The New President of Princeton Theological Seminary.
—The Rev. Dr. John A. Mackay has been appointed President of this Seminary where he studied for some time. Dr. Mackay began his career as a Free Presbyterian and then passed over to the Free Church and became Principal of the Anglo-Peruvian College at Lima. He returned to the United States and became secretary of the foreign department of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. In Modernism and the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Dr. Machen in his charges against the Board points out that one of the Secretaries, Dr. John A. Mackay, published in the Presbyterian Banner a series of articles which gives the most enthusiastic praise to
Buehmanism and to Barthianism and clearly presents them as Christian movements. We have not seen these articles but we have sufficient confidence in Dr. Machen to believe that he knows what he is writing about. Dr. Mackay has certainly wandered far from the training of his youth in being associated officially with the Board of Missions and in his commendation of Buehmanism and Barthianism. His new appointment is to the Seminary from which such conservative scholars as the late Profs. Dick Wilson, Allis and Machen considered it necessary to cut their connection and form the Westminster Theological Seminary. In view of all this we cannot conscientiously congratulate Dr. Mackay on his new appointment.
Crisis in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.—Matters have come to a height in connection with the treatment meted out to the defenders of the Independent Board of Missions. While we have formed our own opinion as to the rightness or wrongness in setting up this Board within the Church we refrain from offering an opinion until we have all the facts at our disposal. During the trial through which our own Church recently passed we have learned that busybodies are not the best judges of intricate cases. This was brought home to us by communications from U.S.A., Canada, etc. It may, however, be pointed out that there was a diversity of opinion among the conservatives as to the advisability of having the Independent Board of Missions. Last Assembly condemned the supporters of the Independent Board with the result that Prof. Machen and others have seceded from the Church. The Conservatives still think they should fight Modernism in the Church but it appears to have now got a strangle hold on the Church. What the effect of this crisis will have on Westminster Theological Seminary will soon be seen.
Formation of a New Presbyterian Church in U.S.A.—As a result of the decisions of last General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Northern Presbyterian Church) a new denomination has been formed. It held its first
Assembly early in June when Dr. Machen was elected its first Moderator and Rev. Paul Woolley, Professor of Church History at Westminster Seminary, its Stated Clerk. The list of 40 ministers who joined the denomination, says Christianity To-day, includes most of those who were suspended because of their refusal to sever their connection with the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. Dr. S. G. Craig spokesman for the Conservatives remaining in the Church says that now that the question of the Independent Board has been settled there should be no insuperable obstacle in the way of obtaining united action against Modernism, etc. We wish these Conservatives well in their fight against Modernism in the Church but from sad experience in Scotland we question their wisdom. The wiser course seems to be to secede from the majority and join the new denomination. The Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. is in the throes of a great trial—”the saddest tragedy” as Dr. Macartney describes it, “that has befallen the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in half a century.”