The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism

by Carl F.H. Henry

If the Bible-believing Christian is on the wrong side of social problems such as war, race, class, labor, liquor, imperialism, etc., it is time to get over the fence to the right side. The church needs a progressive Fundamentalism with a social message.

A Christianity without a passion to turn the world upside down is not reflective of apostolic Christianity.

On Old Testament pages no less than New, then, the cardinal doctrines are not divorced from ethical implications.

But even more serious was the fact that some Fundamentalist workers substituted a familiarity with the prophetic teaching of the Bible for an aggressive effort to proclaim Christ as the potent answer to the dissolution of world culture. As a consequence, they trained enlightened spectators, rather than empowered ambassadors. Prophetic conference, rather than pentecostal challenge, was their forte.

The task of the Bible student is to discover (1) in what sense it is here; (2) in what sense it is to be further realized before the advent of Christ; and (3) in what sense it will be fully realized at the advent of Christ.

Seek first, not a Republican victory, or a labor victory, but the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then there will be added - not necessarily a Republican or labor victory, but - political rest.