Carl Ferdinand Howard Henry (January 22, 1913 – December 7, 2003) was an American evangelical Christian theologian who provided intellectual and institutional leadership to the neo-evangelical movement in the mid-to-late 20th century.

He was ordained in 1942 after graduating from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and went on to teach and lecture at various schools and publish and edit many works surrounding the neo-evangelical movement.

[3] His ideas about Neo-evangelism are still debated to this day and his legacy continues to inspire change in American social and political culture.

[4] Henry grew up in Long Island, New York as the son of German immigrants, Karl F. Heinrich and Johanna Vaethroeder (Väthröder).

His wife Helga Bender Henry wrote a book in 1955 about the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles.

[7] Frank E. Gaebelein, then headmaster of The Stony Brook School, gave him a catalogue to the evangelical liberal arts Wheaton College.

He served as acting dean in the seminary's first year and remained there as a professor until he left to establish Christianity Today magazine.

[4] Henry taught as a visiting professor or guest lecturer at colleges, universities, seminaries, and conferences across the United States and around the world, including in Japan, Singapore, India, Liberia, South Korea, Yugoslavia, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Romania.

"[9] Henry was one of the most influential figures in the development of Neo-Evangelicalism, which emerged in the 1940s and 1950s as a response to the fundamentalist-modernist controversies of the early 20th century.

[4] Neo-evangelism in years after Henry's influence has started to become more about conservatism and culture wars, however the legacy of Henry has inspired some neo-evangelists in recent years to promote a shift in emphasis to social justice and a broader assessment of cultural and political issues beyond the concerns of only conservatism.

"[12] Hauerwas goes on to argue that the church's main goal is not to change the world, but to be a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.