Edith Schaeffer
Encyclopedia
Edith Rachel Merritt Schaeffer (née Seville) (born November 3, 1914) is a Christian author and co-founder of L'Abri
, a Christian organization which hosts guests. She is the widow of Francis Schaeffer
and the mother of author Frank Schaeffer
.
Schaeffer was born in Wenzhou
, China
, the fourth child of George and Jessie Seville, missionaries who were serving in China with the China Inland Mission
. In addition to her English name, her parents gave her the Chinese name Mei Fuh, meaning "beautiful happiness".
Schaeffer attended Beaver College in Glenside, Pennsylvania
. It was there that she met Francis Schaeffer
and they were married in 1935. They had four children: Priscilla, Susan, Deborah and Frank
.
They were sent in 1948 to Switzerland by the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions
. In 1955 they began L'Abri
, a community that welcomed people who were seeking intellectually honest and culturally informed answers to questions about God and the meaning of life.
Schaeffer is a major figure in her son Frank's memoir Sex, Mom, and God. As a memorist Frank Schaeffer writes what he remembers about his mother. He thinks that she did not follow all the rules she promoted as coming from the Bible. He wrote that she did not believe that the Bible gave rules about birth control and that she accepted gay people and people who were not evangelical fundamentalist Christians.
Schaeffer's husband Francis died in 1984, but she continues to be associated with the L'Abri
organisation which she and her husband founded.
Schaeffer has written numerous books, both before and after the death of her husband. Her book Affliction (1978) explores human suffering in a Christian context. It won a Gold Medallion Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
(ECPA) in 1979. Her What is a Family? (1975) compared the extended family to a mobile
. Her autobiographical The Tapestry: the Life and Times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer (1981) won the ECPA award in 1982.
Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking (1971) has been influential among women in the Christian Patriarchy
movement, and has been described by Kathryn Joyce as "perhaps unintentionally, a landmark book for proponents of biblical womanhood." Like What is a Family?, it has been described by Evangelical author Becky Freeman as a "timeless classic"
Schaeffer is listed in Helen Kooiman Hosier's 100 Christian Women Who Changed the Twentieth Century.
L'Abri
L'Abri is an evangelical Christian organization founded by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith in Huémoz-sur-Ollon, Switzerland on June 5, 1955. They opened their alpine home as a ministry to curious travellers and as a forum to discuss philosophical and religious beliefs.- The development of...
, a Christian organization which hosts guests. She is the widow of Francis Schaeffer
Francis Schaeffer
Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
and the mother of author Frank Schaeffer
Frank Schaeffer
Frank Schaeffer is an American author, film director, screenwriter and public speaker. He is the son of the late theologian and author Francis Schaeffer...
.
Schaeffer was born in Wenzhou
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the fourth child of George and Jessie Seville, missionaries who were serving in China with the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
. In addition to her English name, her parents gave her the Chinese name Mei Fuh, meaning "beautiful happiness".
Schaeffer attended Beaver College in Glenside, Pennsylvania
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Glenside is a census-designated place in Abington, Cheltenham, and Springfield townships, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,384 at the 2010 census...
. It was there that she met Francis Schaeffer
Francis Schaeffer
Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
and they were married in 1935. They had four children: Priscilla, Susan, Deborah and Frank
Frank Schaeffer
Frank Schaeffer is an American author, film director, screenwriter and public speaker. He is the son of the late theologian and author Francis Schaeffer...
.
They were sent in 1948 to Switzerland by the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions
Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions
Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions is a small, independent Presbyterian mission agency, which early in its history became the missions board of the Bible Presbyterian Church. Founded in 1933 by J. Gresham Machen, the IBPFM played a significant role in the Fundamentalist-Modernist...
. In 1955 they began L'Abri
L'Abri
L'Abri is an evangelical Christian organization founded by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith in Huémoz-sur-Ollon, Switzerland on June 5, 1955. They opened their alpine home as a ministry to curious travellers and as a forum to discuss philosophical and religious beliefs.- The development of...
, a community that welcomed people who were seeking intellectually honest and culturally informed answers to questions about God and the meaning of life.
Schaeffer is a major figure in her son Frank's memoir Sex, Mom, and God. As a memorist Frank Schaeffer writes what he remembers about his mother. He thinks that she did not follow all the rules she promoted as coming from the Bible. He wrote that she did not believe that the Bible gave rules about birth control and that she accepted gay people and people who were not evangelical fundamentalist Christians.
Schaeffer's husband Francis died in 1984, but she continues to be associated with the L'Abri
L'Abri
L'Abri is an evangelical Christian organization founded by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith in Huémoz-sur-Ollon, Switzerland on June 5, 1955. They opened their alpine home as a ministry to curious travellers and as a forum to discuss philosophical and religious beliefs.- The development of...
organisation which she and her husband founded.
Schaeffer has written numerous books, both before and after the death of her husband. Her book Affliction (1978) explores human suffering in a Christian context. It won a Gold Medallion Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
The is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide...
(ECPA) in 1979. Her What is a Family? (1975) compared the extended family to a mobile
Mobile (sculpture)
A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal...
. Her autobiographical The Tapestry: the Life and Times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer (1981) won the ECPA award in 1982.
Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking (1971) has been influential among women in the Christian Patriarchy
Biblical patriarchy
Biblical patriarchy is a set of beliefs in evangelical Christianity concerning marriage, the family, and the home. It sees the father as the head of the home, and responsible for the conduct of his family. Notable adherents of biblical patriarchy include Douglas Wilson, R. C. Sproul, Jr. and...
movement, and has been described by Kathryn Joyce as "perhaps unintentionally, a landmark book for proponents of biblical womanhood." Like What is a Family?, it has been described by Evangelical author Becky Freeman as a "timeless classic"
Schaeffer is listed in Helen Kooiman Hosier's 100 Christian Women Who Changed the Twentieth Century.
Works
- Schaeffer, Edith;. 1969. L'Abri. Worthing (Sussex): Norfolk P. ISBN 978-1856840255
- Schaeffer, Edith; 1971. The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House. ISBN 978-0842314206
- Schaeffer, Francis A., and Edith; 1973. Everybody Can Know. London: Scripture Union. ISBN 978-0854214051
- Schaeffer, Edith; 1978. Affliction. Old Toppen, New Jersey: Revell Co. ISBN 978-0800709266
- Schaeffer, Edith; 1975. Christianity is Jewish. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 978-0842302432
- Schaeffer, Edith; 1975. What is a Family? Old Tappan, N.J.: F.H. Revell Co. ISBN 978-0801083655
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1977. A Way of Seeing. Old Tappan, N.J.: Revell. ISBN 978-0800708719
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1981. The Tapestry: the life and times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer. Waco, Tex: Word Books. ISBN 978-0849902840
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1983. Common Sense Christian Living. Nashville: Nelson. ISBN 978-0840752802
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1983. Lifelines: God's Framework for Christian Living. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books. ISBN 978-0891072287
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1986. Forever Music. Nashville: T. Nelson. ISBN 978-0801083365
- Schaeffer, Edith, and Louis Gifford Parkhurst (ed.). 1987. The Art of Life. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books. ISBN 978-0891074557
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1988. With love, Edith: the L'Abri family letters 1948-1960. San Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0060670924
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1989. Dear Family: the L'Abri family letters 1961-1986. San Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0060670962
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1992. The Life of Prayer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. ISBN 978-1856840460
- Mohr, Franz, and Edith Schaeffer. 1992. My Life With the Great Pianists. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House. ISBN 978-0801062964
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1994. A Celebration of Marriage: Hopes and Realities. Grand Rapid, Mich: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0801083549
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1994. 10 Things Parents Must Teach Their Children (And Learn for Themselves) Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0801083730
- Schaeffer, Edith. 1998. Mei Fuh: Memories from China. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 978-0395722909
- Schaeffer, Edith. 2000. A Celebration of Children. Grand Rapids, MI: Raven Ridge Books. ISBN 978-0801011931
External links
- Francis Schaeffer Foundation website
- Columns by Edith Schaeffer in Christianity TodayChristianity TodayChristianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...