Content Summary: This collection consists of published works authored by Dr. J. Gresham Machen, one work each published by his father and his mother, and both books and articles concerning Dr. Machen's life and ministry.
Span Dates: 1914 - 2005
Size: 1.0 cu. ft.
Access Restrictions: None
Collection Citation: J. Gresham Machen Collection, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO.
Related Collections: J. Oliver Buswell, Jr. Papers, Box 284 [see below]
Off-sight resources : The Machen Archives, as the definitive collection of his papers, is located in the Montgomery Library on the campus of Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA.
There is also a collection of Machen papers, including materials on the 1929 reorganization of Princeton Theological Seminary, located in the Department of Archives and Special Collections at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ. Collection highlights :
NEW:The Separateness of the Church. A sermon delivered by Dr. Machen in the chapel at Princeton Theological Seminary on Sunday, 8 March 1925. The sermon was subsequently issued in tract form, and this digital edition preserves the typesetting and pagination of that form.
"My Idea of God" - Machen's article in the book of the same title. [pdf only]
The Necessity of the Christian School, a lecture given by Dr. Machen before the Educational Convention held in Chicago, as sponsored by the National Union of Christian Schools, in August of 1933. [html only]
"Mountains and Why We Love Them" - text of the famous address, set in the context of several letters providing background and additional context. Included is a letter that Dr. Machen wrote from Switzerland while on his last trip to the Alps.
Biographical Note:
"Speaking at a Westminster Seminary alumni dinner in Cleveland in 1934, Dr. Gordon A. MacLennan, a minister in the (then) United Presbyterian church, said, 'What is it in Dr. Machen that stands out above everything else? I have given much thought to my own question. To me the answer does not lie in his scholarship, or in his teaching ability, or in his literary skill, great as all these are. In my opinion the one feature about him that overshadows everything else is this: his burning passion to see the Lordship of Christ exercised in His church.' "
"Unless one understands this, he will never understand John Gresham Machen, his moves or his moods. But for that one overruling passion he would have been content to lodge in the quiet eye of the hurricane undisturbed by the fury of the storm that howled about him. How good and how pleasant it would have been to stay out of theological controversy, quietly confine all his energies to classroom instruction and scholarly writing! But historic Christianity was in conflict, the honor of hte Son of God was involved, and Machen was of sterner stuff than to sit at rest and disregard the frontal attack against his Lord."
[excerpted from A Treasury of Evangelical Writings (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1974, 1980), page 446.]
Administrative History: This collection consists of materials gathered by the staff of the PCA Historical Center between 1998 and 2006, together with donations of items received from Dr. George P. Hutchinson and the Rev. Ray Cannata. These materials have been assembled together as a way of presenting resources that are not organically part of another collection, and as convenience for researchers.
Finding Aid is normally located in folder number 1 of each
box.
1. Shorter published works and correspondence of Dr. J. Gresham Machen-
Subject
Box
Item
Christianity in Conflict (New York : Round Table Press, Inc., 1932), offprint from Contemporary American Theology, edited by Vergilius Ferm, Volume 1, pp. 245-274. [a copy of Contemporary American Theology is also available in the Center's library]
262
1
History and Faith (Princeton, NJ : The Princeton Theological Review, 13.3 (July 1915), 337-351), offprint, 15pp. [This was Machen's inaugural address as Assistant Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary, delivered 3 May 1915 and first published in The Princeton Theological Review, 13.3 (July 1915), 337-351.
262
2
"Is the Bible Right About Jesus?": Part I. What the Bible Teaches About Jesus, in The Evangelical Student, 3.1 (Oct. 1928) 4 - 11; Part II. "The Witness of Paul," 3.2 (Jan. 1929) 7 - 15; Part III. "The Witness of the Gospels," 3.3 (Apr. 1929) 11 - 20. [three addresses given in King's Hall, London on 10 June 1927 under the auspices of The Bible League of Great Britain and revised by Dr. Machen for The Evangelical Student.
262
3
"Jesus and Paul," in Biblical and Theological Studies by Members of the Faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary (New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1912), pp. 545-578. [photocopy of article; the entire volume is also available in the Center's library]
262
4
"Machen's Profession of Faith," in The Witness (Willow Grove, PA : Covenant House) 3.7 (October 1958) 2. [sermon extract from 17 September 1935 and delivered just prior to his standing trial before the PCUSA's Presbytery of New Jersey]
262
5
Modernism and The Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.: Argument of J. Gresham Machen in Support of an Overture Introduced in the Presbytery of New Brunswick at Its Meeting on January 24, 1933, and Made the Order of the Day for the Meeting of April 11, 1933 (Philadelphia : Press of Allen, Lane & Scott, [1933] ), pb, 110pp.; 22 cm.
262
6
Mountains and Why We Love Them, [Cover note : "The following paper was read before a group of ministers in Philadelphia, November 27, 1933. It is reprinted here from the August, 1934, number of Christianity Today". Subsequent reprints appeared in What is Christianity? (1951) and again as a separate tract issued in 2002 by the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church]
262
7
Statement to the Special Committee of the Presbytery of New Brunswick in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. which was appointed by the Presbytery at its Meeting on Tuesday, September 25, 1934, to "Confer further with Dr. Machen with respect to his relationship with the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, and to Make Recommendations to Presbytery for the Disposition of the Matter Involving the Mandate of the General Assembly to the Presbytery and the Relation of Dr. Machen to the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions." (Philadelphia : J. Gresham Machen, 1934), pb, 98pp.; 23 cm.
262
8
The Attack upon Princeton Seminary : A Plea for Fair Play (Princeton, N.J. : Machen ; Philadelphia : secured by application to Messrs. Johnson & Prince, 1927), 47pp.; 22 cm.
262
9
The Christian School the Hope of America (Chicago, IL : National Union of Christian Schools, 1934), 19pp.; 18 cm.
262
10
The Church of God (Philadelphia, PA : Presbyteran Guardian Publishing Company, 1936), 10pp.; 23 cm.
262
11
"The Good Fight of Faith," in A Treasury of Evangelical Writings, edited by David O. Fuller (Grand Rapids : Kregel Publications, 1974, third printing, 1980), pb, pp. 446-455 of 460.
262
12
The Importance of Christian Scholarship (London : Bible League, 1934), 17 cm. ["Addresses given at Bible League meetings in Caxton Hall, Westminster, London, June 17th, 1932."; published in Christianity Today, November 1932 and reprinted, (Cape May, NJ: Shelton College Press, 1971); posted online at http://bpc.org/articles/machen/scholar.htm, printing out to 16pp.
262
13
The Living Saviour (London : The Evangelical Press, n.d.), pb, 11pp.; 18.5 cm. [a sermon originally delivered circa 1923-1924]
262
14
The Necessity of the Christian School (Chicago, IL : National Union of Christian Schools, 1934), 16pp.; portrait; 18 cm. [EXC; PRP; TNK]
262
15
"The Relation of Religion to Science and Philosophy," in The Princeton Theological Review, 26.1 (January 1926), 38-66. [photocopy]
16
The Responsibility of the Church in Our New Age (Philadelphia : American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1933), offprint, 10pp.; 23.5 cm. Cover note : "Publication No. 2552, Reprinted from Essentials for Prosperity, Vol. 165 of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January 1933.
262
17
The Separateness of the Church (Philadelphia: The Presbyterian Press Assoc., n.d.), 16pp.; 15.5 cm. ["A sermon preached in the Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary on Sunday, March 8, 1925"]
262
18
2. Documents concerning Dr. J. Gresham Machen-
Alexander, Chalmers W., "What the Northern Presbyterian Church Did to J. Gresham Machen," in The Southern Presbyterian Journal, Part I, 8.10 (15 September 1949) 6-10; Part II, 8.11 (1 October 1949) 13-18 and Part III, 8.12 (15 October 1949) 8-12.
262
19
Barr, James Daniel, 1997, "Newspaper Coverage of J. Gresham Machen's Ecclesiastical Trial in 1935," Premise Magazine 4.4 (December 1997), 'Page 4' [originally posted on http://capo.org, but no longer online; printed out to 29pp.]
262
20
Clark, Gordon H. [?], Unpublished review of Masselink, W., Professor J. Gresham Machen: His Life and Defense of the Bible [photocopy of typescript, 4pp.]
262
21
Hart, Darryl G., "Fundamentalism, Inerrancy, and the Biblical Scholarship of J. Gresham Machen," in Journal of Presbyterian History 75.1 (Spring 1997) 13-28.
262
22
Hart, Darryl G., J. Gresham Machen, the OPC and the Problem of Christian Controversy (s.l. : s.n., circa 1997), pb, 22pp.; 21.5 cm. [Cover note : "Reprinted from an address delivered before the Presbytery of Philadelphia, OPC, November 15, 1996]
262
23
Hawkins, Craig S., "A Short History of the Life of J. Gresham Machen : His Relevance for Today," [unpublished paper dated July 2000, 13pp.]
262
24
Lippmann, Walter, A Preface to Morals (Boston : Beacon Press, 1929, 1960), pb, 348pp. Cf. pp. 32-34 regarding Machen.
262
25
Machen Family, Miscellaneous genealogical information, including a brief biographical account of Thomas Gresham Machen [1886-1975]
262
26
National Bible Institute, Promotional brochures for lectures sponsored by NBI and delivered at the Marble Collegiate Church, 1923. Brochure no. 1 advertises Machen's speech "Basic Facts of Christianity"; Brochure no. 2 advertises lectures "The Living Christ" and "What is Salvation"
262
27
Obituaries and related items on the death of Dr. Machen
262
28
Piper, John, 1993, "J. Gresham Machen's Response to Modernism," [an address delivered before the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors, 26 January 1993; captured on 25 June 2000 from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/6391/machen.htm], 25pp.
262
29
Princeton Theological Seminary, Department of Archives and Special Collections, 1996, Finding Aid for the John Gresham Machen Collection, with Additional Papers on the 1929 Reorganization of Princeton Seminary, typescript, 9pp.
262
30
Richardson, John R., "J. Gresham Machen-'Valiant-For-Truth'" [Review of J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir by Ned B. Stonehouse], in The Southern Presbyterian Journal, 13.25 (20 October 1954) 7-13.
262
31
Rosenthal, Shane, 2001, "Was J. Gresham Machen a Consistent Calvinist?" [posted online at http://www.markers.com /ink/srmachen.htm and captured on 14 March 2002], 16 pp.
262
32
Szoke, Rev. Imre, 2002, "Introduction to the Hungarian Edition of J. Gresham Machen's Classic Work: Christianity and Liberalism, with an application of the author's principles to the current Hungarian church situation (Miskolc, Hungary: Karolyi Gaspar Institute of Theology and Missions), 19pp.; 28 cm.
262
33
Walker, Daniel F., "J. Gresham Machen: A Forgotten Libertarian," in The Freeman: A Publication of the Foundation for Economic Education, 43.12 (December 1993) and posted online at http://www.libertyhaven.com [captured 25 June 2000; printed out to 5pp.]
262
34
Woolley, Paul, et al., "Personal Reminiscences of J. Gresham Machen," in The Presbyterian Journal, 44.31 (27 November 1985), pp. 6-10. Contributors include 1. Paul Woolley; 2. Henry W. Coray; 3. Donald C. Graham; 4. Allan A. MacRae; 5. R. Laird Harris; 6. Louise R. Graham; 7. Edward L. Kellogg; 8. John M.L. Young; 9. Harold S. Laird; and 10. Lewis J. Grotenhuis. Also on page 15 of this issue, "Dr. Machen and True Presbyterianism," by Dr. William S. Barker.
262
35
3. Book-length works authored by Dr. Machen-
A Rapid Survey of the Literature and History of New Testament Times, Parts I, II, III, and IV in The Westminster Departmental Graded Series International Course-Modified (Philadelphia : Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, 1914 and 1915), eight volumes in all, Student's Text Book (4 vols.) and Teacher's Manual (4 vols.)
262
36
The Literature and History of New Testament Times (Philadelphia, PA: The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work, 1915), 288pp.; 20 cm.
262
37
The New Testament : An Introduction to its Literature and History, edited by W. John Cook, (Edinburgh : The Banner of Truth Trust, 1976), hb, 386pp.; 22 cm.
262
38
Christianity and Liberalism (Philadelphia : The Sunday School Times Company, 1923, reprinted February 1924), hb, 189pp.; 18 cm.
262
39
Christianity and Liberalism (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1934 [seventh printing]), hb, 189pp.; 18 cm. [Inscribed by former owner, Rev. Samuel J. Allen]
262
40
Christianity and Liberalism (Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), pb, 189pp.; 19.5 cm.
262
41
God Transcendent (Edinburgh : The Banner of Truth Trust, 1949, 1982), pb, 206pp.
262
42
The Origin of Paul's Religion (New York : The Macmillan Company, 1921), hb, 329pp.; 22.5 cm. [being the James Sprunt Lectures delivered at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, VA]
262
43
The Origin of Paul's Religion (Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1925, 1970, 1973 and 1976), pb, 329pp.; 19 cm.
262
44
The Virgin Birth of Christ (New York and London : Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1930, Second edition, 1932), hb, x, 415pp.; 22 cm.
262
45
What is Faith? (Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1946), hb, 263pp.; 19 cm.
262
46
The Christian View of Man (London : The Banner of Truth Trust, 1937, 1965), pb, 254pp.; 18 cm.
262
47
God Transcendent (Edinburgh : The Banner of Truth Trust, 1949, 1982), pb, 206pp.; 18 cm.
262
48
Education, Christianity and the State, edited by John W. Robbins (Unicoi, TN : The Trinity Foundation, 1987, third printing, 2004), pb, xii, 163pp.; 21 cm.
262
49
Selected shorter writings, edited by D.G. Hart (Phillipsburg, NJ : P&R Publishing, 2004), hb, vii, 590pp.; 24 cm. ISBN: 0875525709.
262
50
4. Book-length works authored by members of Dr. Machen's family-
Machen, Arthur W., Stories and Articles, collected by Arthur W. Machen, Jr. (Baltimore : Privately Printed, 1917), Volume 1, hb, v, 394pp.; 22 cm. [Frontispiece portrait facing title page]
262
51
Machen, Minnie Gresham, The Bible in Browning, with Particular Reference to The Ring and the Book (New York : The Macmillan Company, 1903), hb, 290pp.; 19 cm. [inscribed by the author : "The Author hopes that her little book may give some pleasure to her dear nephew, LeRoy Gresham. Baltimore, Oct. 17, 1903."]
262
52
5. Published books concerning Dr. Machen's life and ministry-
Coray, Henry W., J. Gresham Machen : A Silouette (Grand Rapids : Kregel Publications, 1981), pb, 128pp.; 19 cm.
262
53
Coray, Henry W., J. Gresham Machen : A Silouette (Willow Grove, PA : The Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2002), pb, 127pp.; 21.5 cm.
262
54
Crisope, Terry A., Toward a Sure Faith : J. Gresham Machen and the Dilemma of Biblical Criticism, 1881-1915 (Ross-Shire, Great Britain : Christian Focus Publications, 2000), pb, 240pp.; 21.5 cm.
262
55
Lippmann, Walter, A Preface to Morals (Boston : Beacon Press, 1960), pb, 348pp.; 20 cm. [pages 32-34 present Lippmann's comments regarding Dr. Machen.]
262
56
Stonehouse, Ned B., J. Gresham Machen : A Biographical Memoir (Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1954), hb, 520pp.; 22 cm.
262
57
Woolley, Paul, The Significance of J. Gresham Machen Today (Nutley, NJ : Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., 1977), pb, 84pp.; 21 cm. [inscribed by the author]
262
58
6. Additional Machen documents and resources in the PCA Historical Center-
a. Papers of J. Oliver Buswell, Jr.-
Machen, J. Gresham, 1926 - 1929, Correspondence
284
18
Machen, J. Gresham, 1930 - 1933, Correspondence re Founding of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions (IBPFM)
284
19
Machen, J. Gresham, 1934 - 1935, Correspondence
284
20
Machen, J. Gresham, 1935, Newspaper clippings regarding PCUSA trial
284
21
Machen, J. Gresham, 1936 - 1937, Correspondence re Millennial Dispute
Machen, J. Gresham, Correspondence, includes 1. What Bible-Believing Christians Should Do at the General Assembly of 1933, dated 19 May 1933, 2pp.; 2. Seven Letters, dated 21 August 1934; 8 September 1934; 19 January 1935; 16 February 1935; 11 May 1935; 6 April 1936; and 20 May 1936 [one page each]; 3. Tributes to Dr. J. Gresham Machen delivered at First Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA, Sunday, 3 January 1937, 6pp.
479
45
Scott, Jack, Handwriting on the Wall, [paper on J.G. Machen and the stand against Liberalism]
487
60
c. Papers of Edward A. Steele, III-
Machen, J. Gresham, 1935, Correspondence with B.F. Edwards, Esq.
333
45
Machen, J. Gresham, Did Christ Rise from the Dead?
333
46
Machen, J. Gresham, Memorial, 1937
333
47
Machen, J. Gresham, 1930, Newspaper article dated 30 January 1930
333
48
d. Papers of Robert Dick Wilson-
Machen, J. Gresham, 1928, Draft of [1] Proposed Statement of the Faculty of Princeton Seminary to the Board of Trustees and [2] Statement to the Seminary Committee of General Assembly [typescript, 8 leaves, including cover letter from J. Gresham Machen dated 31 August 1928
Processing of Box 806 is not yet complete.
e. Books in the PCA Historical Center's research library with articles about Dr. Machen - 1. Dennison, Charles G., "J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis in the Reformed World," in History for a Pilgrim People : The Historical Writings of Charles G. Dennison, edited by Danny e. Olinger and David K. Thompson (Willow Grove, PA : The Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2002), pp. 41-52.
2. ____ ___, "J. Gresham Machen and Reformed Spirituality," also in History for a Pilgrim People, pp. 53-66.
3. Dennison, James T., Jr. and Grace Mullen, "A Bibliography of the Writings of J. Gresham Machen," in Pressing Toward the Mark : Essays Commemorating Fifty Years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia : The Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 1986), pp. 461-485.
4. Russell, C. Allyn, "J. Gresham Machen: Scholarly Fundamentalist," in Voices of American Fundmentalism : Seven Biographical Studies (Philadelphia : The Westminster Press, 1976), pp. 135-161.
