J. Gresham Machen acted like a lighthouse on a hill warning the church in the 20’s and 30’s of the potent growth of liberalism in Christianity. False teaching gave rise to liberalism and liberalism was best defined by viewing the Bible as a collection of stories that contained truth, not inspired truth completely.

We can learn from our past as we face teaching of a new sort, a type of emotional subjectivism that makes everyone right and no one wrong. The Bible is not so much under attack today as it is under-used in American Churches. It is no longer the issue of how much truth does the Bible contain, but should we consider the use of the Bible? Have we begun the same journey as the churches at the turn of the last century? Have we just started our trip from a different intersection?

In order to see the swell of liberalism in Greshem’s day, in an effort to be mindful of our own steps, consider the following timeline:

1919
World Christian Fundamentals Association, financed by oil tycoons, sent booklets to all pastors in the USA underscoring 5 fundamentals to counteract liberalism: 1. Biblical inspiration and inerrancy, 2. Deity of Christ, 3. Vicarious atonement of Christ, 4. Imminent return of Christ, 5. Bodily resurrection.

1923
Auburn Affirmation signed by 1,274 Presbyterian pastors “to safeguard the unity and liberty of the church” The document stated that inerrancy of Scripture, and Jesus’ virgin birth, miracles, vicarious sacrifice, and bodily resurrection are not essential doctrines.

1927
General Assembly of the PCUSA (Presbytyrian Church of the United States of America) upholds anti-fundamentalist Harry Emerson Fosdick’s ordination.

1929
J. Greshem Machen, Robert Wilson,and Cornelius Van Tihl leave Princeton Seminary and form Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, PA.

1932
Presbyterian document “Rethinking Missions” released, sponsored by J.D. Rockefeller, which derides the exclusiveness (i.e. that Christ is the only way of salvation)of Christianity and promoting syncretism – that there are spiritual truths from God in all religions.

1933
Machen forms the Independent Board of Presbyterian Foreign Missions after getting exasperated with Presbyterian (USA) mission work in China.

1935-6
The PCUSA kicks Machen and other conservatives out, who then form the Presbyterian Church in America.

In 1929, J Greshem Machen saw the dam beginning to break when he said:

“That disaster is a figure of what will come of optimism in the churches of today. Superficially our ecclesiastical life seems to be progressing as it always did: the cabins are full of comfortable passengers; the orchestra is playing a lively air; the rows of lighted windows shine cheerfully out into the night. But all the time death is lurking beneath. In this time of deadly peril there are leaders who say that all is well; there are leaders who decry controversy and urge peace, declaring that the church is all perfectly loyal and true. God forgive them, brethren! I say it with all my heart: may God forgive them for the evil that they are doing to Christ’s little ones: may the Holy Spirit open their eyes while yet there is time! Meanwhile, in the case of many of the churches, the great ship rushes onward to the risk, at least, of doom.”

What are the lessons that history begs us to consider? What are the images that have been buried under the dust of time that need to be unearthed in order to guard our steps today?