The State of the Evangelical Mind: Reflections on the Past, Prospects for the Future - Hardcover

Todd C. Ream (PhD, Penn State) is professor of higher education at Taylor University and a senior fellow with the Lumen Research Institute.

Jerry Pattengale (PhD, Miami University) holds special appointments at Indiana Wesleyan University, the Museum of the Bible, Excelsia College, the Sagamore Institute, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Tyndale House, Cambridge.

Christopher J. Devers (PhD, University of Illinois) is assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Education, as well as senior fellow with the Lumen Research Institute. He previously served as associate professor of education and director of research for the Center for Learning and Innovation at Indiana Wesleyan University.

"Faith is not a deterrent to scholarship. Rather, it is the very motivation for discovering the richness of creation. It compels us to engage with issues spanning the intellectual and ideological spectrum, ultimately bringing our discoveries to bear in tackling the most complex problems of today. From Mark Noll's influential The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind in 1994 to the thoughtful essays included in The State of the Evangelical Mind, we are reminded―and indeed challenged―to continue cultivating leaders who devote their training and God-given talents to generating solutions and shaping ideas at the highest levels of the academy and society―from the sciences to the humanities, politics to education, business to the arts." (Linda A. Livingstone, president of Baylor University)

"Ever since the publication of Mark Noll's seminal The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, which appeared with much fanfare in 1994, evangelical scholars in churches, seminaries, colleges and universities, and parachurch organizations have struggled to assess the gains and losses of evangelical thought over the past generation. As these essays make clear, progress has been uneven. On one hand, the level of scholarship by evangelicals and evangelical institutions has evolved to a high level of sophistication that is recognized by insiders and outsiders alike. On the other, even as evangelical scholarship has grown, the association of evangelicalism with the more tawdry elements of the 'religious right' has delegitimized the movement among serious intellectuals both within and without the evangelical community. Both the gains and the losses appear in the judiciously rendered thought pieces in The State of the Evangelical Mind. The essays are uniformly astute, well written, and, in short, ruthlessly truthful. The result is a stunning achievement. In unflinchingly facing the shortcomings and hypocrisies of contemporary evangelicalism as well as its notable strengths, the volume points a way forward from the scandal of the evangelical mind to its honor." (Harry Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University)

"What is the 'evangelical mind' in contemporary America? What might this mean for the future of evangelicalism, for the academy, and for society? This timely book by a distinguished set of authors provides unique insight into these urgent questions. In the present historical moment, this thoughtful collection of essays provides a nuanced and comprehensive perspective on current debates and marks a way forward. The need for this book is clear." (Mary Johnstone-Louis, senior research fellow, Saїd Business School, University of Oxford)

"How do we understand the state of the evangelical mind when some 80 percent voted red in the 2016 US presidential election? This little book may serve as a catalyst for a generation of those either despairing of or hopeful about making a difference―not just politically but especially theologically and intellectually―just as Mark Noll's Scandal prompted those half a generation ago to rise up and be counted." (Amos Yong, professor of theology and Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary)

"If the richness and maturity of a tradition can be judged by the quality of debate and the healthy self-criticism that it generates, then the evangelical intellectual tradition shows itself to be alive and crackling in this stimulating and thought-provoking book. But that is not all. The book also suggests some of the ways that evangelicalism's intellectual distinctives could help to renew the life of the church, and perhaps even that of our contentious and directionless secular culture. The goal should be nothing less. Evangelicals believe that the renewal of the mind must work toward transformation of the heart and amendment of life; they believe that growth in knowledge should subserve the enlightenment of all; and that the 'deep democratization of knowledge' of which James K. A. Smith speaks in his essay is part of 'the revolution that takes place in Jesus Christ.' May this book further that renewal, that growth, and that revolution." (Wilfred M. McClay, G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty, University of Oklahoma)

"The State of the Evangelical Mind has the right people talking about the right subject at the right time. Loving the Lord with all our mind is crucial to engage the rising generation in our churches and to reach the next generation in our culture. This is a book that will rock your thinking in ways that strengthen your leading." (Tom Holladay, senior teaching pastor, Saddleback Church)

"If you've read Mark Noll's book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind written over twenty years ago, you will want to read The State of the Evangelical Mind with its new take on evangelicalism because of our current context. What hasn't changed is for Christians to have their minds and hearts shaped profoundly by the Holy Spirit as they answer God's call to be scholars, teachers, and guides to the next generation." (Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities)