i

I.
Defending the Faith:].
Gresham Machen and the
Crisis of Conservative
Protestantism in Modem
America by D.G. Hart; Baker
Book House, P.O. Box 6287,
Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287;
1995,227 pp. with index.
In this biography the author
points out that what makes
Machen interesting and
deserving of more careful study
was his unconventional
dedication to both and old
Protestant orthodoxy and a new
(even 'modern') standard of
religious pluralism" (p.9). The
author tllen unfolds Machen's
life for the reader. He also
focuses on his scholarly
writings, providing a good
synapses of such works as The
Origin of Paul's Religion and
The Virgin Birth of Christ. The
reader is made aware that
scholarly Machen differed from
many scholars in his day in that
his presupposition was the
inerrancy of Scripture. He also
differed with fundamentalists in
his view of the church's
involvement in societal issues,
eschatology and Christian
liberty issues such as alcoholic
beverages.
As time went by, this faithful
Princeton professor, with
Southern roots, was not
appreciated by fellow
presbyterian elders. living in
and age of accommodation even
on doctrinal issues, he realized
that his denomination was firm
in its choice of doctrinal
compromise instead of
.confessional allegiance. He
learned that tolerance was
practiced more toward those
with diverse doctrinal views
than with the few who wanted
to maintain doctrinal
distinctives as set forth in the
Westminster Confession of
Faith.
For Machen, defending the
faith cost him his job, the
marring of his character, and
support within the Presbyterian
Church. In his latter years he
was a formative influence in the
establishment of Westminster
Theological Seminary and the
Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
This book provides
important reminders for our
day. Standing for biblical truth
is always costly. In a church or
denomination already given
over to compromise a faithful
stand can be particularly painful
as Machen learned. Within the
presbyterian system theolOgical
battles such as Machen fought at
the General Assembly level are
often already lost. Once
ministers with errant views are
permitted entrance by a
presbytery that presbytery is
more prone to vote from a more
broad perspective on those
issues at the General Assembly.
Also ministers with errant .
theolOgical views will vote for
toleration of divergent views.
While advocating toleration the
desire is for toleration of liberal
views, not the conservative
perspective.
Machen rightly cannot be
linked with the fundamentalists
of his day. As a reformed
thinker he was desirous of
looking at each issue from a
biblical perspective. He rightly
saw that our every thought is to
be in conformity with Scripture.
Scripture speaks to every area of
life.
This book will be of great
interest to those interested in
Machen's life and his stand for
truth: The readers must be
reminded that these battles ate
fought in many generations.
Unless Scripture is viewed as
sufficient to determine the
outcome, very often toleration, a
desire for outward unity, a.nd
power politics will determine
the winners. Machen's life is a
stirring reminder that biblical
truth is worth defending no
matter the consequences. n
The Inter-faith Movement:
The New Age Enters the
Church by Herbert]. Pollitt.
The Banner of Truth Trust, P.O.
Box 621, Carlisle, PA 17013.
214 pp., pbk. 1996. $13.99.
Dr. Pollitt allows the reader
to explore a dangerous and
growing religious movement of
our day - the inter-faith
movement. Ignoring the plain
truth of Christ's words, "No one
corn.es to the Father except
through Me" (John 14:6b),
Augtl!!t, 1997 '" THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon '" 23
supporters of inter-faith believe
andteath that God, the Being,
can be ,reached by, any number
. of religious pathways. This
results in Christianity being
pushed into the background.
The au thor state,s his thesis as
follows: "The purpose of this
study is to demOnstrate the
marginalization of Christ in the
emerging global religious,
cultural and political
consciousness of the age" (p.3).
Following an initial
civerview, the author proceeds
to examine pluralism, whose
proponents do nOt believe all
reliiions Can be jbinedinto one.
!hey db believe all religions are
valid.SynereOsts, e)(llmined
next, do want to unite religiOns
into a single religion.
. . Ample evidence, is provided
to show the inroads the inter-
faithmovetnent has made in the
Roman Catholic Church, the
World Council. of Churches,
and the Church of England.
After examining Teilhard de
Chardin's and Matthew Fox's
views 9f creation and evolution,
the author has laid the proper
groundwork to show that the
basic principles of the inter-faith
movement are at the heart of
New Age belief.
The author. sUccinctly dermes
New Age belief as follows: ''The
New Age, in all its diversity, has
two beliefs, the. One All and All
One, and its corollaty, the god
within each indiVidual" (p. 174)
It is easy to see, how the removal
of the true God from relevance
leaves room fbr man to be his
own god .. This is the very lie
Adam and Eve fell for in the
Garden of Eden. The results
were devastating.
The final pages of thebook
clearly review sCriptural
teaching regarding Christ's all-
sufficiency. This book is
important reading for several
reasons. It clearly sets forth the
basic tenets and imoads into the
pulpits of churches that this
false teaching has made.
Christians must not be oblivious
to this fact. No doubt many
have friends and/or coworkers,
or perhaps attend churches who
hold these beliefs . .
Secondly, this book shows
that this movement is not
limited to churches, but has
impacted culture and politics.
Although this is not the book's
purpose, it clearly teaches that
one's religion influences every
aspect of life and culture. As the
influence of Christianity wanes
1 ... '" TaE COUNSEL of Chalcedon '" August, 1997
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in the western'world, we can
rightly expect a false religion to
readily influence' society.
Thirdly, the Christian, aware
of this dangerous teaching, can
humbly thank God for
graciously giving him a hunger
and thirst for the truth of God's
Word and for rest in the only
all-sufficient Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Pastors and officers should
have thiS volume available for
use among those who are under
teaching. This
volume should also be
purchased for Use in church
libraries. Naturally, interested
laymen can profit from
obtaining a copy. The inter-faith
movement shows no signs of
dying, thus, this volume will be
'relevant for future years. It is
marked by clarity, research, and
truth. (2
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