Christian Faith in the Modern World

This collection of radio addresses emerged from J. Gresham Machen's weekly broadcasts on station WIP in Philadelphia during 1935, shortly before his death. Broadcasting to a general audience rather than seminary students or denominational insiders, Machen sought to articulate the fundamentals of Christianity for ordinary listeners grappling with the intellectual challenges of modernity. The talks were delivered during the height of his conflict with the Presbyterian Church in the USA over foreign missions policy, yet they focus on positive exposition rather than ecclesiastical controversy.

Machen moves systematically through core Christian doctrines, beginning with the nature of God and proceeding through creation, sin, the person and work of Christ, salvation, and the Christian life. He argues that Christianity stands or falls on specific historical claims, particularly the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Against liberal Protestant attempts to reduce Christianity to ethical idealism or religious experience, Machen insists that doctrine and history cannot be separated from Christian living. He demonstrates how each fundamental belief addresses real human needs and modern intellectual objections, maintaining that supernatural Christianity offers the only adequate response to human sin and mortality. Throughout, he combines rigorous theological argument with pastoral warmth, showing how doctrinal precision serves rather than hinders genuine spiritual life.

The work represents Machen's mature synthesis of his scholarly expertise and evangelistic concern, offering perhaps his most accessible presentation of Reformed orthodoxy. It reveals how conservative Presbyterian theology could engage modern culture without compromise while remaining intelligible to non-specialists. Who should read this: Christians seeking a clear, intellectually robust defense of historic Christian doctrine, and readers interested in how fundamentalist thought engaged mainstream American culture in the 1930s. Those looking for devotional material or practical guidance will find this primarily apologetic in focus.