Carl F. H. Henry

Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry (January 22, 1913 – December 7, 2003) was an American evangelical Christian theologian who served as the first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, established to serve as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and a challenge to the liberal Christian Century. The new magazine soon outdistanced its competitor in readership, though it was not without its critics. At a luncheon of 200 Christian leaders held to honor neo-orthodox theologian Karl Barth, Henry rose and identified himself as "editor of 'Christianity Today'" before asking Barth about his views on the historical fact of Jesus' resurrection. Barth retorted, "Did you say Christianity Today or Christianity Yesterday?" As the audience howled with laughter, Henry countered, "Yesterday, today, and forever." Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a broad collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions which are found among conservative Protestant Christians. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... At Wikiversity you can learn more and teach others about Theology at: The School of Theology Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ... The magazine Christian Century was originally founded as The Christian Oracle, a denominational magazine of the Disciples of Christ in 1884 in the United States. ... Karl Barth. ...

Early years and education

Henry grew up on Long Island, New York as the son of German immigrants, Karl F. Heinrich and Johanna Vaethroeder (Väthröder). After his high school graduation in 1929, he began working in newspaper journalism. While he was not unacquainted with Christianity, his first experience indicating a personal God came as he worked at a weekly newspaper office, proofreading galleys with a middle-aged woman, Mildred Christy. When Henry used Christ's name as a swear word, Christy commented, "Carl, I'd rather you slap my face than take the name of my best Friend in vain." This article is about Long Island in New York State. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

He enrolled at evangelical, liberal arts Wheaton College in 1935, where he also taught typing and journalism. It was there that he met Helga whom he married in August of 1940. He received both bachelors and masters degrees from Wheaton. He then earned a Doctor of Theology degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a PhD from Boston University in 1949. Wheaton College is a private, independent, evangelical Protestant, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Wheaton, Illinois, USA. Wheaton has an enrollment of approximately 2,400 undergraduate students. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (often abbreviated to Northern Baptist Seminary) is a seminary located in Lombard, Illinois, outside of Chicago. ... For similarly-named academic institutions, see Boston (disambiguation). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

His son Paul B. Henry was a U.S. Congressman from Michigan from 1985 until his death in 1993. Paul Brentwood Henry (July 9, 1942–July 31, 1993) was an evangelical Christian, professor of political science, and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Seal of the House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Career

In 1942 he took part in the launching of the National Association of Evangelicals, serving on its board for several years and being book editor of their magazine United Evangelical Action. 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an agency dedicated to coordinating cooperative ministry for evangelical denominations of Christians in the United States. ...

In 1947 he published his first book, a critique entitled The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, which, while rejecting modern liberalism, and preserving a doctrinal focus on the Bible, also rejected the rigidness and disengagement of Fundamentalists. The book firmly established Henry as one of the leading Evangelical scholars. In the same year, along with Harold Ockenga, Harold Lindsell and Edward John Carnell, he helped establish Fuller Theological Seminary, founded by radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... Fundamentalist Christianity, or Christian fundamentalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and American Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by conservative evangelical Christians, who, in a reaction to modernism, actively affirmed a fundamental set of Christian beliefs: the inerrancy of the Bible, Sola Scriptura, the... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Edward John Carnell (1919-1967) was a prominent Christian theologian and apologist, was an ordained Baptist pastor, and served as President of Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. ... Fuller Theological Seminary, located in Pasadena, California, is the largest multi denominational seminary in the world. ... Evangelism is the proclaiming of the Christian Gospel. ... Dr. Charles Edward Fuller (April 25, 1887 - March 18, 1968) was an American Christian clergyman and a radio evangelist. ...

In 1956, with the urging and support of Evangelist Billy Graham, Henry began publication of Christianity Today. He was the magazine's editor until 1968. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In 1978 signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which affirmed Biblical inerrancy. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy was formulated in October of 1978 by approximately 300 evangelical scholars at a conference sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, held in Chicago. ...

Henry's magnum opus was a six-volume work entitled God, Revelation, and Authority, completed in 1983. He concluded "that if we humans say anything authentic about God, we can do so only on the basis of divine self-revelation; all other God-talk is conjectural." In his magnum opus he presented his own version of Christian apologetics which is often called presuppositional apologetics. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

His autobiography, Confessions of a Theologian was published in 1986. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Henry died in 2003 at the age of 90. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External link - Biography

• "The Carl Henry That Might have Been" Christianity Today

Autobiography

• Confessions of a Theologian: An Autobiography (Waco: Word, 1986).

Select Bibliography

• The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1947).

• Christian Personal Ethics (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1957).

• ed., Revelation and the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958).

• Evangelicals at the Brink of Crisis (Waco: Word, 1967).

• Faith at the Frontiers (Chicago: Moody, 1969).

• Evangelicals in Search of Identity (Waco: Word, 1976).

• God, Revelation and Authority, 6 Vols, (Waco: Word, 1976-1983).

• The Christian Mindset in a Secular Society (Portland: Multnomah, 1984).

• Christian Countermoves in a Decadent Culture (Portland: Multnomah, 1986).

• Twilight of a Great Civilization (Westchester: Crossway, 1988).

• and Kenneth Kantzer, eds. Evangelical Affirmations (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990).

Critical Assessment

• D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge, eds. God and Culture: Essays in Honor of Carl F. H. Henry (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans/Carlisle: Paternoster, 1993).

• Bob E. Patterson, Carl F. H. Henry (Waco: Word, 1984).

• R. C. Sproul, John Gerstner and Arthur Lindsley, Classical Apologetics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984).

• Richard A. Purdy, The Rational Apologetic Methodology of Carl F. H. Henry in the Context of the Current Impasse between Reformed and Evangelical Apologetics (PhD Dissertation, New York University, 1980).

• Richard A. Purdy, Carl F. H. Henry in Elwell, Walter A., editor, Handbook of Evangelical Theologians, 260-75 (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993).

Other Relevant Sources

• Joel A. Carpenter, ed. Two Reformers of Fundamentalism: Harold John Ockenga and Carl F. H. Henry (New York: Garland, 1988).

• George Marsden, Reforming Fundamentalism: Fuller Seminary and the New Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1987).

• James DeForest Murch, Cooperation without Compromise: A History of the National Association of Evangelicals (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1956).

See also

• Neo-evangelicalism