Standing on Shoulders

While Matt serves us by teaching about the ministry of Asahel Nettleton, I will be posting some articles pertaining to another hero of the Christian faith, J. Gresham Machen. As a defender of orthodoxy during the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy in the early 1900s, Machen stood for the essentials of the faith in a time when human autonomy reigned. There is much we can learn from Machen, and this post will serve as an introduction to what I believe will be a profitable series.

The Rebirth of Princeton

During the 1920s, the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy erupted in the North, hitting both Presbyterians and Baptists hard. During this time, the modernists attempted to recast Christianity, rejecting the primary doctrines of the faith, such as the virgin birth and the substitutionary nature of the atonement. For modernists, Christianity must adapt to modern science and modern way of thinking. If it doesn’t, then the faith becomes irrelevant. So Christ is no longer to be considered the God-man; instead he is a wise teacher. He no longer died in our behalf, paying the penalty for our sins; instead, Christ is our moral example.

Fundamentalists, on the other hand, were those who held on to ‘the fundamentals’ of the faith, affirming historic and orthodox doctrine. Today, a fundamentalist is defined more by mindset, but in the 1920s the term simply meant biblical. In this controversy, Princeton Theological Seminary was hit hard, becoming increasingly lost to liberal theology. When B. B. Warfield died, Machen relented, “It seems that the old Princeton – a great institution it was – died when Dr. Warfield was carried out.” In the words of Stephen Nichols, however, “The death of Warfield and of Old Princeton, however, meant a new beginning, with a new leader. Though he would be the first to see himself as well below Warfield’s stature, the mantle fell on Machen.” With Warfield gone, Machen took up the mantle of the scholarly defense of orthodox Christianity.

Unfortunately, by 1929 Princeton was firmly in the grasp of the modernists. Machen, in a diary entry on May 3, 1929, records that he gave an exam, and after attending a faculty meeting resigned from the Seminary. Machen did not give up, however. With a close group of supporters, Machen launched Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1929. The new Westminster would carry on the tradition of the old Princeton. In his opening address at the new seminary, Machen declared, “No, my friends, though Princeton is dead, the noble tradition of Princeton Seminary is alive.”

A True Presbyterian Church

The founding of Westminster would not be Machen’s final contribution to the fundamentalist cause, however. Because Machen was concerned over liberals serving as missionaries under the Board of Foreign Missions, Machen along with others formed the Independent Board of Presbyterian Foreign Missions in 1933. By doing so, they kept money out of liberal hands, giving it instead to missionaries who actually believed and preached the Gospel.

Unsurprisingly, the PCUSA was not pleased with Machen and his colleagues, and 1936 the PCUSA took action against Machen. Machen’s response? On June 11, 1936, Machen began what would eventually be known as the OPC (the Orthodox Presbyterian Church), a small band of 120 churches. In Machen’s own words, “We became members, at last, of a true Presbyterian church; we recovered, at last, true Christian fellowship. What a joyous moment it was! How long the years of struggle seemed to sink into nothingness compared with the joy and peace that filled our hearts.”

A mere six months after founding the OPC, Machen was called away to Bismark, North Dakota. During the trip, Machen contracted pneumonia and died on January 1, 1937. His death did not go unnoticed by the national media. One of Machen’s antagonists lamented Machen’s death with the following words, “The church has lost a colorful figure and a mind which stimulated by its constant contrary activities. He added life to the church, and it needs life. And we have all lost something in him.” Another liberal expressed his admiration for Machen by honoring him with the title “Doctor Fundamentalis.”

The Unpopular Cause

Machen’s life can be characterized by his commitment to fighting liberalism at both the scholarly and popular levels. Machen, a true servant of the church and missions, knew that if the seminaries were lost that the churches would soon follow suit, and his life was committed to fighting against this. He viewed himself as committed to an unpopular cause, that is, the cause of Christ. In his own words he said, “From [Christ] men are turning away one by one. His sayings are too hard, his deeds of power too strange, his atoning death too great an offence to human pride. But to him, despite all, we hold.” May we all hold to Christ as Machen did.

Biographies on Machen:
Defending the Faith by D. G. Hart
J. Gresham Machen by Stephen Nichols