Robert Preus
Encyclopedia
Robert David Preus was an American
Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and seminary president.
(LCMS).
Preus graduated from Luther College
with a B.A. degree and thereafter entered Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where his uncle Herman Preus served as a professor. At this point Luther Seminary belonged to the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. There was a minority group, with LCMS leanings at the time, which had not joined the merger of 1917 of Norwegian churches, and this group formed the Evangelical Lutheran Synod
(ELS). Preus found Luther Seminary to be theologically compromising and indifferent and left for the newly formed Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
in Mankato, Minnesota
(ELS). He became the seminary's first graduate in 1947.
Preus was ordained in October 1947. He served congregations in Mayville, North Dakota
and Bygland, Minnesota. He married Donna Rockman in 1948. They had with 10 children (6 sons and 4 daughters) and more than 50 grandchildren.
Preus entered the University of Minnesota
in 1949, and then went to the University of Edinburgh
where he completed his first doctorate (Ph.D.) in 1952. After earning his doctorate Preus was appointed pastor at Harvard Street Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He served the congregation for three years and then served three congregations near Fosston, Minnesota
.
In 1957 Preus was appointed instructor of systematics (creeds and confessions) and philosophy at Concordia Seminary
in St. Louis, Missouri
. In 1957 Preus' book The Inspiration of Scripture: A Study of the Theology of the Seventeenth Century Lutheran Dogmaticians was reissued by the publishing house of the ELS. Preus' work came at a time when controversies over the inspiration of Scripture were bogging down Lutheranism in America, and specifically the LCMS at Concordia Seminary. The Seminex
controversy involving the doctrine of Biblical inspiration was met by Preus (among a minority of 4 others at Concordia Seminary) and Preus' brother, Jack, who was at that time the president of the LCMS. Preus refused to teach or use the historical-critical method of Biblical interpretation, a stance reaffirmed and adopted by the LCMS New Orleans Convention in 1973.
In 1969 Preus earned his second doctorate (D.Theol) from the University of Strasbourg
in France. From this was produced The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism. This "established Preus as the leading English-language interpreter of the seventeenth-century Lutheran divines."
Preus was appointed president of Concordia Theological Seminary
in Springfield, Illinois
in 1974. In 1976 the seminary was moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana
, where it had been founded over a hundred years before.
Preus served for years on the synodical board of missions in the LCMS. Preus also taught about and fought against the Church Growth Movement by promoting his theology at Concordia Theological Seminary and throughout Lutheranism and Christianity. As president of Concordia Theological Seminary he promoted confessional Lutheran theology. In 1991 he created the Luther Academy, a Lutheran foundation which has the goal of the production of a Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series.
Preus participated in a number of interdenominational ventures. He was among leading evangelical theologians who signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
(1978) and further participated in the three summits of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (1978, 1982, 1986). Preus also served as one of the translators of the New International Version
of the Bible.
Preus was "honorably retired" against his wishes in 1989. Although reinstated by the synod as seminary president and restored to the clergy roster of the LCMS, Synodical officials would not accept the outcome. In 1992 the synod elected a new president and much was done to resolve the situation, but this proved to be insufficient. Preus never got the presidency back, and died in 1995, months before he was scheduled to preach at the chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary. During his last years Preus continued teaching and preaching. His private library was given to Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Lutheran pastor, professor, author, and seminary president.
Biography
Robert Preus was born to Minnesota Governor J.A.O. Preus and Idella Haugen Preus. His older brother is J.A.O. Preus II, former president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri SynodLutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
(LCMS).
Preus graduated from Luther College
Luther College
Luther College is the name of several educational institutions:*Luther College , in Decorah; a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America...
with a B.A. degree and thereafter entered Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where his uncle Herman Preus served as a professor. At this point Luther Seminary belonged to the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America. There was a minority group, with LCMS leanings at the time, which had not joined the merger of 1917 of Norwegian churches, and this group formed the Evangelical Lutheran Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod or ELS is a US-based Protestant Christian denomination based in Mankato, Minnesota, USA. It describes itself as a conservative, Confessional Lutheran body.-Membership:...
(ELS). Preus found Luther Seminary to be theologically compromising and indifferent and left for the newly formed Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary , is the training school for pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Founded in 1946, BLTS was a department of Bethany Lutheran College , before the two institutions were officially separated in 1974...
in Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
(ELS). He became the seminary's first graduate in 1947.
Preus was ordained in October 1947. He served congregations in Mayville, North Dakota
Mayville, North Dakota
Mayville is a city in Traill County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 1,858 at the 2010 census, which makes Mayville the largest community in Traill County. Mayville was founded in 1881....
and Bygland, Minnesota. He married Donna Rockman in 1948. They had with 10 children (6 sons and 4 daughters) and more than 50 grandchildren.
Preus entered the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1949, and then went to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
where he completed his first doctorate (Ph.D.) in 1952. After earning his doctorate Preus was appointed pastor at Harvard Street Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He served the congregation for three years and then served three congregations near Fosston, Minnesota
Fosston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,575 people, 681 households, and 379 families residing in the city. The population density was 969.1 people per square mile . There were 739 housing units at an average density of 454.7 per square mile...
.
In 1957 Preus was appointed instructor of systematics (creeds and confessions) and philosophy at Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary is located in Clayton, Missouri, an inner-ring suburb on the western border of St. Louis, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod . The current president of...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1957 Preus' book The Inspiration of Scripture: A Study of the Theology of the Seventeenth Century Lutheran Dogmaticians was reissued by the publishing house of the ELS. Preus' work came at a time when controversies over the inspiration of Scripture were bogging down Lutheranism in America, and specifically the LCMS at Concordia Seminary. The Seminex
Seminex
Seminex is the widely used abbreviation for Concordia Seminary in Exile . An institution for the training of Lutheran ministers, Seminex existed from 1974 to 1987. It was formed after a walk-out by dissident faculty and students of Concordia Seminary in St...
controversy involving the doctrine of Biblical inspiration was met by Preus (among a minority of 4 others at Concordia Seminary) and Preus' brother, Jack, who was at that time the president of the LCMS. Preus refused to teach or use the historical-critical method of Biblical interpretation, a stance reaffirmed and adopted by the LCMS New Orleans Convention in 1973.
In 1969 Preus earned his second doctorate (D.Theol) from the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
in France. From this was produced The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism. This "established Preus as the leading English-language interpreter of the seventeenth-century Lutheran divines."
Preus was appointed president of Concordia Theological Seminary
Concordia Theological Seminary
The Concordia Theological Seminary is an institution of theological higher education of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, dedicated primarily to the preparation of pastors for the congregations and missions of the LCMS...
in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
in 1974. In 1976 the seminary was moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, where it had been founded over a hundred years before.
Preus served for years on the synodical board of missions in the LCMS. Preus also taught about and fought against the Church Growth Movement by promoting his theology at Concordia Theological Seminary and throughout Lutheranism and Christianity. As president of Concordia Theological Seminary he promoted confessional Lutheran theology. In 1991 he created the Luther Academy, a Lutheran foundation which has the goal of the production of a Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series.
Preus participated in a number of interdenominational ventures. He was among leading evangelical theologians who signed the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy was formulated in October 1978 by more than 200 evangelical leaders at a conference sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, held in Chicago. The statement was designed to defend the position of Biblical inerrancy against a perceived...
(1978) and further participated in the three summits of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (1978, 1982, 1986). Preus also served as one of the translators of the New International Version
New International Version
The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
of the Bible.
Preus was "honorably retired" against his wishes in 1989. Although reinstated by the synod as seminary president and restored to the clergy roster of the LCMS, Synodical officials would not accept the outcome. In 1992 the synod elected a new president and much was done to resolve the situation, but this proved to be insufficient. Preus never got the presidency back, and died in 1995, months before he was scheduled to preach at the chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary. During his last years Preus continued teaching and preaching. His private library was given to Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.
Selected works
- The Inspiration of Scripture: A Study of the Theology of Seventeenth Century Lutheran Dogmaticians
- The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism (2 Volumes)
- Getting Into The Theology of Concord: A Study of the Book of Concord
- Justification and Rome: An Evaluation of Recent Dialogues
- Preaching to Young Theologians: Sermons of Robert Preus
- Doctrine is Life: Robert D. Preus Essays on Scripture
- Doctrine is Life: Robert D. Preus Essays on Justification and the Lutheran Confessions