Marcus Bach was born in Sauk City, Wisconsin, on December 15, 1901, during the Third Great Awakening. His boyhood experiences with religious revivals and demonminational rivalries influenced Bach's dedication to study religious sects throughout the world and promote respect and unity between people of different faiths.

Bach studied music at the University of Wisconsin from 1920-1922, and then attended Mission House College and Seminary in Plymouth, Wisconsin, from 1924-1925, where he was ordained. After a pastorate at Fairfield Evangelical Church in Kansas City, Missouri, Bach returned to school to pursue playwriting in 1936 at The University of Iowa. He wrote religious plays as his thesis and dissertation to recieve his M.A. (1937) and his Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Arts (1942).

Bach taught multiple courses at The University of Iowa about lesser known religious sects. He resigned in 1961 to pursue writing full-time. Bach published more than 40 books and numerous articles, including Major Religions of the World, Had You Been Born in Another Fairth, and The World of Serendipity.

On August 19, 1932, Bach married Lorena Otto Ernst, an award-winning photographer. Her works illustrated most of Bach's books and writings. Bach died on March 26, 1995, at the age of 93.

Citation: Biography. Marcus Bach Collection. Brigham Young University Library. Retrieved on January 26, 2024.