1936. [Dr. Machen Elected Moderator]. The Presbyterian Guardian. June 22. pgs. 114-115
When the presiding officer called for nominations for the office of Moderator of the Assembly, Dr. Gordon H. Clark presented amid thunderous applause the name of Dr. Machen. Significant excerpts from the nominating speech:
"Mr. Chairman, fathers and brethren, in order to set in motion our corporate witness to the truth and power of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, this Assembly must first elect a moderator. Therefore if the Assembly please, I request the honor of nominating for moderator, the Rev. J. Gresham Machen...
"The first indispensable qualification for this office is a profession of the Reformed Faith.... The moderator of this Assembly must be an evangelical Christian - that goes without saying; but he must be more than that, he must also be a Calvinist... And the Rev. J. Gresham Machen satisfies this requirement.
"But this is not the only requirement. All of us have made profession of the Reformed Faith; yes, and many who have chosen to remain absent today have made a similar profession. Their absence. their displeasure, shows that more than a verbal profession is required. Our first moderator, who in the mind of the preoccupied public will typify and illustrate our convictions, must not only profess Calvinism, he must also show by his actions that he means it...
"Many ministers and elders have solemnly promised 'to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the gospel, and the purity and peace of the Church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise unto you on that account.' Those who have broken this ordination vow are not present today; but among those present, among those who have tried to fulfill this vow, there is one who has been particularly prominent, particularly faithful, and particularly persevering. He, therefore, possesses the second indispensable qualification for the office of moderator - the Rev. J. Gresham Machen....
"The history of Presbyterianism shows that learning has never been despised in Calvinistic circles. Schools and colleges have always originated where Calvin's influence has gone. It is true that among certain people who today call themselves Presbyterian but are not, an anti-intellectual mysticism has replaced sound learning. But true Presbyterians will never disparage the intellect which God has given us for apprehending truth. It would be fortunate therefore if we could find a moderator who, in this respect also, typifies the Reformed Faith. Of course, if he were only the best scholar among those who call themselves Presbyterians in Philadelphia, or in New Brunswick, the point would be more appropriately passed without mention. But today, fathers and brethren, we have the opportunity of electing as moderator a man whose scholarship is recognized throughout the world - and not throughout the world only, but also in Philadelphia and New Brunswick - the Rev. J. Gresham Machen.
"There is a second and final supererogatory characteristic. It would make a good impression on the world at large, to whose impartial judgment we appeal, if our moderator were not only a scholar, but also a gentleman... While he has been goaded to indulge in personalities, he has withstood the temptation. Although he was reviled, he reviled not again. He asked only an opportunity to present evidence of official modernism... With the truth of the Bible as a whole denied, and in particular with the Virgin Birth, the miracles, the Atonement, and the Resurrection under attack, he defended Christianity against its enemies, not by imitating their campaign of personal defamation, but by defending Christianity like a Christian gentleman.
"Fathers and brethren, I nominate for the office of Moderator of the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of America, the Rev. J. Gresham Machen."
No other nominations were offered, and Dr. Machen was unanimously elected. The Rev. Professor Paul Woolley was elected Clerk of the Assembly.
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