Richard Pierard

Richard Victor Pierard (May 29, 1934 – February 24, 2025) was an American historian and professor at Indiana State University whose work addressed evangelicalism, civil religion, Baptist history, and Christianity in public life.

Early life and education

Richard Victor Pierard was born on May 29, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Richland, Washington. His parents were Jack P. and Diana F. Pierard. After serving in the United States Army from 1954–1956, he completed his undergraduate degree in history at California State University–Los Angeles (CSULA) in 1958 and obtained an MA in history at CSULA a year later. He earned a PhD in modern European history from the University of Iowa in 1964. At Iowa, he met fellow evangelical graduate students Robert D. Linder and Robert G. Clouse. The three collaborated on several books during the 1960s and 1970s.

Academic career

In 1964, Pierard began teaching modern European history at Indiana State University. He remained at Indiana State until his retirement in 2000. Afterward, he became a scholar in residence and the Stephen Phillips Professor of History at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, until his second retirement in 2006.

Pierard was a founding member of the Conference on Faith and History and served as its secretary-treasurer from 1967 to 2004.

He also served as a Democratic Party precinct committeeman, a board member of Evangelicals for Social Action, and an advisory committee member for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

In The American Church Experience: A Concise History, written with Thomas A. Askew, Pierard examined the history of evangelicalism in the United States, including its development and its involvement in social and political issues. Ronald Flowers praised the book for its clarity, balance, and thorough treatment of American Christianity, and David Torbett highlighted its accessibility for clergy, scholars, and general readers. Henry Warner Bowden questioned its broad definition of evangelicalism but also described it as "competent, workmanlike, fair, and well balanced."

Later work and Baptist involvement

From the 1980s onward, Pierard increasingly published on global Christianity and Baptist history. An American Baptist layperson, he served on the Baptist World Alliance Baptist Heritage and Identity Commission, which sought to document Baptist history worldwide.

Personal life

Pierard was married in 1957 to Charlene Burdett, a librarian, and had two children. He lived for many years in Hendersonville, North Carolina after his retirement from teaching.

Select bibliography

Protest and Politics: Christianity and Contemporary Affairs. Attic Press, 1968. (with Robert G. Clouse and Robert D. Linder).

The Unequal Yoke: Evangelical Christianity and Political Conservatism. Lippincott, 1970.

The Cross & the Flag. Creation House, 1972. (with Robert G. Clouse and Robert D. Linder).

Politics: A Case for Christian Action. InterVarsity Press, 1973. (with Robert D. Linder).

Twilight of the Saints: Biblical Christianity & Civil Religion in America. InterVarsity Press, 1978. (with Robert D. Linder).

Civil Religion & the Presidency. Academie Books, 1988. (with Robert D. Linder).

Two Kingdoms: The Church and Culture through the Ages. Moody Press, 1993. (with Robert G. Clouse and Edwin M. Yamauchi).

The New Millennium Manual: A Once and Future Guide. Baker Books, 1999. (with Robert G. Clouse).

Baptists Together in Christ 1905-2005: A Hundred-Year History of the Baptist World Alliance. Samford University Press, 2005.

The American Church Experience: A Concise History. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008. (with Thomas A. Askew).