Since the publication of Mark Noll’s The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1994) and George Marsden’s The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship (1997), Christian educators have worked to challenge anti-intellectualism within American evangelicalism and to demonstrate how religious and theological commitments can deepen our understanding of the world. Yet questions remain about the lasting impact of these efforts: How much progress has been made? To what extent does anti-intellectualism still hinder evangelical thought? And what new challenges and opportunities face faith-informed scholars today? From the Outrageous to the Scandalous explores these questions through a rich and wide-ranging collection of essays. Featuring reflections from Noll, Marsden, and other leading scholars, as well as fresh insights from newer voices, the volume affirms the continuing importance of rigorous scholarship rooted in faith. Together, these contributions highlight the enduring relevance and transformative potential of thoughtful, faith-informed engagement with the world of ideas.

Endorsements

“This book will become the volume that Christian communication scholars pull from their shelves to anchor, reset, and inspire their writing and research for decades to come. Drawing upon the finest thought from legacy thinkers and smartly written by fresh faces and senior scholars alike, readers will find new insight into what it means to apply the mind of Christ to a polarized society in need of peace.”

—L. Ripley Smith, Professor of Media Communication, Department Chair, Bethel University

“This beautiful collection of essays is a response to evangelical anti-intellectualism echoed in the Academy. The writers encourage those committed to reshaping the narrative by offering practical, thoughtful ways to engage in Christian scholarship. The voices of prominent Christian intellectuals within these pages are inspiring and convicting, showing us how faith-integrated work can challenge, renew, and even transform the people and institutions that resist it.”

 —Diane M. Badzinski, Chair and Professor of Communication, Colorado Christian University

“Creative guru Michael Michalko suggests when facing a problem, we should create a Board of Directors whose writings help us think through an issue and overcome challenges. The question raised in this exceptional edited volume is how can our modern universities be saved from a deterioration marked by close mindedness to and demonization of alternative views? Building off the seminal work of Mark Noll and George Marsden, the editors have assembled a Board of Directors consisting of leading scholars who don’t merely critique the Academy but offer unique and hopeful solutions. It is an invaluable resource for anyone concerned about the future of higher education.”

—Tim Muehlhoff, PhD, Senior Director of Biola University Winsome Conviction Project; author, End the Stalemate: Move Past Cancel Culture to Meaningful Conversations 

“In a time of growing distrust, confusion, and brokenness both within the Church and in the wider world, From the Outrageous to the Scandalous invites believers to recover the Christian voice, conscience, and imagination. These essays encourage us to read and reflect, and then to take up once more the joyful work of pointing others—through our words and our lives—to the hope and power of the Cross.”

—Paul M. Gould, Professor of Philosophy of Religion, Director of the Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion, Palm Beach Atlantic University

“What a delightful and provocative conversation among friends and colleagues unfolds in the pages of this book about Christian faith and scholarship—most importantly showing how faithful scholarship is not an isolated or specialized pursuit, but a practice of community life and friendship. The discussion displayed here returns again and again to basic challenges of human meaning and communication addressed by the love of God and neighbor to which the law and the prophets call us—especially as amplified in the teachings of Jesus. On the one hand, this discussion illuminates developments and discoveries in communication research and technology with the light of Christian teaching and thinking; on the other hand it displays a paradigm for pursuing Christian scholarship across the academic disciplines—with a joyful curiosity about the creative and sustaining goodness of the Word of God as it is revealed throughout the cosmos. The spirited and deeply informed discernment that emerges amidst a free and lively exchange of perspectives is of a righteous and reconciling Word on the loose amidst the sorrows and catastrophes of the world, as well as the failures and faithlessness of the church, renewing the good creation and restoring broken relationships.”

—Gerald J. Mast, PhD, Professor of Communication, Bluffton University

“This book springs from the question of Christian scholarship’s place in the academy and sings with the complex and lovely harmonic participation of a multiplicity of voices in dialogue. Broadly contextualized and brimming with interaction, the essays provide a veritable feast of ideas.  The bounty begins with rich contributions from Mark A. Noll, George Marsden, Richard Mouw, Paul Soukup, Quentin Schultze, Calvin Troup, and Clifford G. Christians, to name just a few.  It continues with additional entries that take the form of prayer, poetry, story, and lively discussion. This weighty volume engages the reader on multiple levels, encouraging religious scholars to apprehend faithful scholarly attendance to our Christian heritage, while respecting the gifts and challenges of the great intellectual tradition.”

—Stephanie Bennett, PhD, Professor of Communication and Media Ecology, Palm Beach Atlantic University