The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism

“First published as a tract for the times in 1947, Carl Henry’s The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism became the charter document for the modern evangelical movement. It remains today as vibrant, prophetic, and necessary as ever. If evangelicalism has a future to reclaim, it will begin by heeding Henry.”

“Carl Henry’s book is a modern classic that students of public theology simply cannot ignore. Its argument opened the doors for evangelicalism’s engagement with the world around it in the latter half of the twentieth century. Today it stands as a timeless rebuke to those who would make the kingdom of God the handmaiden of earthly political ideologies, yet it does so without falling prey to gnostic withdrawal. Henry’s argument forces evangelicals to reckon with the real-world implications of the theology they herald.”

“Evangelicals today are divided over differing visions of faith and culture. While all are committed to proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers, many are hesitant about other expressions of Christian mission—especially those that seek to address systemic injustices. We’ve been here before. In the years after World War II, Carl F. H. Henry wrote his brief manifesto The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. Though he wrote for a different context, Henry’s case for Christ-centered, biblically motivated cultural engagement remains evergreen. This book deeply affected my own ministry when I first read it as a seminary student. I trust God will use it similarly for a fresh generation of readers.”

“Carl F. H. Henry’s The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism is a seminal work, an ever-relevant—even prophetic—guide to navigating evangelical divisions and malaise in our modern contexts in ways both biblical and redemptive.”