nce upon a time, evangelicalism was a countercultural upstart movement. Positioned in between mainline denominational CLASSICRECOVERING EVANGELICALISM Gregory Alan Thornbury Oliberalism and reactionary fundamentalism, evangelicals saw themselves as evangelists to all of culture. Billy Graham was reaching the masses with his Crusades, Francis Schaeffer was reaching artists and university students at L’Abri, Larry Norman was recording Jesus music on secular record labels and touring with Janis Joplin and the Doors, and Carl F. H. Henry was reaching the intellectuals through Christianity Today. It was the dawn of “classic evangelicalism.” Surveying the current evangelical landscape, however, one gets the feel- ing that we’re backpedaling quickly. We are more theologically diffuse, culturally gun-shy, and fragmented than ever before. What has hap- APPLYING THE WISDOM AND pened? And how do we find our way back? Using the life and work of Carl F. H. Henry as a key to evangelicalism’s past and a cipher for its future, this book provides crucial insights for a renewed vision of the church’s place in modern society and charts a refreshing course toward unity under the banner of “classic evangelicalism.” “An important, erudite work that should be read by anyone who longs for a return to a robust, vital evangelicalism.” VISION OF CARL F. H. HENRY BARRY H. COREY, President, Biola University “Thornbury shows why Henry is too important to be forgotten and can strengthen the fibers of faith in the evangelical soul.” THORNBURY TIMOTHY GEORGE, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School “This marvelously written volume brilliantly captures the essence of Henry’s massive writings for a new generation of students, thinkers, and leaders.” DAVID S. DOCKERY, President, Union University GREGORY ALAN THORNBURY (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as dean of the School of Theology and Missions, vice president for spiritual life, and professor of philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY / EVANGELISM U.S. $17.99 U.S. “The enduring influence of what Greg Thornbury wisely calls ‘classic evangelical- ism’ is critical for the health and vitality of Christianity in America. He rightly looks to the greatest intellectual figure of twentieth-century evangelicalism, Carl Henry, as a mentor and guide. At the same time, this is a radically current book, directed at the most crucial issues facing the evangelical movement today. This is an important work by a leading evangelical scholar. We can only hope that this book becomes widely influential.” R. Albert Mohler Jr., President and Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary “This is the best book on Carl F. H. Henry published to date. Greg Thornbury shows why Henry is too important to be forgotten. Closely argued and well researched, this book can lead the way to a Henrician revival—one that can strengthen the fibers of faith within the evangelical soul.” Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School; General Editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture “Greg Thornbury clearly understands the theological genius of Carl Henry. This marvelously written volume brilliantly captures the essence of Henry’s massive writings for a new generation of students, thinkers, and leaders. Seeking to reclaim and recover Henry’s primary theological commitments, his vision for shaping evan- gelicalism, and his strategic and irenic approach to engaging both academy and culture, Thornbury superbly interprets and applies Henry’s writings in a persua- sive and winsome manner. Those who have already learned much from Henry, those who have rejected or misunderstood Henry, and those who have yet to be introduced to the dean of twentieth-century evangelical theologians will benefit from this significant work. Recovering Classic Evangelicalism, simply stated, is an extraordinary contribution.” David S. Dockery, President, Union University “Greg Thornbury is an exceptional emerging scholar, and his Recovering Clas- sic Evangelicalism is an important, erudite work that should be read by anyone who longs for a return to a robust, vital evangelicalism. At a time when Protestant Christianity in the West is on the decline, and evangelicalism is ever more fractured, Thornbury has something important to say—imploring us to re-form an evangeli- calism with sturdy foundations, a confident connection to our doctrinal heritage, and a winsome engagement with the broader world. With characteristic clarity and conviction, Thornbury suggests that evangelicalism need not reinvent the wheel in order to remain relevant; rather, it must reclaim the essentials of its Protestant heritage and immerse itself in the beautiful basics that once made it great.” Barry H. Corey, President, Biola University “The witness of Carl Henry and classic evangelicalism to absolute truth and objec- tive knowledge; the critical importance of theology in life and ministry; the total truthfulness of Scripture and biblical inerrancy; a churchly, faithful, and Christian engagement with culture; and a vision of what evangelicalism could and should be are all things that we need to hear or recover today. Every chapter of this book instructed, challenged, and encouraged me personally and prompted me to want evangelicals of this generation to read and heed the lessons from the story that Greg Thornbury tells so well.” J. Ligon Duncan, John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi Recovering Classic Evangelicalism: Applying the Wisdom and Vision of Carl F. H. Henry Copyright © 2013 by Gregory Alan Thornbury Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Cover design: Dual Identity inc. Cover image: Courtesy of Billy Graham Center Archives First printing 2013 Printed in the United States of America Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture references marked niv are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Ver- sion®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked kjv are from the King James Version of the Bible. Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3062-3 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3063-0 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3064-7 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3065-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thornbury, Gregory Alan. Recovering classic evangelicalism [electronic resource] : applying the wisdom and vision of Carl F. H. Henry / Gregory Alan Thornbury. 1 online resource. Includes bibliographical references and index. Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed. ISBN 978-1-4335-3063-0 (pdf) ISBN 978-1-4335-3064-7 (mobi) ISBN 978-1-4335-3065-4 (epub) ISBN (invalid) 978-1-4335-3062-3 (tp) 1. Evangelicalism. 2. Theology, Doctrinal. I. Henry, Carl F. H. (Carl Ferdinand Howard), 1913–2003. II. Title. BR1640 230'.04624—dc23 2012042940 Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contents Preface 11 Chapter 1 The Lost World of Classic Evangelicalism 13 Chapter 2 Epistemology Matters 34 Chapter 3 Theology Matters 59 Chapter 4 Inerrancy Matters 116 Chapter 5 Culture Matters 159 Chapter 6 Evangelicalism Matters 200 Selected Bibliography of Works by Carl F. H. Henry 209 General Index 215 Scripture Index 223 Preface I have always been one to appreciate odd juxtapositions in life, and that sentiment isn’t lost upon me as I write the preface to this vol- ume. I am sitting here at Lennon Studios in San Francisco waiting on a friend to finish up rehearsals for a highly anticipated reunion performance of the glam-rock band he played in back in the ’80s. Seems like the perfect place to pause and reflect about finishing up a project on Carl F. H. Henry, right? For reasons I will explain in this book, there are those who see Henry’s thought as a relic of a bygone era. I beg to differ, but if Carl becomes an antihero of a new orthodox generation, a dream will have come true! Several years ago, I raised the possibility of doing this book with a prominent pastor, and he didn’t exactly encourage me. “I loved Carl,” he said, pausing for a moment, “but would anybody care about him now?” Since that conversation, all of the conversa- tions I have had on the question have pointed in the other direction. Perhaps now, one decade removed from Henry’s passing, the timing is right for this project. For the past fifteen years, my context has been Union University in Tennessee, and it really is hard to imagine a community more supportive of a book with a subject such as this one. In 2000, Dr. Henry gave his name to a new center, which I had just been given responsibility to lead. It was a vote of confidence in our work at Union as a place committed to the great Christian intellectual tradition, and it boosted the common- weal. As the dean of the School of Theology and Missions at Union, I count it an immense privilege to be surrounded by the greatest team of colleagues, who are some of the leading scholars in their respective fields, but who are also deeply committed to “classic evangelicalism.” Among those colleagues a few in particular really helped me “power through” this volume toward completion: Taylor Worley, Gene Fant, Hunter Baker, Hal Poe, Jim Patterson, and C. Ben Mitchell. More than other colleagues, however, no one has been more enthusiastic about my work on Henry than David S.