Nancy R. Pearcey

Pearcey 's brilliant presentation of modern culture and how Christianity applies to it is (for me) a difficult read, but well worth the effort. Those of you who are more attuned to the world of the arts (most of you) will enjoy this and find it far easier to work through than I. Pearcey is, to my mind, primarily a philosopher as well as a writer. Her writing is clear, incisive and convincing. Upon reading one of her other books, Finding Truth, I thought perhaps I should look into studying philosophy myself. Just before reading Leonardo, I also read her Total Truth...and realized that she is so brilliant, she had made philosophy seem easy to me...and I do not have the patience to read other philosopher's without her saving grace of clarity of thought and economy of expression. Nonetheless, philosophy is an important topic of concern that everyone should look into. I do recommend her as an initiation to it because it is hard to imagine another writer being as easy to follow as her.
Pearcey is heavily influenced by the thought of Francis Schaeffer whose home in Switzerland, L'Abri, was a gathering place for students for many years. Pearcey had the good fortune to visit there and later stay for some time to imbibe more deeply from his thought.
I believe it is as a result of that influence that she gained her clear philosophic position which she communicates so well. Interestingly, L'Abri now has several locations around the world, including 3 in North America, including one in British Columbia. Evangelical Christians ought to take note of this in order to use these facilities and sharpen their own thinking about the issues of faith and culture.
Saving Leonardo is a paperback with glossy paper stock, I believe so that the prints of the artwork copied here show to better advantage. The art is both beautiful and instructive.
Highly recommended.… (more)

Published 20 years ago, it was thought of as an instant classic then: I heartily agree with that assessment. Pearcey is a trenchant thinker and writer. Total Truth is filled with piercing analyses, exhibits wide reading and study, and is worth re-reading on a regular basis until the subject has enabled you to develop your own worldview. She is an evangelical but does not hesitate to refer to atheists, agnostics, Catholics and others from a wide variety of backgrounds. Whether she is commending or critiquing, her ideas have weight and substance.
As a Christian philosopher, she takes pains to integrate theology into her work...and it is a practical theology that should make a difference in how one leads one's life. She is unsparing in her denunciation of the fact-value split in modern thought and shows how Christians have contributed to this false kind of dichotomy that ultimately relegates our faith to a secondary, pious role in a second storey that is irrelevant to "the real world" when it is factually, provably, the ground of all truth.
Yes, I am convinced of her thesis and believe that this book will change the direction of your life, if you will apply it appropriately, carefully, thoughtfully. That is my personal intention.
Oh, I do not agree with every word she writes, but the overall direction is solid, sound and unimpeachable.… (more)