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The Work We Have to Do: A History of Protestants in America
A readable, far-reaching history of a multi-denominational, multi-regional, and multi-ethnic religious group, Protestants in America explores the physical and ideological roots of the denomination up to the present day, and traces the origins of American Protestants all the way back to the first English colony at Jamestown. The book covers their involvement in critical issues from temperance to the civil rights movement, the establishment of Protestant organizations like the American Bible Society and the Salvation Army, and the significant expansion of their ethnic base since the first African-American Protestant churches were built in the 1770s. Mark Noll follows their direct impact on American history--from the American Revolution to World War I and beyond--and peppers his account with profiles of leading Protestants, from Jonathan Edwards and Phillis Wheatley to Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr.
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First published June 22, 2002
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About the author
Mark A. Noll
124 books214 followersMark A. Noll (born 1946), Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, is a progressive evangelical Christian scholar. In 2005, Noll was named by Time Magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America. Noll is a prolific author and many of his books have earned considerable acclaim within the academic community.
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
, a book about the anti-intellectual tendencies within the American evangelical movement, was featured in a cover story in the popular American literary and cultural magazine, Atlantic Monthly. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal in the Oval Office by President George W. Bush in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 3, 2023
I read this book yesterday; it is so well written, that you could probably read it in one sitting if you so desired. Mark Noll has written a really good, entry-level overview of American Protestantism's history. While I would dispute whether the likes of Anabaptists and other sects were ever actually Protestant, and, given that it is an overview, there are a few minor factual mistakes here and there, Professor Noll's skills as a judicious historian of religion are very much on display.
October 25, 2018
Been reading so much European church history I thought I would try some American.
This was an excellent short overview of Protestant history in America. This is my second Noll book. I love how unbiased he is in his writing. Will definitely read more form him in the future.
This was an excellent short overview of Protestant history in America. This is my second Noll book. I love how unbiased he is in his writing. Will definitely read more form him in the future.
November 4, 2013
If you need a quick review of Protestants in America which is well written this should satisfy the need. Noll touches on the highlights of Protestants in the U.S., along with the many paradoxes and contradictions present in the story. For example Protestants took the lead in the Civil Rights movement, but also lead the forces resisting integration. This a good introduction to the subject.
January 26, 2024
This book gives an overview over the history of Protestant Christianity in America. It gives the reader a quick glance of both liturgical and theological developments. It follows all the relevant denominations and does a good job of including all aspects of protestant Christendom with all its diversity.
However, the book is really short so a reader who is already familiar with the subject will gain little. Instead this book should be for those who are newcomers to the topic and want a quick and well written overview of the subject, with the caveat that it is very short and so it is by necessity rather shallow.
Noll's conclusion are largely in line with other writers on this issue, stressing that Protestantism has been on both sides on the most important conflicts in America, such as the civil war and conflict over civil rights. And also that Protestantism fractured nature has played a role in its ability to adjust to a large and diverse nation.
However, the book is really short so a reader who is already familiar with the subject will gain little. Instead this book should be for those who are newcomers to the topic and want a quick and well written overview of the subject, with the caveat that it is very short and so it is by necessity rather shallow.
Noll's conclusion are largely in line with other writers on this issue, stressing that Protestantism has been on both sides on the most important conflicts in America, such as the civil war and conflict over civil rights. And also that Protestantism fractured nature has played a role in its ability to adjust to a large and diverse nation.
April 4, 2025
I love Mark Noll and think he is one of the best writers on American Christianity. This book is a short overview of Protestantism in America. He covers a ton of ground with a surprising depth that always left me wanting more. I can see why this one never had mass appeal, as it is more academic than most popular-level works. It is probably in a weird middle ground of not being deep enough for those who want deeper study and being too hard to understand for an average layperson. Despite some of the flaws, I can't bring myself to not enjoy Noll's work. I am always happy to have read him.
June 29, 2015
We live stories.
When I worked as a chaplain intern, I discovered that I had a special connection with the drunks that came in and were strapped in gurneys to dry out. From their gurneys they would rage—often in Spanish—and many of the interns were intimidated. I talked with them; cried with them; and defended them in group. My affinity with these men was a mystery—I had never been drunk and strapped in a gurney. Much later, I realized that although I had never physically experienced gotten the gurney treatment, all my life my emotions had long been bounded and gagged—too dangerous to be expressed in the ever-present, polite company. My affinity with the plight of these men was metaphorical.
We live stories. Stories give life meaning. This is why history is so important. We find meaning in the stories that we tell and those that we cannot express.
Mark Noll starts The Work We Have to Do with the story of David Brainard. Brainard, a young man infected with tuberculosis, got into trouble:
“In 1742 he was expelled from Yale College when he claimed that one of his teachers did not have any more of God’s grace than a wooden chair” (ix).
Expelled from college for a private conversation, Brainard could not be ordained so he embarked on a career as a missionary to the Indians in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. A man of great passion, Brainard died at the age of 29. In the end, he was a friend of Jonathan Edwards and was at the time of his death engaged to marry Edwards’ daughter, Jeusha (ix-x). Edwards, of course, went on to inspire a revival known as the Great Awakening; it was Brainard who inspired Edwards. Brainard also inspired the founding of Princeton University and, in the nineteenth century, a generation of missionaries.
Noll’s title, “the work we have to do”, is taken from Edwards’ eulogy over David Brainard (14). Noll focuses on providing a short overview of the role of protestants in American history. He writes:
“Even if Protestant beliefs and practices have often worked at odds with each other, there can be no mistaking the importance of Protestant religion for the national history. Although a short book on a big subject can hit only high points it is able to suggest some of the depth, drama, dynamism, and diversity in this story.” (xi)
Noll writes in 7 chapters, preceded by a preface and followed by an appendix, chronology, reading list, and index. These chapters are:
Who are the Protestants?
Where do Protestants Come From?
Protestants in Colonial American, 1607-1789.
Protestants in Charge, 1790-1865.
Times of Trial and Renewal, 1866-1918.
Protestants in Modern America.
Noll was (1979-2006) professor of history at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, a school famous for its one-time student, Billy Graham. He is now the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at Notre Dame University [1].
One of the histories which I was not familiar with was the story of Methodist Francis Asbury. Noll writes:
“In 1771 Wesley asked for volunteers to go to America, and Asbury responded eagerly [at age 13]. Before he died, Asbury traveled nearly 3000,000 miles, mostly on horseback, into all the former thirteen colonies and the new states of Tennessee and Kentucky” .
Asbury himself wrote about his daily schedule as:
“My present mode of conduct is…to read about 100 pages a day; to preach in the open air every other day; and to lecture in prayer meeting every evening.”
Noll notes:
“When he arrived in America there were 4 Methodist ministers looking after about 300 laypeople. By the time of his death in 1816, there were 2,000 ministers and more than 200,000 members of Methodist congregations.”
How many pastors today can make a claim like that? (52-53)
Noll is in a clear position to opine about what it means to be protestant today. He writes:
“In some sense Protestantism in America began with Puritans battling with the English state church over questions of innovation, experimental spirituality, and adaptation of worship to the people.” (116)
Does that sound familiar? Noll sees the strengths of Protestantism as:
“[There are] twin, but often competing strengths of Protestantism. There strengths are a connection with the historic Christian faith and a drive to express that faith in an up-to-date, contemporary manner.” (116-117)
Do you feel the tension in this statement? Sounds like the theme for a new book![2]
Mark Noll’s The Work We Have to Do is a good summer read. Clearly, he is writing for an introductory college course in church history, but his accessible style makes it a book that just about anyone can enjoy.
[1] http://history.nd.edu/faculty/directo...
[2] Bothersome Gaps: Life in Tension (http://wp.me/p3Xeut-OT).
When I worked as a chaplain intern, I discovered that I had a special connection with the drunks that came in and were strapped in gurneys to dry out. From their gurneys they would rage—often in Spanish—and many of the interns were intimidated. I talked with them; cried with them; and defended them in group. My affinity with these men was a mystery—I had never been drunk and strapped in a gurney. Much later, I realized that although I had never physically experienced gotten the gurney treatment, all my life my emotions had long been bounded and gagged—too dangerous to be expressed in the ever-present, polite company. My affinity with the plight of these men was metaphorical.
We live stories. Stories give life meaning. This is why history is so important. We find meaning in the stories that we tell and those that we cannot express.
Mark Noll starts The Work We Have to Do with the story of David Brainard. Brainard, a young man infected with tuberculosis, got into trouble:
“In 1742 he was expelled from Yale College when he claimed that one of his teachers did not have any more of God’s grace than a wooden chair” (ix).
Expelled from college for a private conversation, Brainard could not be ordained so he embarked on a career as a missionary to the Indians in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. A man of great passion, Brainard died at the age of 29. In the end, he was a friend of Jonathan Edwards and was at the time of his death engaged to marry Edwards’ daughter, Jeusha (ix-x). Edwards, of course, went on to inspire a revival known as the Great Awakening; it was Brainard who inspired Edwards. Brainard also inspired the founding of Princeton University and, in the nineteenth century, a generation of missionaries.
Noll’s title, “the work we have to do”, is taken from Edwards’ eulogy over David Brainard (14). Noll focuses on providing a short overview of the role of protestants in American history. He writes:
“Even if Protestant beliefs and practices have often worked at odds with each other, there can be no mistaking the importance of Protestant religion for the national history. Although a short book on a big subject can hit only high points it is able to suggest some of the depth, drama, dynamism, and diversity in this story.” (xi)
Noll writes in 7 chapters, preceded by a preface and followed by an appendix, chronology, reading list, and index. These chapters are:
Who are the Protestants?
Where do Protestants Come From?
Protestants in Colonial American, 1607-1789.
Protestants in Charge, 1790-1865.
Times of Trial and Renewal, 1866-1918.
Protestants in Modern America.
Noll was (1979-2006) professor of history at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, a school famous for its one-time student, Billy Graham. He is now the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at Notre Dame University [1].
One of the histories which I was not familiar with was the story of Methodist Francis Asbury. Noll writes:
“In 1771 Wesley asked for volunteers to go to America, and Asbury responded eagerly [at age 13]. Before he died, Asbury traveled nearly 3000,000 miles, mostly on horseback, into all the former thirteen colonies and the new states of Tennessee and Kentucky” .
Asbury himself wrote about his daily schedule as:
“My present mode of conduct is…to read about 100 pages a day; to preach in the open air every other day; and to lecture in prayer meeting every evening.”
Noll notes:
“When he arrived in America there were 4 Methodist ministers looking after about 300 laypeople. By the time of his death in 1816, there were 2,000 ministers and more than 200,000 members of Methodist congregations.”
How many pastors today can make a claim like that? (52-53)
Noll is in a clear position to opine about what it means to be protestant today. He writes:
“In some sense Protestantism in America began with Puritans battling with the English state church over questions of innovation, experimental spirituality, and adaptation of worship to the people.” (116)
Does that sound familiar? Noll sees the strengths of Protestantism as:
“[There are] twin, but often competing strengths of Protestantism. There strengths are a connection with the historic Christian faith and a drive to express that faith in an up-to-date, contemporary manner.” (116-117)
Do you feel the tension in this statement? Sounds like the theme for a new book![2]
Mark Noll’s The Work We Have to Do is a good summer read. Clearly, he is writing for an introductory college course in church history, but his accessible style makes it a book that just about anyone can enjoy.
[1] http://history.nd.edu/faculty/directo...
[2] Bothersome Gaps: Life in Tension (http://wp.me/p3Xeut-OT).
January 30, 2015
Short and concise, but very confusing chronologically. For beginners like me, this book is a good introduction to concepts. However, how events and personalities relate are beyond the scope of this book.
February 26, 2015
One of Noll's shorter books, but by no means simplistic. A great starting introduction to the history of Protestants in America.
October 11, 2016
A coherent and insightful story of Christianity in the United States from the nation's inception until now.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews