The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802837158 ISBN 13: 9780802837158

Synopsis

"The scandal of the evangelical mind, " says historian Mark Noll, "is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." This critical yet constructive book explains the decline of evangelical thought in North America and seeks to find, within evangelicalism itself, resources for turning the situation around. According to Noll, evangelical Protestants make up the largest single group of religious Americans; they also enjoy increasing wealth, status political influence, and educational achievement. Yet, despite its size and considerable intellectual potential, evangelical Protestantism makes only a slight contribution to first-order public discourse in North America: it neither sponsors a single research university, nor supports a single periodical devoted to in-depth interaction with modern culture, nor cultivates attitudes that treat the worlds of science, the arts, politics, and social analysis with the seriousness that God intends. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind explains how this situation developed by tracing the history of evangelical thinking in America. Noll's analysis shows how Protestants successfully aligned themselves with national ideals and with the particular expressions of an American Enlightenment in the decades before the Civil War; explains how fundamentalists at the start of the twentieth century preserved essential elements of the faith, but only by grievously damaging the life of the mind; gives specific attention to evangelical thought on politics and science; and discusses what some have called an "evangelical intellectual renaissance" in recent decades and shows why it is more apparent than real. Written to encourage reform as well as to inform, this book endswith an outline of some preliminary steps by which evangelicals might yet come to love the Lord more thoroughly with the mind.

About this title

Review

Christianity Today, "Book of the Year"(1995)
Booklist
"That anti-intellectualism is not inherent in evangelicalism Noll demonstrates by presenting evangelical intellectual history, primarily in the U.S., with scholarly thoroughness and journalistic accessibility. . . Noll well exemplifies what he prays evangelicals generally will learn to value again: thinking like a Christian."
Crisis
"Mark Noll is the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, and so has a vested interest in adding to the number of thinking evangelicals. That he had the capacity to do so is demonstrated by this learned, lucid book. . . In any case, Noll's excellent book is likely to influence the development of the evangelical mind and deserves the widest discussion."
Dialog
"Noll's book provides a bold analysis of the history of evangelical thought in America."Scandal"may itself be a history-making book. Named 'Book of the Year' by"Christianity Today," this volume is a vigorous sign of the renewal of evangelical thinking for which its author calls. This book should be read by persons interested in enlightenment in America, the legacy of fundamentalism, and the relationship of evangelical Christianity to science and politics. This book should be required reading for anyone who still does not know the difference between a fundamentalist and an evangelical."
Equip for Ministry
"This book must be rated as one of the top ten books of the year, at least for our readers."
Evangelical Studies Bulletin
"This is a book that every American historian ought to read precisely because it makes one think hard about a subject and a discipline in a way that few books do."The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind"brilliantly reverses the balance in the principle that the best scholarship is necessarily morally informed, a principle widely, if quietly, shared by the left and right."
Publishers Weekly
"Required reading for those seeking to understand the often peculiar relationship between Evangelical religion and secular culture, this is a brilliant study by yes a first-rate Evangelical mind."
Southwestern Journal of Theology
"This is a must read book. Its being named the 1995"Christianity Today"Book of the Year is not undeserved. It sets the agenda for a very interesting discussion."
The Church of England Newspaper
"Agenda-setting work. . . A 'must-read' for any thinking evangelical."
Theology (U.K.)
"A most impressive book, combining passionate engagement with careful and rational analysis.""

Christianity Today, "Book of the Year"(1995)Booklist "That anti-intellectualism is not inherent in evangelicalism Noll demonstrates by presenting evangelical intellectual history, primarily in the U.S., with scholarly thoroughness and journalistic accessibility. . . Noll well exemplifies what he prays evangelicals generally will learn to value again: thinking like a Christian."Crisis "Mark Noll is the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, and so has a vested interest in adding to the number of thinking evangelicals. That he had the capacity to do so is demonstrated by this learned, lucid book. . . In any case, Noll's excellent book is likely to influence the development of the evangelical mind and deserves the widest discussion."Dialog "Noll's book provides a bold analysis of the history of evangelical thought in America."Scandal"may itself be a history-making book. Named 'Book of the Year' by"Christianity Today," this volume is a vigorous sign of the renewal of evangelical thinking for which its author calls. This book should be read by persons interested in enlightenment in America, the legacy of fundamentalism, and the relationship of evangelical Christianity to science and politics. This book should be required reading for anyone who still does not know the difference between a fundamentalist and an evangelical."Equip for Ministry "This book must be rated as one of the top ten books of the year, at least for our readers."Evangelical Studies Bulletin "This is a book that every American historian ought to read precisely because it makes one think hard about a subject and a discipline in a way that few books do."The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind"brilliantly reverses the balance in the principle that the best scholarship is necessarily morally informed, a principle widely, if quietly, shared by the left and right."Publishers Weekly "Required reading for those seeking to understand the often peculiar relationship between Evangelical religion and secular culture, this is a brilliant study by yes a first-rate Evangelical mind."Southwestern Journal of Theology "This is a must read book. Its being named the 1995"Christianity Today"Book of the Year is not undeserved. It sets the agenda for a very interesting discussion."The Church of England Newspaper "Agenda-setting work. . . A 'must-read' for any thinking evangelical."Theology (U.K.) "A most impressive book, combining passionate engagement with careful and rational analysis.""

Christianity Today, Book of the Year (1995)

Booklist
-That anti-intellectualism is not inherent in evangelicalism Noll demonstrates by presenting evangelical intellectual history, primarily in the U.S., with scholarly thoroughness and journalistic accessibility. . . Noll well exemplifies what he prays evangelicals generally will learn to value again: thinking like a Christian.-

Crisis
-Mark Noll is the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, and so has a vested interest in adding to the number of thinking evangelicals. That he had the capacity to do so is demonstrated by this learned, lucid book. . . In any case, Noll's excellent book is likely to influence the development of the evangelical mind and deserves the widest discussion.-

Dialog
-Noll's book provides a bold analysis of the history of evangelical thought in America. Scandal may itself be a history-making book. Named 'Book of the Year' by Christianity Today, this volume is a vigorous sign of the renewal of evangelical thinking for which its author calls. This book should be read by persons interested in enlightenment in America, the legacy of fundamentalism, and the relationship of evangelical Christianity to science and politics. This book should be required reading for anyone who still does not know the difference between a fundamentalist and an evangelical.-

Equip for Ministry
-This book must be rated as one of the top ten books of the year, at least for our readers.-

Evangelical Studies Bulletin
-This is a book that every American historian ought to read precisely because it makes one think hard about a subject and a discipline in a way that few books do. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind brilliantly reverses the balance in the principle that the best scholarship is necessarily morally informed, a principle widely, if quietly, shared by the left and right.-

Publishers Weekly
-Required reading for those seeking to understand the often peculiar relationship between Evangelical religion and secular culture, this is a brilliant study by--yes--a first-rate Evangelical mind.-

Southwestern Journal of Theology
-This is a must read book. Its being named the 1995 Christianity Today Book of the Year is not undeserved. It sets the agenda for a very interesting discussion.-

The Church of England Newspaper
-Agenda-setting work. . . A 'must-read' for any thinking evangelical.-

Theology (U.K.)
-A most impressive book, combining passionate engagement with careful and rational analysis.-

About the Author

Mark A. Noll is Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame.

Edition details

• Publication date: 1731
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802837158
• ISBN 13: 9780802837158
• Binding: Hardcover