George Marsden
Encyclopedia
George M. Marsden is an historian
who has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity
and American culture
, particularly on Christianity in American higher education
and on American Evangelicalism
. He is best known for his award-winning biography of the New England
clergyman and theological writer Jonathan Edwards, the premier theologian of Colonial America.
, Westminster Theological Seminary
, and Yale University
, finishing with a Ph.D. in American history under Professor Sydney Ahlstrom. He taught at Calvin College
(1965–1986), Duke Divinity School
(1986–1992), and as Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at The University of Notre Dame (1992–2008).
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and American culture
Culture of the United States
The Culture of the United States is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore...
, particularly on Christianity in American higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
and on American Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
. He is best known for his award-winning biography of the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
clergyman and theological writer Jonathan Edwards, the premier theologian of Colonial America.
Biography
He attended Haverford CollegeHaverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
, Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with a satellite location in London.-History:...
, and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, finishing with a Ph.D. in American history under Professor Sydney Ahlstrom. He taught at Calvin College
Calvin College
Calvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
(1965–1986), Duke Divinity School
Duke Divinity School
The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina is one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 full time and 18 part time faculty and over 500 full time students. The current dean of The Divinity School is Richard B. Hays, who replaced...
(1986–1992), and as Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at The University of Notre Dame (1992–2008).
Awards
- 2004 Bancroft PrizeBancroft PrizeThe Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948 by a bequest from Frederic Bancroft...
for - 2004 Merle Curti AwardMerle Curti AwardThe Merle Curti Award is awarded annually by the Organization of American Historians for the best book in American social and/or American intellectual history. A committee of 5 members of the Organization of American Historians chooses the winners from published monographs submitted by the author...
- 2005 Louisville Grawemeyer AwardGrawemeyer AwardThe Grawemeyer Awards are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky, United States. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology...
in Religion
Selected works
(A collection of previously published essays.)- A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008) (ISBN 9780802802200). (A concise biography, based on but not merely an abridgment of the author's 2003 prize-winning biography of the theologian.)