In the middle of the 20th Century, Evangelical Christianity was given a new burst of academic energy through the foundation of Fuller Seminary, a new burst of intellectual energy through the foundation of the Evangelical Theological Society, and a new burst of public energy through the foundation of Christianity Today. At the center of each of these events was Carl F.H. Henry. Working with Christianity Today, Lexham Press has put together a volume of Henry’s bets work from the magazine in the book Architect of Evangelicalism: Essential Essays of Carl F.H. Henry. This includes both essays that he wrote as Editor of CT and occasional works throughout his long career.
While this book is a treasure trove and one that should definitely be on your reading list, just to give you a sample of why this book is worthwhile, here are a few common errors that Christians are prone to (and which a proper view of Christian social action will protect us from, pgs 301-302):
- “Indifference to the cultural situation outside the churches.
- The hasty imposition of Christian ideals upon the social order in the hope that their validity would be self-evident and their performance implemented by unregenerate humanity as an avenue to social stability.”
- The needless and arbitrary identification of particular social programs, sometimes quite secular in spirit, as essentially and authentically Christian.
- An undue reliance merely on propaganda, education, and persuasion, or yet on legislation and compulsion to revolutionize society, rather than on the spiritual weapon of a regenerate morality.”
Given that these points were published in 1959, clearly Henry is a timeless writer and well worth reading. This book is a great place to start.
Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog), and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO
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