Machen on Trial

Twice during the past three weeks, Trenton, N. J.'s old, spired First Presbyterian Church became an ecclesiastical courtroom. Pious partisans for prosecution and defense filled its pews. The Moderator of the Presbytery sat as judge on the bench, gaveled lustily when spectators laughed. Counsel bickered, wrangled, thumbed through the Presbyterian Book of Discipline to decide niggling points of procedure. And in the church sat a man accused, indicted and liable to be rebuked, suspended or excommunicated.

The defendant was Philadelphia's Rev. Dr. John Gresham Machen, who for months had been volubly telling how Presbyterian Modernists were persecuting him and other Presbyterian "Bible-believers" (TIME, Dec. 31). The indictment, brought against him by the New Brunswick Presbytery which still claims his allegiance, was a six-point elaboration of the fact that he had defied his Church's orders to resign from the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. The trial was limited by the Book of Discipline to one session every ten days. That it was even held publicly was a concession to Dr. Machen, who from the beginning was disposed to cry "Star Chamber!"

First session resulted in Dr. Machen, through counsel, challenging all seven members of the commission trying him. He accused them either of prejudging his case or of being his enemies or, if laymen, of being influenced against him by their pastors.

Second session, last week, saw one of Defendant Machen's challenges granted but the commission ruled that there was to be no discussion of doctrine--to which Dr. Machen as a Fundamentalist is highly devoted. Testimony revealed that although the defendant claims he belongs to the Philadelphia Presbytery, the New Brunswick Presbytery has never been so notified and regards him as its own.

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