Staff Review: J. Gresham Machen comes to life in a fresh, new way with the recent publication of his Selected Shorter Writings, ably edited by Machen scholar D. G. Hart. The core of this work is a republication of Machen's volume What is Christianity? Unlike the other two books in the trilogy, God Transcendent and J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir, this volume, originally edited by Ned B. Stonehouse, Machen's younger colleague in the New Testament department at Westminster Theological Seminary, was never republished. Hart has added additional material to reveal Machen's world some sixty-seven years after his death. The book is helpfully divided into ten sections, ranging from "Christ and the Witness of Scripture" and "The Task of Christian Scholarship," to "The Presbyterian Controversy" and "Church and Society," plus autobiographical reminiscences.
A highlight of Machen's style is clarity; readers may or may not agree with his views, but it is hard to misunderstand him. For example, toward the end of the volume is a delightful essay on Karl Barth, in which Machen admires some aspects of Barth but is troubled by his fideism and lack of concern for the details of Jesus" life and deeds. A clear assessment of Barth is worth its weight in gold, and while Machen recognized the provisionality of some of his statements, his assessment remains as cogent now as it was when it was written in 1928. This book is a welcome addition to the corpus of Machen literature. - Jeff Waddington - Westminster Bookstore Staff
Publisher Review: Forty-six of Machen's shorter writings, organized into ten categories. Selections made by Machen's biographer, who contributes an introduction, a bibliography, and "For Further Reading."
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