In our Second Episode, Pastor John and I sit down to tackle the subject of Evangelicals and the Life of the Mind.  Using Mark Noll’s book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, as a jumping-off point, we do a deeper dive into the history of evangelicalism in America, describing the emergence of fundamentalism (and dispensationalism) and the growing strain of anti-intellectualism that so often marks evangelicalism in contemporary American life.  We discuss how evangelicals’ loss of power and influence in culture repeatedly leads to over-reaction, rejection of culture (rather than a deeper witness and engagement with ideas and issues in culture), and finally, legislation.  A very real historical cycle of revival, dissolution/corruption, and reaction can be seen repeating through this history from the Puritans through the 19th century up to the present day.  As we trace these patterns, we encounter such touchstone moments as the Salem Witch Trials, both Great Awakenings, the birth of Fundamentalism, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and the rise of the Moral Majority.  Finally, *gasps for air* we attempt to encourage a way forward for Christians seeking to have a genuine, long-term witness to Christ in our culture, Christians who want to engage the life of their minds, who want to be able stay engaged in the important debates of their time for the sake of the world and the glory of God.  Find a starting reading list below: