Glen Harold Stassen (February 29, 1936 – April 26, 2014) was an American

ethicist An ethicist is one whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and (importantly) is expressed in some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgment. Following the advice of ...

and

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

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 ...

. He was known for his work on theological ethics, political philosophy, and social justice and for developing the Just Peacemaking Theory regarding the comparative ethics of war and peace. Stassen died in Pasadena, California at the age of 78. He was the son of former

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 ...

governor

Harold Stassen Harold Edward Stassen (April 13, 1907 – March 4, 2001) was an American politician who was the 25th Governor of Minnesota. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1948, considered for a ti ...

Education

He received his BA in Physics from

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

, his BD from

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, and his PhD from Duke University.Glen H. Stassen
He was a visiting scholar at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, Duke University,

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Career

Stassen held teaching posts at Duke University, Kentucky Southern College, Berea College, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (at SBTS for 20 years). He served as the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics and the Executive Director of the Just Peacemaking Initiative at

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compr ...

in Pasadena, California. Stassen contributed to

Sojourners Magazine ''Sojourners'' is a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 1971 under the original titl ...

and frequently appeared in the media, including the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

and

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

Awards and honors

Stassen was recognized for his excellence in teaching with Fuller’s 1999 All Seminary Council Faculty Award for Outstanding Community Service to Students, as well as the Seabury Award for Excellence in Teaching at Berea College and the Weyerhaeuser Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was named as a 2013 recipient of the Baptist World Alliance Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award and named the 2012 Baptist of the Year by EthicsDaily.com. His book ''Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context'', co-authored with David Gushee, was awarded Best Book of the Year in the Theology/Ethics category by Christianity Today in 2004. His last published book, ''A Thicker Jesus: Incarnational Discipleship in a Secular Age'' (2012), was named a top ten book by ''

The Christian Century ''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and review ...

.''Stassen's Book Named to Christian Magazine's Top 10
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Books

* ''Journey into Peacemaking'' (1982) * ''Just Peacemaking: Transforming Initiatives for Justice and Peace'' (1992) * ''Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture'' (with

John Howard Yoder John Howard Yoder (December 27, 1927 – December 30, 1997) was an American Mennonite theologian and ethicist best known for his defense of Christian pacifism. His most influential book was '' The Politics of Jesus'', which was first published in ...

and Diane Yeager) (1996) * ''Capital Punishment: A Reader'', editor (1998) * ''Just Peacemaking: Ten Practices for Abolishing War'', editor (1998) * ''Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context'' (with

David P. Gushee David P. Gushee is a Christian ethicist and public intellectual. Work and membership David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and formerly the Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer Univers ...

) (2003) * ''Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance'' (2006) * ''Peace Action: Past, Present, and Future'', editor (with Lawrence S. Wittner) (2007) * ''Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War'', editor (2008) * ''The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking'', editor (2009) * ''A Thicker Jesus: Incarnational Discipleship in a Secular Age'' (2012)

Notes

External links

Official website of the ongoing Just Peacemaking project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stassen, Glen American theologians Duke University alumni University of Virginia alumni Duke University faculty Harvard University faculty Columbia University faculty 2014 deaths Christian ethicists Fuller Theological Seminary faculty Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni 1936 births