John Gresham Machen
John Gresham Machen was a prominent American theologian and New Testament scholar known for his staunch defense of orthodox Christianity in the early 20th century. Born into a well-educated family, Machen was deeply influenced by his Presbyterian upbringing and pursued advanced studies in theology, ultimately earning a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He became a professor at Princeton, where he was known for his rigorous scholarship and commitment to the authority of Scripture. His most notable works include 'Christianity and Liberalism,' where he argued against the modernist interpretations of Christianity that were gaining traction in his time, and 'The Origin of Paul’s Religion,' which examined the roots of Pauline theology in the context of early Christianity. Machen's legacy is marked by his role in the fundamentalist-modernist controversy, which led to the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1936 after he left Princeton due to its shift towards liberal theology. His writings continue to influence conservative Christian thought, and he is remembered as a key figure in the preservation of Reformed theology during a time of significant theological upheaval. Machen's commitment to the truth of the Gospel and his scholarly contributions have left a lasting impact on evangelical scholarship and the broader Christian community.
Famous Quotes
View all 8 quotes“In time of war, our attention is called so exclusively to the sins of other people that we are sometimes inclined to forget our own sins. Attention to the sins of other people is, indeed, sometimes necessary. It is quite right to be indignant against any oppression of the weak which is being carried on by the strong. But such a habit of mind, if made permanent, if carried over into the days of peace, has its dangers. It joins forces with the collectivism of the modern state to obscure the individual, personal character of guilt. If John Smith beats his wife nowadays, no one is so old-fashioned as to blame John Smith for it. On the contrary, it is said, John Smith is evidently the victim of some more of that Bolshevistic propaganda; Congress ought to be called in extra session in order to take up the case of John Smith in an alien and sedition law.””
“When it is once admitted that a body of facts lies at the basis of the Christian religion, the efforts which past generations have made toward the classification of the facts will have to be treated with respect. In no branch of science would there be any real advance if every generation started fresh with no dependence upon what past generations have achieved. Yet in theology, vituperation of the past seems to be thought essential to progress. And upon what base slanders the vituperation is based! After listening to modern tirades against the great creeds of the Church, one receives rather a shock when one turns to the Westminster Confession, for example, or to that tenderest and most theological of books, the "Pilgrim's Progress" of John Bunyan, and discovers that in doing so one has turned from shallow modern phrases to a "dead orthodoxy" that is pulsating with life in every word. In such orthodoxy there is life enough to set the whole world aglow with Christian love.””
“Machen alerts us to the doctrinal "indifferentism" of our day and to the fact that we almost take it for granted that utilitarian thinking is the only hope for success and that preaching or teaching doctrine is a prescription for failure. This skepticism about the value of doctrine is owing to bad preaching that is not passionate and clear and interesting and suspenseful and authentic about the glories of God and his way of salvation, and how it all connects with real life. "The dogma is the drama,"48 as Dorothy Sayers said, and the reason we don't show this to people in our preaching and teaching and writing is that we have not seen and felt the greatness of the glory of God and all his teachings. Preaching doctrine should not be confusing or boring.””
