Mark Allan Noll (born 1946) is an American
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
specializing in the
history of Christianity in the United States
Christianity was introduced to North America as it was colonized by Europeans beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish, French, and British brought Roman Catholicism to the colonies of New Spain, New France and Maryland respecti ...
. He holds the position of Research Professor of History at
Regent College
Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Va ...
, having previously been Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
. Noll is a
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change.
Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
Places
* Reform, Al ...
evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
and in 2005 was named by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America.
Biography
Born on July 18, 1946, Noll is a graduate of
Wheaton College, Illinois
Wheaton College is a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, United States. It was founded by evangelical abolitionists in 1860. Wheaton College was a stop on the Underground Railroad and graduated one of I ...
(B.A., English), the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
(M.A., English),
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is the divinity school of Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. The divinity school was founded in 1897.
In April 2025, Trinit ...
(M.A., Church History and Theology), and
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
(Ph.D., History of Christianity). Before coming to Notre Dame, he was on the faculty at
Wheaton College, Illinois
Wheaton College is a private Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, United States. It was founded by evangelical abolitionists in 1860. Wheaton College was a stop on the Underground Railroad and graduated one of I ...
for twenty-seven years, where he taught in the departments of history and theology as McManis Professor of Christian Thought. While at Wheaton, Noll also co-founded (with
Nathan Hatch) and directed the
Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals
An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes ca ...
(ISAE), which ran from 1982 until 2014.
Noll is a prolific author and many of his books have earned considerable acclaim within the academic community. In particular, ''
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind'', a book about anti-intellectual tendencies within the American evangelical movement, was widely covered in both religious and secular publications. He was awarded a
National Humanities Medal
The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the humani ...
in the Oval Office by President George W. Bush in 2006.
Noll, along with other historians such as
George Marsden,
Nathan O. Hatch, and
David Bebbington
David William Bebbington (born 25 July 1949) is a British historian who is a professor of history at the University of Stirling in Scotland and a distinguished visiting professor of history at Baylor University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Socie ...
, has greatly contributed to the world's understanding of evangelical convictions and attitudes, past and present. He has caused many scholars and lay people to realize more deeply the complications inherent in the question, "Is America a Christian nation?"
In 1994, he co-signed
Evangelicals and Catholics Together
"Evangelicals and Catholics Together" is a 1994 ecumenical document signed by leading Evangelical and Catholic scholars in the United States. The co-signers of the document were Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, representing each side of ...
, an ecumenical document that expressed the need for greater cooperation between evangelical and Catholic leaders in the United States.
From 2006 to 2016, Noll was a faculty member in Department of History at
Notre Dame. He replaced the retiring George Marsden as Notre Dame's
Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History. Noll stated that the move to Notre Dame allowed him to concentrate on fewer subjects than his duties at Wheaton had allowed.
University of Notre Dame, Faculty Profile for Mark A. Noll
Works
Books
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*——— , Hatch, Nathan O, Marsden, George M., (1989). ''The Search for Christian America.'' Helmers & Howard.
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Articles
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References
External links
Mark Noll
Notre Dame home page
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Noll, Mark
1946 births
Living people
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century evangelicals
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century evangelicals
American Evangelical writers
American historians of religion
American male non-fiction writers
American religious writers
National Humanities Medal recipients
Presidents of the American Society of Church History
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School alumni
University of Notre Dame faculty
Vanderbilt University alumni
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
Wheaton College (Illinois) faculty
World Christianity scholars