Throughout his distinguished career, University of Chicago Prof. Emeritus and the Rev. Dr. Martin E. Marty was one of the country’s foremost theologians and religious historians—a renowned public intellectual who shaped conversations about religion’s role in contemporary culture.
Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the History of Modern Christianity, died Feb. 25 at age 97. A UChicago alum and faculty member of UChicago’s Divinity School for 35 years, Marty, PhD’56, is being remembered as a groundbreaking scholar and devoted teacher, whose academic discourse and mentorship influenced generations of scholars and students.
Marty’s interpretation of Protestantism and fundamentalism in the U.S. still frame the view of modern American religion. At the height of his influence, he was described by historian L. Benjamin Rolsky as “arguably the public intellectual of the 1980s.” Biographer Grant Wacker suggested Marty deserved a place alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham and Jonathan Edwards on the “Mount Rushmore of American religious history”; Time magazine once called him the “most influential interpreter of religion” in the United States.
“For 35 years, Martin Marty was a cornerstone of the Divinity School, shaping the study of religion and public life with his visionary scholarship and steadfast commitment to teaching,” said Prof. James T. Robinson, dean of the Divinity School. “His voice, always measured and profound, guided critical conversations on religion, and his work explored the intersections of faith, culture, and society. He left an indelible mark on the field of religious studies.”
Marty’s contributions extended far beyond academia. A practicing pastor, he marched for civil rights in Selma with Dr. King, served as a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council, and was a trusted advisor to public figures seeking his wisdom on matters of faith and society.
Influential scholar and mentor
Born Feb. 5, 1928, in West Point, Nebraska, Marty studied at Concordia Seminary and Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary before earning his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1956. His dissertation, “The Uses of Infidelity: Changing Images of Freethought Opposition to American Churches,” signaled the start of an academic career marked by rigorous inquiry and public engagement.
Marty was appointed the founding pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in the newly incorporated Elk Grove Village, a suburb of Chicago in 1958. In 1962, Life magazine named Marty one of “One Hundred of the Most Important Young Men and Women in the United States,” dubbing him part of the “Take-over Generation.” The magazine described him as “a penetrating, outspoken critic of suburban church life in America,” noting his role as associate editor of Christian Century and pastor of the fastest-growing Lutheran parish in the country.