The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism

Name: The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism
Author: Carl F.H. Henry
ISBN: 080282661X

by Carl F.H. Henry

What it's about

Carl Henry challenges mid-century fundamentalists to abandon their cultural isolationism and re-engage with the social issues of their day. He argues that Christians must actively confront societal evils while maintaining a firm commitment to the redemptive message of the Gospel.

Key ideas

Cultural Engagement: Christians should influence society by actively opposing social wrongs rather than retreating into private piety.
The Formula of Protest: When believers are a minority, they must voice their opposition to injustice while insisting that true, lasting change requires spiritual regeneration.
Common Grace: God exerts a constructive influence within history and culture, meaning the Gospel provides a broader "salting" effect on the world beyond just individual conversions.
The Necessity of the Gospel: Social activism is incomplete and ineffective if it is not coupled with the message of redemption as the only long-term solution to human brokenness.

You'll love this book if...

You want to understand the intellectual foundations of modern evangelical social concern.
You are looking for a framework that balances bold social activism with orthodox Christian theology.
You grapple with how to influence a secular culture without compromising your core beliefs.

Best for

Theologians and pastors seeking a historical roadmap for how faith should challenge and shape public policy.

Books with the same vibe

The Kingdom of God by Francis Wharton
Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr
The Christian Manifesto by Francis Schaeffer

3 popular highlights from this book

Save these highlights with Screvi Browse all books

Key Insights & Memorable Quotes

The most popular highlights from The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, saved by readers on Screvi.

However marred, the world vessel of clay is not without some of the influence of the Master Molder. God has not left Himself entirely without witness in the global calamity; He discloses Himself in the tragedies as well as the triumphs ofhistory. He works in history as well as above history. There is a universal confrontation of men and women by the divine Spirit, invading all cultures and all individual lives. There is a constructive work of God in history, even where the redemptive Gospel does not do a recreating work. The evangelical missionary message cannot be measured for success by the number of converts only. The Christian message has a salting effect upon the earth. It aims at a re-created society; where it is resisted, it often encourages the displacement of a low ideology by one relatively higher.

Therefore, the path of evangelical action seems to be an eagerness to condemn all social evils, no less vigorously than any other group, and a determination (1) when evangelicals are in the majority, to couple such condemnation with the redemptive Christian message as the only true solution; (2) when evangelicals are in the minority, to express their opposition to evils in a "formula of protest," concurring heartily in the assault on social wrongs, but insisting upon the regenerative context as alone able to secure a permanent rectification of such wrongs.

The Fundamentalist does not think that the ends can be reached by various means, and that his method is better; if he did, the hostility would not be as serious.