January 1 is considered the beginning of the new year and the beginning of many things, but on January 1, 1937 it also marked the end of the earthly life of one of the early leaders of American Fundamentalism (or at least an ally of early American Fundamentalism depending on how you prefer to discribe his role) - J. Gresham Machen. Dr. Machen's gravesite in Baltimore includes the inscription "Faithful unto Death" in Greek.
J. Gresham Machen is considered the last of the great conservative Princeton theologians and spent much of his life fighting against the encroaching liberalism in the Northern Presbyterian Church (now PCUSA). Dr. Machen fought against the liberalism in Princeton Seminary and when it became obvious that Princeton was no longer going to stand for Biblical truth, he and some other faculty members withdrew from Princeton and set up Westminster Theological Seminary as a conservative response.
In addition to being instrumental in the establishing of Westminster Theological Seminary, Dr. Machen also helped form the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Perhaps Dr. Machen's most lasting legacy, however, is in the scholarly defense of conservative Biblical Christianity as seen in his seminal works, The Origin of Paul's Religion, Christianity and Liberalism, and The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. There is an online version of The Origin of Paul's Religion, but I have not been able to find online versions of the other books.
To find out more about J. Gresham Machen, the following biographies may be helpful.
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To read J. Gresham Machen's own words, consider these major works.
Other Events for January 1
Births
1449 - Lorenzo de Medici - Florentine statesman
1484 - Ulrich Zwingli - Leader of the Sweedish Reformation
1735 - Paul Revere
1745 - "Mad" Anthony Wayne
1752 - Betsy Ross
1895 - J. Edgar Hoover
1902 - Barry Goldwater
1911 - Hammerin' Hank Greenberg
Deaths
379 - Basil of Ceaserea
404 - Telemachus - monk who ended the gladiators
1782 - Johann Christian Bach - son of Johann Sabastian Bach and tutor of Mozart
Events
404 - Last known gladiator fight in Rome
1772 - The first traveler's cheques go on sale in London
1788 - First edition of The Times of London is published
1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned
1840 - 1st recorded bowling match in U.S. - Knickerbocker Alleys - NYC
1862 - 1st U.S. income tax (3% of incomes greater than $600, 5% of incomes greater than $10,000)
1863 - Emmancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territories
1902 - First college football Bowl Game - The Rose Bowl - Michigan vs. Stanford
1908 - First time ball is dropped in NYC Times Square to signify New Year
1914 - First scheduled airline flight - St. Pete to Tampa (whoopee)
1934 - Alcatraz becomes a U.S. Federal prison
1934 - FDIC goes into effect
1962 - United States Naval SEALS established
1999 - Euro currency introduced
If you have other appropriate events or comments to add, please do so in the comments section.
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