Hermeneutics as Epistemology: A Critical Assessment of Carl F. H. Henry's Epistemological Approach to Hermeneutics

Historic Protestantism and evangelicalism has always been committed to the authority of Scripture and interested in the proper interpretation of the Bible. They uphold the motto: As Scripture says God says; and as God says Scripture says. Many today claim this type of reasoning is faulty since individuals can no longer know the true meaning of Scripture because there are no stable metaphysical or epistemological frameworks. Moreover they claim that approaches such as the one presented by Carl F. H. Henry no longer provide adequate grounds to address the pressing hermeneutical issues. This study responds to these types of claims showing each of these proposals is based upon faulty first principles or misrepresentations. This book surveys hermeneutical innovations and Henrys epistemological hermeneutic to show that Henrys epistemology is foundational to his hermeneutic offering present-day evangelicals an epistemologically justified approach to hermeneutics as epistemology and methodology. The book will be of importance to those with interest in evangelical hermeneutics or philosophical hermeneutics in general. It provides a clear assessment of the impact of Carl F. H. Henrys epistemology and hermeneutic and strives to respond to criticisms raised against his Augustinian Reformed revelational cognitive-propositional hermeneutic. The decisive way to counter error in biblical understanding is to outflank it at the level of its own arbitrary first principles and to set biblically based first principles in their place. Dr. Roach shows us very fully how Carl Henry did this by setting current hermeneutical fashions in the corrective frame of an Augustinian Bible-based cognitive-propositional account of how God reveals and how we receive his word of truth. As Henry was masterful in doing this on the grand scale so Roach is masterful in vindicating Henry against those who would critique or ignore him. This is a very valuable piece of work. --J. I. Packer Professor of Theology Regent College and Co-founder of ICBI Carl F. H. Henry was a theological titan--a man whose theology is worthy of careful academic investigation. William Roachs assessment of Henrys hermeneutics is both stimulating and illuminating. Readers will find this book to be a well-researched and careful investigation of Henrys theology and a welcome addition to existing scholarship on him. --R. Albert Mohler Jr. President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary During a century when liberal and neo-orthodox theologians were insisting upon non-cognitive and modified cognitive views of propositional revelation; Carl F. H. Henry helped to define and defend the classic evangelical stance of the Bible as cognitive-propositional revelation. During our time serving together on the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy Henry and the rest of the ICBI leaders sought to clearly articulate the evangelical view and resist all opposing views. However sadly in our day there has been a resurgence of liberal and neo-orthodox theology among evangelical theologians. In his work Hermeneutics as Epistemology William Roach evaluates Henrys views and reintroduces him into the current dialogues in hermeneutics. You will find his work to be well-researched faithful to Henry and a powerful defense of evangelical bibliology and hermeneutics. --Norman L. Geisler Former President of ETS and Co-founder of ICBI Carl F. H. Henry was one of evangelicals premiere thinkers in the latter half of the twentieth century. He guided and shaped the movement as much if not more so than any other person especially in terms of rigorous theological reflection. For him to vanish into the dustbin of history would be a tragic loss for the twenty-first century. A number of scholars have sought to ensure this does not happen. Roach is one such individual. This book is a welcome addition to the growing scholarship on Henry. I am delighted to