In this sweeping new biography, Richard E. Burnett examines the whole of Machen’s life and career—from his early years at Princeton, to his experience in the First World War, to his founding of Westminster Theological Seminary . Burnett pays special attention to topics that have received little attention from biographers, like Machen’s crisis of faith and his support for historical criticism of Scripture.

According to Eberhard Busch, Karl Barth's theology is "characterized by being...in constant movement and transformation." And a Christian's path is marked by self-correction in order to learn how to live out the same thing again and again in a better and more appropriate way. Likewise the church, like her God, is always on the move.