Book Review: Christianity and Liberalism © June 27, 2000, Rod D. Martin Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen A Vital Christian Classic, More Relevant By the Day 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 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 of both sides. Yet at the end of the day, you must read Machen. This book is vital for Christians defending their churches and denominations against increasing liberal encroachment, and indeed more so by the day. It is as groundbreaking as it is timeless. Author Archive | Contact Rod Martin -- Rod D. Martin is Founder and Chairman of TheVanguard.Org, America's conservative movement online. A writer, speaker and technology entrepreneur, he is a noted futurist and advocate for liberty who serves as Chairman of the Arlington Group's National Security Team, on the Board of Governors of the Council for National Policy, and as President of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA), “the Republican Wing of the Republican Party”.