This paper was presented at an academic conference held by Chongshin Theological Seminary to commemorate the 506<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary of the Reformation. This year also happens to be the 100th year since the publication of J. Gresham Machen’s (1881-1936) Christianity and Liberalism. It is fitting, I trust, with the Reformation spirit to remember and celebrate Machen and his book. What he argued in his book to defend the Christian churches 100 years ago was the very spirit of the Reformation, and the shape of the church today is not much better than 100 years ago when Machen published the book. Machen’s apologetical work to defend the authority of Scripture and the substitutionary atonement of Christ from the liberal theology of that time is recognized by Christianity Today that Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism is selected among the 100 best Christian books of the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century.
What Machen repeated in this book is that Christianity and liberal theology are two different religions. As a New Testament scholar himself Machen argued that the effort of liberal theologians trying to restore the so-called “historical Jesus” and “the text trustworthy” is not Christianity. What we believe is what is testified in the Bible of Jesus Christ. Machen argued that liberal theology is not honest and, therefore, not Christianity, and the threat is still very much alive till today.
Machen argued that Christian faith is grounded in the object rather than the example exemplified in the life of Jesus. He made it clear that the object of faith is Jesus and the message testified in the Bible that he died for our sin and resurrected. The liberals instead suggested the noble life of Jesus as a model to follow. We still find the preachers that pound the human will and emotion to live like Jesus who sacrificed himself for others. For Machen faith is a supernatural work of God to have us to believe the history of Jesus testified in the Bible.
According to Machen, the history of past is still testified to us in the Bible. The “message” received by the apostles is testified in the Bible that records what we have to believe, that is, doctrine and theology. The tendency of the liberals is very much alive, who had despised doctrine and theology as an theoretical knowledge and instead emphasized the untheoretical knowledge like the experience of God.
Machen sharply pointed out the problems of many pastors of that time that they do not check upon the confession of the congregation. For him it is dishonest that those who do not have confession become members of the church, become deacons and elders, participate in the decision-making, and even teach the congregation. Also, he did not believe that it is fair and legitimate to unite between the churches who do not share the same confession. Simply, it is impossible for Christianity and liberals to unite.
Machen’s Christianity and Liberalism was a part of the Reformation program for the early part of the 20t<SUP>h</SUP> century that had defended the churches from the challenges by liberal theology. His book well deserves a re-visit because his Reformation program still remains valid and effective for today.