March / April 2009
Book End, Fitly Spoken Words
Fitly Spoken Words
The life of Joseph Sittler (1904-1987) — pastor, theologian, and author — was dedicated to the high-energy pursuit of explaining the Gospel in light of contemporary culture, especially as it related to religion, ecology, and the arts. First a parish pastor in Cleveland, Ohio, he then began a long career teaching seminarians at the Lutheran seminary in Maywood, the University of Chicago’s Divinity School, and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. With a deep love for both the Gospel’s Word and language, he taught and wrote clearly and imaginatively. “Those of us associated with Joseph Sittler during these past 50 years considered him a spokesman,” said Conrad Bergendoff (1895-1997). “And with what splendor he spoke — of a Lutheranism that will face today’s philosophy, today’s morals, today’s destiny, and will seem relevant to an age of unbelief and reckless license” (
The Lutheran, Jan. 28, 1988, pp. 23). Visit the Joseph Sittler archives for text, sound, and video files at
www.josephsittler.org, a cooperative venture of the ELCA and LSTC. (ELCA Archives, 1979 photo)
This article appeared in the March / April 2009 issue of Lutheran Partners (vol. 25, no. 2)