J. Gresham Machen Bibliography

A REJECTION OF TRUTH. BY REV. PROF. J. GRESHAM MACHEN, D.D.

Dr. Fosdick’s letter, like all of his utter-ances, is the expression of a thoroughgoing skepticism which is a direct opposite of the Christian religion. It is not merely that he rejects the system of doctrine con-tained in the Westminster Confession, and in the Bible, but that he rejects all doctrine. All doctrine is, according to Dr. Fosdick, merely the necessarily changing expression of Christian experience; it is useful, but it can never possibly be objectively and permanently true. Skepticism could hardly be more complete. But the letter is valuable in pointing out that “hundreds of Presbyterian min-isters” hold the same views as Dr. Fosdick holds, and in implying that these ministers, with their reinterpretation of the Confes-sion (which really amounts to complete re-versal of its meaning) are in a thoroughly anomalous position. The truth is that two mutually exclusive religions are struggling for the control of the Presbyterian Church. One is Christianity with its appeal to facts; the other is the naturalist or agnostic mod-ernism which is represented by Dr. Fos-dick and, according to him, by hundreds of Presbyterian ministers. The separation between the two is demanded, not only by the interests of the Christian faith, but by simple honesty. The protest of the Church at large against Dr. Fosdick’s con-tinuance in the First Presbyterian Church of New York was only one step in the direction of such honesty. But it is to be hoped that the contention for honesty may go vigorously on. Such contention will be in the interests of lib-erty, just as much as in the interests of truth; for it will result in a condition where every man will be led to stand on a plat-form where, without mental reservations, he can speak his full mind.