He defines preaching thus: “Authentic proclamation is simply the declaration of the original Christian message of redemption and its immediate relevance to man and society. The hermeneutical problem of proceeding from the biblical words and sentences to their exposition in contemporary life must proceed in all confidence that in the scriptural revelation God has already proceeded once-for-all from his enduring truth to appropriate and proper words.” Throughout his distinguished career as a writer, Carl Henry sought, sometimes desperately, to reawaken pastors and church leaders to their responsibility to bring biblical exegesis to bear on contemporary problems and social ills. For him, kerygmatic preaching necessarily includes application to the crises of the hour. The gospel does not address individuals only— although it always must address them— but also communities, cities, nations, governments, and the principalities and powers of the age.
Gregory Alan Thornbury, Recovering Classic Evangelicalism: Applying the Wisdom and Vision of Carl F. H. Henry