“Again, men tell us that our preaching should be positive and not negative, that we can preach the truth without attacking error. But if we follow that advice we shall have to close our Bible and desert its teachings. The New Testament is a polemic book almost from beginning to end … It is when men have felt compelled to take a stand against error that they have risen to the really great heights in the celebration of the truth.” – J. Gresham Machen
J. Gresham Machen may not have been looking for a theological fight with the religious progressives in the 1920’s. However, a fight came and Machen was ready to lead in the battle.
“The promise of a new century fostered a progressive spirit and an unfettered belief in the goodness and potential accomplishment of man. World War I offered a massive setback, especially in Europe. America, however, being an ocean away and untouched by war directly, ran headlong into the 1920s. “The Roaring Twenties,” they would call it. The description for this greater period is modernism. The rejection of God and the dismissal of religion sit atop the list of modernism’s endeavors. This cultural bomb landed hard on the American church,” explains Dr. Stephen J. Nichols.
The scientific progress of the Twentieth Century resulted in many individuals leaving the church and leaving God behind. Church leaders began to rethink and attack biblical doctrine and theological convictions. They wanted to be in sync with the culture. Many church leaders today are committing the same error in judgment. They seek to be cool or “rock star” pastors. What a tragedy.
In spite of the publication of The Fundamentals (1910-1915), religious modernism began to take hold of Protestant churches, seminaries, and entire denominations. Religious progressives subtly attacked biblical doctrines. They denied the inerrancy of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, the sinfulness of man, the virgin birth of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and the bodily resurrection of Christ.
During this time, Machen and his mentor and colleague B.B. Warfield remained close comrades in holding fast to biblical truth. The aging Warfield exhorted his younger colleague to continue the work that he was doing at Princeton. He encouraged him to hold firmly to your biblical course and convictions.
When Warfield died in 1921, Machen deeply mourned his passing. In writing to his mother, Machen wrote, “Princeton will seem an insipid place without him. There is no one living in the church capable of occupying one quarter of his place. To me, he was an incalculable help and supporter ion a hundred different ways.”
When Machen recalled the removal of Warfield’s casket following his memorial service, he wrote, “It seems to me that the Old Princeton – a great institution it was – died when Dr. Warfield was carried out.”
The leadership mantle of preaching truth and attacking error fell upon Machen. He began publishing scholarly works, such as The Origin of Paul’s Religion.
“Robust, rigorous and responsible scholarship would mark all of his efforts in defending the faith. A better successor to Warfield could not be found,” states Dr. Nichols.
The church needed the right man for this moment in its history. The Lord raised up the right man for the appropriate moment.
Soli deo Gloria!
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