Mark Noll Leaving Wheaton for Notre Dame

Prominent evangelical historian and public intellectual to replace retiring George Marsden.

Christianity Today February 9, 2006

One of the evangelicalism’s premier scholars will be leaving one of evangelicalism’s premier colleges. Mark Noll will be moving from Wheaton College to the University of Notre Dame at the start of the school year this fall.

“This is one of the most painful announcements I’ve had to make in my nine and a half years as provost,” says Stan Jones, provost at Wheaton. Noll has served as an inspiration and role model to students as well as other professors, Jones says. “I was inspired by his balance and maturity of thought.”

“We’re delighted to have him,” says John McGreevy, chair of the department of history at Notre Dame. “We feel we have a strong program already. Mark will augment that.”

Long a respected historian among evangelical scholars, Noll’s stature has risen in recent years. His book America’s God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln was named “the most significant work of American historical scholarship” in 2002 by The Atlantic.

His 1994 book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, has become shorthand for the ongoing conversation about evangelical anti-intellectualism, says John Wilson, editor of Books & Culture, a sister publication of Christianity Today. America’s God however raised Noll’s visibility beyond evangelical academic circles. It was one of the most important historical books in years, says Wilson, who called it Noll’s magnum opus. In 2005, Time magazine named Noll one of America’s 25 most influential evangelicals.

Noll’s impact has been in three areas, according to Wilson: as an American historian, as a historian of evangelicalism to which he brought a global perspective, and as a scholar of the Bible in public life. His forthcoming book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis is a prime example, says Wilson.

Aside from his scholarly writing, Noll has fostered networks of evangelical scholars. He helped to found the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicalism, and in other informal ways, Noll fostered the evangelical intellectual community, according to Wilson.

“I think he has helped us break caricatures of evangelical anti-intellectualism,” says Jones. “Noll is an exemplar of all that’s good in Christian academia. He set the standard of what it means to be a Christian scholar and a Christian teacher.” Despite being courted by other major universities, Noll has, until now, turned them down.

“The position he is going to is fantastic,” says Jones. “There are two things Notre Dame is offering that Wheaton can’t. One is Notre Dame’s expansive intellectual community, especially in regard to history and religion. Another is the intensive training of a fine cadre of doctoral students.”

McGreevy said the department had been considering how to replace George Marsden, who will retire in a little more than two years. Marsden has been a crucial part of the graduate program and the leading intellectual presence, says McGreevy. Marsden was unavailable for comment.

Noll expressed an interest in coming to the university, says McGreevy, and was invited to interview. Noll declined to comment on his departure.

“One of the attractions for us is Mark’s interest in global Christianity,” says McGreevy.

Noll is also active in dialogue between Catholics and Protestants. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom recently published Is the Reformation Over? “One thing Mark is committed to is Protestant/Catholic dialogue,” says McGreevy. “Notre Dame is a good place to do that. There are lots of serious Catholics and Protestants who want to think about those issues.”

“Mark is a good historian, very talented and distinguished,” says McGreevy. “We’re eager to welcome him.”

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today interviewed Mark Noll on his The Rise of Evangelicalism and reviewed Is the Reformation Over.

Books & Culture reviewed America’s God.

Time magazine’s 25 most influential evangelicals package is available on their website.

Our Latest

Latino Churchesโ€™ Vibrant Testimony

Hispanic American congregations tend to be young, vibrant, and intergenerational. The wider church has much to learn with and from them.

Review

Modern โ€˜Technocultureโ€™ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless

By changing our experience of reality, it tempts those who donโ€™t perceive God to conclude that he doesnโ€™t exist.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

News

Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death

Canadian pastors are lagging behind a national push to expand MAID to those with disabilities and mental health conditions.

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamarโ€™s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But itโ€™s the work of Godโ€™s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive Godโ€™s Wordโ€”together.

Review

Safety Shouldnโ€™t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube