Review: The Christian Faith in the Modern World, J. Gresham Machen

This is a little book published in 1936. I wasn't sure what to expect from it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The issues addressed in the book are surprisingly relevant to today's issues. It is essentially a defense of the Christian faith, starting with whether God is knowable, whether he has revealed himself, whether the Bible is the Word of God, whether it presents Christ as deity, and whether that presentation is trustworthy. 75 years after publication and I find this readable, enjoyable, and informative. I especially resonated with his chapter on the centrality of the resurrection to the christian faith. He speaks of the historicity of the account and the remarkable change that took place in the discouraged, defeated disciples in a matter of a weekend. He addresses charges of hallucination, a spiritual resurrection, and the length of appearances - that they were not just momentary "apparitions" but lengthy discourses and even eating! He addresses the issue of why the enemies of the church did not merely produce the body if in fact Christ was not raised. Machen ends with not "merely" an appeal to the facts, but an appeal to God to open men's eyes to the truth so that they may be saved. This is one of many books that convinces me that far too many people have preconceived ideas about Machen, Westminster Seminary, and even Presbyterians in general. I would recommend this book to any Christian - in fact, it is one of those I want to keep on my shelf for my children to read.