J. Robert Nelson

J. Robert Nelson (August 21, 1920 – July 6, 2004) was an American Methodist theologian, academic administrator, and ethicist. He was the dean of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School from 1957 to 1960, and the dean of the Boston University School of Theology from 1965 to 1985. He was the author of several books, and published research about the relationship between cloning and Christian ethics.

J. Robert Nelson
Born
John Robert Nelson

August 21, 1920
Winona Lake, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 2004
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materDePauw University
Yale University
University of Zurich
OccupationMethodist theologian, academic administrator, ethicist
Spouse(s)Patricia Mercer
Children2 sons

Early life

John Robert Nelson was born on August 21, 1920, in Winona Lake, Indiana.[1] He grew up in River Forest, Illinois and was educated in Evanston, Illinois.[2][3] He graduated from DePauw University in 1941.[1][2] He earned a bachelor of divinity from Yale University in 1944, and a PhD from the University of Zurich in 1951.[1][2]

Career

Nelson was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1944.[2] He was a chaplain in the United States Marine Corps in the Far East from 1944 to 1946.[1][3] He attended the 1948 World Council of Churches and supported ecumenism throughout his life.[4] He was the author and editor of several books. In 1952, he edited The Christian Student and the Church, The Christian Student and the World Struggle, and The Christian Student and the University, a trilogy of essay collections about issues relevant to Christian students.[5] In 1971, he edited a volume about Willem Visser 't Hooft, the first secretary general of the World Council of Churches; in a review for the Journal of Church and State, James Breckenridge called it "a stimulating collection of essays."[6]

Nelson was the dean of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School from 1957 to 1960.[2][7] Nelson initially believed the misleading stories published by Vanderbilt trustee James Geddes Stahlman's newspaper, The Nashville Banner, about Civil Rights activist James Lawson, who was a student at the school, which suggested Lawson was inciting others to "violate the law."[8] However, when Lawson was expelled by Chancellor Harvie Branscomb, Nelson resigned in protest.[2][7] With three of his colleagues, Nelson "paid Lawson's $500 bail when he was arrested on charges of conspiracy to violate state laws the day after his expulsion."[7]

Nelson served as the dean of the Boston University School of Theology from 1965 to 1985.[2] In the 1970s, he published research about the relationship between cloning and Christian ethics.[2] He became the president of the Institute of Religion in Houston in 1985.[3]

Personal life and death

Nelson married Patricia Mercer in 1945.[3] They had two sons.[7]

Nelson died of cancer on July 6, 2004 in Houston, Texas.[7] His funeral was held at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston.[7] His papers are held at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library on the campus of Vanderbilt University.[1]

Selected works
  • Nelson, J. Robert, ed. (1952). The Christian Student and the University. New York: Association Press. OCLC 1106738.
  • Nelson, J. Robert, ed. (1952). The Christian Student and the Church. New York: Association Press. OCLC 1942614.
  • Nelson, J. Robert, ed. (1952). The Christian Student and the World Struggle. New York: Association Press. OCLC 808551.
  • Nelson, J. Robert (1962). Criterion for the Church. New York: Abingdon. OCLC 155141942.
  • Nelson, J. Robert, ed. (1971). No Man Is Alien: Essays on the Unity of Mankind. Leiden: E.J. Brill. OCLC 496035132.
  • Nelson, J. Robert (1984). Human Life: A Biblical Perspective for Bioethics. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press. ISBN 9780800617547. OCLC 9684882.
  • Nelson, J. Robert, ed. (1992). Life as Liberty, Life as Trust. Grand Rapids, Michigan: W.B. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802806376. OCLC 25412351.

References
  1. "John Robert Nelson Papers" (PDF). Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Vanderbilt University. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  2. "Rev. John Robert Nelson, 84 Methodist theologian, college dean". The Chicago Tribune. July 13, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  3. Bryant, Salatheia (July 12, 2004). "Deaths: J. Robert Nelson, medical ethicist, cleric". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  4. "Theologian-bioethicist J. Robert Nelson dies: A leading ecumenist". The Christian Century. July 27, 2004. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  5. Ross, W. Gordon (July 1953). "Reviewed Works: The Christian Student and the Church by J. Robert Nelson; The Christian Student and the World Struggle by J. Robert Nelson; The Christian Student and the University by J. Robert Nelson". Journal of Bible and Religion. 21 (3): 214–215. JSTOR 1457950.
  6. Breckenridge, James (Spring 1978). "Reviewed Work: No Man Is Alien: Essays on the Unity of Mankind by J. Robert Nelson". Journal of Church and State. 20 (2): 349–351. JSTOR 23915057.
  7. Cass, Michael (July 15, 2004). "Former Vanderbilt dean J. Robert Nelson dies at 84". The Tennessean. p. 3B. Retrieved December 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Sumner, David E. (Spring 1997). "The Publisher and the Preacher: Racial Conflict at Vanderbilt University". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 56 (1): 34–43. JSTOR 42627327.
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