Book in Review: "Christianity and Liberalism"

Could a book be more relevant for today? Well, surely God's Word is--but Machen's book written nearly a hundred years ago seems pre-molded for modern America 2016. We live in the age of Creflo Dollar's gospel, Bart Ehrman's textual criticism, Joel Osteen's preaching, and Oprah Winfrey's theology. If the circumstances surrounding Dr. Machen's early 20th century world were bad--what has it come to today?!

There indeed is nothing new under the sun. The battles that were wrestled in the past are the same battles we are fighting today (though perhaps under different names). Machen iterates, "The greatest menace to the Christian Church today comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core." It is therefore that menace to the precious church of Jesus Christ that Machen fights against with all righteous tenacity of a shepherd whose flock is under siege by wolves.

Machen reveals that "Liberal Christianity" is not Christianity at all. He goes as far as to say that liberalism is no "mere hersey" as it proceeds from a "totally different root". Liberal Christianity, as Machen defines in the opening, is a false gospel. It has a different view of God, a far more positive view of man, a different view of Jesus Christ, and therefore a far different view of salvation. Jesus under the liberal teaching is no longer the "object of our faith" but a faithful example to us of ethics, morals, and love for all. Man needs only follow his example alone and all will be well! To that Machen says--FALSE RELIGION. If Jesus did not live, die, and rise from the dead in historical time and space we have nothing. A gospel without the supernatural, Machen concedes, may be easier to believe--but it would not be worth believing! We are in desperate need of deliverance from our sin, and only the blood of Jesus can satisfy that need.

Machen also includes a brief and incredibly strong defense of the authenticity of Paul's letters as well as the unity of the Scriptures as a whole. "Christianity and Liberalism" is an excellent defense for the Truth of the Gospel as expressed throughout Scripture and could not be more relevant for today. If you want a book to stretch yourself in 2016, make this the one.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christian Responsibility vs. Christian Suffering

Image
Guns. Guns for everyone or no guns at all? This is the hot button issue at the moment and I see Christians on both sides of the fence. The increasingly frequent mass shootings continue to fan the flames of political debate, but have taken me down a different strand of thinking: Christian civic responsibility vs. Christian suffering. As Christians we are to be lovers of justice. We are to stand up for the weak and the needy. Micah 6:8 could not say it more succinctly: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Jesus says in Matthew 22:39 that after loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind--the greatest commandment is--to "Love your neighbor as yourself." This sets the stage for what I will call Christian civic responsibility. As Christians we are called to look after our neighbor, and to not look the other way when evil comes. So in light
Read more

Dangers of Self-Revolution

Imagine for a moment year 2023 gives you exactly what you want. What if your ambitious resolutions are reached and your year is a year of growth unlike any other?  You may be surprised to hear a word of caution on the dangers of self-revolution. Jesus says an interesting statement in Matthew 12:43-45 as he pulls back the veil on the spiritual realm and describes what proves too often the case with human nature and our success: "When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." We know little about what caused the impure spirit to flee, but we can figure that the person it
Read more

My “Force Awakens” review *With Spoilers*

Image
My “Force Awakens” review *With Spoilers* As a traditionalist wary of changing the beautiful past, I was skeptical going into theater to see Star Wars The Force Awakens last night. Having been burned before (I still have not picked up the pieces from that animated Hobbit prequel to my beloved Lord of the Rings classic) it is understandable that I would be critical when change comes to great things of the past.   Though I was never as invested in Star Wars as I was with Lord of the Rings, I was still invested. Star Wars is after all a legendary series with light sabers, lasers, space travel, and eastern religion. Who would not like that? Exactly. Everyone likes Star Wars and I am no exception to everyone. But it was more than the “newness” that made me hesitant for the much anticipated film. George Lucas had stepped down and Disney had stepped in—not maybe my prescribed recipe for success. The cherished characters had now become really old, which always brings challenges
Read more