Samuel Marsden was born at Farsley, England. Ordained a clergyman, he was a pioneer missionary to Australia and New Zealand. He taught Australian convicts sheep ranching, by which they were able to support themselves. He also taught them the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ. In 1814, at the age of 50, Marsden sailed to New Zealand to convert the Maoris. In all he made seven visits, on one of which he was shipwrecked. The Maori called him "Greatheart." In 1810 he persuaded a group of discouraged missionaries to return to Tahiti.
John Gresham Machen was born in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1936 Machen and sixteen others established the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Machen would found Westminster Seminary. He had a philosophy about his teaching which illustrated his stand for the truth of the Word of God. He said, "One cannot paint white letters on a white board, but one must paint white on black or black on white if the letters are to stand out." His greatest work was The Virgin Birth of Christ.
