philosophy
escape from reason
Francis A . Schaeffer
Editora Vida Nova
by Daniel Gomes
The second entry in Francis Schaeffer ’ s famed “ Trilogy ,” Escape From Reason examines man ’ s historical pursuit of knowledge and truth in the areas of philosophy , theology , sciences and arts . It ’ s a short , yet compact work that remains up-to-date in the 21st century ever since it was first published in 1968 .
Starting from the philosophical views of Thomas Aquinas , renowned theologian and apologist Francis A . Schaeffer scans the centuries of philosophical developments that have led to today ’ s relativism and flight from objectivity . He is critical of Thomism ’ s distinction between grace and nature , which separates heavenly and spiritual things ( like the “ soul ”) from the earthly and material ones ( like the “ body ”). Schaeffer also blames Thomism ’ s perception of self-sufficient human intellect – where reason stands apart from the faith – for unwittingly birthing a natural theology completely independent from divine revelation , which would subsequently develop
into full-fledged humanism ( although he acknowledges that Thomas Aquinas believed that human reason and divine revelation were perpetually bound to agree upon each other ).
As the autonomous natural theology brought about a renewed interest in Neo-Platonism during the Renaissance , a new movement within Christianity sought to bring back unity between the realms of nature and grace : the Protestant Reformation . Schaeffer states that the Reformed Churches ’ theology , as spearheaded by Calvin ’ s Institutes , brought about the unifying knowledge that natural theology has yearned for since Thomas Aquinas . Schaeffer
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