Contending for Our All: Defending Truth and Treasuring Christ in the Lives of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen

Athanasius. John Owen. J. Gresham Machen.Each of these men stood for the truth of God's Word in the faceof opposition-all out of a deep love for Christ and a desire forpeople to know God in his fullness. Popularity was not a concern, and they took no joy in controversy for argument's sake. However, these men were willing to suffer for the sake of guarding thesanctity of the gospel. Many threats, years of exile, deaths ofloved ones, opposition from friends and authorities, sickness andpain-none of these setbacks could keep these three from maintainingtheir efforts for the furthering of Christ's Kingdom or quenchtheir zeal for Christ himself.In his fourth book of The Swans Are Not Silent series, Contending for Our All, John Piper has given usbiographies of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen-bishop, pastor, and seminary founder. In the life of each one, personalholiness was emphasized publicly and privately despite suffering.They were true soldiers for the sake of the cross, and each manoffers life lessons for Christians today.AthanasiusThe deity of Christ and all its worth consumed Athanasius. Hedevoted his life to defending it. The great adversary was the Arianheresy. Athanasius would be banished by the emperor five times. Hewas contending for his all-the essential, life-giving truth ofChrist and his gospel.John OwenCommunion with Christ was the focus of John Owen's vastintellect and expansive heart. He battled Christ-belittling errorsof the mind and heart with passion and skill. Going deeper in theunderstanding of Christ was for him the key to going deeper infellowship with him.J. Gresham MachenRepresenting Christ in all his fullness with all of Scripturedrove J. Gresham Machen. He saw in the liberal Christianity of theearly twentieth century another religion. His exposure of itssubtleties and his emphasis on the facts of history areastonishingly relevant for our time in the early twenty-firstcentury.The Swans Are Not SilentWhen Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in A.D.426, his successor was so overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy thathe declared, "The swan is silent," fearing the spiritual giant'svoice would be lost to time. But for 1,600 years Augustine has notbeen silent-and neither have those who faithfully trumpeted thecause of Christ after him. Their lives have inspired everygeneration of believers and should compel us to a greater passionfor God.