Guide to the works of J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937). Scholar. Preacher. Founder of Westminster Theological Seminary. Leader in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
A Reader’s Guide & Archive
Explore the writings of J. Gresham Machen
From his first published articles until his death in 1937, Machen wrote books, articles, sermons, and reviews in defense of historic Christianity. This bibliography catalogs 464 of his works — 186 of them readable online in full.
I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.
Machen’s final telegram, January 1, 1937
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About Machen
JOHN GRESHAM MACHEN (July 28, 1881 – January 1, 1937) taught New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1906 to 1929. In 1929, he and others would start Westminster Theological Seminary as a school that would “will endeavor by God’s grace to continue that tradition unimpaired; it will endeavor, not on a foundation of equivocation and compromise, but on an honest foundation of devotion to God’s Word, to maintain the same principles that the old Princeton maintained”.
About this bibliography
Machen was a prolific writer and speaker. A bibliography of Machen’s worked published in Pressing Towards the Mark (sadly out of print) by James Dennison and Grace Mullen totaled 25 pages. The contents of this website are based on that monumental compilation. I have attempted to update the bibliography with more recent re-publications of Machens work as well as link to the original sources where available.
Within the bibliography, an external link icon indicates a link to where you can obtain the original source. A book icon indicates that the full text is available here at readmachen.com.
Going deeper
To learn more about Machen and his context I recommend:
- Two excellent short volumes are J. Gresham Machen: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought by Dr. Stephen J. Nichols and J. Gresham Machen by Dr. Sean Michael Lucas in the Bitesize Biographies series.
- Review my Timeline of the Presbyterian Conflict to get an overview of Machen’s life.
- For a more thorough read, nothing compares to Dr. Darryl G. Hart’s Defending the Faith.
- Dr. Hart’s also lectured on Machen in Sunday School at Calvary OPC in Glenside, PA.
- The Reformed Forum podcast interviewed Dr. Hart on Machen in 2008.
- Dr. Hart and John Muether’s Fighting the Good Fight: A Brief History of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church delves into Machen as a father of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- Dr. Bradley Longfield’s The Presbyterian Controversy provides helpful perspective on Machen not written by a conservative Presbyterian (unlikely the previously mentioned books). It is an excellent complement to Hart’s Defending the Faith.
I have compiled a number of other links to resources on Machen here.
Finally, I welcome any feedback you have on this bibliographic website; in particular, if you notice any errors, missing pieces, or know where I can get digital editions of any the original sources, please submit feedback below.
— Tim Hopper, Raleigh, NC, August 2019