Christianity and Liberalism

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen examines the fundamental differences between historic Christianity and theological liberalism, arguing that the two represent not variations of one faith but distinct religions altogether.

Writing amid the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy, Machen addresses the major doctrines of the Christian faith across seven chapters: doctrine, God and man, the Bible, Christ, salvation, and the church. In each area, he demonstrates that liberalism—despite its use of traditional Christian vocabulary—departs from orthodox Christianity at the most foundational level. Machen traces the root of liberal theology to naturalism, the denial of God’s supernatural action in the origin and continuation of Christianity.

Rather than reducing the faith to a handful of contested doctrines, Machen presents a comprehensive case grounded in confessional Presbyterian theology. He contends that liberalism has lost sight of the two great presuppositions of the Christian message—the living God and the fact of sin—and has replaced the gospel of redemption with moral exhortation. Throughout, he calls for intellectual honesty, urging those who have abandoned the substance of Christianity to acknowledge that what they hold is a different faith rather than claiming the Christian name.

Key Themes

• The distinction between historic Christianity and theological liberalism as fundamentally different religions
• The centrality of doctrine to the identity and power of the Christian faith
• The authority of Scripture and the supernatural character of Christianity
• The person and redemptive work of Christ as the object of faith
• The call for intellectual honesty in theological controversy

Featured Quotes

“Indifferentism about doctrine makes no heroes of the faith.”

“The early Christians regarded Jesus not merely as an example for faith but primarily as the object of faith.”