Book Review – J. Gresham Machen by Ned B. Stonehouse

I picked up a biography on J. Gresham Machen to read opposite on one of H. L. Mancken’s biography after reading the obituatory Mancken wrote when J. Gresham Machen died and thought the juxtaposition of the two men with similar names in a similar times in a space where they were popular yet fighting against the societal downfall (in their own fields). H. L. against the drab, old ways of literature and journalism (a Hunter S. Thompson-esk of his day). J. Gresham fighting against the “Modernists” (aka liberal Christianity) of his field.

Here’s what atheist H. L. had to say about Presbyterianism Calvinist J. Gresham (in part), “It is my belief, as a friendly neutral in all such high and ghostly matters, that the body of doctrine known as Modernism is completely incompatible, not only with anything rationally describable as Christianity, but also with anything deserving to pass as religion in general. Religion, if it is to retain any genuine significance, can never be reduced to a series of sweet attitudes, possible to anyone not actually in jail for felony. It is, on the contrary, a corpus of powerful and profound convictions…Dr. Machen tried to impress that obvious fact upon his fellow adherents…He failed–but he was undoubtedly right.”

Enjoying my learning about H. L. Mencken, I was excited to dive into this book. Having some passing knowledge of Machen and his place in Church history, I wasn’t going in blind and had some high respect of the man. This book, first published in 1954, about 17 years after the death of Machen by someone who helped start the Westminister Theological Seminary and a respected scholar in his own right – this book was drab and sadly not well done as a biography nor to really drive home the importance of Machen.

Stonehouse puts most of the normal parts of Machen’s life one would expect in a biography and the amount of first-hand sources just from Machen’s letters and his mother’s letters are a treasure trove for a biographer, yet the story of Machen’s life drags and drags. The organization tends to flip back and forth in timeline and there’s almost too much focus on the primary documents to account for smaller parts of Machen’s life but misses out on some major parts of his life.

For example, about three-quarters into the book a discussion is made about Machen’s family and personal wealth, something that could have been discussed much earlier and touched on briefly when discussing Machen’s writing career and raising of funds for his seminary. Missing is a discussion of Machen’s very interesting political views and even testifying before Congress on behalf of opposing a federal Department of Education. We get too much back and forth between his clear love of his mother in notes and less, albeit some, on the fact that Machen seems to be a sort of atheist or at least a non-holder of orthodox belief when he’s in seminary – the author doesn’t make that clear.

Firsthand accounts and citations abound but providing a clear picture, especially for one not of the time or of the full understanding of Presbyterianism or even of Modernism vs. Orthodox Christianity has to be sought outside the book. Facts are provided but storytelling does not happen well.

However, through the three month slog through the book I was determined to finish, I did find a deeper appreciation for Machen and his full life. His time during WWI was interesting, his books (but the author doesn’t go really into the specifics enough to entice their reading), and his time among other great men of the early 20th century Princeton Christians.

This was really too bad as the ability to tell a really interesting story of an interesting life is clearly there, and some 80 years later these important fights by similar important men are sadly still being fought and we need stories from Church history to inspire and guide us. Men like those that atheist H. L. Mencken could clearly see the need and the true belief of a great man like J. Gresham Machen.