Podcast Episode 14
Francis Schaeffer
with Dr. Bruce Little & host Nick Walters
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Episode 14 offers another installment of This Week in Christian History, a production of the Center for Christian History at Mississippi College. Each episode follows the same core structure: an in-depth conversation with Nick Walters and a subject-matter expert in the Deep Dive segment, as well as two carefully curated historical highlights drawn from events that occurred during this same week in world Christian history. This series exists to help students, churches, and lifelong learners see how the story of Christianity unfolds through real people, real events, and real moments of decision that have shaped the church’s global witness. By grounding each episode in verifiable historical facts, the podcast provides a weekly invitation to explore the vast heritage of believers who lived out their faith in different centuries and cultures.
The Deep Dive for Episode 14 focuses on Francis A. Schaeffer, one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the twentieth century. His name is often associated with L’Abri, the community he and Edith Schaeffer created in the Swiss Alps, where seekers, scholars, and young Christians from around the world gathered to explore the intellectual foundations of the Christian faith. The Deep Dive examines Schaeffer’s global influence as a Christian philosopher, cultural critic, and apologist whose work shaped the ways evangelicals engaged with art, ethics, culture, and worldview formation. His books, such as The God Who Is There, True Spirituality, and How Should We Then Live?, became resources for generations of readers attempting to navigate the intellectual shifts of the modern world. This segment also explores how Schaeffer emphasized the integration of truth and beauty, insisting that Christian faith must speak to all of life, not merely private spirituality. His ministry continues to influence Christian thinkers, writers, pastors, and institutions around the world.
The first historical highlight takes listeners back to May 13, 1607, when the settlers of Jamestown gathered for their very first prayer service in the Virginia colony. In an unfamiliar landscape and surrounded by hardships, the colonists made worship a priority from the earliest days of settlement. Their Anglican minister, intent on creating a space for the community’s spiritual life, fashioned a makeshift church by nailing a timber between two trees and stretching a square of sailcloth across it to create shade. Although simple, this improvised place of worship symbolized the merging of religious devotion and emerging economic life. Jamestown would become the foundation for enduring English settlement, shaping patterns of labor, trade, governance, and Christian practice in America.
The second historical highlight focuses on May 17, 1928, and the remarkable vision of Christian layman John Flynn, a man deeply moved by the lack of medical care available in the Australian outback. The remoteness of these communities left countless individuals vulnerable to illness, injury, and death, with no realistic access to trained medical help. Flynn studied the harsh conditions for years and became convinced that new technology and aviation could bridge the impossible distances. His answer was the creation of the Australian Aerial Medical Service, later known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. On May 17, 1928, the service launched its inaugural flight—a pioneering moment that redefined medical outreach across the continent. Flynn’s efforts ultimately inspired government support, leading to the purchase of additional aircraft to extend lifesaving care to even more remote regions. His work remains one of the most enduring examples of Christian-motivated humanitarian innovation in the modern era, illustrating how faith, compassion, and creativity can combine to meet human needs on an extraordinary scale.
Throughout the episode, the common thread uniting the Deep Dive and both highlighted events is the ongoing story of Christians responding to the world around them with conviction, imagination, and perseverance. Whether in the formation of a small colonial prayer gathering in 1607, the visionary creation of an aerial medical service in the Australian interior, or the intellectual and spiritual work of Francis Schaeffer shaping generations of Christian thinkers, each example reflects the diverse ways the Christian faith has influenced societies and cultures across centuries. This Week in Christian History continues to bring these stories forward to help listeners understand not only what happened, but why it matters for the church’s life today.
Photo citation: “Dr. Francis Schaeffer, L’Abri Conference, Urbana, 1981.” Photograph by Dr. Gary Lee Todd. Released under CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.
