Francis August Schaeffer (January 30, 1912-May 15, 1984) was a renowned philosopher, author and commentator. He wrote in his book, A Christian Manifesto, 1981:
<It follows from [Samuel] Rutherford's thesis that citizens have a moral obligation to resist unjust and tyrannical government. While we must always be subject to the office of the magistrate, we are not to be subject to the man in that office who commands that which is contrary to the Bible.
Rutherford suggested that there are three appropriate levels of resistance: First, he must defend himself by protest (in contemporary society this would most often be by legal action); second, he must flee if at all possible; and third, he may use force, if necessary, to defend himself.
One should not employ force if he may save himself by flight; nor should one employ flight if he can save himself and defend himself by protest and the employment of constitutional means of redress.
Rutherford illustrated this pattern of resistance from the life of David [fleeing from King Saul] as it is recorded in the Old Testament.
The civil government, as all life, stands under the Law of God....when any office commands that which is contrary to the Word of God, those who hold that office abrogate their authority and they are not to be obeyed.
[Justice is] based on God's written Law, back through the New Testament to Moses' written Law; and the content and authority of that written Law is rooted back to Him who is the final reality. Thus, neither church nor state were equal to, let alone above, that Law. The base for law is not divided, and no one has the right to place anything, including king, state or church, above the contents of God's Law.> 1912FS001
In Escape from Reason, Francis A. Schaeffer wrote:
<Modern man has not only thrown away Christian theology, he has thrown away the possibility of what our forefathers had as a basis for morality and law.> 1912FS002
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
1912FS001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Francis August Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto, pp. 101-104. Gary DeMar, God and Government-A Biblical and Historical Study (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Press, 1982), p. 99. Francis August Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto in The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview, 5 vols. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1982), V:430. Gary DeMar, "The Lost Legacy of Francis A. Schaeffer" (Atlanta, GA: The Biblical Worldview, An American Vision Publication-American Vision, Inc., September 1992), Vol. 8, No. 9, p. 12.
1912FS002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Francis August Schaeffer, Escape from Reason (1968) in The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview, 5 vols. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1982), Vol. I, pp. 262-263. Gary DeMar, "The Lost Legacy of Francis A. Schaeffer" (Atlanta, GA: The Biblical Worldview, An American Vision Publication-American Vision, Inc., September 1992), Vol. 8, No. 9, p. 11.