One of the greatest concerns of Francis Shaeffer found itself in the inability of the middle-class American Evangelical to effectively communicate to anyone beyond his own social-strata. Popular lingo and catchy terms permeate evangelistic offers rather than directly-biblical and carefully-defined words. He felt it necessary to understand the changing existential situation that surrounded the church. It was vital for the evangelizer to know the thought-forms of the evangelized.

In this second book, Schaeffer outlines a history of philosophical and theological thought, beginning with Thomas Aquinas, that separates grace from nature. God and all spiritual entities (including man's soul) were separated from the creation and man (excluding man's reason). Man's reason was autonomous to the affects of the sinful fall of man and therefore able to come to God through rationalization. This philosophical theorem is depicted in the paintings of numerous artists throughout the centuries since and in a variety of other sciences. Opposing this view, the reformers taught that all of man fell under the curse of sin, yet containing a partial image of God, though marred.

Throughout the following chapters, Francis Shaeffer delineates his thoughts concerning the line of despair, chiefly given in Book 1 of his Trilogy. His concluding chapter evidences a course by which evangelical Christians should speak to men today. It is possible to begin with man himself, not in a humanistic sense, but with the fact that man is personal as God is personal and can find a relationship with Him. The Word of God defines itself as God's Word to man, thereby severing modern man's 'line of despair' which separates man from anything spiritual.

It is of great consequence to deal with all men at their level. If we do not properly understand that the man to which we speak does not grasp the idea of finding meaning in anything beyond himself or of knowing anything certainly except through earthly methods, then we are only hindering our own evangelistic task. Schaeffer would have us delineate the truths about man that are demonstrated in the Bible and pave the way to God that is both reasonable and biblical. If we do not strive for this, our evangelism is not compassionate or understanding.