We're Back! (With a megalong book review)

Well it has been quite sometime since either me or my partner have written on this blog. A good 7 months has passed, and a LOT has changed for the both of us. I'll leave Louis to tell his own story but I'll gladly reveal mine.

In the space of a few months, I have graduated high school, worked all summer to save up money, and am now attending The King's College in New York City. I now reside in Midtown Manhattan, where Macy's and The Empire State building are literally less than a block away from my apartment complex. Studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics with some of the best professors I have ever encountered is truly a rewarding experience, but even more rewarding are the current students. Brilliant, bold, and innovative, I am constantly being challenged in ways I have never thought possible.

Since I rarely have free time to write anything personal of my own, I will take the liberty in posting a book review that I did for my Intro to Politics class. The Scandal Of The Evangelical Mind was one of the most pleasurable reads in recent memory, but I will let my book review speak for itself. As lengthy as it may be, do read it, as I got quite a high grade on it. Also remember this was done in a specific essay format, so it is NOT typical blog writing.



"The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (written by Mark Noll in 1994 and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing) focuses on the subject of declining intellect among the evangelical Christian population. Noll himself believes in evangelical Christianity, but he feels compelled to speak out on a subject that has bothered him for quite sometime. Throughout the book Noll devotes time to various parts of the scandal, the history of it, the influence it has on Christians, and whether or not evangelicals can hope to redeem the future of the movement. Above all, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind confronts the ugly past of the Evangelical movement in America, diagnoses its problems, and ultimately shows the path to restoring the movement back to its original glory.

As a professor of history and theology at Wheaton College, Noll holds nothing back in his opening statements. Perhaps the most biting comment of the book is when Noll professes that the main problem with the mind of evangelical Christianity “is that there is not much of an evangelical mind” (3).Also, Noll notes that despite the growing numbers of evangelicals, they have little to no influence on the culture of the country they inhabit. Noll has no qualms attacking fundamentalism, and he devotes an entire chapter to “The Intellectual Disaster of Fundamentalism.” Noll devotes his case chiefly to the fall of intellectualism through out the history of Christianity in America.

Accordingly, Noll builds his case chapter by chapter, much like a detective. He devotes the first part of the book to defining the scandal as it exists today and explaining why society cannot undervalue its importance. As the text progresses, Noll delves into the history of the evangelical movement from its beginnings with The First Great Awakening and an explanation of how Jonathan Edwards unknowingly paved the way for the future mentality of evangelical Christians. Noll reserves the third section of the book for the consequences this scandal has brought upon Western culture, especially with respect to science and politics. Finally, he dedicates the last portion of the book to determining whether or not evangelicals can resolve this situation. Noll masterfully writes all of these parts with great clarity and ease, though some would argue that he writes with an overly technical and heavy-handed style.

Ironically, though he directs his book towards an audience that has supposedly lost the majority of its intellect over several generations, Noll writes in such an intellectual manner that one would wonder if his style defeats the purpose of his work. Nevertheless, the book remains well written. Supplemented constantly by lengthy speech quotes, footnotes, and Scripture references, Noll’s arguments attack from every angle. He dismantles his opponents’ arguments with ease, and yet he has no problem admitting that evangelicals do have their intellectual strengths, though few. He praises and lifts up prominent intellectuals in Protestant history such as Martin Luther and Billy Graham but he looks down upon the right wing fundamentalists. Although Noll penned his book fifteen years ago, the text still remains relevant to today’s Christian culture. Although quite wordy at points, Noll never comes off as overly pretentious. In the end, Noll writes a well-supplemented, well-structured book.

Historically, Protestantism has fostered a long line of intellectuals. Arguably the most important theologian of the millennium, Martin Luther’s intellect served him well in his creation of the Protestant movement. The Anglican Church also played a key role in the pursuit of higher learning. And finally the Puritans, who laid the foundation for Jonathan Edwards and the beginnings of Christianity in America, were highly intellectual people, though some may question their methods and interpretations of Scripture. Noll describes that sadly, after Jonathan Edwards, the church declined into its current state. He argues that the emphasis on revivals in the church, something that Jonathan Edwards supported, spurred the decline of learning within the church. “Revivals called people to Christ as a way of escaping tradition, including traditional learning” (63), Noll writes. Noll argues that, through this gradual cycle of reliance on revivals for spiritual growth, evangelical tradition ultimately met its downfall.

Furthermore, evangelicals’ absence in science and politics troubles Noll the most. Noll outlines in great length the formation of modern creation doctrine and the theology’s relative newness. Unlike today, Protestants did not believe in the typical, seven-day account of creation for centuries. In the early twentieth century Seventh-Day Adventists invented the theology, which the evangelical movement gradually adopted into its own doctrine. In fact, Noll argues that "creationism has done more than any other issue except abortion to inflame the cultural warfare in American public life” (192). He also finds that evangelicals place far too much emphasis on moral activism in politics, while failing to see the implications and blessing of the separation of church and state. Noll also notes the absence of any evangelical college with the credentials to match the likes of Harvard and Yale, universities once devoted to furthering Christianity. Noll ultimately concludes that if we save the whole world, but do not save its mind, then we really have not saved anybody.

In conclusion, Noll’s book challenges both evangelicals and non-evangelicals alike. The challenges and arguments he makes to the evangelical community are not only inspiring but also stirring. Yet Noll offers great hope in his final statements. He maintains that evangelicals’ talk about Christ contains “potential beyond estimation” (252). Though evangelicals have abandoned intellect, Christ offers eternal hope and redemption. Overall, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind uses its thorough examination of the topic to greatly challenge the reader to think more critically about the intellectual level of the evangelical Christian movement."