By Joel Brown 

The passing of Martin E. Marty (1928–2025) this week marks a significant turning of the page in the study of American religious history, including the study of Disciples history. As one of the most influential interpreters of religion in modern American history, his scholarship, teaching, and public commentary shaped generations of historians, theologians, and religious leaders. Time magazine once recognized him as the most influential religious observer in the United States. Historian Grant Wacker even placed him alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and Jonathan Edwards on the “Mount Rushmore of American religious history,” though this might be slightly exaggerated. Regardless, it points to his significant influence in shaping public perceptions of religion in the United States. 

Throughout his distinguished career (read more about it here), Marty exemplified what it means to be both a serious scholar and a public intellectual. As the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor (eventually Emeritus) at the University of Chicago Divinity School, he spent 35 years shaping the study of religion and supervising over 100 doctoral dissertations, including those by some of the finest historians of the Stone-Campbell movement of the last generation. His scholarship on Protestantism and fundamentalism continues to frame discussions of modern American religion.

Marty’s influence extended beyond the academy. A practicing pastor, he advocated for civil rights, marched with Dr. King in Selma, and served as a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council. He wrote and edited over 60 books, including Righteous Empire: The Protestant Experience in America, which won the National Book Award. He also co-directed the massive Fundamentalism Project, which remains a milestone in religious studies.

Although Marty was not a Disciple—he was Lutheran—his impact on the study of Disciples history was significant. He trained generations of Disciples scholars and pastors, and his approach to public history resonates deeply with our work at the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. His commitment to making scholarship on religion relevant to both the academy and the church is a model for the work we seek to do.

My own connection with Marty was both personal and professional. While he was not my Doktorvater—the German term for dissertation advisor—or even one of my teachers, having retired well before I matriculated as a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, his influence on me as a scholar of religion and as a scholar who practices religion was significant. One of the first books I read on American religious history was my father’s copy of Pilgrims in Their Own Land. I was also profoundly shaped by the work of the center he founded at Chicago, which now bears his name—the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion. 

I had the privilege of working closely with Marty when I became the managing editor for Sightings, the Center’s digital publication that offers commentary on religion in public life. Marty established Sightings and wrote for it weekly, and it was during my editorship that Marty retired from public writing about religion. Even into his 90s, Marty continued to write sharp, reflective, and relevant “sightings” of religion, and working with him on those final pieces was something I’ll cherish forever.

Beyond his intellectual contributions, Marty was a person of great kindness, humor, and generosity. I still remember the first time I met him, when he asked me the question he posed to so many graduate students over the years when he met them: “Tell me three interesting things about yourself.” Though I don’t recall my exact response, I remember the way he listened—with genuine curiosity and encouragement.

We need more Martin Martys in the world. More scholars who bridge the church and the academy, who translate complex religious ideas for broader audiences, who teach and mentor with both brilliance and humility. Marty was a giant in the field of American religion, but he was also a profoundly kind human being, a deeply caring teacher, and a bridge-builder worthy of emulation.