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Donald G. Bloesch

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The Reverend
Donald G. Bloesch
Born
Donald George Bloesch

(1928-05-03)May 3, 1928
Bremen, Indiana, US
DiedAugust 24, 2010(2010-08-24) (aged 82)
Dubuque, Iowa, US
Spouse
Brenda Jackson
​
(m. 1962)​
Ecclesiastical career
Church
Ordained1953[1]
Academic background
Education
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
ThesisReinhold Niebuhr's Re-Evaluation of the Apologetic Task (1956)
Influences
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
Sub-disciplineSystematic theology
School or tradition
InstitutionsUniversity of Dubuque
Notable worksChristian Foundations (1992–2006)
InfluencedRoger E. Olson[4][7]

Donald George Bloesch (May 3, 1928 – August 24, 2010) was an American evangelical theologian. For more than 40 years, he published scholarly yet accessible works that generally defend traditional Protestant beliefs and practices while seeking to remain in the mainstream of modern Protestant theological thought. His seven-volume Christian Foundations series has brought him recognition as an important American theologian.[8]

His own denomination, in which he was an ordained minister, was the United Church of Christ (UCC). He was raised in the Evangelical and Reformed Church, now merged with the UCC, in which his father and both his grandfathers were also ordained ministers. The "E and R" was a representative of evangelical pietism, a movement that emphasized personal piety, a discerning, educated laity, a reliance on scripture, and an acceptance of the mystical side of Christianity.

Life

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Born on May 3, 1928, in Bremen, Indiana, Bloesch received his undergraduate degree from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity (BD) at Chicago Theological Seminary in 1953, and his PhD at the University of Chicago in 1956. He did postdoctoral work in Europe at Oxford, Basel, and Tübingen. He served as president of the Midwest Division of the American Theological Society.

From 1957 until his retirement in 1992, Bloesch was a professor of theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, where he continued as a professor emeritus.[9] The seminary's library serves as the repository of his papers.

In 1997, a Festschrift was published in his honor called From East to West: Essays in Honor of Donald G. Bloesch. He died on August 24, 2010.

Views

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Bloesch's pietistic background and personal spiritual life lay at the heart of understanding his theology and how Christianity is to continue into the future.[citation needed] In his view, much of American Protestantism has entrenched itself into narrow intellectually based definitions of doctrine which omit, exclude and even prohibit the mystical element as the governing element of the faith (i.e., the action of the Holy Spirit).[improper synthesis?] Much of his critique is in fact directed at his own denomination, the United Church of Christ; he worked with a conservative lobbying group, the Biblical Witness Fellowship, to protest against its more liberal theological and ethical streams.[citation needed]

He characterized himself a "progressive evangelical" or "ecumenical orthodox" criticizing the excesses of both the theological left and right. He often decried the abandonment of traditional values among liberals, but also the ugly, reactionary habits of some conservatives.[citation needed]

Published works

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  • Systematic Theology:
  1. Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Volume 1: God, Authority and Salvation, 1978 ISBN 0-06-060798-X
  2. Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Volume 2: Life, Ministry, & Hope, 1984 ISBN 0-06-060799-8
  • Christian Foundations series:
  1. A Theology of Word & Spirit: Authority & Method in Theology, 1992 ISBN 0-8308-1411-6
  2. God the Almighty: Power, Wisdom, Holiness, Love, 1995 ISBN 0-8308-1413-2
  3. Jesus Christ: Savior & Lord, 1997 ISBN 0-8308-1414-0
  4. The Holy Spirit: Works & Gifts, 2000 ISBN 0-8308-1415-9
  5. The Church: Sacraments, Worship, Ministry, Mission, 2002 ISBN 0-8308-1416-7
  6. The Last Things: Resurrection, Judgment, Glory, 2004 ISBN 0-8308-1417-5
  7. Holy Scripture: Revelation, Inspiration & Interpretation 2006 ISBN 0-8308-1412-4 (cloth), ISBN 0-8308-2752-8 (pbk)
  • Theological Notebooks:
  1. Theological Notebook: 1960–1964: Spiritual Journals of Donald G. Bloesch, 1989 ISBN 0-939443-12-0
  2. Theological Notebook: 1964–1968: Spiritual Journals of Donald G. Bloesch 1991 ISBN 0-939443-13-9
  3. Theological Notebook: Volume 3: 1969–1983: The Spiritual Journals of Donald G. Bloesch, 2005 ISBN 1-59752-311-9

Articles and chapters

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Festschriften

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  • Daniel J. Adams, editor, From East to West: Essays in Honor of Donald G. Bloesch, 1997 ISBN 0-7618-0801-9

References

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  1. ^ Emerick, Christopher C. (2011). "Bloesch, Donald G. (b. 1928)". In Kurian, George Thomas (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization. Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc0165. ISBN 978-0-470-67060-6.
  2. ^ Coward, David R. (1982). Faith, Reason and Scripture in the Theology of Donald G. Bloesch (MA thesis). Bowling Green, Kentucky: Western Kentucky University. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  3. ^ Olson, Roger E. (2005). The SCM Press A–Z of Evangelical Theology. London: SCM Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-334-04011-8.
  4. ^ a b Olson, Roger E. (May 10, 2019). "A Great Evangelical Theologian to Read: Donald G. Bloesch". Roger E. Olson: My Evangelical Arminian Theologian Musings. Patheos. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Bloesch, Donald G. (1991). "Law and Gospel in Reformed Perspective". Grace Theological Journal. 12 (2): 179. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Johnson, Thomas K. (2013). "Dialogue with Kierkegaard in Protestant Theology: Donald Bloesch, Francis Schaeffer, and Helmut Thielicke" (PDF). Martin Bucer Seminary. p. 3. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  7. ^ McWilliams, Warren (2018). "Review of The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity and Diversity (2nd ed.), by Roger E. Olson" (PDF). Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry. 15 (1): 138. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Husbands, Mark (2003). "Bloesch, Donald". In Larsen, Timothy (ed.). Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals. Leicester (UK); Downers Grove, Ill.: Inter-Varsity Press. p. 58. ISBN 9780830829255. This project has secured for him a reputation as one of the pre-eminent North American evangelical theologians of his generation.
  9. ^ "University of Dubuque Theological Seminary | 800-369-UDTS". 2006-12-30. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2019-10-01.

Sources

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