TWILIGHT OF A GREAT CIVILIZATION: THE DRIFT TOWARD NEO-PAGANISM, by Carl F. H. Henry

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

By Benjamin J. Montoya

 

About the Author

Carl F. H. Henry is widely recognized as a foremost thinker, educator, author, and theologian. He holds the ThD from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the PhD from Boston University. He was the founding editor of Christianity Today, the Chairman of the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin in 1966, and the Program Chairman for the Jerusalem Conference on Biblical Prophecy in 1970. He is the author of some thirty-five volumes, a number of which have had a decisive influence on the shape of Christianity in America, including The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism (1948; see our Book Summary here), Evangelicals at the Brink of Crisis (1967), and the monumental six-volume work God, Revelation, and Authority (1976–1983). In addition, he has taught and lectured around the world at major universities on every continent.

 

Introduction

Our culture is nearing its twilight because of the rise of neo-paganism. What exactly is neo-paganism? How should Christians respond? How must Christians think and interact with the cultural context it finds itself in? Consider this crucial book by Carl F. H. Henry to learn more.

 

Table of Contents

Part I:  The Rise of Neo-Paganism
Chapter 1  The Barbarians Are Coming
Chapter 2  Diagnosis of a Troubled Time
Chapter 3  Toward a Prescription for Recovery
Part II:  Essentials in the Battle for Truth
Chapter 4  The Fight of the Day
Chapter 5  Beggars and Benefactors
Chapter 6  Are Theologians an Endangered Species?
Chapter 7  The Creator and the Neo-Pagan Mind
Part III:  Illusion, Idealism and Biblical Truth
Chapter 8  Feed Them on Fantasies
Chapter 9  Perspectives on Capital Punishment
Chapter 10  Where Will Evangelicals Cast Their Lot?
Part IV:  Education and the Quest for Truth
Chapter 11  Facing the Crisis in Education
Chapter 12  Educating for Intellectual Excellence
Chapter 13  Christian Fund-Raising Heresies
Part V:  Confronting Neo-Paganism
Chapter 14  The Christian Worldview Imperative
Chapter 15  The Christian Scholar’s Task in a Stricken World
Chapter 16  The Judeo-Christian Heritage and Human Rights
Part VI:  Before Hell Breaks Out
Chapter 17  The Uneasy Conscience Revisited

 

Summary

 

Part I: The Rise of Neo-Paganism

Chapter 1: The Barbarians Are Coming

It may sound strange to read, or hear, in the case of those listening to this summary, that “The barbarians are coming.” But that is really the case in our culture. We are seeing the rise of a neo-paganism, or barbarians. Our culture is/has abandoned objective truth, and now people’s reality becomes what they want it to be. What are we, as Christians, to do?

First, we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. We know he will conquer any and all barbarians. Second, the Church of Jesus Christ is here now. They are here to preach the gospel with the result that interpersonal fences will be broken down and lives will be drastically changed. The Church is desperately needed here because paganism breaks down the morals of a culture into whatever people want it to be, but Christianity provides a solid foundation.

 

Chapter 2: Diagnosis of a Troubled Time

If we were to try to diagnosis our time, we can easily say it is a troubled time. Carl F. H. Henry made this point in 1988, but if he were to have written this book today, his point would be no different in light of everything that has happened since then. Ours is a troubled time because neo-paganism has seeped into our society at deep levels.

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