In this treatise on the state of the intellectual status of the evangelical movement, Mark Noll reminds us that 'modern evangelicals are the spiritual descendants of leaders and movements distinguished by probing, creative, fruitful attention to the mind' and challenges us to reclaim that heritage. Noll combines passion and his own impressive scholarship, arguing that if Christians are to serve God with their minds, they must do their homework, and think intellectually.
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
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5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Keith (Staten Island), July 05, 2007
This is specifically a response to David's review above. Dr. Knoll is quite right to compare (Young Earth) Creationism to flat earth and geocentric models of the universe. If YEC's claims were true, almost all principals in the disciplines of physics, astronomy, chemistry, and biology would completely fall apart. Adopting a non-literal position of Genesis is necessary not to appease agnostics, as David suggests, but to worship a God who does not unfairly ask us to ignore the plain evidence that He allows us to observe regarding the age of His creation, which have held up to every rigorous empirical test.
Even allowing for some allegory, Genesis still gives us an account of God as the Creator (science has no competing explanation; 'big bang' fleshes out some details, but does not uncover the purpose, but rather supports faith in creation for the open minded inquirer) and the fact of human free will (which is often exercised sinfully). Regarding this second point, happily, most secular thinkers also accept this. Isn't understanding of these essential themes more important than how literally small details should be understood? Might the fact that, within the Pentateuch, the dimensions of the tabernacle are given in far greater detail than the creation of the entire universe be a clue as to the lack of intent for Genesis to be used as a science text? "Engaging" the secular crowd in intellectual pursuits is not the same thing as denying everything that is uncovered which contradicts a literal interpretation of scripture! (deny first, find a grasping-at-straws rationale later).
Inerrancy is not the same thing as literalism (which is untenable and 'scandalous'; YEC IS a scandal). Inerrancy means there are no errors in the Bible; that we have the scriptures God, in His sovereignty, intended us to read. It IS a reasonable position to hold by faith. The same cannot be said for literalism, which holds that God wants us to shut down our minds while reading scripture.
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David Leary (Danville, Illinois), April 05, 2007
I read this book because I got tired of evangelical pastors dismissing the hard work of good theology because it's wasn't good for church growth. Mark Noll addressed that issue head on and I greatly appreciate his insights and historical perspective showing how we have arrived at our current state of watered down, slick packaged Christianity.
My difficulty with the book is that he attacked the Creationist position like it was the flat earth position or the sun revolves around the earth position. Creationsist are doing what his book advocates, which is engaging the secular, naturalistic, modernistic world of science with a well thought out, highly educated, scientifically based, Theocentric argument for the veracity of the Scriptures. Mr. Noll is ready to throw away way too much Scripture in order to be accepted by the agonostic crowd as appearing intelligent. You must throw out the Gensis account of Creation, Jesus' account of the Gensis account, the Gospels geneology of the Gensis account and the Pauline Epistles teaching on the Gensis account of creation. You must introduce death before sin and dismiss God's own account that everything He created was good. And why? So that you can be accepted by those who are looking for an explanation of all things that exist without any supernatural elements. You appear to deny the Flood, Jonah, Noah's Ark and all miracles that would make us look stupid in the eyes of the agnostic. Do you deny all miracles? Do you deny the virgin birth, inspiration, the bodily resurrection? In the one area where evangelicals are going toe to toe with the agnostics you want to slip away and not be heard for fear they won't believe you when you talk about Heaven. If they don't believe that they were created by God they won't believe they need to turn from their sin and accept Him based on a scientfically impossible event like the resurrection of the God-man Jesus the Christ. The Gospel is foolishness to them that perish.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David Davis (Palestine, TX), February 26, 2003
Kudos to Dr. Noll's insightful and informative work. Peering into the vaccuum of modern evangelical scholarship, Mark Noll clearly explains the necessity of Christian intellectualism. He creates a mountain of evidence for his case, compiled by his vast knowledge of the American Church and his own critical scholarship. Noll without apology expresses a unspoken fact about modern evangelicalism: thinking and reasoning have become unpopular and foreign. The book pulls no punches and honestly examines the past century of shallow evangelical thought that is impossible to deny. It is a criticism but one full of hope and exhortation.
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