Genesis in Space and Time: The Flow of Biblical History (Bible commentary for layman)

Not as good as other works by same author. Just my opinion.

Francis Schaeffer writes a wonderful book on the importance of Genesis within real historical space and time. The emphasis of the book is that Genesis is the proper and correct historical starting point for all of man's history including the Fall, which Schaeffer points out, brought about 5 divisions (1) between God and man, (2) between man and himself, (3) between man and man, (4) man and nature, and (5) between nature and nature. He rightly connects Genesis 3:15 to the future redemptive work of Jesus to restore what was broken and lost at the Fall. Schaeffer does come up short when handling the creation account as being a literal 6 days or not. He is consistent in referencing how later Old Testament writers and New Testament writers use Genesis as historical fact placed in real time and space, and yet he does not do the same when dealing with the days of creation, thus leaving the door open to day/age theories or gap theory. Over all it is a must read for any believer to see the historical affects of the fall to man's history and to understand that without Genesis "the flow of the rest of history collapses."

Very lucid, extremely simple, simply amazing. Complex thoughts about our origins and purpose are easily understood. I'm ashamed to say that things I ought to now I am now relearning, but the great thing about the Christian walk is that if we lost our way a bit we simply have to retrace our steps through repentance and going back to those simple truth of the Gospel. I'm halfway through it and it has reinvigorated my faith in God. Francis Schaeffer must have been a prophet because he foresaw our present situation. His treatise is very reasonable that it will only strengthen your faith in the Bible in the midst of skeptics, atheists, secular humanists etc. Add this to your library I'm sure you will return to read it again because I know I will.

This short book of 160 pages goes over the main stories within Genesis viewing them in a historic space and time frame, not as myths, but as relevant facts that really occurred somewhere in our past and in this same world. It is not meant to give dates and exact locations -God would have done it Himself if He had wanted us to know- but to clarify the doubts that we may have created within ourselves concerning the reality of the basic truths in the book of Genesis.Therefore the author reinforces the idea that the book of Genesis is not a chronological history, but a book of origins, from where the flow of history originates. The purpose is to organize, to highlight the "record of splits and schisms" that is the story of man.You may not find many revelations throughout, but you will get a more clear idea of the timing and different sequences of events that indeed, sometime and somewhere, took place.A book that is easy to read, concise, well written, and adds no more confusion into our 21st century minds.

I originally bought and read this book during seminary. Six years later I am rereading it and without having the condensed period of reading, I am enjoying it much more. I thought it was good six years ago, but with time to appreciate it instead of being under the gun to read and write a paper, I can fully enjoy Schaeffer's book.If you buy this book, take your time when reading to fully digest the material. It will make all the difference in the world to the amount of retention and comprehension. This is so much better now than it was then.

I've had an interesting relationship with Schaeffer's work over the past few years. At one time, he was my hero and I sought to be a disciple of his reformed thought. But after reading some of the works he critiques, I realized that Schaeffer oftentimes over-simplifies some highly complicated social, religious, and political issues.Genesis in Space in Time is one of the more acceptable books of Schaeffer. Here he discusses the various ways in which the fall has impacted humanity. His articulation of these different levels (i.e. God / humanity, humanity / other humans, humans / creation, etc.) really does provide a more holistic understanding of theological issues in salvation and ethics. While I remain critical of other works by Schaeffer, this book stands out of the ordinary in providing a satisfactory argument.

This was my first Schaeffer book, so I was unsure of what to expect. I consider myself rather picky with regard to religious subject matter. Mr. Schaeffer's book was enjoyable, and I will try another one. While "Genesis" did not really have any significant new ideas, it was well communicated and easy to follow, even for laymen or the casual reader.If you are unfamiliar with Genesis and the conservative approach to its interpretation, this is a good book. It is not scholarly or philosophical, in my opinion, but it remains substantial - which many people will find refreshing.

I am a firm believer that all of the Biblical text is accurate from Genesis to Revelation. Amidst authors that are trying to revise things and make them fit with what man thinks, it is very refershing to read a devoted believer who takes the text serisouly as written and dosen't want to compromise with what man thinks he knows. The Bible is the ultimate source of Truth.I highly recommend this book to the bible student.