In 1947, the United States was coming out of a world war, and the American church was dealing with the developing challenge of theological liberalism. In response to the theological drift within so many denominations, Fundamentalism had arisen. Fundamentalism focused on holding firmly to the “fundamentals” of the faith. However, a spirit of mistrust began to penetrate the Fundamentalist ranks, as many became suspicious of both higher education and secular culture. This led to Fundamentalism becoming an isolated group, withdrawing and forming its own Bible schools and camps. It also led to a complete separation from many aspects of culture.
This separation led a prominent theologian to write a work that would contribute to changing the direction of conservative Christianity in the United States. Carl F. H. Henry would write The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, Fuller theological seminary would be launched, and Billy Graham and Christianity Today would become the voices of the new movement. In his book, Henry called out conservative Christianity for its withdrawal from the needs of the world in the name of the gospel. Instead, he called for a new way. He called for a Christianity that held to the truths of the gospel and called on people to be converted while also engaging with the social issues of the day.
The Uneasy Conscience is a short book, running only around 102 pages, but it punches above its weight class. Henry tackles issues that read with the same clarity in 2025 as they did in 1947. He addresses the problem of only seeing the Kingdom as future and thus ignoring the present. He calls on believers to re-engage with the world, thus seeking the good of the city while also acknowledging that permanent change would only come through the return of Christ and the consummation of the Millennial kingdom. There is much to commend it to a modern audience. While many within evangelicalism have caved to the pressures of secularism and have compromised their beliefs for a seat at the table, there are still many who have withdrawn, and watched as their gospel light has been minimized because of a lack of engagement in the market of ideas.
Over 75 years after first being written, Carl Henry’s work still rings true. The church must hold to the gospel and be engaged with the world. We’ve said it for years, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That maxim isn’t inspired, but there is certainly a ring of truth to it. May the American church care well and thus open many doors to the proclamation of the gospel message. To the glory of God alone. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
