Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind

by Mark A. Noll

In The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1994) Mark Noll offered a bleak, even scathing, assessment of the state of evangelical thinking and scholarship. Now, nearly twenty years later, in a sequel that is more hopeful than despairing ― more attuned to possibilities than to problems ― Noll updates his assessment and charts a positive way forward for evangelical scholarship.

Noll shows how the orthodox Christology confessed in the classic Christian creeds provides an ideal vantage point for viewing the vast domains of human learning and can enhance intellectual engagement in a variety of specific disciplines. In a substantial postscript he candidly addresses the question How fares the “evangelical mind” today?

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Education, Christianity, Christian, Religion

192 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 2011

About the author

Mark A. Noll (born 1946), Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, is a progressive evangelical Christian scholar. In 2005, Noll was named by Time Magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America. Noll is a prolific author and many of his books have earned considerable acclaim within the academic community. The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind , a book about the anti-intellectual tendencies within the American evangelical movement, was featured in a cover story in the popular American literary and cultural magazine, Atlantic Monthly. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal in the Oval Office by President George W. Bush in 2006.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working in university ministry with grad students, I am often asked the question of just how this thing of integration of faith and learning is supposed to work. Mark Noll's new book is a landmark answer to this question. In one sense, his answer is the very simple, Sunday school answer--Jesus. Yet behind this simple answer is some very profound theological thinking. Noll not only sees the life of the mind encouraged through our union with Christ, which unites all things in him, but in careful reflection upon the classic Christian creeds that help us understand the person and work of Christ--as one of the members of the Trinity, as fully God and fully human, and as our atoning sacrifice.

In particular, he sees four aspects of Christology as crucial to scholarship. Doubleness, that Jesus is fully God and fully human, helps us to understand other ways the supernatural can intersect the natural world and inquiry into it without conflict. Contingency helps us understand how randomness can yet be a part of divine providence. Particularity, the fact of the Lord of all coming in human flesh as a Jew at a particular time, helps as we face questions of both diversity and unity in the human experience. And the self-denial of Jesus calls us to the proper humility necessary for good scholarship.

Noll applies this thinking to three "case studies"--history, science, and theological studies and works out some of the possible implications for these convictions. Most telling to me were his thoughts about science and how "doubleness" permits the affirmation both of God's creative work, and yet also the material explanations of origins that science provides without setting these in irresolvable conflict--where only one can be right.

One concluding sample of Noll's writing to give the flavor of his argument:

The Jesus Christ who saves sinner is the same Christ who beckons his followers to serious use of their minds for serious explorations of the world. It is part of the deepest foundation of Christian reality--it is an important part of understanding who Jesus is and what he accomplishes--to study the world, the human structures found in the world, the human experience of the world, and the humans who experience the world. Nothing intrinsic in that study should drive a person away from Jesus Christ. Much that is intrinsic in Jesus Christ should drive a person to that study. (p. 41)

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Noll remains one of the few sane voices of American evangelicalism, and this book explains why: Because unlike the vast majority of (white) evangelicals, Noll refuses to pit faith and intellect against each other. If anything, Noll is an unabashed cheerleader for intellectualism – indeed, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind at times reads like an apologetic for serious intellectual study by followers of Jesus.

Especially in the first half, Noll does a masterful job of connecting classic Christian orthodoxy, as expressed in scriptural and credal statements about Jesus, with academic pursuits. In short, his argument is that if the incarnation is true, if Jesus was indeed truly human, if he indeed was God's creative force at the beginning of time – then Christians have a duty to study the world he created, entered, died for and sustains. It's a stirring defense, and much needed in an age when white evangelicalism has collectively turned its intellectual firepower over to specious defenses of Donald Trump while continuing to uncritically reject evolution and climate change and uncritically accept literal readings of biblical events not supported by archaeology or historical study.

If we study anything in the realms of nature or the realms of the spirit, we study what came into existence through Jesus Christ. Likewise, If we study human interactions or spiritual-human interactions – thrones, dominions, rulers, powers – we are studying realms brought into existence by Jesus Christ. If our study concerns predictability, uniformity, regularity, we are working in the mains of the ones who is before all things and in whom all things hold together. If our study concerns beauty, power or agency, it is the same, for God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him. And if we succeed in any degree, we are only following Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Unfortunately, the book falters in the second half, and the overall effect is somewhat uneven. Overall, it feels like a collection of essays from other publications that Noll pulled together for this book. I suspect that's essentially what happened. It closes with a look back at Noll's most famous work, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. He expresses some optimism about the trajectory of evangelical scholarship, especially on college campuses; I'd be curious were he to revisit it now whether he feels that optimism continues to be warranted.

I should also warn potential readers that this is written for academics, not for the general public. As a result, it's fairly dense. Which is a shame because its overall message connecting academic research of all kinds so closely with the person and nature of Jesus needs to be more widely distributed.

It has become conventional to think that belief in the Christian story opposes serious commitment to intellectual explorations of the world. There are no good reasons for this opinion. It rests on misreadings of the Christian story and misapprehensions of the intellectual life. The Jesus Christ who saves sinners is the same Christ who beckons his followers to serious use of their minds for serious explorations of the world. It is part of the deepest foundation of Christian reality. It is an important part of understanding who Jesus is and what he accomplishes to study the world, the human structures found in the world, the human experiences of the world and the humans who experience the world. Nothing intrinsic in that study should drive a person away from Jesus Christ. Much that is intrinsic in Jesus Christ should drive a person to that study.

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of the audio book from the narrator, Trevor Thompson, who is a friend of mine (and did an excellent job here, fwiw).

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a birthday gift from my beautiful wife, and after too long in the to-read pile, it finally rose to the top. I'd been looking forward to it for quite a while, because of what Mark Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind had meant to me when I read it several years ago. When I read Scandal, I struggled with its many challenges, and discussing it in a reading group with some other very good friends was the beginning of a lot of changes in my intellectual and spiritual life. Since that time, I've felt a renewed freedom in viewing the world and my own faith journey--though at the time it was a difficult process of shedding some long-held and unhelpful perspectives.

I came to Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, then, eager for an update from Noll: what has changed in the years since Scandal?

The book is in some ways a response to or continuation of Scandal, but it's different in tone. Where Scandal was, I felt, rather too confrontational in its tone--tending to turn off its target audience more than welcoming them into a new way of thinking--Noll's tone in Life of the Mind is gentler, more inviting, and calm. Here, rather than confronting head-on problems he sees in evangelicalism, he warmly shows the way forward by emphasizing Warfield's concept of concursus--the gospel-centered idea that in the world we see both divine action and natural order, together in such a way that there is no either-or, no single "right" answer to whether it was God's special action in the world at that moment, or simply the way the world works in that moment. This way of viewing the world mirrors the gospel message itself: that Jesus was fully human and fully God, in a perfection that is a mystery to us.

Noll draws much from Warfield, as well as the creeds of the church (Nicene, Apostles, and Chalcedonian). His discussion is simple, straightforward, and reasoned. It invites the reader to contemplate what he's saying, rather than pushing the reader away with strident challenges. I like that.

In the second part of Life of the Mind, Noll looks specifically at three domains: history, science, and Biblical studies (with particular focus on Peter Enns's recent challenges to biblical interpretation). In one chapter on each, he examines what it means for that domain to reflect a Christian intellectual approach. These are (he admits) very brief considerations, but they point general ways forward, and they show Noll's hopes for what Christian scholarship might come to mean, if we were to be truly self-aware, transparent thinkers willing to take time for our studies.

Everything here is good, and though it often feels too brief, it's a worthwhile book for any Christian academic's shelf. Very good reminders of why the pursuit of knowledge is a valuable part of the life of any follower of Jesus. The final chapter is a look back at Scandal, in which Noll says that he remains "unrepentant" of what he wrote in that book, though he is sorry to have missed some nuance that was pointed out by critics and friends. I wondered if I should re-read Scandal before picking up Life of the Mind, but it's not necessary; they are related, but separate--though it's still worth reading Scandal at any time.

[Davis Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Frankly rather pedestrian. I think I had probably read all of this elsewhere at some point or another—this is not helped by Noll's common yet annoying scholarly habit of constructing a book that mostly consists of quotes, summaries, and paraphrases from other writers. There are good things in the first few chapters on Christology and creedal dogma, but again, nothing revelatory for me at least. Noll is also firmly in the James K.A. Smith camp of criticizing "rational, analytical modernism" to such an extent that the very idea of objective truth becomes deemphasized, if not denied. Honestly I think this is a Reformed quirk. Ironically, it leads here to Noll making concessions to the proclamations of secular science and biblical criticism. The chapter on science especially felt totally out of place. Yes, I understand why so many well-intentioned theologians and Christian academics feel the need to defend evolution. If you accept the dogma that it is as obvious as heliocentrism, then it becomes a noble thing to stand up for. But things are not as straightforward as that, and people like Noll who completely disregard, at the very least, the apparent disharmonies between the evolutionary and biblical models of the universe confuse me to no end. One cannot escape the fact that, if humans were created as "sub-humans", that has profound implications on what we believe, despite all the attempts at reconciliation. There does come a point where one is faced with the choice between Sola Scriptura, or Subinde Hominus ("man every once in a while"), with no possible middle ground.

So overall, I wouldn't recommend this one. If you want an outline of the mindset, vocation, and duties of the Christian scholar, may I suggest The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges. It's very Roman and hence the polar opposite of Noll in orientation, but its insights are sterling.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: An exercise in what it means to encourage the life of the mind, bounded by the creed, with the example of history, and with illustrations of how that can work out in practice.

As a whole I alternate between being really appreciative of the concept of this book and the fact that Noll is attempting to work out on paper how we encourage the intellectual life within the bounds of Christianity and being frustrated with how he does it.

Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind was published in 2011 and I wonder how it would be different had Noll written it in 2018. Part of the weakness of Noll’s project has been that he has mostly encouraging the life of the mind of academics and theological leaders within the Evangelical church. It is not that he is unaware of average lay person or that he does not think that the development of the life of the mind of the laity is important. But that the pitch of Noll’s work catches the interest of those that are already intellectually active.

I was quite frustrated at times with this book. But in the end I am encouraged that it was written, even when I disagree with aspects because Noll’s example of intellectual development and encouragement is the point, not the particulars.

I have about 1500 words on this on my blog at http://bookwi.se/life-of-the-mind/

[Katherine Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was interesting: Christians should be involved in scholarship. However, I believe Noll could have made all of these same points in a 10 page article. The lengthy, wordy nature of the book was unnecessary. Additionally, his argument seemed self-evident to me. Since Christians believe God created the world and scholarship, it is important to study it --of course! So, I may not have been his target audience, which might account for my disinterest. But ultimately, I don't disagree with his assertions; I just feel he could have used less words to say more.

[Daniel Bouchoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction
Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind was written in 2011 by Mark Noll. His thesis is that Christology invites serious intellectual life. This means being open to serious historical questions, to scientific inquiry, and to a study of biblical interpretation that is devoid of modern assumptions that do not interpret the Bible on its own terms. Christians can both be inspired to pursue human learning and also be protected from the abuses of human learning by keeping Christ as the center of all learning.

Critique
My first critique comes on the question of science and creation which may reveal a weak point in my own thinking. While I am not sure that Noll gives his position, he invites the reader to be open minded to the inquiry of science and how it might affect how the world was created and developed. He uses Warfield as an example of someone who can be open to evolution without abandoning the essentials of the faith. While I invite the inquiry of science and of nature, it seems that the inquiry of creation is not an area where the Bible is ambiguous or controversial. It seems that the Scriptures are straight forward when it comes to creation and the definition of “day” and so on. These are elementary principles of the world rather than complicated topics that need other near near-eastern literature to interpret. Taken on its own terms, the Scriptures are clear on its view of creation. This may be invalid based on Noll’s thesis, but my point is basically asking the question of if there are any boundaries beyond the creeds when it comes to intellectual pursuit. I could also ask the same question about gender roles.

Noll’s work is appealing in that it seems to open the door for serious academics as we partner with the Catholics, press into science, ask historical questions, and seriously inquire about the Bible without modern assumptions that may not be there. This is appealing because it feels more honest, inclusive, lest stingy, and makes Christians look more academic. Yet, I would want to ask Noll what he thinks has happened in evangelicalism since he has written the book. The T4G and TGC movements definitely seemed rooted in Christology and in the creeds and yet it seems that at least some type of openness towards social science and history led to a significant split in Christianity. I would want to ask Noll to talk about his perspective on things since writing the book.

Affirmation
I found Nolls thesis and arguments appealing and convincing. They helped me to articulate even the way I think about the intellectual life in general. Up to this point I had become convinced by Col. 2:3 that Christ was at the center of every intellectual pursuit and yet it was hard for me to be able to flesh that out. The main way Noll helped me to flesh this out is by noting that the key was the incarnation—Jesus being fully God and fully man. This opens the door to specifically pursue both the Scriptures and the natural world since Jesus became part of the natural world. This was a piece that was missing from my thinking.

Overall, I found myself agreeing more and more with Noll’s thesis as I read. As Christians, we should be open to studying the world that God made and the world that Christ became a part of in the incarnation. I imagine the gut reaction to this mindset would be that the openness would lead to un-orthodoxy—which of course sometimes does. Yet, this is no reason to become closed to intellectual pursuits. It just means that intellectual pursuit needs to be done well—rooted in Christology.

As I read, I pushed back in certain areas where I didn’t like the direction that his examples were heading (such as B.B. Warfield or Aquinas). I realized though at every point of pushback that Noll was not necessarily arguing for all the positions or conclusions that his test cases arrived at, but that rather the intellectual work needs to be done and should be done without fear, and without straying from orthodoxy. On that point I am so on board that I have to overlook the conclusions that I do not agree with. Reading Nolls book sharpened me in this area and refined some of the rough edges I had even though I agreed with his premise from the beginning.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023 reads: 23

Rating: 3 stars

Readers will not be surprised to find in Mark Noll’s Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind a largely historical inquiry into the intellectual life. Noll’s approach not only is historical but it utilizes the historic creedal confessions of the church to catapult his thesis; they are, in his words, “what is needed as a grounding for Christian learning.” (2) This is mostly because in the creeds Noll sees the marrying of the physical world as we perceive it along with the drama of redemption that puts it in its proper place. (14) In short, an Evangelical contribution on the intellectual life needs to do so upon the great traditions of classical Christian theology. (22)

I was certainly not expecting Noll’s creedal approach. It offered some novel ideas and insights along the way. The governing thesis that “coming to know Christ provides the most basic possible motive for pursuing the tasks of human learning” (ix-x) is hardly debatable. My own focus as a biblical studies student meant that I was always seeking more from Noll, but he kept deferring to the “experts,” unless it related to history and creedal formation. As such, I thought that much of this project did not interest me and that one could take or leave his arguments.

Two big takeaways stand out for me personally. The first was seeing the ways in which the great tradition inspires intellectual inquiry, even on matters that are more pastoral or “lay-level”, as it were. The second was the breadth and depth that Colossians provides for the subject under discussion. The centrality of Jesus Christ for our conception of knowledge and its inquiry is clear and profound. This truth invigorates me to consider ways to incorporate a biblical Christology into all and every other field of knowledge since “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" are hidden in Christ. (149)

[Read for the Foundations for Theological Studies seminar at SBTS]

[Mitchell Traver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uniquely-written in contrast to most of Mark Noll’s work. Fantastic and thought-provoking. The chapter on Christology as the key to understanding history was worth the price of the book and more. Marvelous. Read everything Mark Noll writes!

[Luke Paulsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two opposite misperceptions about theology dominate modern American thought: first, that it's a dry, dense, scholastic discipline with no meaningful connection to reality; and second, that it's a loose, irresponsible hotbed of mysticism that runs contrary to "scientific facts". Mark Noll's energetic and serious theological arguments in Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind are a bracing antidote to both misperceptions. Furthermore, the arguments themselves provide the foundation for a positive intellectual engagement that would replace these misperceptions-- with theology, appropriately enough, as its foundation.

Noll's principal thesis is that "Christology"-- the doctrinal understanding of Jesus Christ's identity as both God and man-- is a crucial foundation for Christian scholarship. (By "foundation" I mean both a framework for understanding the world and a motivation for doing so; Noll tends to switch freely between the two, probably out of a correct sense that they're closely related.) Noll's key insight is that Jesus's incarnation in the created world is what establishes that world as reliably knowable and worth knowing, since it expresses an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God's involvement in the created world's particulars. Along these lines Noll makes much of early doctrinal disputes and the creeds that resolved them. For examle, Gnosticism-- which sees the created world as evil and therefore shies away from accepting the Incarnation-- could not be the foundation for serious intellectuallism.

In the second half of the book, Noll dives into the application of his thesis to specific fields of scholarship: history, science, and the study of the Bible itself. In each case he leverages analogies to the paradoxical, two-in-one nature of the Incarnation to propose a middle way between secularism on the one hand and fundamentalism on the other-- a way that Noll hopes can be the basis for a serious tradition of Evangelical Christian scholarship. His positions here are more contentious, but also more valuable, as he gives some concrete indication how Christian scholars might actually practice what Noll is preaching.

If only Noll's preaching were a bit more coherent. His arguments are thorough and careful throughout-- with abundant citations of the Bible, creeds, and other theologians-- but he tends to get bogged down in details and doesn't do a great job of showing how it all fits together. There are certainly flashes of illuminating and inspiring insight. However, these would be a lot more meaningful if Noll tied them together with a clear thread of argument. Maybe this is just me being out of practice reading works of theology, or trying to apply the standards of popular writing to theology as a genre. But it seems like there's plenty of room for Noll to make his own writing more exciting and engaging at a non-academic level.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Refreshing to see someone focusing on the life of Jesus and the relevance he has for the mind and theology.

Noll, also the author of "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind" examines the importance of Christ as the center to Christian thought. He asserts that if Christ is who Evangelicals claim he is, then Christ should be at the very center of our academic pursuits. Noll says,

"The message in this book for my fellow evangelicals can be put simply: if what we claim about Jesus Christ is true, then evangelicals should be among the most active, most serious, and most openminded advocates of general human learning" (Kindle location 22).

Christ is the Wisdom of God, and all things were created through him. This being true, then Christ will be found in the Arts and Sciences, and will speak to us through our academic pursuits in these fields. Noll also says,

"...for serious intellectual efforts, those who look to Christ as their prophet, priest, and king act most faithfully with norms defined by Christ." (loc. 1394)

Noll gives a thoughtful and challenging perspective of how we, as Christians, are to approach Scripture. He includes a quote from J.I. Packer's book, "The Bible in Use", (p. 77-78), saying:

"The Bible has been given to us, not to define for us the realities of the created order, nor to restrain our interests in them, but to enable us to diagnose, understand, appreciate, and handle them as we meet them, so that we may use and enjoy them to the Creator's praise. (loc.1438)

Noll goes on to add,

"For a truly biblical view of the Bible, it is important not to treat the Bible as a storehouse of information sufficient in itself for all things but to embrace, rather, the Bible's own perspective that leads its readers to a God-ordained openness to all things."

In other words, the Bible is our "how-to manual". It gives instruction on how we are to interpret the world, but it also gives us the freedom to explore the world, as God created it, enjoying the discoveries that wait for us, including the discoveries through the use of our mind.

I hope that Noll's work will be discovered by Christian leaders, and that Christ will be honored through his discoveries that have been revealed to us.

[Luke Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapter 6 - 4 stars
chapter 7 - 1 star
Rest - 2-3 stars

[Peter Severian · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, Mark Noll makes the case for increased intellectualism in Christian Studies. He does this by examining the major creeds and then building on how Christian students can help form a path of study.

The book is intellectual at its core. Noll is well read and frequently cites several sources. He builds on the creeds and in Chapter 3, he offers how a Christian worldview can set up unique expectations in approaching an intellectual life. Specifically, he discusses the notion of (1) doubleness as represented by the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus Chris; (2) contingency finds truth gained through experience; (3) particularity in understanding history in its particular place and time and circumstances; and (4) self-denial in knowing how limited our knowledge is in comparison to God. This is where I felt the book reached a high point.

As we proceed to the later chapters, the book becomes more topical. Individual chapters are devoted to how we should view history and science. The chapter on history is strong, as it provides a good framework for discussion by creating a matrix that compares general history and Christian history with general revelation and special revelation. This allows for a good argument in how we interact with subject matter and its interpretation.

As the book moves into a study of the sciences, I felt it became suddenly very disjointed. A specific focus was put on B.B. Warfield's writing with a specific focus on creation. Noll's approach is not orthodox, but perhaps moderate in how to analyze the interactions between Scripture and science. I found myself underlining with question marks when he talks about God's "two books" of Scripture and nature. As an engineer by trade, I appreciate this idea of two books, but they are not comparing apples to apples. Scripture transcends nature, even though it is a story of creation, redemption, and a final plan for God's creation, directly related to our world. Rather than focusing on how others have approached difficult overlaps with science and the Bible, I would have liked for Noll to approach it in a similar way he did with history -- creating a model in how to view science and then sharing relevant examples.

It's hard to be critical of a work that comes from an intellectual and knowledge level that exceeds my own, but I felt the intellectualism of the work itself prevented it from being something more beneficial to the reader. With that said, if you want to be challenged in how we can approach not just the Bible hermeneutically, but also studies of secular subjects, there are a lot of meaty considerations provided.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

History Professor Mark A. Noll caused a stir with his 1994 book, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind." This 2012 book includes an epilogue, "How Fares the 'Evangelical Mind'?" but could be seen in its entirety as an update of his earlier work.
One of the endorsements on the back cover is a snippet from the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society stating, "A must-read for all Christian scholars."
Well, I am a Christian, but I am no scholar, and that showed in the reading of this book. I don't think anything in "Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind" is truly over my head, but absorbing it, for me, would require a close and slow reading, some rereading, some note-taking and some cross-referencing. I did none of that.
Nonetheless, I appreciated Noll's book and I'm glad I read it. I could read nothing but British mystery novels and possibly be satisfied, but it's good to be stretched every now and then.
Really, any chapter in this book could be the subject for deep study. Probably the one that touches on the hottest hot-button topic is "'Come and See': A Christological Invitation for Science." Noll turns to Galileo and notes that the great early scientist advocated combining "investigations of nature with complete trust in Scripture."
One of Galileo's touchpoints was the realization that much in the Bible was not intended as a scientific description of the world.
"If Galileo's had been followed," Noll writes, "the history of science and religion in the modern West would have been much calmer than what actually unfolded."
The epilogue was more optimistic than I would have been expected. Noll touches on 10 indications that evangelical Christians were becoming more in tune with using their minds as well as their hearts and spirits. I don't know if that's what he would say today.

[Wendy Wong Schirmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In some ways a sequel to The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Noll draws on Christian intellectual tradition-- not just Scripture, but how anyone is to read Scripture at all and its logical consequences-- to reiterate that the "life of the mind" is a worthy vocation for any Christian. And it is a worthy endeavor because of Christian belief in the Incarnation.

While Scandal traced the contours in American Christian thought that has in many ways served as an incubator for a perhaps understandable but nonetheless inexcusable anti-intellectualism leading to the scandal that "there's not much of an evangelical mind," Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind tries to sketch out a lay of the vineyard in which a Christian intellectual might labor. Where, after all, might a Christian called to the intellectual life begin?

On a more personal note, I have long noted Noll's willingness to draw on the Catholic tradition. This particular work, after all, is published by Eerdmans, which has published a fair amount of Catholic stuff-- for example, Joseph Ratzinger, Romano Guardini, Henri de Lubac, and David C. Schindler-- in recent years. So I smiled as I noted his engagement with theologian Robert Barron's The Priority of Christ. Catholics know him as Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, whose condemnation of "dumbed-down Catholicism" has been at the crux of his ministry and his work at Word on Fire (if there's ever been a "scandal of the Catholic mind" in the United States, dumbed-down Catholicism in the name of "pastoral" concerns likely fits that bill).

[Mark VanderWerf · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter what we study, we learn under the light of Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

Noll states: "The light of Christ illuminates the laboratory, his speech is the fount of communication, he makes possible the study of humans in all their interactions, he is the source of all life ... he is the telos of all that is beautiful. He is, among his many other titles, the Christ of the Academic Road" (22). "If what we claim about Jesus Christ is true, then evangelicals should be among the most active, most serious, and most open-minded advocates of general human learning" (x).

"The specific requirements for Christian scholarship all grow naturally from Christian worship inspired by such love: confidence in the ability to gain knowledge about the world because the world was brought into being through Jesus Christ; commitment to careful examination of the objects of study through 'coming and seeing'; trust that good scholarship and faithful discipleship cannot ultimately conflict; humility from realizing that learning depends at every step on a merciful God' and gratitude in acknowledging that all good gifts come from above" (149).

[Emma Sotomayor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Noll argues for a greater Christian presence in academics. He makes a case from Scripture and Jesus Christ Himself for pursuing academic excellence. This book examines most of the major disciplines in higher academics, discussing how Christ can transform and influence evangelicals' thought on them.

Noll makes some strong points for why evangelicals should beware of anti-intellectualism. His criticism is harsh and yet hopeful, especially when he examines current improvements in evangelical universities. He truly shows Christian charity when he suggests collaboration between denominations; his tone is that of a peacemaker.

However, the writing style in general bored me with its dryness. Most of the paragraphs are excessively long and full of passive voice and other forms of "academicese." He also seems to love block quotes that could have been much better summarized.

While the ideas Noll presents are much-needed in evangelical circles, the writing could have presented them with more clarity.

[John Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot to commend it, although I found myself asking (particularly in the earlier chapters), “Where’s the beef?” I repeatedly found his connection between Christology and the life of the mind tenuous. However, things did get better--particularly in the chapters on literature, history and science, where there are some excellent insights.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit laborious

This was a difficult book to read. Some parts held my attention, while other I needed to force myself to read. Noll is certainly correct in staying the Christian mind needs to be developed. I think he covered too many topics and was a bit too difficult to understand.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainly for his chapter on history. Definitely can tell he knows his stuff there. I think the rest of the book is good. I definitely as of late have been struck by the lack of evangelicals looking back on the creeds of Christianity and lack of acknowledgement towards the work the saints have done. It's a nice little book.

[Sarah Gump · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

The author challenges evangelical believers to honor Christ through our academic life. Since the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Christians should be motivated to research, study, and observe His creation. God affirmed the importance of the physical world because He became incarnate to fulfill His plan. Therefore, the intellectual life has meaning and value!

[Hans Wulffraat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een uiterst prikkelend en uitdagend boek, net als Noll's eerdere The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. Noll roept evangelicals op om, loskomend van hun denominationalisme, naast hun activisme en spiritualiteit ook vanuit geloof en traditie serieus werk te maken van de doordenking van academische disciplines - om zout en licht te zijn in de hele samenleving.

[Kenzie Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book with an indepth look at the theological aspects. The author knows his material well which causes it to fall a little heavier into the jargon, but it mostly overall is readable which is nice.

[Susan]

I learned how the evangelicals gravitated towards the Baptists for their future. How they used Jesus Christ and the life of the mind to do so. Despite the challenges of reading Mark Noll this was a captivating read. If you are up to it give it a go.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exploration of christology and its implications for Christian scholarship. The chapter on historiography was fivestar gold.

[Elizabeth Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely heady, but worth the read

[Christopher Rush · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be the year I focused on reading good books, books that I knew I was going to enjoy, the high-quality books I haven't gotten around to yet that would make my life much better. Yet here we are, 1 Eldredge book and 1 Noll book later (plus some other things that have been better, I suppose). This really isn't that good of a book, no offense to Mr. Noll or his family or friends or publishing team. Diction-wise, I have no clue for what audience this is addressed: even for a book that's supposed to be a tier or two above the usual common level, it's such an ungainly use of language reading it is too difficult to either enjoy or be challenged by it. Most of the book feels like Mr. Noll is trying not to say "here are three books I've read recently, so I'm working my book reviews into a sort of analytical book" or something to that effect. It suffers from an absence of cohesion and unity, despite the purported attempt to apply "Christian-minded scholarly enthusiasm" (not his term) to various branches of human intellectual endeavor. In one section, we are led to believe the hero is classical Creeds and Confessions (nothing wrong with that), in another B.B. Warfield (nothing wrong with that, either), and in another the hero is Peter Enns (no one is sure why). Despite the generally fine subject matter upon which Noll treats, the absence of coherent and meaningful (and useful) interaction makes the work as a whole unhelpful and unnecessary. As usual, Noll refers us constantly to other things he has written, as if his oeuvre is the only one worth exploring. Yes, he has a decent suggested reading list at the end, but that only underscores the frustration of "why am I reading this book when I could be reading them instead?" For no clear reason, Noll wants us to shove Theology over to make room for post-Darwinian evolutionary schema. He doesn't want us to understand one in light of the other (though he pretends to say that sporadically) - no, we are to make sure Theology moves out of the way for whatever Science has to say, ensuring we interpret the Bible to accommodate science. Hmm. Likewise, especially almost 5 years later, we can quite easily dismiss his apologetic for Peter Enns (again, no offense to the Enns family and circle of friends) based on what all involved have done recently. Finally, Noll rides his 1-trick pony of "the state of Evangelicalism" with a half-hearted attempt to show "well, you know, when I wrote that book 20 years ago I guess I didn't do any significant research about what Evangelical schools, churches, magazines, or enterprises were actually doing, since most of my book was based on observations of people I met one Thursday night at a Bible study." Again, that is not a direct quotation, but that is the impression we get from his epilogue (which was also not a wholly new creation for this book, but a twice- or thrice-warmed over reworking of an earlier article recycled every 5 or 10 years). I don't know what purpose this book serves for any portion of the Christian community. If any facet of contemporary Christian still things "we shouldn't think or use our brains for Jesus," this book certainly won't address that problem. Nor is it a helpful "here's what to do next now that you've embraced thinking as an avocation." Skip it.

[W. Littlejohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid primer on "Christian worldview thinking," for lack of a better term (though Noll does not, to my recollection, describe it this way). Noll's objective is to offer an introductory survey of the ways in which evangelical Christian commitment—and particularly, dedicated reflection on the revelation of Jesus Christ—can offer great resources for intellectual reflection in a wide range of disciplines—history, hermeneutics, science, etc.—invigorating Christian scholarship and hopefully providing a way around impasses created by secular thinking. Noll admits up front that this is merely a sketchy introductory set of reflections, and that much more needs to be said on all the subjects he covers, and to be honest, most who have been trained in an atmosphere of "Christian worldview thinking" will find little that is new here. So I confess there were few exciting revelations in this book, but it was solid and helpful throughout, with the possible exception of the chapter on Biblical hermeneutics. There, he sympathetically surveys Peter Enns' Inspiration and Incarnation, and although I'm quite ready to give Enns a sympathetic hearing, and I think he raises some important issues, Noll's summary of the book, at least, didn't leave me with the impression that his answers are particularly cogent or useful.

The concluding chapter, and the postcript ("How Fares the Evangelical Mind") were especially valuable, providing an optimistic picture of the future possibilities of evangelical scholarship.

[Catherine Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Noll's book on the heels of reading John Piper's "Think." Although the books are similar, there are a few differences in focus. While it seemed Piper’s book was addressed to Christians broadly, exhorting believers not to disdain scholarship, Noll’s book is more narrowly written to Christians who are already engaged in intellectual pursuits, exhorting them to keep their faith central to their scholarship, and describing how to do so in a pluralistic culture.

Having established that framework, Noll’s book provides a valuable outline for the ways that various disciplines could be approached by Christian scholars, areas of inquiry that Christians are particularly well-equipped to study, and exhortation for Christians to lead in intellectual work. I found Noll’s goals for Christian scholarship helpful and insightful. Also helpful was the list of additional resources and books on related topics.

Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind is an interesting and thought-provoking book and I’d recommend it if you are interested in scholarship, or are currently a student. If you have time to read both Noll’s book and Piper’s, I think they dovetail nicely together.

{Read my complete review on A Spirited Mind}

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noll's Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind is full of his finely written prose and thoughtful reflection on Christian faith and the intellectual life (though narrowly defined in academic terms), including a short chapter on the current state of the evangelical mind. The early chapters did not overwhelm with their ideas and arguments though, in part because they felt like way more convincing than I really needed (I believe in the need for evangelicals to engage the life of the mind and the centrality of Jesus to that thinking). He brings to bear Scripture and the creeds to form an intellectual foundation and provides three chapters about history, science and Biblical studies as case studies. Those chapters felt a bit disembodied to me, not certain how the history chapter helps me substantially in pursuing my discipline, in actually researching, writing, and teaching history. So I liked this book, its premise and its general argument, but at times it gave me more than I wanted and at others less.