The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by Carl F. H. Henry
"The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism" by Carl F. H. Henry examines the struggle within Protestant denominations during the early twentieth century between Fundamentalists, who view the Bible as the definitive word of God, and Liberals, who interpret it more as a human perspective on divinity. This division resulted in Fundamentalists retreating to individualistic concerns as Liberals dominated mainstream denominations by emphasizing social issues. Henry critiques this retreat, arguing that Fundamentalism has largely abandoned its heritage of social engagement and has failed to address critical societal issues like warfare, racism, and economic injustice.
He contends that a biblical understanding of humanity's sinfulness does not preclude social improvement; rather, it provides a realistic foundation for addressing societal ills. Henry challenges Fundamentalists to confront the world's problems actively and develop a comprehensive worldview that encompasses various social domains. He advocates for unified action among Fundamentalists to propose redemptive solutions to societal challenges, emphasizing that Christianity should engage with, rather than resist, contemporary social reform movements. Ultimately, he calls for a revitalization of Fundamentalism that aligns closely with its biblical roots and its historical commitment to social justice.
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The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism by Carl F. H. Henry
First published: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1947
Genre(s): Nonfiction
Subgenre(s): Essays; theology
Core issue(s): Ethics; poverty; racism; social action
Overview
In the first half of the twentieth century, division arose among Protestant denominations between people who believed the Bible was God’s word about humanity (Fundamentalists, a term Carl F. H. Henry capitalizes in his book) and those who believed it was a human world about God (Liberals). On a denominational level, the Fundamentalists lost most of the battles, and the Liberals came to dominate the larger denominations. Because the Liberals emphasized the social aspects of Christianity, the Fundamentalists retreated to individual concerns. In response to Henry’s challenge, the National Association of Evangelicals was strengthened, Fuller Theological Seminary was founded, and ther periodical Christianity Today was established. Henry not only called for these developments but also was instrumental in all three institutions.
The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism contains eight addresses that Henry originally delivered at Gordon College of Theology and Missions in Boston. In the first, “The Evaporation of Fundamentalist Humanitarianism,” he says that Fundamentalists make much of the embarrassment of religious Liberalism. Two world wars and an intervening depression have shown the Liberal Christians’ belief in human goodness and inevitable progress to be false. Seeing that one’s opponents are wrong does not, however, make one’s own position right. Fundamentalism has withdrawn from society and has no agenda for confronting the problems of aggressive warfare, racial hatred and intolerance, the liquor traffic, and the injustices of management and labor. Moreover, Fundamentalists no longer even point out these evils in their preaching. Some have concluded from the silence of the Fundamentalists that they have no plan for social improvement because their pessimism about human nature leads them to believe that no social progress is possible.
In chapter 2, “The Protest Against Foredoomed Failure,” Henry notes that nothing could be less true than the idea that the biblical view of humanity precludes social improvement. Indeed, only the biblical estimate of humanity’s sinfulness and need for regeneration is sufficiently realistic to offer a cure for social ills. The reason Fundamentalists refuse to endorse Liberal programs for social reform is that they know that those programs are foredoomed to failure. Fundamentalists realize that the Liberals’ naïve and misplaced confidence in humanity grows out of a superficial view of reality. They understand that the key to world betterment is to insist on human “lostness” and God’s ability to restore the responsive sinner. Instead of leading the way, however, Fundamentalists spend all their energies resisting the programs of Liberals. In doing so, they have abandoned their heritage and narrowed their world-changing message to a world-resisting one. No twentieth century Fundamentalist has produced a contemporary version of Saint Augustine’s De civitate Dei (413-427; The City of God, 1610).
In chapter 3, “The Most Embarrassing Evangelical Divorce,” Henry describes how, during the first protracted period in its history, Fundamentalist Christianity stood divorced from the great social reform movements. Hebrew-Christian thought historically involved the social aspects of human life. In the Old Testament, Adam’s sin makes all humanity fall, Abraham’s covenant is to bless the whole world, the Mosaic law promises blessing for obedience and punishment for sin to nations as well as to individuals, and the Prophets lash out with uncompromising vigor against the social evils of their day. The New Testament continues the theme of social involvement as Jesus meets the needs of the whole person as well as the global person. Fundamentalism has betrayed this heritage because it does not explicitly sketch the social implications of its message. It fails to be biblical when it fails to challenge the injustice of totalitarianism, the secularism of modern education, the evils of racial hatred, the wrongs of current labor-management relations, and the inadequate bases of international dealings. Fundamentalism must make it clear that Christianity opposes every personal and social evil, and that it offers the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit as the only hope for the solution of social evils.
Chapter 4, “The Apprehension over Kingdom Preaching,” notes that, while in the past Fundamentalists preached that the kingdom of God would come in this world, recently they have hesitated to preach about it. Fundamentalists resist “kingdom now” preaching, which identifies God’s kingdom with any present earthly social order. While many of them preached “kingdom then” before World War II, the non-fulfillment of the prophecies they thought they understood has disenchanted them with this kind of preaching as well. Fundamentalists cannot, however, avoid preaching about the kingdom, because Jesus preached about it. Jesus’ message involved both “kingdom now” and “kingdom then,” so Fundamentalists should show how the preaching of the kingdom is relevant to the predicament of the world, quit squabbling among themselves about the details of the coming of the kingdom, and discard the misapprehension that because perfection waits for the full coming of the kingdom, nothing can be improved in the present.
In chapter 5, “The Fundamentalist Thief on the Cross,” the two thieves between whom Jesus was crucified are compared to symbolize Liberalism, which thinks Jesus cannot change the world, and Fundamentalism, which thinks that Jesus will have an effect only on the indefinite future. Both are wrong, because Jesus said, “Today thou shalt be with me in paradise.” Because Jesus’ words rang with the present tense, Fundamentalists must confront the world now, with an ethic to make it tremble and with a dynamic to give it hope.
In chapter 6, “The Struggle for a New World Mind,” Henry exhorts Fundamentalism to present a complete worldview that deals with political, economic, sociological, and educational issues. To this end, Fundamentalists must develop a competent literature in every field of study that presents the implications of a Christian worldview and shows how it differs from a non-Christian perspective. Fundamentalism must also develop an educational system that teaches its worldview to children and adults. In addition, Fundamentalism must be lived out in every area of life, including the political arena.
Henry states in chapter 7, “The Evangelical ’Formula of Protest,’” that when Fundamentalists (or as this chapter calls them, evangelicals) run their own organizations, they should work for social improvement. When they are part of larger organizations that include Liberal elements, they should join their voices in denouncing evil. When these mixed groups propose solutions to social problems that cannot work because they ignore the problem of human redemption, Fundamentalists should suggest better solutions. Only when these redemptive solutions are disallowed should the Fundamentalists break with the larger group. An even better way, however, would be for all Fundamentalists to unite to work for social reform.
In chapter 8, “The Dawn of a New Reformation,” Henry asserts that the need for a vital Fundamentalism today is as great as it was in the corrupt emperor Nero’s Rome. Fundamentalists must realize that while perfection cannot be achieved in this world, some societies are better than others, and so they must work for social improvement. When the twentieth century Church begins to “outlive” its environment as the first century Church outreached its pagan neighbors, then the world will see that Christianity will solve the problems of the individual and of society.
Christian Themes
Christians who believe in the supernatural—Fundamentalists, as Henry calls them—have found the solutions of world problems offered by Liberals to be inadequate and so have refused to join them the promoting these solutions. Sadly, however, these Fundamentalists have done nothing to offer or to work for better solutions. This quiescence is a betrayal of biblical Christianity, which redeems people and renews society. Fundamentalists must join together to discover truly Christian responses to the obvious needs of the day, such as aggressive warfare, racial hatred and intolerance, the liquor traffic, and the injustices of management and labor. While some Fundamentalists seem blissfully unaware of these problems, Henry hopes that his work will awaken them and spur them to action.
Sources for Further Study
Henry, Carl F. H. Confessions of a Theologian: An Autobiography. Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1986. Henry explains his involvement in the creation of evangelicalism.
Larsen, Timothy, ed. The Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2003. Defines the evangelical movement as having arisen in Britain in the 1730’s and covers the lives and achievements of famous evangelicals and their precursors, from John Wyclif in the fourteenth century to modern figures born as late as 1935.
Marsden, George. Reforming Fundamentalism: Fuller Seminary and the New Evangelicalism. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987. An insider’s history of the movement and institutions Henry helped to lead.
Patterson, Bob E. Carl F. H. Henry. Waco, Tex.: Word Books, 1983. A theological biography explaining Henry’s work in its historical setting.
Zoba, Wendy Murray. The Beliefnet Guide to Evangelical Christianity. New York: Three Leaves Press, 2005. Contains a good article on Henry.