Franz Bibfeldt is a fictitious

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and in-joke among American academic theologians. Bibfeldt made his first appearance as the author of an invented footnote in a term paper of a

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, Missionary, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Chur ...

student, Robert Howard Clausen. Clausen's classmate,

Martin Marty Martin Emil Marty (born on February 5, 1928) is an American Lutheran religious scholar who has written extensively on religion in the United States. Early life and education Marty was born on February 5, 1928, in West Point The United Sta ...

, adopted the name for continued satire and Bibfeldt became a running joke for Martin and his friends. His birthdate and baptismal day was set as November 1, 1897. In 1951, Marty's review of Bibfeldt's ''The Relieved Paradox'' was published in the ''Concordia Seminarian''. When the ruse was uncovered, Marty's fellowship to study overseas was revoked, and he instead enrolled in the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, where he spent the rest of his academic career. Since then most Bibfeldt writings and talks have come out of the University of Chicago, where a tradition exists of a Donnelley Stool of Bibfeldt Studies. Targets of Bibfeldt-related content include conservative theologians who maintain the historical consistency of their causes, neo-orthodoxes, those who pander to donors or cultural whims, compromisers lacking moral backbone, and American evangelicals. Bibfeldt's bibliography includes his doctoral thesis, "The Problem of the Year Zero"; his response to Søren Kierkegaard's ''

Either/Or ''Either/Or'' ( Danish: ''Enten – Eller'') is the first published work of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Appearing in two volumes in 1843 under the pseudonymous editorship of ''Victor Eremita'' (Latin for "victorious hermit"), it ...

'', titled ''Both/And'', as well as the subsequent reconsideration ''Either/Or and/or Both/And''; and his argument for the Mesopotamian origins of baseball, '' The Boys of Sumer''. Most of the content was collected in ''The Unrelieved Paradox: Studies in the Theology of Franz Bibfeldt'' () edited by Marty and Jerald C. Brauer, which includes a discussion of "Proofs of the Existence of Franz Bibfeldt." One of Bibfeldt's most famous quotations is "Pragmatism is fine, as long as it works." A Swedish parallel is the fictitious theologian at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

since the early 1960s.

References

External links

*
Guide to the Franz Bibfeldt Papers 1951-1995
' at the University of Chicago Library Academic shared pseudonyms Fictional German people Fictional theologians In-jokes Nonexistent people used in jokes University folklore University of Chicago Divinity School {{fict-char-stub