J. Gresham Machen

As he did in his two other books of similar style--on Martin Luther and Jonathan Edwards--Stephen Nichols gives detailed, yet clear insight into one of the lesser-known figures of American Evangelicalism. Unlike Luther and Edwards, who lived in different time periods, J. Gresham More...Machen lived and taught closer to our modern era. He enjoyed playing football and attending baseball games, even skipping a class or two while at Princeton Seminary! But he was also very studious, and after spending a year studying in Germany became an associate professor at Princeton. His study, particularly in the area of New Testament, enabled him to teach a generation of students the heart of the gospel and stand toe-to-toe with critical scholars who would denude it of its saving power. It was this latter stance that would eventually lead to his leaving the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. One of the more touching stories was his personal ministry to a Richard Hodges, an alcoholic who became a Christian, but who continued to struggle with his alcoholism for many years. Machen found him a place to stay away from the influence of old friends and funded his rent and other living expenses for nearly 20 years. And when Hodges died, he paid for the funeral. What Nichols demonstrates from start to finish is the life of a man who lived the message of the Gospel to the fullest: He preached Jesus Christ and him crucified; taught that there can be no separation of doctrine and life; enjoyed walking in the mountains of Europe and desired that national parks and other natural resources be preserved for generations to come; engaged the culture of his day with the Christian message; and loved to entertain Princeton students on Saturday evenings with fruit and tobacco. [At that time only men attended the seminary.]