Christianity and Liberalism: Salvation

Danny Olinger and Camden Bucey discuss the sixth chapter of Machen’s classic book, Christianity and Liberalism. In this chapter, J. Gresham Machen explores the differences between the liberal and Christian views of salvation. He argues that liberalism finds salvation in man, while Christianity finds it in an act of God. Machen critiques the moral influence theory of the atonement, which denies the substitutionary character of Christ’s death and the wrath of God. In contrast, he emphasizes the need for a propitiation for sin and the centrality of the cross of Christ in the Christian view of salvation. Machen concludes that the doctrine of salvation is essential to the Christian faith and that liberalism and Christianity are fundamentally incompatible on this question. The chapter provides a clear and detailed analysis of the theological and biblical foundations of the Christian view of salvation, and highlights the importance of this doctrine for the Christian life. Chapters 00:00:07 Introduction 00:05:40 Review of Christianity and Liberalism 00:09:28 The Liberal View of Salvation 00:16:14 Liberalism, Roman Catholicism, and the Atonement 00:26:24 The Significance of What Christ Did 00:31:47 Fundamentalism and Social Progress 00:34:30 Theological Categories 00:40:08 The Goal and Fruit of Liberalism 00:44:45 Machen and Hymns 00:54:09 Heavenly-Mindedness 01:02:11 Conclusion Participants: Camden Bucey, Danny Olinger