Christianity and Liberalism by Gresham Machen-Machen Essay

Biography of Gresham Machen Machen was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1881. In 1898, Machen enrolled at Johns Hopkins University and became a brilliant scholar. In addition, Machen obtained theological studies in Germany in 1905 where he being thrown into confusion of his own faith because of the influence of the liberalism. After returning from Europe, In 1906, Machen join as an instructor in New Testament at Princeton Seminary. Machen’s work in the 1920s was divided between his time at Princeton Seminary and his political work with Presbyterians. In addition to Christianity and Liberalism, Machen works are such as The Origin of Paul’s Religion, What is Faith, New testament Greek for Beginners, The Virgin Birth of Christ, The Christian†¦show more content†¦The core of Machen’s argument was â€Å"that liberalism is totally different from Christianity, for the foundation is different.† (PAGE 67) Doctrine The foundation of Christianity is doctrine. Machen described doctrine as â€Å"the setting forth of the event with the meaning of the event.† (PAGE 25) Christianity is based on the truth of the Gospel of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ as the only sacrifice for sin. On the other hand, liberalism does not have doctrine and the foundation is on the individual experience and feelings. Liberalism is independent from standard or historical foundation of Christianity. Thus, Christianity and liberalism are totally different kinds of religions. Machen stated that the New Testament books â€Å"are regarded by all serious historians as genuine products of the first Christian generation.† (PAGE 18) The statement merely could be false without Machen’s willingness to terminate as un-serious all historians who ignore the validity and authority of the New Testament. The argument of the New Testament authenticity is still conflicted between in liberalism and typical denominations. A weakness in Machen’s argument on Doctrine was while Machen indicates that the New testament could be understood through the perspective of the â€Å"primitive Jerusalem church† (PAGE 22), no supportive agreement was found what the primitive church lookedShow MoreRelatedBiography of J. Gresham Machen Essay1815 Words   |  8 PagesBiography of J. Gresham Machen John Gresham Machen was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 28th 1881 to parents Arthur Webster and Mary Hones Gresham. From an early age Machen was taught lessons of the bible and of Jesus. His family attended a Presbyterian church called Franklyn Street Presbyterian. (Wikipedia) Machens father was a lawyer and therefore Machen was considered to be brought up in a rather privileged home. He attendee a private college where he was educated in classics such