The passing of Dr. Mark G. Toulouse on March 2, 2025, is a significant loss for the study of Disciples history and thought. A historian, theologian, and educator, Toulouse was a leading scholar of religion in public life. His work bridged the academy and the church. His scholarship on Disciples history and thought continues to inform contemporary theological discourse about our identity.
Toulouse earned his PhD in the History of Christianity from the University of Chicago in 1984, studying under Martin E. Marty, who also passed away this week. He taught at Illinois Benedictine College, Phillips Theological Seminary, and Brite Divinity School, where he also served for a time as Dean and Executive Vice-President. From 2008 to 2017, he was Principal and Professor at Emmanuel College in the University of Toronto, where he expanded academic programs, strengthened interfaith studies, and helped shape the institution’s role in theological education.
Toulouse authored or edited ten books, including God in Public: Four Ways American Christianity and Public Life Relate (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006) and The Altars Where We Worship: The Religious Significance of Popular Culture (Westminster John Knox Press, 2016). His research focused on the intersections of religion, culture, and politics, making significant contributions to both American religious history and the historical and theological self-understanding of Disciples.
As a historian of the Disciples of Christ, Toulouse played an important role in advancing scholarship on the movement. He wrote Joined in Discipleship: The Shaping of Contemporary Disciples Identity (Chalice Press, 1992, 1997) and edited an important volume of essays, Walter Scott: A Nineteenth-Century Evangelical (Chalice Press, 1999), among other articles and books on Disciples history and thought. He continued this work into his retirement, helping to re-establish the Journal of Discipliana as the home for the scholarly study of the Stone-Campbell movement, serving as General Editor from 2020 to 2022.
DCHS President Emeritus Rick Lowery, who collaborated with Mark to revive the journal, notes, “One of our church’s most important scholars in recent decades, Mark Toulouse helped us understand and critically appreciate ourselves as a family of churches with a distinctive life and witness in the world. He had the ability to speak and write clearly in ways that made sophisticated scholarship accessible to a wide public audience. He loved our church and believed in its potential. He helped us see who we are and imagine what we can be for the world. When DCHS decided to relaunch our scholarly periodical as a peer-reviewed digital journal, Mark was the logical choice to recruit as general editor. He helped us recruit a world-class review board and navigate the challenges of setting up a quality digital publication. I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of my dear friend and grateful for his enduring impact on the lives of so many.”
An ordained Disciples minister, Toulouse was deeply engaged in the life of the church, most recently serving as part of the Disciples-ELCA Bilateral Dialogue. He was widely regarded as a generous mentor, a thoughtful scholar, and a respected voice in theological education. His sudden passing is deeply felt by those who knew him, as well as by the many who benefited from his scholarship and leadership. His contributions to the study of Disciples history and thought will endure, a continuing gift to the academy and the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations may be made in Mark’s honor to the following organizations:
• University of Toronto, Emmanuel College, Mark G. Toulouse Fund for Global and Scholarly Engagement
• University of Toronto, Emmanuel College, Mark G. and Jeffica L. Toulouse Award in Interreligious Studies