Twilight of a Great Civilization: The Drift Toward Neo-Paganism

by Carl F.H. Henry

"A half-generation ago the pagans were still largely threatening at the gates of Western culture; now the barbarians are plunging into the... mainstream. As they seek to reverse the inherited intellectual and moral heritage of the Bible,... [we are] engaged as never before in a rival conflict for the mind, the conscience, the will, the spirit, the very selfhood of contemporary man." --Carl F. H. Henry Twilight of a Great Civilization is a penetrating critique, by a distinguished Christian leader, of the moral and intellectual disintegration sweeping our culture. But more than this, it is a book of promise and possibilities--a ringing affirmation of the power of the gospel to transform hearts and minds, and to leave a lasting impact upon our age. As one of the noted Christian thinkers of this century, Carl F. H. Henry provides a perceptive diagnosis of America's spiritual malaise. From the decline in moral integrity, to "Christian Fundraising Heresies"; from the abandonment of rigorous education and clear thinking, to the affirmation of idealistic illusions in social and political matters--Henry shows how the wider culture, and many within Christian circles, have accommodated to the Spirit of the Age. But beyond the careful diagnosis lies Henry's prescription and vision for Jesus Christ the Lord is coming! He has won the ultimate victory over sin and death; and He will come again in power and glory to reign forevermore. Therefore, the church of Jesus Christ is alive!--and by the power of the Spirit is called to "march and sing our faith in the public arena, in the streets,... on the mass media," and in the marketplace of ideas. Henry provides here an invaluable resource to all who long for the light of Christ to shine with brilliance in "the twilight of a great civilization." "The American Century is over; the world order is changing. But America's eclipse is not inevitable. In a country where people can choose... , the future... is a matter of choice." -- Newsweek Magazine "To the world we seem like Hogan's Army waiting for Godot. Can we take a holy initiative in history? Can we once more strike an apostolic stride? Can we put an ungodly world on the defensive again? Can we show men the folly of opposing Him who has already overcome the world, of rejecting fellowship with the coming King? Will we offer civilization a realistic option, or only a warning of impending doom? Will Christianity speak only to man's fears and frustrations, or will it also fill the vacuums in his heart and crown his longings for life at its best?" --Carl F. H. Henry

Genres: Theology, Cultural

196 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry was an American evangelical Christian theologian who served as the first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today, established to serve as a scholarly voice for evangelical Christianity and a challenge to the liberal Christian Century.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

"If evangelicals believe that the enduring corrective of modernity's badly-skewed ethical and epistemic compass is the self-disclosed God and His moral agenda, they had better say so and live so in this crucial turning time in America. Otherwise they may soon find themselves aliens in a once promised land." pg 181

Written in 1988 by the founding Editor of Christianity Today this book served as a warning for Christians that the barbarians were at the gates seeking to reverse the inherited intellectual and moral heritage of the bible. While we have made some advances in certain areas I believe by in large we are not moving forward in a biblical manner in America but the good news is still the good news.

Parts of the Book:

1: The Rise of Neo-Paganism
2: Essentials in the Battle for Truth
3: Illusion, Idealism and Biblical Truth
4: Education and the Quest for Truth
5: Confronting Neo-Paganism
6: Before Hell Breaks Out

The message of this book is that Christians who are not prepared to defend the bible and its truth will let all number of things happen to them from the secular world. Biblical neophytes with a historical ignorance, in a setting of comfortable living in America have no doubt replaced the fear of the lord with the fear of not being seen as trendy. The minds of man lack biblical discernment, the fruit of the spirit, and a prayer saturated disposition so out of this we have Christians seeking first the kingdom of self.

When Dr. Henry breaks down the biblical text to explain his thinking it was pure beauty to this reader. I don't claim to understand everything he wrote because this book is not light reading, but it made me think about whether or not I was willing to put everything on the line for the sake of the gospel, before this great country plunges into a sin it cannot return from, which may be a foregone conclusion.

I initially bought this book for the section on Education (Part 4). I was indifferent to its message, not that it wasn't on the money, but I just cannot imagine its application being accomplished in today's Christian culture. The main work of the parent is to bring their Children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord teaching them the scriptures and their application for the whole of the person, the author fears that without the teaching that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe we'll just be given to all kinds of notions.

The Christian Scholars task as Henry puts it, is to show where the teaching students today are presented, via the evolutionary worldview as the only viable view to the creation of man, how long will it be before they realize that this worldview is bleak and has no foundation to explain much of anything. If, like Henry continually eludes to, there is no transcendent authority, it will simply lead society to an ever changing definition of what values society must live by, and the State sets itself up as God. Secular states have values and they change, God's word does not change and gives us grounds to make claims of truth to a dying world. I wouldn't put this read at the top of my list but you'd be better off being aware of the thinking presented.

[William Dicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book was published back in 1988, it is still a valuable resource to see the decline of a civilization. What Henry saw as something coming, we can now evaluate as having come. While Henry saw the initial stages of a failing civilization, we can now see the end results. This failing civilization, according to Henry, is a result of denying God His rightful place in society.