Robert Charles Schultz

Robert Charles Schultz, age 90, died March 26, 2018.

Robert Schultz, Ph.D., was a Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was educated at Concordia Academy and College, Saint Paul, Minnesota and at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. Professor Schultz studied systematics and the history of theology at Friedrich Alexanders Universität in Erlangen, Germany, graduating magna cum laude in 1956. He later pursued postdoctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School (1961–1962) and studied pastoral care and coun- seling at The Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas (1966–1967).

Professor Schultz served as professor of theology at Valparaiso University, where he was recognized and appreciated as an extraordinary teacher. In 1959, he initiated a dialogue between theologians at Notre Dame and Valparaiso University. These talks became a precursor and model for the Roman Catholic–Lutheran Dialogue that followed the Second Vatican Council.

In 1967, Professor Schultz became the first Protestant theologian on the faculty at Saint John’s University (Jamaica, New York), where he was coordinator of graduate studies in theology (1969–1971). He was professor of pastoral care and director of internship at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (Columbia, South Carolina) from 1974 to 1987. During that period, he also worked to establish and lead the American Internship Program for Hermannsburg Mission Seminary (Hermannsburg, Germany) and served as professor of pastoral psychology at DeAndreis Seminary (Lemont, Illinois).

From 1983 to 1992, Professor Schultz was affiliated faculty at the Northwest Theological Union in Seattle, Washington. During his career, he authored numerous journal articles, and he is widely known for editing and translating theo- logical works, including “The Theology of Martin Luther” and “The Ethics of Martin Luther” (both by Paul Althaus) and “Luther’s Works, Volume 46: The Christian in Society III.” At the time of his death, Professor Schultz was actively engaged in editing and translating a book by Werner Elert, with whom he studied at Erlangen.

Throughout his career, Professor Schultz also served as pastor or interim pastor at numerous Lutheran congregations throughout the United States. He was appreciated by many as a thought- ful counselor, a tireless problem-solver, and a loving husband and father. He died in Seattle after a short illness, surrounded by his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and their four children, Martin, Stephen (Muriel), Jonathan, and Susanna (John).