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Dr. Carl Henry

1913 - 2003

1998

Watertown Daily Times, 07 29 1998

 

Carl Henry, a world-renowned theologian, and his wife, Helga, are spending their retirement years in Watertown. But even though the 85-year-old Henry is retired, he still is active on three boards, writes articles, gives guest lectures and only last year stopped teaching as a visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he taught since 1974. “I now leave to others the ministry of preaching and full-time teaching,” Henry said of his retirement. But this is a small amount of work compared to what Henry has accomplished in his life thus far. For a man who has done so much, slowing down doesn't mean concluding what he likes to do. Henry, who was born in New York City before World War I, has devoted his life to studying, teaching, lecturing and writing about theology and philosophy.

 

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2003

Dr. Carl F. H. Henry, 90, of 1020 Hill St., Watertown, internationally known theologian, journalist and evangelical leader, died on December 7, 2003, at Marquardt Memorial Manor.

 

A private graveside service was held in Oak Hill Cemetery, with the Rev. Allan Kranz of First Baptist Church officiating. A memorial service was scheduled for a later time.

 

Dr. Henry was born January 22, 1913, in New York, N.Y., son of Karl and Johanna (Vaethroeder) Henry. He married the former Helga Bender on August 17, 1940, in Chicago, Ill.

 

Founding editor of Christianity Today, Henry was the author and/or editor of more than 40 books, including his ground- breaking "The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism" in 1947, "Aspects of Christian Social Ethics" in 1964 and the six volume "God, Revelation and Authority" from 1976 to 1983. He also contributed hundreds of articles to journals and other printed venues.

 

Henry earned a B.A. and M.A. degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois, a B.D. and Th.D. from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Boston University. He held teaching positions and lectureships at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fuller Seminary (where he was also a founding faculty member), Eastern Baptist Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and other institutions in the United States and abroad.

 

Following his editorial responsibilities at Christianity Today, Henry served as lecturer-at-large for World Vision International and later Prison Fellowship Ministries in addition to other positions. His work, which included participation in numerous organizations, was worldwide and transdenominational.

 

Henry's entry in "Who's Who In the World" reads in part: 

 

"The Bible remains the world's most indispensable reading, and a personal walk with God remains man's unsurpassable privilege. All the valid assumptions about the meaning and worth of life and about a just society flow from this."

 

Henry was a member of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

 

Dr. Henry was survived by his wife of 63 years, Helga Bender Henry of Watertown.

 

Buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

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From a tribute article in Christianity Today:

 

"Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry was born on January 22, 1913, in New York City, the son of German immigrant parents. He died on December 7, 2003, in Watertown, Wisconsin, with Helga, his beloved wife of 63 years, at his side. In the 90 years that intervened between these two events, Henry cut a wide and deep swath across the landscape of American Christianity and the world evangelical movement. Indeed, along with his Wheaton College classmate, Billy Graham, and distinguished Boston pastor Harold John Ockenga, Henry practically invented what later became known as evangelicalism."

 

"The abiding validity of Henry's theology stems from the hope that is at the heart of true Christian faith. He knew that despite storms without and fears within, all of the biblical realities remain in place. God's promises have not been nullified, and a life transformed by the dynamic of the Gospel of Christ is as powerful as ever."

 

"Beyond all of his accomplishments, two things about Carl Henry stand out in my mind. On his last visit to Beeson Divinity School, he spoke in chapel about his conversion to Christ. He never got over the sheer wonder and joy of having been chosen and rescued by God's surprising grace. He knew what it meant to be born again. The other thing that stands out was his extraordinary humility and kindness toward others. His commitment to the orthodox Christian faith was solid as a rock, but I never heard him speak in a bitter or disparaging way about anybody, not even those with whom he disagreed."

 

 

 

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