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 The Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion (usually Vanderbilt Divinity School) is an interdenominational divinity school at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of o ...

from 1957 to 1960, and a professor of ecumenism at

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 ...

from 1965 to 1984. He was the author of several books and published research about the relationship between cloning and Christian ethics.

Early life

John Robert Nelson was born on August 21, 1920, in

Winona Lake, Indiana Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, in the U.S. state of Indiana, and the major suburb of Warsaw. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census. Geography Winona Lake is located at (41.220818, -85.817118). It is now contig ...

. He grew up in

River Forest, Illinois River Forest is a suburban village adjacent to Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, U.S. Per the 2020 census, the population was 11,717. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The ...

and was educated in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

. He graduated from

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the ...

in 1941. He earned a bachelor of divinity from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1944, and a PhD from the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

in 1951.

Career

Nelson was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1944. He was a chaplain in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

from 1944 to 1946. He attended the 1948

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

and supported ecumenism throughout his life. 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. In 1971, he edited a volume about

Willem Visser 't Hooft Willem Adolph Visser 't Hooft (20 September 1900 – 4 July 1985) was a Dutch theologian who became the first secretary general of the World Council of Churches in 1948 and held this position until his retirement in 1966. Biography Visser 't Ho ...

, the first secretary general of the World Council of Churches; in a review for the ''

Journal of Church and State The ''Journal of Church and State'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of religious studies and political science,Walter A. Elwell''Evangelical Dictionary of Theology'' Baker Academic, 2001, p. 254 covering issues related to the First ...

'', James Breckenridge called it "a stimulating collection of essays." Nelson was the dean of the

from 1957 to 1960. Nelson initially believed the stories published by Vanderbilt trustee

James Geddes Stahlman James Geddes Stahlman (February 28, 1893 – May 1, 1976) was an American newspaper publisher and philanthropist. He was the publisher of the ''Nashville Banner''. He was opposed to desegregation. Early years James Geddes Stahlman was born on Febr ...

'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," were misleading. However, when Lawson was expelled by Chancellor

Harvie Branscomb Bennett Harvie Branscomb (December 25, 1894 – July 23, 1998) was an American theologian and academic administrator. He served as the fourth chancellor of Vanderbilt University, a private university in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1946 to 1963. P ...

, Nelson resigned in protest. 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." Nelson served as one of the interim deans of

, following the retirement of Walter George Muelder, during the period 1972 to 1977. In the 1970s, he published research about the relationship between cloning and Christian ethics. He became the president of the Institute of Religion in Houston in 1985.

Personal life and death

Nelson married Patricia Mercer in 1945. They had two sons. Nelson died of cancer on July 6, 2004, in Houston, Texas. His funeral was held at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston. His papers are held at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library on the campus of Vanderbilt University.

Selected works

* * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, J. Robert 1920 births 2004 deaths DePauw University alumni Yale University alumni University of Zurich alumni Methodists from Indiana Vanderbilt University faculty Boston University faculty American university and college faculty deans American ethicists Medical ethicists Deaths from cancer in Texas