diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 2e4e7f6816..083f754da7 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -304,6 +304,16 @@ AC_SUBST(G_WRAP_LIB_DIR)
 
 AS_SCRUB_INCLUDE(CFLAGS)
 
+GUILE_MODULE_AVAILABLE(have_gwrap_runtime, [(g-wrap runtime)])
+if test "$have_gwrap_runtime" = "no"; then
+   AC_MSG_WARN([
+
+    Unable to find the g-wrap runtime module, a.k.a. guile-g-wrap. 
+    You won't be able to run GnuCash without it!
+
+])  
+fi
+
 ### Check size of long_long - some guile's are broken.
 AC_MSG_CHECKING(if guile long_long is at least as big as gint64)
 GNC_OLDCFLAGS="$CFLAGS"
@@ -380,14 +390,7 @@ AC_SUBST(GNC_TEST_SRFI_LOAD_CMD)
 gnc_have_guile_www=no
 
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if guile needs our copy of (guile www)])
-if ${GUILE} -c "(use-modules (www main))" > /dev/null 2>&1
-then
-  gnc_have_guile_www=yes
-  AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
-else
-  gnc_have_guile_www=no
-  AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
-fi
+GUILE_MODULE_AVAILABLE(gnc_have_guile_www,[(www main)])
 
 AM_CONDITIONAL(GNC_HAVE_GUILE_WWW, test "${gnc_have_guile_www}" = yes)