Azusa Pacific University

Personal Response Essay

(Faith Integration)

Rachel Jackson
ENGL 402-01 Principles of Language
Professor Drewry
September 12, 2013

Mark A. Noll wrote a book entitled, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind,
ironically, to educate others about the undereducated minds of evangelicals living
in America today. Noll proves that there has been a decline in evangelical thinking
and includes persuasive information about why that needs to change. Although
evangelicals are still feeding the hungry, living simply, and banning the bomb,
they have failed notably in sustaining a serious intellectual life (Noll 3). The
scandal of the evangelical mind comes from the slow decrease in evangelical
thought throughout history, the objections from Christian scholars, and the
negative impact of fundamentalism.
Prior to the late-nineteenth century, evangelicals had dominated college life
(Noll 110). However, in 1865, universities began to transform into institutions of
innovation and expansion (Noll 110). Funding for this academic explosion
became less connected to churches, which caused a decline in Christian
characteristics that had marked higher education to this time (Noll 110). This new
class of wealthy Americans funded education to encourage more of the practical
science and managerial theory and less of the moralism coming from the old
colleges (Noll 112).

Interestingly enough,

Personal Response Essay (Faith Integration)

We start the term our by considering the intellectual life of evangelical Christians in the U.S. To this end,
please read pp. 3-12, 23, 29-35, 54-56 and 109-126 of Nolls book (on reserve in the Marshburn Library)
and write a 2 - 2.5 page (body) personal response paper. This contains a standard title page and format
(see term paper description below). The essays introductory paragraph (7-10 lines) should clearly
demonstrate that you read and understand Nolls ideas, two or three of which you single out for your
particular commentary. The introductory paragraph should end with a thesis statement (in bolded font, as
for all papers in this course) which is a one-sentence version of your conclusion about the topics of the
body paragraphs. Cite Noll at least once in the introductory paragraph. Two or three body paragraphs
(each 13-17 lines long) discuss your personal responses to three aspects of Nolls ideas, one of which
should be the material on page 31-32. End with a short conclusion (3-5 lines) and a Works Cited list in
MLA format. Total length 54-60 lines of text. This format should help you get used to the writing style
used for the papers for this course. This essay counts as one-third of your faith integration project grade
for the term.

MLA form for both in-text citations and Works Cited list of > 3 sources
Standard cover sheet (page 0) with title, section, date, audience: graduating
college seniors, and final version;
page headers with page number and no name;
14-point Times New Roman, one-and-a-half line spacing with no extra white lines or white areas;
Required: standard introduction with bolded thesis statement and list of major subtopics
MLA form for both in-text citations and Works Cited list of > 3 sources
Standard cover sheet (page 0) with title, section, date, audience: graduating
college seniors, and final version;
page headers with page number and no name;