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Jackson, Tenn. - Carl F.H. Henry is the fourth annual recipient of
the Mark O. Hatfield Leadership Award at the Christian Council of Colleges
and Universities (CCCU) annual meeting recently held in Washington, D.C.
51ÉçÇø President David S. Dockery was selected to make the
presentation to Henry, a fellow Southern Baptist.
"Few people in the twentieth century have done more to articulate the importance of a coherent Christian world and life view than Carl F.H. Henry," said Dockery. Born in 1913 to immigrant parents in New York City, Henry's family was very similar to other hard-working immigrant families and lived with little luxury, and little evidence of religion in the family. It was after high school and the start of a career in journalism working for various New York daily newspapers that Henry came in contact with the gospel. Only 20 years old, Henry left a successful and promising career as a young journalist to enroll at Wheaton College, and it was there that he made friends with Billy Graham, studied with philosopher Gordon Clark, and met his wife, Helga Berden, whom he married in 1940. Henry went on to complete his B.A. and M.A. at Wheaton, the M.Div. and Th.D. at Northern Baptist Seminary and later earned the Ph.D. in philosophy at Boston University. After several years serving on the faculty of the Fuller Theological Seminary as professor and later dean, Henry accepted the invitation to serve as founding editor of the Christian publication, Christianity Today. Henry has authored or edited more than fifty books in the past forty years and according to Dockery, "all have called for serious engagement with our culture and the issues of our day." "Henry's irenic spirit has enabled him to interact with others in an accepting way while holding unapologetically to the truthfulness of historic Christianity," said Dockery. Through Henry's several key leadership roles over the years including his tenure as president of the American Theological Society and the Evangelical Theological Society, "Henry's influence has been immense," said Dockery. The CCCU annually awards the Carl F.H. Henry Scholarship to a journalism student who can bring a biblical perspective to the issues of the day. "No Christian college or university in North America carries forth the commitment to the integration of faith and learning without Henry's influence, even if many on our campuses are unaware of that influence," said Dockery. The highest honor bestowed by the CCCU, past recipients of the Mark O. Hatfield Leadership Award have included Arthur Holmes and Billy Graham, all recognized for their "ability to shape and influence evangelical Christianity in immeasurable ways." |
