While admitting that hagiography is an easy trap to fall into, the best way to answer your questions about Machen as mere human being and average Joe would be to get yourself down to Philadelphia and spend some time reading through his papers, preserved at the Montgomery Library on the campus of Westminster Seminary. Don’t go looking for dirt, but do go looking to see the record of a sinner saved by grace.

If time and expense don’t permit that travel, get a copy of Dr. Barry Waugh’s article, “Mr. Machen’s Protege,” Westminster Theological Journal 71.1 (Spring 2009): 21-51. Waugh uncovers a little seen side of Machen, patiently encouraging and discipling a man for decades.

Also, you might read some of what his contemporaries thought of him:

http://continuing.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/machen-as-seen-by-part-i/
http://continuing.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/machen-as-seen-by-part-ii/
http://continuing.wordpress.com/2011/05/02/machen-as-seen-by-part-iii/

Or you could read of his other interests:

http://www.pcahistory.org/findingaids/machen/mountains.html

These help to give a fuller picture of the man. A sinner, to be sure, but well used of the Lord.

[apologies here and now for pointing to my own blog, etc.]

That Dr. Hart would so mis-characterize MLK as some kind of non virgin born “secular” saint gives us a hint at how much we should trust his analysis of J. Gresham Machen.

So Steve, are you also concerned that Americans (of certain political persuasions) exalt Martin Luther King, Jr., and don’t ever address his philandering or plagiarism? The right of course looks at those moral failings to discredit King. But what exactly do those failings have to do with what he was trying to do to gain equality for blacks? Was he sleeping with female congresswomen in order to secure favorable legislation? That might discredit some of his stand. But for the most part, his failings were personal and private and represented the afflictions that cling to most human beings not born of a virgin.

So the question for you is whether Machen’s warts were essential to the composition of his face? You seem to think they were. In which case, you have not shown how Machen’s views on race undermine his Reformed convictions. All you have seemed to do is show your lack of comfort with some of Machen’s opinions (he hardly went out of his way to practice them). In which case, if I knew more about you (and I suspect your wife could tell me some things as most wives do), would I be able to discredit your opinion of Machen? Are you above reproach?

Good question, John. I saw Justin Taylor’s interview with Leland Ryken, which was interesting. No one has really popped up on our radar yet but it would be cool to do a segment on that.

Just wondering…

Thanks for your response Dr. Hart.
I am not trying to discredit Machen (although I am not sure that I would so easily characterise him as “mister stand fast for truth” either) just understand why he and by extension so many people in the reformed world could be so wrong about race and/or slavery. As you know this is not an exclusively American phenomenon. My wife grew up in Rhodesia / Zimbabwe in the 70’s and the heady mix of religion, nationalism and I am afraid racism that was found among the Dutch reformed citizens of that country (and neighbouring South Africa) scarred her deeply. Civility is of course a slippery concept but it’s always good practice not to say something behind someone’s back that one would not say to there face (I sadly fail frequently in this regard but I don’t hold myself up as any kind of spiritual ideal either). I understand your point about pulling people out the there historical context and judging them by modern standard of morality but Machen was not a man of the 18th or even 19th century, he was a very well educated man who came of age in the early 20th century who had traveled widely. In fact the most infamous account of Machen’s racism that I know of was his dispute with B.B. Warfield who was not only a much older man but also a southerner. When I looked more deeply into Luther’s anti-Semitism and discovered it was rooted in his disappointment that there were not more conversions from the Jewish community in the wake of the reformation as apposed to any intrinsic irrational hatred of Jews I felt a lot better about it (although I am not sure a Jew would feel the same way). I can’t say that I have been able to completely overlook his anti-Semitism but I continue to hold him in very high esteem (perhaps even higher then Calvin who as you know did not have an anti-Semite bone in his entire body). As far as the Civil war is concern I am convinced that the right side won (although a have no doubt that there were more of less the same percentages of righteous and wicked on both side of that tragic conflict). I still don’t feel that I really understand what made Machen tick and suspect that the reason for this is that too many of his disciples are trying to make him into a plaster saint. Last week I had the privilege of visiting the home of anther great protestant hero Oliver Cromwell who famously insisted that his portraits always be painted “warts and all” I wish more Christian biographers would follow his advice. What any of this has to do with flatulence is a complete mystery to me.

Peace
Steve in Toronto

And here I thought Canadians were more sensible.

Wow.

Thanks for all your hard work I rarely miss a show

Peace
Steve in Toronto