“Henry W. Coray, one of Machen’s students at Princeton and Westminster, recalled that Machen often said, ‘Boys, there are two things wrong with this institution: you’re not working hard enough and you’re not having enough fun.’ ‘You can’t be a good theologian,’ another oft-repeated admonition, ‘unless your a good stunter'” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 187).

“‘Modern pedagogy has emancipated us, whether we be in the pulpit or in the professor’s chair or in the pew, from anything so irksome as earnest labour in the acquisition of knowledge.’ [Machen] then refers to the ascendancy of methodology, observing, ‘It never seems to occur to many modern teachers that the primary business of the teacher is to study the subject that he is going to teach. Instead of studying the subject that he is going to teach, he studies ‘education’; a knowledge of the methodology of teaching takes the place of the particular branch of literature, history, or science to which a man has devoted his life'” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 179).

“Playing off of the New Testament analogy of the new birth, Machen points out that in birth one is passive, not contributing at all. He then adds, ‘But birth is followed by life: and though a man is not active in his birth he is active in the life that follows” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 113).

“Justification by faith is consequently crucial because it gets to the heart of saving faith. Machen puts the matter this way: ‘The efficacy of faith, then, depends not on the faith itself, considered as a psychological phenomenon, but upon the object of the faith, namely Christ” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 111).

“Contrary to the liberal point of view, which holds that Christianity is a lifestyle, Machen argues that Christianity is a doctrine. He nuances his views by adding that it is, indeed, also a lifestyle, but quickly adds that it is one founded on and necessarily preceded by doctrine” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 89).

“Is Christianity a true religion, in accordance with the facts of history, and therefore, because of that truthfulness, meaningful? Or does it become real and meaningful as it is borne out by experience?” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 83).

“These two books [Christianity and Liberalism and What Is Faith?] accomplish far more than a response to liberalism, as they offer succinct and compelling presentation of the Christian view of the Bible, Christ, God, humanity, salvation, and faith” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 79).

“[Examining 1 Corinthians 15 in The Origins of Paul’s Religion] Machen captures the essence of Paul’s summary of the gospel in the early verses of that chapter when he write, “‘Christ died’ — that is history; ‘Christ died for our sins’ — that is doctrine. Without these two elements, joined in absolutely indissoluble union, there is no Christianity.” The work of Christ in history provides the only sure basis for salvation, the truth which the church has been called to bear witness” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 89-90).

“Certainly if a man is to be scholar and a teacher he cannot investigate too much” (Cited from a letter by Machen’s mother to her son in Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 34).

“. . . a faint picture emerges of Machen’s childhood, a blend of seriousness and high culture and laughter and pranks. And at the center of this upbringing was the Bible, the Shorter Catechism, and The Pilgrim’s Progress, all poured into the lives of the Machen boys by their mother” (Stephen J. Nichols, J. Gresham Machen, 25-26).