Francis A. Schaeffer’s 1965 Letter (December 19, 1965)

On December 19, 1965, missionary-apologist Francis A. Schaeffer wrote to remind believers that God’s commands are not arbitrary. They are “fixed in His own character,” so sin is never merely breaking a rule; it is a turning away from reality as God made it—“destroying what we really are.” In a decade increasingly confident that individuals could define right and wrong for themselves, Schaeffer’s words offered a steadying moral clarity rooted in the unchanging goodness of God.

Schaeffer pressed the point that divine authority is not cold control but loving truth. God’s holiness and love stand together, so obedience is not dehumanizing; it is restoring. Scripture teaches that God’s ways are life-giving: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). By locating morality in God’s character, Schaeffer confronted the modern drift toward moral autonomy and called for humble repentance rather than self-justification.

L’Abri Fellowship (Huémmoz, Switzerland)

Schaeffer’s counsel grew from lived ministry. With his wife, Edith Schaeffer, he welcomed students, artists, and skeptical travelers to L’Abri (“the shelter”) in Huémmoz, near the Swiss Alps. L’Abri became known for frank conversations, careful listening, and practical hospitality—meals shared, questions honored, and the gospel presented without manipulation. The “heroism” here was often quiet: the courage to love strangers, to answer hard objections patiently, and to keep serving when outcomes were uncertain.

Many arrived disillusioned by empty materialism or burdened by guilt. L’Abri held out both truth and compassion, reflecting the biblical pattern: “Speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Schaeffer urged that real freedom is not the power to invent morality, but the grace-enabled capacity to live as creatures reconciled to their Creator.

Continuing Significance

The letter’s enduring call is simple and bracing: repent, trust Christ, and live whole under God’s good authority. God does not command to diminish us, but to make us truly human in Christ: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In a restless age, this counsel still steadies the conscience—firm against compromise, gentle toward the struggling, and confident that God’s character is the safest ground for life.