Promoting Christian wisdom and understanding for the glory of God in all areas of life and thought
The Henry Center utilizes classically-informed thought to address modern theological questions. Its mission is to promote Christian wisdom and understanding for the glory of God in all areas of life and thought. Inspired by the enormous legacy of evangelical theologian Carl F. H. Henry, the Henry Center was founded as a part of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 2006.
As a center whose identity is shaped around the concept of theological understanding, the Henry Center recognizes that conversations about such topics often generate noise, not wisdom. Instead of adding to this noise, the Center aims to harmonize past and current discussions in ways that produce insight, not just information. To achieve this task, it runs a host of recurring programs involving a variety of people from across the community. It also funds faculty-led initiatives which draw attention to specific theological questions facing the evangelical church and academy.
The Henry Center seeks to bridge the gap between the academy and the church by cultivating resources and communities that advance Christian wisdom.
Alan Noble explains why the modern world makes it profoundly difficult to experience Creation as revelation, and he encourages unmediated encounters with Creation that lead to meditation. (52 minutes)
Gerald R. McDermott examines the typological tradition of the Church, particularly through Jonathan Edwards’s thought, and he argues for a recovery of the Christian understanding of the universe as an “immense Trinitarian symbol.” (61 minutes)
Bruce McCormack outlines the history of the development of the doctrine of the Trinity. He shows how early Christians’ understanding of the nature of God moved from a focus on His oneness to a more full apprehension of His Triune nature. (66 minutes)
Fred Sanders offers a Trinitarian analysis of the doctrinal significance of the biblical Adam, explaining how his creaturehood is paradigmatic for human beings and their relationship with the Triune God. (46 minutes)
In this lecture, Ephraim Radner critiques modern pneumatology for effectually denying the “difficult givenness” of this life and implicitly subverting our human creatureliness. (40 minutes)
D. Stephen Long explores a consistent theme in the work of theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar: the relationship between Christianity, modernity, and secularity. (46 minutes)
Moral philosopher Oliver O’Donovan makes an argument for the consistency of the idea of law when it is conceived in a theological context. (40 minutes)
In a 2010 lecture, George Marsden examines a few ways in which the distorting effects of Enlightenment rationalism were resisted in the work of Jonathan Edwards.(64 minutes)
