Mark David Hall
Encyclopedia
Mark David Hall is Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox University
, and the author of a number of books on religion and politics in American life. The majority of his research has been in religion in the American founding era
. He is also the current President of Christians in Political Science.
(IL) and in 1993 received his PhD in government from University of Virginia
. Prior to his 2001 hiring at George Fox University, he taught from 1993-2001 at East Central University
, first as an Assistant and then an Associate Professor. He has served as Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox since 2005. His primary teaching fields are political theory, constitutional law, and religion and politics in America.
He has also authored a book on James Wilson
's political philosophy, as well as co-edited a major scholarly compilation of Wilson’s work, The Collected Works of James Wilson. In the same vein, he is the author of a book manuscript entitled The Old Puritan and a New Nation: Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic.
The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life. Edited with Daniel L. Dreisbach and Jeffry H. Morrison. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2009.
Collected Works of James Wilson, 2 vols. Edited with Kermit L. Hall. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund Press, 2007.
The Political and Legal Philosophy of James Wilson, 1742-1798. Columbia: The University of Missouri Press, 1997.
“Beyond Self-Interest: The Political Theory and Practice of Evangelical Women in Antebellum America.” Journal of Church and State 44 (Summer 2002): 477-99.
“Jeffersonian Walls and Madisonian Lines: The Supreme Court’s Use of History in Religion Clause Cases.” Oregon Law Review 85 (2006), 563-614
George Fox University
George Fox University is a Christian university of the liberal arts and sciences, and professional studies located in Newberg, Oregon, United States. Founded as a school for Quakers in 1885, the private school has more than 3,400 students combined between its main campus in Newberg and its centers...
, and the author of a number of books on religion and politics in American life. The majority of his research has been in religion in the American founding era
Separation of church and state in the United States
The phrase "separation of church and state" , attributed to Thomas Jefferson and others, and since quoted by the Supreme Court of the United States, expresses an understanding of the intent and function of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States...
. He is also the current President of Christians in Political Science.
Vocational History
In 1988, Hall received a BA in Political Science from Wheaton CollegeWheaton College
Wheaton College may refer to:* Wheaton College , private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois* Wheaton College , private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts...
(IL) and in 1993 received his PhD in government from University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. Prior to his 2001 hiring at George Fox University, he taught from 1993-2001 at East Central University
East Central University
East Central University is a four year public university in Ada, Oklahoma, located in the south central region of the state. The university also has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, Ardmore, and Durant....
, first as an Assistant and then an Associate Professor. He has served as Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox since 2005. His primary teaching fields are political theory, constitutional law, and religion and politics in America.
Scholarship
Hall’s scholarly work is focused on issues of religion in the American founding era. In particular, his writing is often concerned with dispelling misconceptions that the Founders were deists who desired the strict separation of church and state. Instead, he argues that there are good reasons to believe many Founders were influenced by orthodox Christianity and that virtually none of them favored anything approximating a contemporary understanding of the separation of church and state. See, for instance, his 2010 lecture at the Heritage Foundation that was covered by C-Span. Hall demonstrates that these distortions are of more than scholarly interest, arguing that they have had a profound impact how the Supreme Court has interpreted the religion clauses of the First Amendment. As part of this project, Hall has co-edited with Daniel L. Dreisbach several books exploring the views of America’s “forgotten founders,” including The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life, The Founders on God and Government, and The Sacred Rights of Conscience: Selected Readings on Religious Liberty and Church State Relations in the American Founding.He has also authored a book on James Wilson
James Wilson
James Wilson was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution...
's political philosophy, as well as co-edited a major scholarly compilation of Wilson’s work, The Collected Works of James Wilson. In the same vein, he is the author of a book manuscript entitled The Old Puritan and a New Nation: Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic.
Notable Publications
The Sacred Rights of Conscience: Selected Readings on Religious Liberty and Church-State Relations in the American Founding. Edited with Daniel L. Dreisbach. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund Press, 2009.The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life. Edited with Daniel L. Dreisbach and Jeffry H. Morrison. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2009.
Collected Works of James Wilson, 2 vols. Edited with Kermit L. Hall. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund Press, 2007.
The Political and Legal Philosophy of James Wilson, 1742-1798. Columbia: The University of Missouri Press, 1997.
“Beyond Self-Interest: The Political Theory and Practice of Evangelical Women in Antebellum America.” Journal of Church and State 44 (Summer 2002): 477-99.
“Jeffersonian Walls and Madisonian Lines: The Supreme Court’s Use of History in Religion Clause Cases.” Oregon Law Review 85 (2006), 563-614
External links
- Hall’s Listing on the Christians in Political Science website
- Hall’s Faculty Page at George Fox University
- Link to "Jeffersonian Walls and Madisonian Lines," which surveys the Supreme Court's use of history in First Amendment jurisprudence
- Hall's Lecture at the Heritage Foundation on "Religious Liberty and the Founding of America"