J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Presbyterian Identity

The Division of 1937, Part 2

In the sixth episode of History for a Pilgrim People, Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger continue their discussion of the earliest years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, returning to the events surrounding the division of 1937. The conversation begins with a brief return to the previous episode’s discussion of the tensions already present in the young Presbyterian Church of America. Camden and Danny then consider the death of J. Gresham Machen on January 1, 1937, and the profound sense of loss felt by the church. With Machen gone, long-developing disputes over dispensationalism, premillennialism, total abstinence, the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions, and the meaning of Reformed Presbyterian identity came into sharper focus. They also discuss the roles of figures such as Carl McIntire, J. Oliver Buswell, R. B. Kuiper, Ned B. Stonehouse, Cornelius Van Til, and others in the controversy. The episode traces how the Third General Assembly responded to these questions, why the separation became unavoidable, and how the Bible Presbyterian Synod emerged from the conflict. Along the way, Camden and Danny reflect on the broader patterns of American Presbyterian history, the recurring echoes of old school and new school tensions, and the significance of Christian liberty, confessional integrity, and visible unity in the life of the church. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/i6AtzBDRh-8] CHAPTERS * 0:00 Introduction * 1:01 Picking up the division of 1937 * 3:06 Ordinations, covenant children, and Richard Gaffin’s 90th birthday * 6:16 R. B. Kuiper’s report and the Scofield Bible controversy * 10:02 Dutch influence, Stonehouse, Murray, and the Guardian * 11:42 Premillennialism, dispensationalism, and Carl McIntire’s response * 14:34 Power struggles and the Independent Board * 17:26 Machen’s final trip and death in North Dakota * 20:38 Stonehouse’s eulogy: “We have become orphans” * 23:47 Three issues before the Third General Assembly * 24:08 Property, the 1903 revisions, and the Westminster Standards * 29:19 Total abstinence and Christian liberty * 34:10 Dispensationalism and the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions * 38:22 The Third General Assembly of 1937 * 42:08 The split and the formation of the Bible Presbyterian Synod * 43:48 Old School and New School echoes in Presbyterian history * 48:56 Stonehouse, McIntire, and later ecumenical efforts * 51:24 Looking ahead to 1938 and the naming of the OPC * 53:03 Closing remarks History for a Pilgrim People is a podcast of the Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

The Division of 1937, Part 1

In this special episode recorded live at First OPC in South Holland, Illinois, Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger tackle Chapter 3 of Fighting the Good Fight by Darryl Hart and John Muether: the division of 1937. What looked like a denomination born “in lively hope” on June 11, 1936, was fracturing within twelve months. Read more [https://www.opchistory.org/the-division-of-1937/] Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/fYzOECxmi_o]

The Founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger discuss chapter two of D. G. Hart and John Muether’s book, Fighting the Good Fight. They trace the road from the missions controversy of the early 1930s to Machen’s trial, and the founding of the OPC in 1936. They reflect on why the OPC was founded not merely against modernism, but for faithful Presbyterianism—grounded in Scripture, committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and governed by Christ alone through his Word.

J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Presbyterian Identity

Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/R-VsVpURggM] In this episode Camden Bucey and Danny Olinger continue their walk through Fighting the Good Fight: A Brief History of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church by D. G. Hart and John Muether. They turn to pp. 11–26 of the book and discuss the origins of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church through the lens of J. Gresham Machen and the crisis of Presbyterian identity.

Our Pilgrim Identity: Introducing Fighting the Good Fight

In this episode, we begin our journey through Fighting the Good Fight, reflecting on the preface and introduction of the book. Danny Olinger and Camden Bucey explore the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s origins, its identity as a pilgrim people, and the importance of remembering and telling our story. Watch on YouTube [https://youtu.be/RusPmwTAk8c]