J. Greshem Machen Biography

by Ned B. Stonehouse

John Gresham Machen (1881–1937) was one of the most significant figures in the evangelical church throughout the twentieth century. He is best known through his vision for a truly evangelical presbyterian church in the USA, and as the founder of Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania.

Gifted with an incisive mind which was finely tuned to the highest level of scholarship, he placed above all else his concern for Christ’s gospel and the reliability of the Scriptures. For these he was prepared to suffer opposition, abuse, and even rejection.

In the Philadelphia seminary, Machen gathered around him a team of men, including Cornelius Van Til, Paul Woolley, John Murray, and Ned Stonehouse, whose work took on international significance, and brought guidance to Christian scholarship and wisdom to the entire Christian church.

Machen laid everything he possessed in tribute at the feet of Christ. He was, so to speak, a rich, young ruler in the church of God who sold all to follow his Master. He was deeply concerned to bring his warmhearted and accurate exposition of the gospel to the entire church. Such works of his as God Transcendent, The Christian View of Man, and An Introduction to the New Testament, have put many readers in his debt.