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This week, Ned B. Stonehouse’s biography of J. Gresham Machen is available at 30% off (£12.25 £17.50). Machen was one of the foremost defenders of orthodox Christianity in the first part of the twentieth century. Early on in his life, however, he was strongly tempted by theological ‘liberalism,’ and almost made a shipwreck of his faith. The grace of God sustained Machen and he would go on to contend with liberalism ‘as one who had felt its warm embraces, so that he grasped the nature of the conflict, as it were, from within.' (Nick Needham, Shapers of Christianity). Anyone wishing to find out about Machen, who had many of the qualities of Bunyan’s Mr. Valiant-for-Truth, will find much to stimulate and encourage in Stonehouse’s book. Buy J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir What is Faith? In What is Faith? Machen addresses one of the most fundamental questions about the Christian gospel. In his graceful style he expounds the biblical teaching on faith, combining the solid content of the truth with the personal challenge of the gospel. The result is a book of outstanding and permanent value. Paperback, 280 pages. £6.50 £5.85 Buy What is Faith? The Christian View of Man Machen explains, for Christians and non-Christians alike, how the Bible serves as a mirror to show us who we are. In simple yet careful language, Machen deals with such subjects as creation, man as the image of God, the fall, sin, God’s providence and care, and God’s restoring grace. Paperback, 256 pages. £5.40 £6.00 Buy The Christian View of Man God Transcendent In these messages, Machen expounds the greatness and glory of God, the wonder and power of the gospel and the exhilaration of serving Christ in the front line of spiritual warfare. They show why Machen fought so tenaciously for biblical truth against error: ‘It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight’. Paperback, 208 pages. £5.10 £5.75 Buy God Transcendent This week on the Magazine Podcast: The Warrior Theologian N.B. We apologise for the mispronunciation of Machen’s name in this episode. It ought to be pronounced Gress-UM MAY-chen (the ‘h’ in Gresham being silent). Listen on Podbean © 2026 The Banner of Truth Trust. All rights reserved. View in browser · Update profile · Unsubscribe

Letter to Miss Gushard, 1936

Machen was known to promptly and faithfully reply (much like Calvin) to the many letters he received. Here’s one from September 30, 1936 (from the PCA Historical Center’s J. Oliver Buswell Collection):

Dear Miss Gushard:

Your letter of Sept. 24th, addressed to me at the Seminary, which I do not visit very often in vacation time, did not come into my hands until yesterday evening. In reply to your inquiry, please let me say that I do not think it to be wrong to attend the theatre. My position regarding these matters is rather clear, and I have held it for a great many years. It may be set forth in part briefly as follows:

1. It is wrong to do things that are expressly forbidden in the Bible.

2. Where things are not expressly forbidden in the Bible, the individual Christian must determine, in the light of the Bible, whether they are wrong or not, and must act accordingly.

3. It is wrong for one Christian to tyrannize over the conscience of another in these matters.

That being so, I respect very greatly the conscience of a fellow Christian who cannot conscientiously go to the theatre. I should hate to see him do what he thinks is wrong. I certainly cannot ask him to submit his conscience to mine. On the other hand, he ought not to ask me to submit my conscience to his. With (regard) to the “separated” life, I should just like to say two things. In the first place, worldliness is a great danger to the Church and consecration is the thing for which we ought to strive with all our might. No mere man, since the Fall, has ever in this life been perfectly consecrated to God; but we ought to strive always to be more and more consecrated to Him. In the second place, however, there is also an opposite danger. It is the danger of a false asceticism. It is the danger into which those persons in Colosse fell when they said in a way which the Apostle rebukes: “Touch not, taste not, handle not.” We ought to strive against that danger also. Particularly ought we to avoid subjecting our fellow Christians to rules of our own choosing that go beyond what the Word of God contains.

Such are my principles. I do not claim to have followed them perfectly. Far from it. There have been times beyond number when I have fallen short of them. I certainly need to ask God daily to forgive me for my sins. But the principles that I have set forth do seem to me to be in accordance with God’s holy Word, and they are principles which I think we ought to keep before our eyes.

Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) J. Gresham Machen

Found here

Machen on church history

Check here for a summary of Machen's approach to church history - an episode of Steve Nichols' Five minutes in church history.

Machen's Theological Method

 An audio piece by William Deniston on the above subject can be found here.

How not to be an Erdman

 Nice link here

J Gresham Machen Bibliography

 Here is a good link that I don't think we've noted before

Quotation Divinity of Christ

“I ask you now to consider one great central part of the doctrine, the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Bible says that Christ is God, it does not ask us to forget a single thing that it has said about the stupendous majesty of God. No, it asks us to remember every one of those things in order that we may apply them all to Jesus Christ.”

From an article found here.

Five minutes from Steve Nicholls

Check this link for five minutes on Machen and rethinking missions by Steve Nicholls.

Vern Poythress Preface

Check here for a preface to Christainity and Liberalism by Vern Poythress

Why Machen didn't like the term evangelical

See something on this here

Robert Godfrey On Machen

You can hear an audio introduction to Machen by Robert Godfrey here at Renew Your Mind.

Westminster Theological Seminary

A brief history of the seminary founded by Machen can be found here.

Shorter Writings

Selected shorter writings available in ebook format here

Carnell on Machen

See Carnell on Machen here at Heidelblog (ignore the typos).