In the month of June, Christ Over All celebrated the historical impact of J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism. While the White House hung Rainbow Flags to celebrate Pride month, and various liberal churches gathered to see preachers in drag, we set our eyes on something more permanent, more pure, and more profound—namely, the need for biblical doctrine with specific attention to God, man, the Bible, Christ, salvation, and the church.
For the last month, we have systemically walked through the seven chapters of Machen’s magnum opus. One hundred years ago, Machen stood up and declared the difference between true Christianity and liberal “Christianity,” which is no Christianity at all. Writing in response to the liberalism he saw in the church pulpits, on the mission field, as well as in seminary settings, he drew a clear line in the sand. And today, as Andrew Sandlin put it, “the orthodox are much less naïve about liberalism, precisely due to the impact of Machen’s work.”
In church history, there have been many defenders of the faith. Irenaeus, Tertullian, Athanasius, Augustine, and Luther are just a few of the names that come to mind. Yet, few ancient apologists are as immediately relevant as this New Testament professor from Princeton. Today, you can walk the campus of Princeton Seminary and countless other liberal institutions of higher learning. You can also drive past cavernous churches that became empty tombs after they denied the doctrines outlined by Machen.
Indeed, as liberal churches all around us cater to Pride month and crater from within, we have a theological category for their false teaching. They are not simply worshiping Christ in their own way; they are worshiping a golden calf—a “christ” fashioned in their own image who neither redeems the sinner nor raises the dead. Tragically, the christ of the Protestant liberal is an idol of clay that wears drag, does drugs, or denies crucial portions of Scripture.
J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity & Liberalism
Our month began with Daryl G. Hart’s longform essay. Of note, Hart makes the point that Machen endured great opposition as a result of his stand for orthodoxy. Machen’s life is a lesson to us that the truth is costly, but when truth is in the balance, such a sacrifice is always worth the cost. Michael Haykin’s longform follows suit, as it focuses on Machen’s entire life. This second piece is a great introduction to the man who would leave Princeton to found Westminster Seminary and later the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. You can listen to both of these essays on our podcast, where we also interviewed Hart and Haykin.
Filling out the rest of the month, Steve Wellum, Fred Zaspel, Paul Kjoss Helseth, Robert Yarbrough, Kyle Claunch, KJ Drake, and Gregg Allison provide a review of the entire book (see links below). In two parts, each scholar provides a chapter summary in part 1 and a series of applications and lessons in part 2. Each of these two-part essays demonstrate faithful historical scholarship and wise application to the church. It is a joy to find theologians who love the church, and in these essays you will churchman equipping the church with sound doctrine.
Filling in the gaps, Ryan Currie provides an engaging look at Machen and missions, while Andrew Sandlin gives a final summary. Additionally, in something completely different during the month of Machen, Glenn Larue, a faithful pastor in Ohio, provided a review of Rick Warren’s rhetoric. As Southern Baptists approached the convention, Warren appealed to the world to embrace his newfound egalitarianism. And in Glenn’s piece, he shows why this is so problematic. Remarkably, as I reviewed these articles before, during, and after the convention, the connections between Warren and Fosdick, the leading liberal light of his day, began to mount. And I suspect if put those two figures together, you might see some similarities too.
Truly, the doctrines and decisions of contemporary pastors are not set in stone like historical figures. Nevertheless, learning history helps us understand the present and reject all forms of false teaching—whether inchoate or fully formed. For this reason, Machen is worth your time and energy—to understand his life and to learn from his writings. If you missed any articles from this month, we’ve included all them below with our longform pieces in bold.
Christianity and Liberalism at 100
Lessons to Learn from Christianity and Liberalism a Century Later by Stephen Wellum
Few books make more than a passing squeak in the orchestra of Christian history. And some books are so compelling that their deep sound resonates even 100 years later. READ ARTICLE
2.26 D. G. Hart • Reading • “The Rise and Fall of J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism“ by D. G. Hart
Calling conservative voices “misinformation” or banning them outright has been happening for over 100 years. But as Machen’s case shows, locking down debate means the decline of a seminary—and denomination. LISTEN TO PODCAST
The Rise and Fall of J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism by D. G. Hart • Longform Essay
Calling conservative voices “misinformation” or banning them outright has been happening for over 100 years. But as Machen’s case shows, locking down debate means the decline of a seminary—and denomination. READ ESSAY
Machen on the Necessity of Christian Doctrine: An Explanation of Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 2 (Part 1) by Fred G. Zaspel
Christianity has always been rooted in both history and doctrine, and without these roots, it becomes something altogether different. READ ARTICLE
Machen on the Necessity of Christian Doctrine: An Application of Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 2 (Part 2) by Fred G. Zaspel
Is it possible to have Jesus without doctrine? And how is doctrine related to the Christian life? READ ARTICLE
2.27 D. G. Hart, David Schrock, Brad Green • Interview • “The Rise and Fall of J. Gresham Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism“ by David Schrock, Stephen Wellum, Ardel Caneday, Trent Hunter
Calling conservative voices “misinformation” or banning them outright has been happening for over 100 years. But as Machen’s case shows, locking down debate means the decline of a seminary—and denomination. LISTEN TO PODCAST
John Gresham Machen, Defender of the Faith by Michael A. G. Haykin • Longform Essay • June 12
Machen knew that emptying Christianity of its historical claims would leave only a lifeless shell behind. True spiritual life is not opposed to history, but is produced by a God who acts in history. READ ESSAY
The Religion of the Broken Heart: An Explanation of Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 3 “God and Man” (Part 1) by Paul Kjoss Helseth
Where does true piety come from? Not from a religious experience, but from God, in his word, revealing both our great sin and his glorious grace. READ ARTICLE
The Religion of the Broken Heart: Brief Reflections on the Contemporary Relevance of Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 3 “God and Man” (Part 2) by Paul Kjoss Helseth
How is Chapter 3 of Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism relevant today? In at least three ways. READ ARTICLE
2.28 Michael A. G. Haykin • Reading • “John Gresham Machen, Defender of the Faith” by Michael A. G. Haykin
Machen knew that emptying Christianity of its historical claims would leave only a lifeless shell behind. True spiritual life is not opposed to history, but is produced by a God who acts in history. LISTEN TO PODCAST
Machen on the Bible: Reflections on Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 4 “The Bible” (Part 1) by Robert W. Yarbrough
Can a person receive the Bible as mostly true, but not true in every respect, as older German liberals alleged? Read Machen’s 100-year old “nein!” READ ARTICLE
Machen on the Bible: Reflections on Christianity and Liberalism Chapter 4 “The Bible” (Part 2) by Robert W. Yarbrough
When anti-gospel ideologies threatened to erode the church, Machen stood on the firm foundation of Scripture. May the Lord grant us grace to do the same. READ ARTICLE
No Mere Exemplar: Christ as the Object of Christian Faith in Chapter 5 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 1) by Kyle D. Claunch
Who is Jesus? That simple question is essential to the Christian faith, and Machen knew liberal theology did not provide a right response. READ ARTICLE
Machen’s Orthodoxy and Progressive Christianity”: Reflections on Chapter 5 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 2) by Kyle D. Claunch
Just as Machen fought the wolves of liberalism in the 20th century, so the church must fend off those who espouse “progressive” Christianity today through religious pluralism, feminism, and expressive individualism. READ ARTICLE
2.29 Michael A. G. Haykin, David Schrock, Stephen Wellum • Interview • “John Gresham Machen, Defender of the Faith” by Michael A. G. Haykin, David Schrock, Stephen Wellum
Machen knew that emptying Christianity of its historical claims would leave only a lifeless shell behind. True spiritual life is not opposed to history, but is produced by a God who acts in history. Listen in to this conversation on the life of one of the most able defenders of the faith in the 20th century. LISTEN TO PODCAST
Machen on Missions: Missionaries of the Cross or Missionaries of Liberalism? by Ryan Currie
What happens when liberalism meets missions? Doctrinal ambiguity and social work take the lead, and the gospel eventually gets left behind. READ ARTICLE
Salvation by God at the Cross of Christ: A Reflection on Chapter 6 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 1) by K. J. Drake
What happens when sin is redefined as a social issue instead of rebellion against a holy God? A new gospel is created to solve this new problem, and the cross of Christ is emptied of its power. READ ARTICLE
Salvation by God at the Cross of Christ: A Reflection on Chapter 6 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 2) by K. J. Drake
While the theological liberalism of Machen’s day may no longer threaten the church, the danger of accommodating Christianity to the culture continually persists. READ ARTICLE
Machen on the Church: A Reflection on Ch. 7 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 1) by Gregg Allison
What is the church? it’s not simply another social institution, but a gospel-proclaiming society of redeemed sinners. READ ARTICLE
Christianity and Liberalism Turns 100: A Summary by P. Andrew Sandlin
A century has not relaxed the battle-lines of a robust, orthodox, confrontational biblical Faith on the one hand and all accommodationist revisions on the other. The lesson of Machen is the lesson for Christianity in every era: You cannot preserve a position without crusading for it. READ ARTICLE
Why Machen is Important for the Church Today: A Reflection on Ch. 7 of Christianity and Liberalism (Part 2) by Gregg Allison
If J. Gresham Machen was a church consultant in the year 2023, what would he counsel churches that feel the gravitational pull towards theological liberalism? READ ARTICLE
Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
Moving from the 1920s to the 1960s, the month of July will focus on civil rights. We chose this month because July 2 is the day that President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (see picture above). More personally, this month comes from a series of conversations that I had with Virgil Walker from G3 Ministries. Virgil and his partner in podcasts, Darrell Harrison, have served the church well with their biblically-saturated cultural commentary. This month we plan to hear from both of them on our podcasts, as well as in our long forms.
For the content of this month, we plan to engage issues related to the history of the Civil Rights Movement and how that era impacted the church—both the black church and beyond. In that vein, we will spend time learning the history of the 1960s. But more, we will see how the issues of the 1960s continue to impact us today. As reparations, systemic racism, anti-racism, white supremacy, and “civil rights” for the LGBTQ+ community continue to come up in conversation, we need to see what is legitimate and what is not. And in all of these issues, we will go to the Scriptures to find trustworthy answers.
Providentially, this month comes at a time when the issues of civil rights have taken centerstage once more. After the repeal of affirmative action in two court cases involving Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., which generated its own pushback by leaders such as Barack and Michelle Obama, it is apparent that America’s past continues to press itself onto the present. And ranging from policy decisions to Supreme Court rulings, these things intersect our lives as citizens of this country who are also, and primarily, citizens of heaven.
Indeed, the ultimate calling of Christians is to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel to which we have been called. Still, that calling comes in a time and place when the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement has deeply etched our moral imaginations. And this month we are going to consider the good and the not-so-good ways that has happened. By God’s grace, we will provide more light than heat as we let the Word of God and its doctrines of grace inform our thinking about the important history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Dividing the Faithful
Additionally, we are offering a free book entitled, Dividing the Faithful: How a Little Book on Race Fractured a Movement Founded on Grace. This is Christ Over All’s first publication, and one that addresses the way in which the book Divided by Faith, written by two sociologists Michael Emerson with Christian Smith, misled a generation of the Young, Restless, and Reformed.
As this book made the rounds for the last decade among many Reformed evangelicals, it has taken root in the hearts of many and found a place in the footnotes of countless Christian books written to address racism. Yet, instead of giving good biblical instruction, Divided by Faith sows the seeds of Critical Race Theory and offers a view of the world that sees a type of racism, what it calls “racialization,” everywhere, even when this is not the case.
In response, Dividing the Faithful gives a chapter by chapter analysis of Divided by Faith and seeks to show why this book played such a significant role in fracturing so many gospel-centered friendships. In the opening pages you can find Trent Hunter’s foreword, which sets the context of this book among the YRR generation. And you’ll find on our website an endorsement from Ardel Caneday this month on July 6th.
Indeed, wherever you come down on issues of race and justice, this new book seeks to engage an important subject and a book that has influenced many. It is my hope you will take up and read this new book, and reconsider some of the claims made by Emerson and Smith. To that end, beginning on July 6th, we are offering a free digital version of this book.
An SBC Update
Finally, we want to thank everyone who supported our work at the Southern Baptist Convention. During our time in New Orleans, we handed out around 8,000 flyers and met a lot of friends of this ministry. Kevin McClure, our managing editor, published an important piece at American Reformer that was the talk of the convention. This piece, “How Many Female Pastors Are in the SBC?” established that there are almost two thousand female pastors in SBC churches. And all of this led up to seeing the Mike Law Amendment overcoming its first hurdle (SBC constitutional amendments must receive a two-thirds vote for two consecutive years in order to pass).
The messengers of the SBC voted overwhelming to support the addition of these words:
“a church [is] in friendly cooperation with the Convention . . . which . . . 6. Affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.
In this way, the SBC reaffirmed their biblical commitment to God’s design for the church, which includes qualified male elders and the priesthood of all believers—both men and women serving according to their complementarity natures. In fact, the messengers celebrated the role that women play in fulfilling the Great Commission, as they adopted Resolution 5 on “The Legacy and Responsibility of Women Fulfilling the Great Commission,” even as they voted for Mike Law’s amendment and removed Saddleback Church from the convention for its commitment to egalitarian doctrine and practice.
For Christ Over All, this was as an encouraging convention because the resources we produced in March served to put wind in the sails of the Law Amendment. It also supplied curious (or uncertain) pastors and churchmen and women with biblical answers to important questions. And going forward, we hope to do more of that.
In fact, as the convention ended, it was already apparent that more needs to be done to secure this amendment next year in Indianapolis. Because this amendment needs a second vote, and because Southern Baptists have expressed confusion about confessions, confessionalism, and the like, we plan to address those things in the days to come. But that’s for another day.
Please Share Christ Over All with Others
Today, we are looking forward to a great month on “Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs: What the Church Needs to Know and (Un)Do.” To make this month go even better, please share the content that you find useful here. If you download a copy of Dividing the Faithful, consider taking a moment to invite someone else to do the same. One of the best ways you can support this ministry is by sharing its content.
But also pray for us—that we might be able to make this material available to you and others online for free. We live at a time when we have incredible access to information. And while the window of producing this material freely remains open, we want to flood the internet with the light of God’s glorious gospel of truth and grace. To that end, share, pray, and consider giving to the work of Christ Over All, as the Lord allows.
We are deeply thankful for the way God has provided and we look forward to seeing what he will continue to do as we follow him, our great and exalted king. Until next time, remember that Christ is Lord, and so in all things let us exalt Christ.
