Christianity and Liberalism

Christianity and liberalism is perhaps the best-known book length treatise against early 20th century theological liberalism in America. It was published as the famous "Fundamentalist-Modernist" controversy was heating up, and has since been one of the clearest contrasting descriptions of the heart of the difference between modernist liberal Christianity and historical Christian orthodoxy. The major thesis of the book is that Liberalism (modernist theology) and Christianity are diametrically opposed religions that unfortunately use the same language to describe their opposite views of things. He states, "the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of Christian terminology." Later he states in his thesis, "...we shall be interested in showing that despite the liberal use of traditional phraseology modern liberalism is not only a different religion from Christianity, but belongs to a totally different class of religions." Machen is interested not in necessarily proving that Liberalism is wrong as he is in explaining that it is not Christian. His burden is not to disprove the tenants of Liberalism (although he speaks some to that end), but to simply describe each clearly and make obvious the huge divergence of thinking in the two groups. Although Machen is perhaps "the" great Fundamentalists, on must keep in mind this was before Fundamentalist meant: narrow, reactionary, separatist, nationalistic, literalist, ignorant, and the like. Whether or not those descriptions have ever been fair of Fundamentalism, if one presently maintains those stereotypes the honest maintenance of them requires not reading this volume. In 1923 Fundamentalist simply meant one not willing to relinquish the fundamental tenants of Christianity. In fact Machen's overwhelming descriptive word of self identification is "evangelical"- another word quickly loosing its meaning. In terms of the place of this book now, I consider it utterly contemporary. The fact that it is more than 80 years old and still so incisive simply reveals the depth of understanding Machen had. I would then wholeheartedly recommend the book for three reasons: 1. It is an important document in understanding the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy of American Christianity which is still being fought everywhere. 2. It is among the best and most direct contrast of two very different views of what the Christian faith is. 3. It is a scholarly and thoughtful work written in the proper spirit of Christian disagreement. I was moved by Machen's clear desire to stand directly and forcefully against what he saw to be the greatest danger to the church he loved so much and yet to do so with a great deal of humble restraint. This book should be read as an example of Machen's vision of what the doctrinal "fights" over liberalism should have looked

There are a great many books one can read explaining traditional Christian theology, but if you are looking for a book that explains why traditional doctrine matters, then there is no better place to start than this gem by J. Gresham Machen, published in 1923.Machen, then professor at Princeton Seminary, was writing at a time when liberalism was making headway into traditional Protestant churches. This liberalism denied the historical accuracy of the Scriptures and the Divinity of Christ, among other things. Of course, it did that while at the same time saying that it "really" believed these things, but just expressed in a different way. Machen exposes the agenda of liberalism quite brilliantly.What is funny is that this liberalism isn't much different than that advocated today. For example, Machen said that it tended toward pantheism. "In modern liberalism, on the other hand, this sharp distinction between God and the world is broken down, and the name `God' is applied to the mighty world process itself. . . . It is strange how such a representation can be regarded as anything new, for as a matter of fact, pantheism is a very ancient phenomenon." [p. 63.] This was years before "process theology" became the vogue.A particularly interesting part of this work are Machen's political insights. He saw clearly the dangers of democratic conformism and brilliantly applied it to contemporary trends to exalt public education. "The truth is that the materialistic paternalism . . . if allowed to go unchecked, will rapidly make of America one huge `Main Street,' where spiritual adventure will be discouraged and democracy will be regarded as consisting in the reduction of all mankind to the proportions of the narrowest and least gifted of the citizens." [pp. 14-15.]

Few books have had as pivotal a role in the battle of ideas as J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism. Machen's classic was written in the height of the battle for control over the Presbyterian Church USA (the most prominent of the "mainline denominations"), and defines with brilliance the battle lines between liberal (so-called) Christianity and the orthodox faith. Moreover, it points out exactly what is at stake: the true faith, as opposed to a perverse shadow of that faith, a shadow based on subjectivism which elevates man's sovereignty over God's and ends in believing nothing at all. It is important to understand that the liberalism Machen castigates is not political but theological (although many if not most of the liberals of the latter camp fell also in the former, numerous prominent political liberals -- such as three-time Democrat Presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan -- fought alongside Machen). This theological liberalism manifests itself in many ways, but is chiefly characterized by a rejection of Scripture as infallibly inspired, a denial of the doctrines of the Fall and of Hell, and a belief in man's evolutionary self-perfection (process theology, with progress guided by an "enlightened" elite). Machen correctly asserts that this is not merely a different approach to the Gospel, but is in fact a different gospel: an exchange of God's sovereignty for man's, God's law-word for man's, God's eternal, unchanging standards for man's evolving, situation ethics. For this reason, Machen contends that liberalism and Christianity are separate things: rival religions, permanently at war. The one problem with this book (a fault which made good rhetorical sense at the time, but which is somewhat misleading concerning the true nature of the struggle) is Machen's choice of categories. Machen deals with theological conservatives and liberals (legitimate in terms of the Bible's own dichotomy between saved and lost), but misses the inescapable fact that there was a third faction at work in the church (a fact which eventually resulted in his defrocking). That third faction was the great mushy evanjellyfish middle, a pietistic/mystical majority which was neither willing to accept the liberal position nor fight for the conservative cause. As Machen had rightly pointed out two years earlier in his address to incoming students at Princeton (and again, much later, in the last two years of the struggle), these were the Christians who said "'Peace, peace', when there was no peace", and elevated that "peace" over truth. As in all other endeavors, "peace at any price" resulted in defeat, and in the end, it was that great mushy middle which delivered the PCUSA to the left (and over the cliff). Even so, it is important to note when examining this struggle that the conservatives largely threw the game away. I strongly recommend North's Crossed Fingers, the only definitive history of this fight and a masterful analysis of the tactics and mistakes

J. Gresham Machen's magnum opus, Christianity & Liberalism, is a book that everyone concerned about the demise of American Christianity should read. At first one might not find the title of his book all that striking, but in its day (1923), it had a little more punch. Machen was trying to show that Christianity and liberalism were two separate plans of salvation, two separate faiths--in short, two entirely different religious systems. In his day, it was thought that liberalism was a fresh new approach to Christianity, a way of practicing the faith in the modern context. But in Machen's thinking, however, liberalism had "relinquished everything distinctive of Christianity, so that what remains is in essentials only that same indefinite type of religious aspiration which was in the world before Christianity came upon the scene." Machen set out therefore to bring all the issues out into the open and make clear-cut distinctions between the two faiths: "What that message is can be made clear, as is the case with all definition, only by way of exclusion, by way of contrast." But this approach wasn't always well received:"Presenting an issue sharply is indeed by no means a popular business at the present time....Clear-cut definition of terms in religious matters, bold facing of the logical implications of religious views, is by many persons regarded as an impious proceeding...But with such persons we cannot possibly bring ourselves to agree. Light may seem at times to be an impertinent intruder, but it is always beneficial in the end. The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from "controversial" matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight."Machen was an extremely clear writer! and thinker. His insight with regard to the battle of orthodox Christianity in the liberal context of the 20's is of tremendous relevance for modern Christians of all stripes concerned about the loss of substance, meaning, theology, etc, in the contemporary church. After reading Christianity & Liberalism, you'll definately want to order his other classic, What Is Faith (1925).