by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The Rev. James H. Burtness, 77, died April 10 of injuries
sustained from a serious fall in January. A pastor of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Burtness was a
noted scholar on the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a
German Lutheran pastor and theologian who was part of an
attempted assassination plot on Adolph Hitler and executed during
World War II. During a sabbatical in 1966 Burtness spent time in
Berlin meeting Bonhoeffer's former students. Burtness served for
many years as an officer in the English language section of the
International Bonhoeffer Society. He wrote three books in the
field of Christian ethics: "Shaping the Future: The Ethics of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer," "Whatever You Do" and "The New Community in
Christ."
Burtness became an instructor in New Testament Greek and
systematic theology at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., in 1955.
Luther is one of eight seminaries of the ELCA. In 1960 Burtness
became an assistant professor and was named full professor in
1972. He retired from full time teaching at Luther in 1998. He
was a visiting professor of New Testament at Gurukul Theological
College (now Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research
Institute), Madras (Chennai), India, from 1963 to 1964; ATS
Fellow at The Free University of Berlin from 1966 to 1967; and
Lutheran tutor at Mansfield College, Oxford, England, from 1973
to 1974.
Burtness earned a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College,
Northfield, Minn., in 1949. St. Olaf is one of 28 colleges and
universities of the ELCA. Four years later, Burtness graduated
from Luther Seminary. He earned a doctorate in theology from
Princeton Theological Seminary in 1958. He was ordained in 1958
and served as pastor of congregations in Oregon, Minnesota and
Colorado.
A funeral service was held April 17 at St. Anthony Park Lutheran
Church, St. Paul.
LINKS:
International Bonhoeffer Society
http://www.dbonhoeffer.org
Luther Seminary
http://www.luthersem.edu
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute
http://www.gltc.edu/gurukul/01-overview/index.htm
St. Olaf College
http://www.stolaf.edu
Princeton Theological Seminary
http://www.ptsem.edu
St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, St. Paul
http://www.saplc.org/
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
