Westminster's Special Session on the Christian Viewpoint of History Attracts Hundreds

“Dr. Noll is a first-rate scholar, and it was a real privilege for Westminster students and visitors to engage with him in person."

Some 200 students and faculty members from various higher education institutions gathered at the campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA., for a special lecture delivered by one of the nation's most prominent evangelicals, Monday, March 7, 2005.

Dr. Mark Noll, a professor from Wheaton College and one of America's top 25 "most influential evangelicals", began the Monday afternoon session with a presentation on "providence and the Christian historian" -- a discussion on whether there is a Christian way of viewing history.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion on Dr. Noll's book, "America's God".

Dr. Carl R. Trueman, the Westminster professor who had participated in the event, expressed his deep desire to provide further opportunities for everyone at Westminster community to hear such high-level discussions on pertinent issues.

“Jeff Jue [a Westminster professor] and myself, as Westminster's Church History department, are committed to the ideal of a learned ministry and a thoughtful educated laity. With this in mind, we feel we have a responsibility to bring the best scholars we can find to the Seminary to give our students and constituency a chance to hear Church History being discussed at the highest level,” said Dr. Carl Trueman.

“The visit of Professor Noll, along with Professor Eugene McCarraher and Dr Darryl Hart, was a great example of what we are trying to do: promote profound and constructive Christian scholarship that feeds intelligent discussion and debate on issues that matter," continued Trueman.

Mindy Withrow, the Associate Director for Communications, agreed that the sessions provided valuable insight for the participants.

"Dr. Noll's paper, and the responses by Dr. Trueman and the other participants, offered valuable insight into the discussion of whether there is a distinctly Christian way of doing history, and if so, how one might characterize it,” Withrow said to the Christian Post as she reflected on the overall event. “Dr. Noll is a first-rate scholar, and it was a real privilege for Westminster students and visitors to engage with him in person."

According to Withrow, participants came from all over the nation, although most came from colleges in the Philadelphia-area, such as UPenn, Temple University and Philadelphia Biblical University.

“We tried to leave the door open to invite people to come from schools and local churches,” said Withrow. "I know of at least one student who traveled all the way from our Texas campus to hear the lecture!"