Albert Cornelius Knudson (1873–1953) was a

Christian theologian Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesi ...

in the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

tradition, associated with

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and the school of

liberal theology Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position, ...

known as '' Boston personalism''.

Biography

Albert Cornelius Knudson was born on January 23, 1873, in Grand Meadow,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He was the son of Asle Knudson (1844-1939) and Synnove (Fosse) Knudsen (1842-1916), both of whom were immigrants from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The family subsequently moved to

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. Asle Knudson regularly traveled by train to Grand Meadow to minister at the Danish-Norwegian

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

until shortly before his death in 1939. Albert Knudson studied at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

(AB 1893) and

(STB 1896, Ph.D. 1900). He attended

Jena University The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

and

Berlin University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

(honorary Th.D. 1923). After teaching briefly at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

and

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Art ...

Baldwin City, Kansas Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university. History ...

, and at

Allegheny College he, תגל ערבה ותפרח כחבצלת , mottoeng = "Add to your faith, virtue and to your faith, knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5)"The desert shall rejoice and the blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1) , faculty = 193 ...

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...

, he began his long career in

where he later became dean of the

Boston University School of Theology Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...

(1926-1938).Hall, Timothy L. (2003) "Knudsen, Albert Cornelius Methodist Theologian, Educator" in ''American Religious Leaders'' (Infobase Publishing. Page 205-206)

Personal life

Albert Knudson was married to Mathilde Johnson (1872–1948) in 1899. He died on August 28, 1953, at his home in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Selected works

*''The Old Testament Problem'' (1908) *''Present Tendencies in Religious Thought'' (1924) *''The Philosophy of Personalism: A Study in the Metaphysics of Religion'' (1927) *''The Beacon Lights of Prophecy: An Interpretation of Amos Hosea, Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Deutero-Isiah'' (1929) *''The Doctrine of God'' (1930) *''The Doctrine of Redemption'' (1933) *''The Validity of Religious Experience'' (The Fondren lectures) (1937) *''The Principles of Christian Ethics'' (1943) *''Personalism in Theology'' with Edgar Sheffield Brightman (1943) *''Basic Issues in Christian Thought'' (1950)

References

Other sources

*Deats, Paul (Ed.) (1986) ''The Boston Personalist Tradition'' (Mercer University Press) * Brightman, Edgar Sheffield (1979) ''Personalism in Theology: a Symposium in Honor of Albert Cornelius Knudson by Associates and Former Students'' (New York: AMS Press. reprint of the 1943 ed. published by Boston University Press)

External links

Albert C. Knudson portrait (1896)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knudson, Albert C. 1873 births 1954 deaths 20th-century American theologians 20th-century Methodists American Christian theologians Methodists from Minnesota American people of Norwegian descent Boston University School of Theology alumni Boston University School of Theology faculty Methodist theologians People from Mower County, Minnesota Systematic theologians University of Minnesota alumni American university and college faculty deans