Journal: Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Volume: JBMW 20:2 (Fall 2015)
Article: The Self-Reliant Conscience Of Evangelical Stoicism
Author: Jason G. Duesing

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The Self-Reliant Conscience Of Evangelical Stoicism

Jason G. Duesing

Editor, Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Provost and Associate Professor of Historical Theology
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Kansas City, Missouri

At the outbreak of World War II with the imminent threat of German attack felt by many Londoners, the British government sought to inspire and instruct their citizens in their plight of endurance. To avoid paralysis of daily activity or mass hysteria caused by an avalanche of anxiety, the leaders propagated a sloganeering campaign. Colorful posters were placed in well trafficked areas and reminded the faithful that “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution, Will Bring Us Victory.” Perhaps the most popular slogan, however, was “Keep Calm and Carry On” as it resonated well with the stiff-upper-lip constitution of many Britons.1 The idea of self-reinforced statements to bolster courage and focus energy, especially in the face of danger, is noble and proven effective for wartime morale or even sporting arena triumph. However, for the Christian, the temptation to anchor one’s daily faith to self-reinforcement tactics can prove dangerous.

Thus, as contemporary culture continues to morph and decline, is it time merely to practice our

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stiff-upper-lip and “Keep Calm and Carry On”? Should we circle the wagons of paranoia and fear to bolster strength to ride out a storm of moral change while saying nothing?

In his 1947 classic, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, Carl F. H. Henry called for “contemporary evangelicalism to reawaken to the relevance of its redemptive message to the global predicament.” He believed that the truth was stronger than fiction and that evangelicals had a message for the world. He said, “The message for a decadent modern civilization must ring with the present tense. We must confront the world now with an ethics to make it tremble, and with a dynamic to give it hope.”2 So, if in any sense, we have shirked from this kind of optimism, Henry would no doubt be disappointed.

The “Uneasy Conscience” of which Henry spoke was the tendency of 1940s fundamentalists to grow uneasy with how to interact with a changing culture and retreat instead of engage. The fundamentalists were not uneasy about the truths of the Bible but rather with how to apply them well to the modern situation. I think for the growing evangelical minority today, the same temptation is present and, not knowing how to withstand the cultural press...

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