Francis Schaeffer is best remembered as a Christian apologist, cultural critic, and founder of the L’Abri Fellowship. Yet, much of the academic and pastoral engagement with his work has overlooked a vital dimension: Schaeffer as an ethicist. This paper proposes to revisit and explore Schaeffer’s thought through the lens of Christian ethics. Specifically, it will examine how his foundational theological commitments—especially his belief in absolute truth grounded in the character of God—shaped a distinctive metaethical framework that undergirded his cultural, moral, political, and philosophical engagement.
To support this argument, the paper will begin by briefly introducing ethical categories and terms that, while foreign to Schaeffer’s own vocabulary, are central to the contemporary discipline of Christian ethics. It will then explore the theological and philosophical foundations of Schaeffer’s cultural apologetics by analyzing key works such as True Spirituality, How Should We Then Live?, and his influential Wheaton lectures. Following this, the paper will correlate and integrate Schaeffer’s theological convictions with the ethical categories introduced earlier, showing clear points of connection.
Finally, the paper will argue that the metaethical underpinnings of Schaeffer’s broader analysis demonstrate that the full arc of his work aligns coherently with the language and aims of Christian ethics. In doing so, it will make a case for a “single Schaeffer” thesis—affirming the unity of his theological, ethical, and cultural contributions within a comprehensive moral vision.