I'm working my way through the Colson Fellows program of Christian Apologetics and have have to do a lot of reading. I have sometimes strayed from our curriculum to read additional things because I have been intrigued by many theologians. One of those is quite brilliant. I'm reading the third edition of Reasonable Faith by theologian and Christian apologist William Lane Craig. In the introduction, he mentions theologian J. Gresham Machen; now, I greatly respect Machen, who, in the early 1920s, wrote a seminal work called Christianity and Liberalism. In it, he argued that theological liberalism, with its rejection of the supernatural and focus on ethics, was incompatible with biblical Christianity. Machen’s critique remains a cornerstone of conservative Christian thought. It is entirely similar in some respects to George Orwell's 1984 in its analysis of societal problems that seem like they stepped out of 2025. But it also shows that no matter how much society changes technologically or culturally, humanity remains as it always was: sinful and wretched.
Some background on Machen. He lived from 1881 to 1937; he was a professor at Princeton University, a Presbyterian Minister, and a strong defender of the Christian faith. He is best known for his defense of orthodox Christianity during a time of rising theological liberalism in the early 20th century. Machen was a pivotal figure in the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy, which debated the authority of Scripture, the nature of Jesus Christ, and the role of traditional Christian doctrines in an increasingly secular society. Machen stood against the influence of theological liberalism, which sought to reinterpret Christianity in terms of modern science and culture, often at the expense of biblical authority. He argued that liberalism was not merely a variant of Christianity but an entirely different religion. It certainly seems this book could have been written yesterday, and it would apply to a too-secular humanist society today.
In the early 1920s, Machen solemnly warned that false ideas were the most significant obstacles to the reception of the Gospel. "We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and succeed only in winning a straggler here and there if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation to be controlled by ideas that prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion." -----
After reading this, I analyzed that Machen was deeply concerned about how ideas shape culture. He warned that false ideas are the most significant barriers to people accepting the Gospel. Even if we preach passionately, we won't make much progress if society's collective thinking views Christianity as foolish or irrelevant. Perception is a reality to many. Machen pointed out that dangerous ideas often start in academic circles (ain't that the truth in American Universities today), where they might seem harmless or obscure. But once those ideas gain traction, they can become powerful enough to shape culture, influence politics, and even bring down entire systems. By then, it's too late to stop them.
Machen believed Christians must engage with these ideas before they spread and take hold. He took action when he saw things going south. Machen served as a professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary but eventually left when Princeton shifted toward liberal theology. In 1929, he founded Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia to preserve a commitment to Reformed theology and biblical truth. In 1936, Machen led the establishment of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) after the Presbyterian Church (USA) moved away from its confessional roots. The OPC was designed to uphold the authority of Scripture and historic Christian doctrine. So this was a man who knew when things start moving away from Biblical truth, you take action, whether speaking out, writing, talking, or starting a new church or school to keep to biblical authority.
His point is this: If Christians want the Gospel to be taken seriously, we must address harmful ideas at their roots—long before they dominate society. Ignoring this responsibility has led to a retreat into anti-intellectualism, which weakens Christianity's ability to influence culture. And that is a travesty. Don't think you can't be an intellectual because you're a Christian. Theology matters, especially when defending the faith.
In today's world of secular beliefs like humanism and postmodern thinking, it is imperative to have an intellectual understanding of Christianity to evangelize the gospel message correctly. And that begins with a deep, intensive study of the most remarkable book ever written, The Bible. 66 Books leading to one conclusion. God is sovereign, holy, and just. Humanity is sinful and broken. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins to provide us mercy and salvation. Our response is to repent and believe. In return, it's not just the justification by faith that becomes the most important thing, but the adoption by God into the family, restored, renewed, and with eternal life in a loving relationship with our creator. The hope of a new creation where sin and death are no more. For Biblical references, I give a complete rundown of the gospel message below:
God's Design and Holiness God, the omnipotent and sovereign, created the world and humanity in His image, intending for us to live in perfect relationship with Him, each other, and creation (Genesis 1:26-28). God is holy, loving, and just.
Human Sin and Brokenness Humanity chose to rebel against God, leading to sin and separation from Him (Romans 3:23). This sin brings brokenness into every aspect of life—our relationship with God, others, and the world itself (Isaiah 59:2).
God's Solution: Jesus Christ Out of love, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life we could not live, die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and rise from the dead to conquer sin and death (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
Our Response: Repent and believe the Gospel. God calls us to respond by turning away from sin (repentance) and trusting in Jesus as our Savior and Lord (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38). By faith, we are forgiven, made new, and restored to a right relationship with God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Promise: Eternal Life and Restoration for those who believe in Jesus receive eternal life and the promise of a restored relationship with God, beginning now and continuing forever (John 10:10; Revelation 21:1-4). This includes the hope of a new creation where sin, death, and suffering are no more.
This is the Gospel message in a nutshell!
If this is not the message you hear from your preacher, pastor, minister, rector, or bishop, it's time to find a new church because you are being deceived. There are LOTS of false preachers in pulpits these days. I see them every week on YouTube. Some of the stuff they spout is so unbiblical it's downright scary. But I can also tell you many GREAT ministers preach the gospel message and do it effectively. Our Rector, Jady Koch, is at Saint Luke's Anglican in Hilton Head, SC. Another person I know personally is Tim Mann from Providence Church in Ormond Beach, Florida. There are so many more! But you must gain knowledge and understand the biblical message to discern false teaching from biblically accurate teaching. That's the litmus test: is it faithful to the Bible? If so, then yes. If not, then run as fast as you can.
The Gospel is the most critically important message because it brings believers to Christ. You can altar call all you want, but if it's not the gospel message, unbelievers will still walk in darkness until they hear the valid biblical gospel message, understand it, and believe it. So this is what we must share. We also must defend the faith in the public square and not let the false teachers obscure the actual message, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life with Christ. Amen.
Hopefully this information might help you in your evangelism, on a personal level, to friends and family. Because our circle of influence, whether big or small, matters. The ultimate goal is to get the message out to the world in any way possible to bring one or many believers to the family of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All so that as many as possible can hear the message, believe, repent, receive eternal life, and be redeemed and restored through Christ and his sacrifice for our sins so that we might receive the mercy we don't deserve in our wretched state.
Matthew 28:19 commands us to: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
Dallas Reese
Hilton Head SC
January 2025
I'd be remiss if I did not say this post was inspired by Todd Friel—the host of "Wretched Radio" on Christian radio nationwide. While driving the other day, I was listening to him, and he was talking about the gospel message and how it often gets lost with many in the pulpit these days. It triggered in me a remembrance of reading the book by Machen and how the message of the Gospel can get so distorted by folks that they miss the point entirely. And then, in William Lane Craig's book, Reasonable Faith, he begins his introduction by talking about this very same thing. Much of the message distortion in many churches today is due to how ministers preach a false gospel and mislead people into thinking things that aren't biblically accurate. Thank you, Todd. Todd is a minister at a church in Alpharetta, Georgia, and a firm believer who stays true to Biblical authority. He's also got an excellent YouTube channel and quite a fantastic array of podcasts and other material for Christians through his company, Fortis Institute. Check them out. They are living out the message and providing great resources for Christians. My only beef with Todd is that he thinks the organ is the most remarkable instrument for conveying church music. Todd, oh Todd, I must say the piano and guitar rules, always, even with traditional hymns. Lol. Check out Fortis Institute here: https://fortisinstitute.org/
And check out Wretched Radio here: https://wretched.org/radio/5/
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