Mark A. Noll

Mark A. Noll is a prolific author and historian, whose scholarly work over-shadows his poetry. He is celebrated, according to Time, as one of the most influential evangelicals in America. His 1994 book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans), an analysis of Evangelical anti-intellectualism, has been significant in shaping Evangelical institutions, according to Christianity Today. He taught for 27 years at Wheaton College, and now is on the faculty of Notre Dame.

His poetry collection Seasons of Grace was published by Baker in 1997. The following poem appears in A Widening Light, a poetry anthology compiled by Luci Shaw.

Christ's Crown

The leaves emerge—a growing
garland lying lightly on his head.
The dance of Spring, or resurrection,
quicks his feet; from all directions
caper those he'll call his own.
The sun shines warming down upon
the dancers and their pivot. Only those
up close can smell and see the thick
black-red the flowers nurse upon.

Entry written by D.S. Martin. His new poetry collection, Conspiracy of Light: Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis, is available from Wipf & Stock as is his earlier award-winning collection, Poiema.