Richard Alvin Jensen (July 4, 1934 – November 19, 2014) was an American theologian who served as the Carlson Professor of Homiletics Emeritus at the

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago, Illinois. LSTC is a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS), a consortium of eleven area seminaries ...

Early life and education

Jensen was born on July 4, 1934, in Fremont,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, where he attended Fremont Senior High School. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree '' cum laude'' in philosophy from

Dana College Dana College was a private college in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre (607,000 m²) campus is approximately 26 miles (40 km) northwest of Omaha and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley. The campus was planned to be purchase ...

in 1956. Jensen attended college with future US Senator from Illinois Paul Simon and was lifelong friends with Simon. Jensen later earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree from

Wartburg Theological Seminary Wartburg Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Dubuque, Iowa. It offers three graduate-level degrees (MA, MA Diaconal Ministry, and M.Div.), a Theological Education for Emerging Ministries certificat ...

in 1959 and his

Master of Sacred Theology The Master of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Magister; abbreviated STM) is a graduate-level, North American, academic degree in theology equivalent to ThM. The Roman Catholic equivalent is the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). An ...

degree from

Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new west ...

in 1962. Jensen began doctoral work at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

under

Gerhard von Rad Gerhard von Rad (21 October 1901 – 31 October 1971) was a German academic, Old Testament scholar, Lutheran theologian, exegete, and professor at the University of Heidelberg. Early life, education, career Gerhard von Rad was born in Nurem ...

, but departed before completion to take a professorship in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

, Ethiopia. Jensen later completed his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree from

Aquinas Institute of Theology Aquinas Institute of Theology is a Roman Catholic graduate school and seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded by the Dominican Order and is sponsored by the Province of St. Albert the Great. Academics The institute offers a number of gr ...

in 1972.

Academic career

Jensen studied in Chicago and wrote his master's thesis, ''The Covenant in The Deuteronomic and Priestly Traditions'', under Robert J. Marshall. Jensen left Chicago in 1960 to study under

and Otto Piper at

. Jensen left his doctorate program after a year to become a professor and co-found the Mekana Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1962. Jensen returned to the United States in 1965 to teach at his alma mater

. He returned to

to teach from 1972–1981. He briefly taught at

Luther Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

before leaving academia in 1982 to host the television and radio program, Lutheran Vespers. In 1997, Jensen was invited to become the first Axel Jacob and Gerde Maria Carlson Professor of Homiletics at

, a post he held until his retirement in 2002. Richard A. Jensen was also the Dean of the Doctorate of Ministry program sponsored by the Association of Chicago Theological Seminaries in the late 1980s. In 1986, Jensen along with his wife

Bonnie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

, assisted with merging the

American Lutheran Church The American Lutheran Church (TALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg ...

and

Lutheran Church in America The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was an American and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press. The LCA's immigrant heritage came mostly fr ...

into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Contributions to theology

In the late 1960s the charismatic movement was causing a controversy in the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

church. Jensen had become a leading scholar on the application of a Lutheran theological understanding of neo-Pentecostalism. Jensen wrote his first book in 1974, ''Touched by the Spirit'', developing a Lutheran perspective on his personal experiences, and attempting to embrace the charismatic movement rather than condemn it. Jensen's research was met some skepticism, but ultimately received positive reception from parish pastors, theologians, and college professors. Although, Jensen's doctorate was in

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

, he developed a story-based preaching technique that emphasized preaching as an oral art of communication rather than written discourse memorized or read to listeners. In 1993, Jensen published ''Thinking in Story''. This was followed by three books that understood the gospels of Matthew,

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

, and Luke as oral narratives from which the preacher used biblical narrative to enable the listener to participate more holistically in the stories of Jesus. Jensen further expanded his understanding of preaching to incorporate the use of art and visual images in the sermon and worship experience. This thinking culminated in the book published in 2005, ''Envisioning the Word: The Use of Visual Images in Preaching''.

Personal life

Richard Jensen was married to Bonnie L. Jensen, ELCA Global Mission executive director (retired), they had three children: Doron, Dodi, and Derek. Jensen was also a relative of

Moritz Thomsen Martin Moritz Thomsen Titus (1915–1991), known as Moritz Thomsen, was an American writer, farmer and Peace Corps volunteer. He worked and wrote in the small town of Rio Verde, Ecuador. His books have been praised by writers such as Paul Theroux, ...

. A scholar of ancient texts, he could read and write in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. On November 19, 2014, he died at the age of 80. While in Ethiopia, Jensen and his wife served with fellow Lutheran missionaries Irvin and Jerene Mortenson family, parents of Greg Mortenson. While in Ethiopia they became friends with

Luther Youngdahl Luther Wallace Youngdahl (May 29, 1896 – June 21, 1978) was an American judge and politician who served as the 27th governor of Minnesota and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Ed ...

and the Youngdahl family. Richard Jensen along with his wife Bonnie, received honorary doctorates from

Selected works

* * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Richard A. 1934 births 2014 deaths American Charismatics American Lutheran theologians American people of Danish descent Aquinas Institute of Theology alumni Chicago Theological Seminary alumni Dana College alumni Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Christians Jensen family Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago faculty People from Fremont, Nebraska Systematic theologians Wartburg Theological Seminary alumni Writers from Minnesota Writers from Nebraska