Richard A. Jensen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard A. Jensen
|
|
|---|---|
Jensen at Dana College in 2003
|
|
| Born |
Richard Alvin Jensen
July 4, 1934 |
| Died | November 19, 2014 (aged 80) |
| Alma mater |
|
| Spouse(s) |
Bonnie L. Jensen
(m. 1957) |
| Children |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
|
| Academic advisors |
|
| Influences |
|
Richard Alvin Jensen (July 4, 1934 – November 19, 2014) was an American theologian. A theologian is someone who studies religion and God. He was a professor at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, where he taught about "homiletics," which is the art of writing and delivering sermons.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Jensen was born on July 4, 1934, in Fremont, Nebraska. He went to Fremont Senior High School. After high school, he attended Dana College and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1956. He graduated with honors. While at college, he became lifelong friends with Paul Simon, who later became a US Senator.
Jensen continued his studies, earning a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in 1959. He then received a Master of Sacred Theology degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1962. He started working on his Ph.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary but left to become a professor in Ethiopia. He later completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 1972.
Academic Career and Contributions
After his studies in Chicago, Jensen moved to Ethiopia in 1962. There, he helped start the Mekana Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa. This was a new school for religious studies.
In 1965, Jensen returned to the United States and taught at Dana College, his old school. He also taught at Wartburg Theological Seminary from 1972 to 1981. For a short time, he taught at Luther Seminary.
In 1982, Jensen left teaching to host a popular television and radio show called Lutheran Vespers. He shared religious messages with many listeners.
In 1997, he was invited back to teach at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He became the first Carlson Professor of Homiletics. He taught there until he retired in 2002. In the late 1980s, Jensen also served as the Dean for a special doctorate program for theological seminaries in Chicago.
Ideas About Preaching
Richard Jensen had new ideas about how to preach. He believed that sermons should be like stories, not just written speeches. He thought that telling stories would help people connect more deeply with the message.
In 1993, he wrote a book called Thinking in Story. He then wrote three more books about preaching from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He taught that preachers should use these Bible stories to help listeners feel like they are part of Jesus's stories.
Jensen also thought that art and pictures could be used in sermons and worship. He wrote a book in 2005 called Envisioning the Word: The Use of Visual Images in Preaching, which explored this idea.
Views on the Charismatic Movement
In the late 1960s, a new religious movement called the charismatic movement was growing. It caused some debate in the Lutheran church. Jensen became a leading expert on how Lutherans could understand this movement.
In 1974, he wrote his first book, Touched by the Spirit. In this book, he shared his own experiences and tried to help Lutherans understand and accept the charismatic movement, rather than reject it. His ideas were first met with some questions, but many pastors, theologians, and professors later found his work helpful.
Personal Life
Richard Jensen was married to Bonnie L. Jensen. Bonnie was also a leader in the ELCA Global Mission, which helps people around the world. They had three children: Doron, Dodi, and Derek.
Jensen was very good at ancient languages. He could read and write in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
While living in Ethiopia, Richard and Bonnie Jensen became friends with other Lutheran missionaries, including the Mortenson family and the Youngdahl family.
Both Richard and Bonnie Jensen received special honorary doctorates from Dana College. Richard Jensen passed away on November 19, 2014, at the age of 80.
