Acknowledgments
In July 1974 my son, Franky, came to me with a suggestion.
The suggestion was that, given time, finances, and hard work by himself and others and by me, a major cultural and historical documentary film series and book could perhaps be produced. Using my study, over the past forty years, of Western thought and culture as a base, we could attempt to present the flow and development which have led to twentieth-century thinking, and by so doing hope to show the essential answers. After much thought, I agreed that we had the responsibility to try.
First of all, let me thank Billy Zeoli for his immediate recognition of the potential of this project and for his steadfast backing and support which made this project possible.
To begin with, I wrote the basic text as a foundation for both the film script and the book manuscript. This basic text was then divided into two separate projects: first, a film script, and second, an expanded version, this book. The book, of course, could utilize the full basic text and thus gives more substantiating material than was possible within the time limits of even a lengthy film series.
For both book and film episodes to succeed, however, careful research was necessary, and I am therefore especially grateful to Dr. Jeremy Jackson, who was our chief historical researcher, for the hundreds of hours of research that he did on the basic text and on the indexes and bibliography of this book. His help and timely suggestions were a constant source of inspiration.
Doctor H. R. Rookmaaker, my longtime associate in the work of L’Abri Fellowship and professor of art history at the Free University in Amsterdam, was our chief art researcher. His expert knowledge of art history and his consistent concern for the project were invaluable to both the book and the film.
It was a privilege to have Jane Stuart Smith as a staunch friend and supporter to whom to appeal on all aspects of the text related to music. Jane was our chief music researcher and her knowledge on the subject was invaluable.
There was much research needed in areas not easily categorized. So it is with appreciation that I thank John and Sandra Bazlinton for the research they did as our general cultural researchers. Their suggestions often provided a source of clarification on many subjects.
Beyond these basic researchers there were a host of those who were involved in detailed areas of research, in typing and checking the succeeding versions of the text, in the thousands of details involved in the film, and in many other ways too numerous to be able to mention. Their time and effort were invaluable to the project, and I want to say “thank you” to them all.
James W. Sire was a great help on the editorial work of the book text; many thanks to him.
It was a pleasure working with all those at Fleming H. Revell Company; especially enjoyable were the friendship and support of Bill Barbour and Richard Baltzell. Richard Baltzell gave the final editorial touches to the book. He was also a great help in the final critical reading of the book manuscript, as were Udo Middelmann, Jeremy Jackson, and Franky Schaeffer.
I wish to express my gratitude to my coworkers at L’Abri Fellowship, whose work was increased during the two years I was working on this project, for the very practical help they often provided in addition to their moral support.
Acknowledgments would be totally incomplete without saying “thank you” to Edith, my wife. She was patient beyond words through my tense periods, both while writing and filming. Without her constant encouragement, I simply would not have made it through this project.
I trust that the work and the vision of the people named or mentioned above will be rewarded in their being able to see a tangible change for the better brought about in our day and age by this book and its film counterpart.
Francis A. Schaeffer