At the end of his 1994 book, The Soul of the American University, George Marsden advanced a modest proposal for an enhanced role for religious faith in today's scholarship. This "unscientific postscript" helped spark a heated debate that spilled out of the pages of academic journals and The Chronicle of Higher Education into mainstream media such as The New York Times, and marked Marsden as one of the leading participants in the debates concerning religion and public life. Marsden now gives his proposal a fuller treatment in The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship, a thoughtful and thought-provoking book on the relationship of religious faith and intellectual scholarship. More than a response to Marsden's critics, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship takes the next step towards demonstrating what the ancient relationship of faith and learning might mean for the academy today. Marsden argues forcefully that mainstream American higher education needs to be more open to explicit expressions of faith and to accept what faith means in an intellectual context. While other defining elements of a scholar's identity, such as race or gender, are routinely taken into consideration and welcomed as providing new perspectives, Marsden points out, the perspective of the believing Christian is dismissed as irrelevant or, worse, antithetical to the scholarly enterprise. Marsden begins by examining why Christian perspectives are not welcome in the academy. He rebuts the various arguments commonly given for excluding religious viewpoints, such as the argument that faith is insufficiently empirical for scholarly pursuits (although the idea of complete scientific objectivity is consider naive in most fields today), the fear that traditional Christianity will reassert its historical role as oppressor of divergent views, and the received dogma of the separation of church and state, which stretches far beyond the actual law in the popular imagination. Marsden insists that scholars have both a religious and an intellectual obligation not to leave their deeply held religious beliefs at the gate of the academy. Such beliefs, he contends, can make a significant difference in scholarship, in campus life, and in countless other ways. Perhaps most importantly, Christian scholars have both the responsibility and the intellectual ammunition to argue against some of the prevailing ideologies held uncritically by many in the academy, such as naturalistic reductionism or unthinking moral relativism. Contemporary university culture is hollow at its core, Marsden writes. Not only does it lack a spiritual center, but it is without any real alternative. He argues that a religiously diverse culture will be an intellectually richer one, and it is time that scholars and institutions who take the intellectual dimensions of their faith seriously become active participants in the highest level of academic discourse. Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with this conclusion, Marsden's thoughtful, well-argued book is necessary reading for all sides of the debate on religion's role in education and culture.

About the Author
George M. Marsden is Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. He has written numerous books, including The Soul of the American University, Fundamentalism and American Culture, and Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.

Reviews
"A frank assertion that religious faith does indeed have a place in academia."--Kirkus Reviews "A lucid, thoughtful book even his toughest critics will find compelling."--Publishers Weekly "An exciting and thought-provoking work."--Commonweal "Marsden's arguments need to be read both off and on the campus."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Marsden's earlier book...established him as an astute student of today's academic culture. In The Outrageous Idea, Marsden expands his former inquiry into basic ideas about scholarship that create a climate that is pervasively hostile to religion....The book is not an instance of special pleading for Christians. The gravamen of Marsden's case is that the academy's hostility to religion undermines the very idea of the university as an institution dedicated to honest intellectual engagement. Academics both junior and senior should want to check out Marden's diagnosis and explore what they together might do about it, even at the risk of appearing outrageous."--First Things "Marsden presents his 'outrageous idea' with such calm, persuasive power and fundamental decency that it is hard to imagine any person of good will taking exception. He here reaffirms his status as one of our leading interpreters of religion and contemporary American culture."--Jean Bethke Elshtain, Professor of Social and Political Ethics, The University of Chicago, author of Augustine and the Limits of Politics." "A masterly explanation and defense of Christian learning in the contemporary world, displaying the learning it advocates."--Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Yale University "A frank assertion that religious faith does indeed have a place in academia."--Kirkus Reviews "In a lucid, thoughtful book even his toughest critics will find compelling, Marsden outlines specific ways that a scholarship informed by faith can, within the accepted rules of academic discourse, contribute new insights to the most sharply debated issues of the day, such as how to assert moral claims and affirm pluralism without lapsing into relativism."--Publishers Weekly "An exciting and thought-provoking work for anyone who cares about the future of the university and education today."--Commonweal "Marsden's arguments need to be read both off and on the campus."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram "For all those who take seriously the command to 'love the Lord your God...with all your mind,' Marsden's book is essential reading."--Christianity Today "Much is at stake in Mr. Marsden's program--not only the truth about the past, but a way of getting at issues often excluded in the present."--Robert Royal, The Washington Times "The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship is a heavenward glance. The scholarly community, secular and Christian alike, cannot but be the better for it."--Glenn Tinder, The Christian Century "This study combines the virtues of competence in historical analysis with personal commitment and experience....This is a book that should be pondered by all thoughtful Christians, and should be read by ministers and seminary professors, as well as Christians working in colleges and universities."--Theology Today "Marsden paints the canvas of Academia with the foundational tools of faith, purpose, and meaning. To be a scholar (a true scholar) one must be Christian."--Eric Pratt, Anderson College "Excellent text. Marsden surveys the academic landscape and summarizes it well. His characterization is apt."--Mark Discher, Ottawa University, Kansas "Marsden's work provides an excellent and accurate overview of the status of the modern academy with its operating, theoretical frameworks. He offers carefully poised responses and critiques from a Christian perspective."--The Master's Seminary Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780195122909
Author George M. Marsden
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 145g
Dimensions(mm) 136mm * 203mm * 9mm