Christianity & Liberalism

Was Christianity changing toward a more liberal form in the Protestant church? Was it slipping away from the true orthodoxy of the Bible and Christ?

In the early 20th Century J. Gresham Machen, a theologian at Princeton and later as co-founder of Westminster Theological Seminary, believed this was the case and put his mark on paper with his book Christianity & Liberalism. In 1923 Machen brought light to the issue of a changing Church.

Is this book important?

According to at least two periodicals it was listed as being one of the most important works of the 20th Century:

World magazine noted the book in the top 100 books of the millennium

Christianity Today listed the book in their top 100 books of the century

Machen described his book this way: "In my little book, Christianity and Liberalism, 1923, I tried to show that the issue in the Church of the present day is not between two varieties of the same religion, but, at bottom, between two essentially different types of thought and life. There is much interlocking of the branches, but the two tendencies, Modernism and supernaturalism, or (otherwise designated) non-doctrinal religion and historic Christianity, spring from different roots. In particular, I tried to show that Christianity is not a "life," as distinguished from a doctrine, and not a life that has doctrine as its changing symbolic expression, but thatexactly the other way aroundit is a life founded on a doctrine."

Machen asserts:

"The greatest menace to the Christian Church to-day comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the Church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core."

"Here is found the most fundamental difference between liberalism and Christianityliberalism is altogether in the imperative mood, while Christianity begins with a triumphant indicative; liberalism appeals to man's will, while Christianity announces, first, a gracious act of God."

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