John Gresham Machen (1881-1937) was an influential American Presbyterian theologian in the early 20th century. He was the Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary between 1915 and 1929, and led a conservative revolt against modernist theology at Princeton and formed Westminster Theological Seminary as a more orthodox alternative. As the Northern Presbyterian Church continued to reject conservative attempts enforce faithfulness to the Westminster Confession, Machen led a small group of conservatives out of the church to form the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. When the northern Presbyterian church (PCUSA) rejected his arguments during the mid-1920s and decided to reorganize Princeton Seminary to create a moderate school, Machen took the lead in founding Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia (1929) where he taught New Testament until his death. His continued opposition during the 1930s to liberalism in his denomination's foreign missions agencies led to the creation of a new organization, The Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions (1933). The trial, conviction and suspension from the ministry of Independent Board members, including Machen, in 1935 and 1936 provided the rationale for the formation in 1936 of the OPC. Profile of J. Gresham Machen http://www. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... This article or section should be merged with Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Seminary is located in Princeton, New Jersey and was originally a school of Princeton University. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Westminster Theological Seminary is a Reformed Christian graduate educational institution with campuses located in Pennsylvania, and Texas and programs of study in New York City, London, and Seoul. ... The Westminster Confession of Faith is the chief doctrinal product of the Protestant Westminster Assembly. ... Along with Westminster Theological Seminary, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was founded by conservative Presbyterians who revolted against the modernist theology within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) during the 1930s. ...

Machen is considered to be the last of the great Princeton Theologians who had, since the formation of the college in the early 19th century, developed Princeton theology: a conservative and Calvinist form of Evangelical Christianity. Although Machen can be compared to the great Princeton Theologians (Archibald Alexander, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge and B. B. Warfield) he was neither a lecturer in theology (he was a New Testament scholar) nor did he ever become the seminary's principal. The Princeton theology is a tradition of conservative, Christian, Reformed and Presbyterian theology at Princeton Seminary, in Princeton, New Jersey. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of conservative, almost always Protestant, Christianity. ... Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) was the founder and first Principal of Princeton Seminary between 1812 and 1840. ... Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. ... Archibald Alexander Hodge (July 18 1823 _ November 12 1886) was the principal of Princeton Seminary between 1878 and 1887. ... Benjamin Breckinridge (B.B.) Warfield (1851 - 1921) was the principal of Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. ...

Machen's influence can still be felt today through the existence of both institutions that he founded - Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition, his textbook on basic New Testament Greek is still used today in many seminaries, including PCUSA schools. Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Reformed Christian educational institution with campuses located in Pennsylvania and California. ... Along with Westminster Theological Seminary, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) was founded by conservative Presbyterians who revolted against the modernist theology within the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) during the 1930s. ...

Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest "The first syllable is pronounced like May, the name of the month. In the second syllable the ch is as in chin, with e as in pen: may'chen. In Gresham, the h is silent: gres'am." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.) The Literary Digest was an influential general-interest magazine in the early 20th century United States. ...

Early life

Machen was born on July 28, 1881 in Baltimore to Arthur Webster Machen and Mary Jones Gresham. Arthur, a Baltimore Lawyer, was 45 and Mary was 24 when they married. While Arthur was an Episcopalian, Mary was a Presbyterian, and taught her son The Westminster Shorter Catechism from an early age. The family attended Franklin Street Presbyterian Church. July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more, Balmerr Motto: The Greatest City in America (formerly The City That Reads; Get In On It is not the citys motto, but rather the advertising slogan of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association; BELIEVE is not the official motto... The word Episcopal is derived from the Greek επισκοπος epískopos, which literally means overseer; the word however is used in religious terms to mean bishop. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... The Westminster Shorter Catechism (also known simply as the Shorter Catechism, hereinafter referred to as the WSC) was written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines. ...

Machen's upbringing was considered to be privileged. He attended a private college and received a classical education including Latin and Greek. Although no records exist, it was probably The University School for Boys. He was also taught the piano. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Academic training

In 1898, the 17-year old Machen began studying at Johns Hopkins University for his undergraduate degree, and performed sufficiently well to gain a scholarship. He majored in classics and was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. Machen was a brilliant scholar and in 1901 was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society after graduation. 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ... Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ, Phi Psi) is a U.S. national college fraternity. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words frater and soror, meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Ordo Templi Orientis or the Shriners. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Phi Beta Kappa Key The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society with the mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. ...

Despite having some indecisiveness about his future, in 1902 Machen opted to study theology at Princeton Seminary, whilst simultaneously studying a Master of Arts in Philosophy at Princeton University. 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section should be merged with Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Seminary is located in Princeton, New Jersey and was originally a school of Princeton University. ... A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States of America. ...

He also pursued theological studies in Germany for a year in 1905. In a letter to his father, he admitted being thrown into confusion about his faith because of the liberalism taught by Professor Wilhelm Herrmann. Although he had an enormous respect for Herrmann, his time in Germany and his engagement with Modernist theologians led him to reject the movement and embrace conservative Reformed theology more firmly than before. 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Wilhelm Herrmann (1846-1922) was a Reformed German theologian. ...

Princeton 1906-1916

In 1906, Machen joined Princeton Seminary as an instructor in New Testament after assurances he would not have to sign a statement of faith. Among his Princeton influences were Francis Patton, who had been the prosecutor in a nineteenth century heresy trial, and B. B. Warfield, whom he described as the greatest man he had ever met. Warfield maintained that correct doctrine was the primary means by which Christians influenced the surrounding culture and he emphasised a high view of scripture and the defence of supernaturalism. It appears that under their influence Machen resolved his crisis of faith. In 1914, he was ordained and the next year he became the Assistant Professor of New Testament. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Benjamin Breckinridge (B.B.) Warfield (1851 - 1921) was the principal of Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. ... The supernatural refers to conscious magical, religious or unknown forces that cannot ordinarily be perceived except through their effects. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ...

World War One

Machen did not serve "conventionally" during World War I, but instead went to France with the YMCA to do volunteer work near and at the front. Though not a combatant, he witnessed first-hand the devastations of modern warfare. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg... YMCAs in the United States and Canada use this logo. ...

Princeton 1918-1926

After returning from Europe, Machen continued his work as a New Testament scholar at Princeton. During this period he gained a reputation as one of the few true scholars who was able to debate the growing prevalence of Modernist theology whilst maintaining an evangelical stance.

The Origin of Paul's Religion (1921) is perhaps Machen's best known scholarly work. This book was a successful attempt at critiquing the Modernist belief that Paul's religion was based mainly upon Greek philosophy and was entirely different to the religion of Jesus. 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Christianity and Liberalism (1923) is another of Machen's books that critiqued theological modernism. The book compared conservative and protestant Christianity to the rising popularity of Modernist (or "Liberal") theology. He concluded that "the chief modern rival of Christianity is Liberalism". 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

These books, along with a number of others, placed Machen firmly in one theological camp within the Presbyterian Church. His work throughout the 1920s was divided between his time at Princeton and his political work with evangelical Presbyterians.

Despite his conservative theological beliefs, Machen was never able to fully embrace popularist fundamentalism either. His refusal to accept premillennialism and other aspects of Fundamentalist belief was based upon his belief that Reformed Theology was the most biblical form of Christian belief - a theology that was generally missing from Fundamentalism at the time. Moreover, Machen's scholarly work and ability to engage with modernist theology was at odds with Fundamentalism's anti-intellectual attitude. Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... This article specifically relates to Premillennialism in Christian eschatology; for political millenarianism and other uses of the word see Millenarianism Premillennialism in Christian eschatology is the belief that Christ will literally reign on the earth for 1,000 years at his second coming. ... Reformed theology is a branch of Protestant Christian theology based primarily on the theology of Jesus. ...

Controversies

Between 1924 and 1925, relations among the Princeton faculty deteriorated when The Presbyterian questioned if there were two different parties on the faculty. In response Machen remarked that his differences with Charles Erdman related to the importance they attributed to doctrine. He noted that Erdman was tolerant of those in doctrinal error. Erdman wrote privately ‘he (Dwight L. Moody) knew that controversialists do not usually win followers for Christ.’ 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Doctrine, from Latin doctrina, (compare doctor), means a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. ... Dwight Lyman Moody, circa 1900. ...

Westminster

The 1929 General Assembly voted to reorganise Princeton Seminary and appointed two of the Auburn Affirmation signatories as trustees. The Auburn Affirmation was a response by liberals [1] within the Northern Presbytery Church that condemned the General Assembly's response to the controversy arising out of Harry Emerson Fosdick's sermon "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" in May 1922. Machen and some colleagues withdrew and set up Westminster Theological Seminary to continue fundamental theology. 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article or section should be merged with Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Seminary is located in Princeton, New Jersey and was originally a school of Princeton University. ... The Auburn Affirmation was a document dated May 1924, with the title AN AFFIRMATION designed to safeguard the unity and liberty of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, authored by an eleven-member Conference Committee and signed by 1274 ministers of the PCUSA. The Affirmation challenged the... Harry Emerson Fosdick (1879-1969) was the most prominent liberal baptist minister of the early 20th Century. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

In 1933, Machen became concerned about liberalism tolerated by Presbyterians on the mission field and formed The Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. The next Presbyterian General Assembly reaffirmed that Independent Board was unconstitutional and gave the associated clergy an ultimatum to break their links. When Machen and seven other clergy refused, they were suspended from the Presbyterian ministry. The controversy divided Machen from many of his fundamentalist friends including Clarence Macartney who dropped away at the prospect of schism. Ultimately, Machen withdrew from the Northern Presbyterian Church and formed the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Clarence Edward Noble Macartney (1879-1957) was a prominent conservative Presbyterian pastor and author. ...

Death

Much to the sadness of those who had been involved in the movements that he had led, Machen died in 1937 at the relatively young age of 56. Some commentators (notably Stonehouse) point out that Machen's "constitution" was not always strong, and that he was constantly "burdened" with his responsibilities at the time. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Machen had decided to honor some speaking engagements he had in North Dakota in December, 1936, but developed pleurisy in the exceptionally cold weather there. After Christmas, he was hospitalized for pneumonia and died on January 1, 1937. Just before his death, he dictated a telegram to long-time friend and colleague John Murray -- the content of that telegram reflected deeply his life-long faith: "I’m so thankful for active obedience of Christ. No hope without it." He is buried in Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs, which can cause painful respiration and other symptoms. ... It has been suggested that CURB-65 be merged into this article or section. ... There have been several important people by the name of John Murray (roughly in chronological order): John Murray of Falahill, a Scottish outlaw John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl (1660-1724) John Murray (MP for Banffshire), 1707-1708. ... Section T of the Green Mount Cemetery. ... Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more, Balmerr Motto: The Greatest City in America (formerly The City That Reads; Get In On It is not the citys motto, but rather the advertising slogan of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association; BELIEVE is not the official motto...

Works

In addition to those mentioned in the main article, Machen's works include:

• What is faith? (1925)
• New Testament Greek for beginners (1927)
• The virgin birth of Christ (1930)
• The Christian faith in the modern world (1936)
• The Christian view of man (1937)
• God transcendent (1949) edited by Ned B. Stonehouse from Machen's sermons, ISBN 0-85151-355-7.
• What is Christianity? and other addresses (1951) edited by Ned B. Stonehouse
• The New Testament : an introduction to its literature and history (1976) edited by W. John Cook from two sets of Machen's course materials, ISBN 0-85151-240-2.

Bibliography

• Noll, M. A. (1988). John Gresham Machen. In S. B. Ferguson, D. F. Wright, and J. I. Packer (Eds.), The New Dictionary of Theology. Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester. ISBN 0-8308-1400-0
• Stonehouse, Ned B. (1987). J. Gresham Machen - A Biographical Memoir (3rd ed.). Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh. ISBN 0-85151-501-0. (Republished by the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. ISBN 0-934688-97-4.)
• Hart, D. G. (2003). Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America. P & R Publishing. ISBN 0-87552-563-6
• Machen, J. Gresham (1923). Christianity and Liberalism. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-1121-3

The Banner of Truth Trust is an evangelical and Reformed Christian publishing house founded in 1957 by Iain Murray and Jack Cullum. ...

External links

• The Origin of Paul's Religion by Machen
• Christianity and Liberalism by Machen
• Christianity and Culture an essay by Machen
• A Brief Bible History: A Survey of the Old and New Testaments by Machen and James Boyd
• A Short History of the Life of J. G. Machen by Professor Craig S. Hawkins
• J. Gresham Machen's Response to Modernism by John Piper
• J. Gresham Machen Sean Richardson's links to articles by Machen on various sites.
• Machen's Warrior Children by John M. Frame