeffer’s anticipation of this is impressive.

The failure of Rationalism has infected other realms with its despair. Spanos (2003, p. 148) informs us that the underlying motif in Postmodern literature, dread, has its source in the rejection of Logical Positivism, an ineffectual last stand of Rationalism. Dread is defined as anxiety with no specific object, distinct from fear that does have a specific object. This manifests itself in Postmodern literature as a rejection of the ending as a solution to the narrative (p. 152), and a refusal to “fulfill causally oriented expectations” (p. 148). In other words, it is a rejection (p. 154) of the “detective story,” which has a rational solution “generated by the scientific analysis of the man-in-the-world.” Consumer behavior and marketing communications form a detective story in an ad campaign. Postmodern literature rejects this format.

Worse comes. Schaeffer effectively argues that a failure of Rationalism was its inability to establish reasonable principles or universals, something that has always been possible from the Judeo-Christian position. This inability may lead to the disappearance of principle-based policy in the postmodern world. Consensus, the compromise of principles (that we are unsure of anyway) becomes the guiding principle. Kaplan (2001, pp 169-185) sees a danger in peace as a primary goal because this “implies that you will [compromise] any principle for the sake of it.”
Why did Rationalism fail? Taleb (2007, pp 52-3,55,65,69,101,220) recounts numerous points of failure such as round-trip fallacies, domain specificity, naïve empiricism, post hoc rationalization, the narrative fallacy, silent evidence and others. While he uses sound reasoning, Taleb is hesitant to generalize to find a root cause.

On the other hand, Schaeffer is willing to propose the root cause that explains all the others. The presupposition of Rationalism did not explain mankind or our world; it is impossible to derive a uniformity of natural causes in a closed system. Today it’s more intellectual to say there are no answers – Schaeffer says that is exactly the point of Christ. Man starting from himself is lost. Schaeffer finds the worst failure of Rationalism is its inability to understand mankind – our self-concept, our communications, and our free will. We are not a machine to be manipulated in a closed system. Nor are we entirely subject to the whims of randomness.

Problems with the Article “He is There and He is not Silent”
As noted above, the political activism of the Christian Right, especially with George W. Bush, has accelerated an increasing polarization. Schaeffer was conciliatory in reaching out to people but introduced a strident and defensive attitude to the Rationalistic and Humanistic attacks on Christianity. He researched and counter-attacked these viewpoints, and his stridence is evident in this article. The modern Christian Right has not been conciliatory in its dealings with people. Ann Coulter is a prime example. She has been outspoken in her attack on Humanism and its stepchild, liberalism. Gelles (2007, p1) quotes her

"I'm a Christian first and a mean-spirited, bigoted conservative second, and don't you ever forget it."

“Christianity fuels everything I write. Being a Christian means that I am called upon to do battle against lies, injustice, cruelty, hypocrisy - you know, all the virtues in the church of liberalism."

She is attractive and eloquent but I would fear being in a casual conversation with her.

Another problem with Schaeffer’s article is it presumes knowledge of theological and philosophical terms and concepts. It starts with the knowledge that Rationalism is dead, but many are not so aware of its demise, even scientists. In addition to its philosophic death, leading intellects such as Einstein attacked it as biased and false, such as in his article “Physics and Reality” in the March 1936 edition of the Journal of the Franklin Institute. The eminent scientist Michael Polanyi demolished Rationalism and the positivism of the scientific method in his epic work Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy (1958). A bibliography of articles on the failure of Rationalism that led to postmodernism, linguistic analysis and other replacement epistemologies would be helpful. It is presumed the reader already has such knowledge.

How to Improve He is There and He is not Silent
This article attempted to cover substantial ground in a short 19 pages. A major improvement is to provide more canvas to fully develop the ideas in this article. This is what happened after the 1972 lecture at Dallas Theological Seminary and the Bibliotheca Sacra article. Schaeffer authored a book by the same name, which was published after the article.

Was the Study Biased
Yes. Schaeffer was an evangelical Christian and that is clear throughout all his writings. The article itself was published in a theological journal. Not all critics of Rationalism share Schaeffer’s optimism. Most notably to my knowledge, Nassim Taleb who is not a Christian and I will review his Book, The Black Swan next week. While the Schaeffer article is biased, it is transparent. He does not try to persuade the reader of the correctness of the Christian position while hiding the fact that he is a Christian.

References
Anomolies Unlimited (2005). Well, it does look like one. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney/Mermaid.html

Burson, Scott R. (Summer 1996). A Comparative Analysis of C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer-The Most Influential Apologists of Our Time. Lamp-Post of the Southern California C. S. Lewis Society 1996 Summer; 20 (2): 4-29. Retrieved on April 5, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Clarkson, Frederick (1994). "Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence". The Public Eye Magazine VIII (1 & 2). Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v08n1/chrisre2.html

Cochrane, Matthew (April 24, 2007). Book Review: A Christian Manifesto. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.notconformedthoughts.com/displayone.cfm?docid=2857

Drewniany, B and J Jewler (2008). Creative Strategy in Advertising. Wadsworth.

Elliott, Hannah (November 20, 2006 ) Baylor prof says Francis Schaeffer returned to fundamentalist views. Associated Baptist Press. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1628&Itemid=119

Gelles, John (Oct 12, 2007). Ann Coulter's Ridiculous Claim that Jews Are Christians! Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.amazon.com/tag/politics/forum?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1S3QSZRUL93V8&cdPage=6&cdThread=Tx2MR9D14ZDZGZA&cdShowEdit=Mx300RQENP9YDC7

Hamilton, Gregory W. (2007). A Review of “A Christian Manifesto” in the Light of Scriptural Revelation. Liberty Express journal. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.nrla.com/article.php?id=29

Hawkins, Del, David Mothersbaugh and Roger Best (2007). Consumer Behavior. McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Kaplan, Robert (2001). The Coming Anarchy. Vintage.

Olasky, Marvin (March 03, 2005). Francis Schaeffer's political legacy. TownHall.Com. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://townhall.com/columnists/MarvinOlasky/2005/03/03/francis_schaeffers_political_legacy

Parkhurst, L.G. (2008). Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://labri.net/FAS/content/view/27/27/

Pope, Daniel (6/13/2003). Making Sense of Advertisements. George Mason University.
Retrieved on April 8, 2009 from http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads/ads.pdf )

Schaefer, Francis (January 1972). He is There and He is not Silent. Bibliotheca Sacra. Retrieved on April 2, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Spanos, William (4/22/2003 ). The Detective and The Boundary: Some Notes on PostModern Literary Imagination. State University of New York at Binghamton. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Taleb, Nassim Nickolas (2007). The Black Swan. Random House.

Talmy, Leonard (Jan 95). The cognitive culture system. Monist; Jan95, Vol. 78 Issue 1, p80, 35p. Retrieved on April 8, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Tucker, Maryanne (2008). Subliminal Messaging and The Disney Corporation. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~jporter/maryanne_web/index_files/Page766.htm

Twitchell, James (1996). AdCult USA. Columbia Press.

Vitagliano, Ed (1997). Why Boycott Disney? AFA Journal. Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.solargeneral.com/ja/disney/why_boycott_disney.htm

Wallace, AFC (1963). Culture and Personality. Random House.

Wikipedia (2009). Francis Schaeffer. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Schaeffer

Wikipedia (2009a). Stanley Resor. Retrieved on April 7, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_B._Resor

Whitehead, John W. (3/8/2007). Is the Christian Right a Fascist Movement? The Rutherford Institute. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=462

Williams, Roy (2001). Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads. Bard Press.

Summary of Francis Schaefer’s Article "He is There and He is not Silent" from Bibliotheca Sacra

Introduction
Although relatively unknown in the general population, the theologian and philosopher Francis Schaeffer has had a tremendous impact on both Christian thought and American politics in the second half of the 20th century. Schaeffer was an early proponent of Christian activism and his works, including this one, formed the philosophic foundation for the Christian Right (see Clarkson, 1994, p. 2; Elliot, 2006, p. 1; and Olasky, 2005, p. 1). Elliot and Olasky credit Schaeffer for the presidency of George W. Bush.

Parkhurst (2008, p. 2) quotes Ronald Reagan and Billy Graham in eulogies for Schaeffer, who died on May 15, 1984. Reagan said, “He will long be remembered as one of the great Christian thinkers of our century.” Billy Graham said, “[Schaeffer is] truly one of the great evangelical statesmen of our generation.” Other prominent theologians who were profoundly influenced by Schaeffer’s works include Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsay, and Jerry Falwell.

Ann Coulter, a spokeswoman for the Christian Right has popularized his later work on the conflict between the humanist and Christian worldviews (see Cochrane, 2007, p. 1; and Whitehead, 2007, p. 1). She is more strident than Schaeffer, who was more passive in his argumentation. Whitehead is opposed to both Coulter and Schaeffer. Billy Graham also expressed concern, despite respect for Schaeffer (see Hamilton, 2007, p. 3),
“It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. [They have] no interest in religion except to manipulate it.”

This article, He is There and He is not Silent, is a summary of Schaeffer’s views on Rationalism and not humanism. Originally delivered as a lecture at the Dallas Theological Seminary it was then published as an article in the journal Bibliotheca Sacra and later expanded into a book.

Summary
The journal article was published in 1972, and in it Schaeffer analyzes the failure of Rationalism that became manifest in the 20th century and that is metastasizing in western culture today. The hope of societies based on Rationalism was the advancement of the human condition through the application of reason in a closed system of natural causes (See Schaffer, 1972, p. 5).

Rationalism has two parts, the induction of universals through rational analysis and their application to particular circumstances. This duality remerged in the humanistic renaissance (p. 4) with separate methodologies for deriving the universal truths and then applying them. Derivation proved problematic for the enlightened thinkers descended from the renaissance but as Schaeffer notes, not for the Christian thinkers descended from the reformation.

Application of universal truths to obtain conclusions has proved problematic also. Early monotonic logics produced optimism because they assumed the addition of another assumption to an argument with an already validated conclusion would not invalidate the conclusion. Or in other words, learning a new piece of knowledge cannot reduce the set of what is known. With more modern non-monotonic systems of logic this is not true. A new assumption may reverse a conclusion, which was validated under the original set of assumptions.

To Schaeffer, the difference between Christian revelation thinking and that of failed Rationalism, so admitted by modern philosophy, is that the fundamental Christian presupposition is the uniformity of natural causes in an open system. Schaeffer condemns modern intellectual thinking for its insistence on the closed system despite the evidence that its conclusions are “opposed to man’s knowledge of himself,” and ultimately dehumanize us (p. 4).

Christian epistemology allows for universals to come from outside the system, from One who does have true knowledge of the universals. It also explains the provision of sufficient but not exhaustive knowledge for applications of the universals, including communications between ourselves. On the other hand, Rationalism failed. Modern intellectualism sees the failure but does not change, preferring instead to live inside the failure.

Schaeffer observes a fundamental inconsistency in modern Rationalism. Language is the distinction between man and non-man and so says secular anthropology. Mankind uses structured and propositional communications. This is not possible for man trapped in the uniformity of causes in a closed system. Structured and propositional scrutiny is admittedly not possible in this framework, much less communication. Schaeffer’s point (p. 5) is that Rationalism, modern philosophy, and modern intellectualism fails to explain man, fails to explain the universe and fails to “stand up in the area of epistemology.”

In contrast, Christian presuppositions do form a basis for optimism on mankind’s ability for structured and propositional analysis. Furthermore, we have assurance of our ability to meaningfully communicate with each other, and for God to communicate with us (p. 6). He references the argument of Oppenheimer and Whitehead that modern science could only have been initially formed in the Christian setting (p. 7). The founders of modern science believed, as Whitehead so delightfully said “that because God is a reasonable God, man could discover the truth of the universe by reason.”

This framework enables a meaningful association to be established between a subject and object (p. 8). Furthermore, real values can be established regarding these associations that go beyond mere sociological averages. He goes on to say that this is how mankind acts in the world. There is a correlation between a subject and some object that is there. If we are in a room with an angry grizzly bear, we are not confused about the associated danger. The Christian view is in line with the way we all act in the world (p. 9). This extends into our interpersonal relations. We don’t have the sociopathic view of other people as machines to be manipulated.

Of communications, he says there are three possible views. The first is that meaning is so integrated with our personal background that no communication at all is possible. The second is that the meaning is entirely in the words or symbols and we are instantly assured of understanding. These two extremes are not how the world works. The third and proper view is that we all bring our own backgrounds to languages but there is enough overlap to “have a sufficient meaning for communication.”

He concludes this section of the article with the observation that we do not require an exhaustive knowledge of an object to have a meaningful association with it. We can truly know something without knowing it exhaustively. There only needs to be sufficient correlation (p. 10).
Schaeffer then discusses the reasonableness of categories. He argues that a reasonable God created the universe and therefore we should not be surprised that He created mental categories to organize our understanding of that world. The categories in the human mind fit with the categories of the external world (p. 11). He cites the work of Chomsky and Levi Strauss that investigated the uniform categories in the human mind.

The Bible not only gives us a propositional revelation about the world but more importantly shows how God works in the world (p. 12). This operation is in stark contrast to the “tremendous rushing wall of modern thinking.” The transcendent God operates with the understanding He revealed in the Bible. He only operates outside the world He created to prove a communication and these are the miracles, the proof of a prophecy.

What He tells us in the Bible is not exhaustive because our finiteness would not comprehend it. He gives us sufficient revelation to understand its nature. This gives us an epistemological certainty about the world of objects (p. 13). Science today is at risk of dying (p. 8). It has become a game in two ways (p. 13). First it has lost its basis for objective discovery. It has become only a method to record evidence. He compares scientists to ski bums who focus on one thing, and think of nothing outside of that one thing, no attempt to relate it to other knowledge. Secondly, as a game, scientists are manipulating their work according to their desires rather than being consistent with objective conduct and findings (p. 14).

The Christian precept of knowing without knowing exhaustively can also be applied to have true knowledge of someone else, knowing the inward person as distinct from his or her outward façade. Dr. Schaeffer as founder and director of the L’Abri foundation worked with young people from around the world and one of their primary concerns is the ability to know someone else and not just the outward persona. Schaeffer argues that again we do not need to know each other exhaustively so we don’t need to know another person perfectly to relate to them. He says (p. 15) that the “inward areas of knowing and meaning are bound by God as much as the outward world.”

We were made in the image of God so there is a basis from working with the outside façade to understand the inner person. Schaeffer also notes that the last commandment is not to covet. This is the internal world of a person. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. It tells us something about the internal person.

He continues, that people want to have communication but find themselves in an inhuman mechanical world. The boy and the girl want to be open with each other yet the long married man and woman are completely alienated (p. 17). The solution is to bring the inner world of meaning, values and morals under God’s norms.

Finally, Schaeffer discusses what is real as distinct from what is fanciful supposition so we can have a proper foundation for decision-making. Created in the image of God, our imaginations are not confined to the real world. We can change things in our imagination and this is the moving force behind art, poetry, engineering and other human activity. This final point is fundamental and he eloquently expresses it.

“The Christian should be the person who is alive, whose imagination absolutely boils, who dares to produce something a little different than God’s world because God made man to be creative.”

List of Figures
Figure 1 Francis Schaeffer, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.rationalpi.com/theshelter/

Figure 2 L’Abri Retreat, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.labri.org/swiss/photo.html

Figure 3 Jose Ortega y Gasset, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Ortega_y_Gasset

Figure 4 Resor and Lansdowne, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://adage.com/century/people014.html

Figure 5 Woodbury Soap ad by Lansdowne, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.paperboynews.com/links.asp?catagory=4&sub_id=528

Figure 6 Disconcerting Disney Artwork, retrieved on April 11, 2009 from http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Disney/Mermaid.html

Figure 7 Greta Garbo in Mysterious Lady, digital rights owned by George Ray

(these images are incorporated according to the Fair Use provisions of the copyright laws for educational purpose)

References
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Burson, Scott R. (Summer 1996). A Comparative Analysis of C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer-The Most Influential Apologists of Our Time. Lamp-Post of the Southern California C. S. Lewis Society 1996 Summer; 20 (2): 4-29. Retrieved on April 5, 2009 from EBSCOHOST.

Clarkson, Frederick (1994). "Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence". The Public Eye Magazine VIII (1 & 2). Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v08n1/chrisre2.html

Cochrane, Matthew (April 24, 2007). Book Review: A Christian Manifesto. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.notconformedthoughts.com/displayone.cfm?docid=2857

Drewniany, B and J Jewler (2008). Creative Strategy in Advertising. Wadsworth.

Elliott, Hannah (November 20, 2006 ) Baylor prof says Francis Schaeffer returned to fundamentalist views. Associated Baptist Press. Retrieved on April 9, 2009 from http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1628&Itemid=119

Gelles, John (Oct 12, 2007). Ann Coulter's Ridiculous Claim that Jews Are Christians! Retrieved on April 10, 2009 from http://www.amazon.com/tag/politics/forum?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1S3QSZRUL93V8&cdPage=6&cdThread=Tx2MR9D14ZDZGZA&cdShowEdit=Mx300RQENP9YDC7

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Kracauer on Weimar Literature

Siegfried Kracauer used analysis of widely read literature to investigate the structure and dynamics of social strata. He argued that this form of analysis avoided the inevitable pretense aroused by a more direct approach. In his essay On Best Sellers and Their Audience, he reviews the structural transformation of the Weimar economy after World War I that reordered the German middle class, and how that reordering was reflected in the period literature.

The weakening of Weimar Germany effectively turned many in the middle class into the working poor who still carried the middle class label. That middle class lacked the crucial features of the middle class before the war. They no longer had the limited independence enjoyed by the former middle class, through its modest financial security. Because of its size and interests, this middle class had been the financial mainstay for the publishing industry.

Kracauer noted the economic trends leading up to the social quagmire in Weimar: the concentration of capital, impoverishment of small stockholders, and the inflationary crisis that “led to the destruction of essential resources.” The new middle class was dependent. The deterioration of their fortunes slowly dismantled the foundation of their old middle class consciousness. The old tenets could no longer survive, stripped of their economic and social foundations in the new social reality.

Along with the declining fortunes and independence of the middle class, actual individualism declined. Administrative law increasingly invaded individual affairs and governmental planning began to transcend individual interest. Collectivization increased. Kracauer observed that people became less conscious of old social status. These trends in Weimar appeared incognito. The prevailing consciousness was still adjusting to the new realities, still reaching for the old concepts.

In addition to declining individualism in Weimar society, economic authorities lost their ability to cast the previous illusions and spells. In Weimar, strong disenchantment had taken hold. Ideas that used to drive the economy became mere rhetorical bric-a-brac. Kracauer’s brilliant quip was “You can’t live on bread alone, particularly when you don’t have any.” A manifestation of this heightened cynicism was the cinematic unmasking of the rigged game, in Weimar films such as The Joyless Streets with Greta Garbo.

In popular literary works, tragedy walked hand in hand with individualism. The fictional individuals triumph, however, even in the potential catastrophe constructed for them by their author. Kracauer quotes a best selling author in Weimar, “The worried, fearful person of today and particularly the person from the upper classes, almost always has to keep his feelings under wraps in the often futile struggle to maintain his standard of living. Such a person grasps … eagerly for such stories.”

Kracauer believed the middle class in Germany understood that a tragic intermediate fate awaited them. Yet they still attempted to maintain the old and comfortable arrangement. As a result of this tension, they raised “all calamities into tragic events. “

Idealists who tragically sacrifice themselves for an ideal was another popular theme in Weimar. The upper class doggedly struggled to maintain a faded idealism, which gave them style and distance from the mass. Faded idealism, according to Kracauer “resonated among the more cultivated circles, which [were] haunted by taste, culture, and education. “

In contrast, the middle and working class taste in literature had an emphasis on spirit or perseverance, and feeling became a pervasive motif. Feeling provided an optimistic hope to steady oneself during tragedy. It buttressed the outmoded concepts that were a comfortable part of better days. This “touching quality” signified an intermediate position between acceptance and rebellion. This was the middle class stance in the Weimar crisis.

Many story lines preserved the middle class concepts through escape into other worlds. These excursions avoided the challenging issues people would encounter with a reasoned analysis of their situation. A popular such distant world was the sensual, and erotic enchantment increased during the Weimar years. Another world was distant geographies. Nature yet another. Nature proved to be a popular backdrop in bestsellers because of its cathartic expanse. In the silence of nature, complex troubles sink into a mute void.

Kracauer’s conclusion, drawn from his study of popular literature, is that the middle class in Weimar would not acknowledge their change in fortune. They invested their beliefs in the false hopes of maintaining a life style ideal that had already perished. Their literature allowed them to renounce language and reason, and through its feeling to retain hope in the old concepts.

Thomas Y. Levin has translated a series of Kracuaer's essays into English. They originally appeared in the Frankfurter Zeitung and are now available in the book The Mass Ornament.