Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

 

List of Lutherans

The following is a list of famous Lutherans. See Lutheranism.

Contents

Actors and Actresses

Artists

  • Sandra Bowden, painter. Head of CVA, Christian Ministry in Visual Arts.
  • Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), German court painter; friend of Martin Luther and sponsor of the Reformer's oldest son. An early champion of the Reformation, this well-known and prolific artist is now especially known for his woodcuts and portraits of the Reformers.
  • Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515-1586) prominent Reformation artist in Germany who worked for his father and continued in his style.
  • Gary Larson, cartoonist and creator of the classic comic The Far Side.
  • Alexandra Nechita, at 15 years old, she is one of the most famous artists in the world. She was once called the "Petite Picasso".

Astronauts

  • Dan Brandenstein, former chief astronaut who flew various shuttle missions.
  • Mark Lee, Colonel in the US Air Force & former astronaut. Shuttle flights included missions on the Atlantis (1989), Endeavor (1992) and Discovery (1994, 1997).
  • Jeff Williams, astronaut on recent shuttle missions.

Authors

  • Rita Mae Brown, prolific author of novels, poetry, articles, book reviews, teleplays and screenplays.
  • "Dr. Seuss" (Theodor Geisel), the well-loved children's author.
  • Bob Sylwester , author, pioneer in brain-based learning.
  • John Updike, famous author.

Beauty Contestants

  • Gretchen Carlson , 1989 Miss America; former Miss Minnesota; granddaughter of an ELCA pastor, now with CBS News.
  • Carolyn Sapp , 1992 Miss America; former Miss Hawaii. Now a correspondent with Fox Sports in California.
  • Elke Sommer (born Elke Schletz), actress and painter who has appeared in over 90 motion pictures. In 1959, 19-year old Elke won Italy's Miss Viarrego beauty pageant.

Bible Scholars, Translators, & Theologians

  • William F. Beck , Biblical scholar and translator of The Holy Bible: An American Translation (Leader Publishing, 1976).
  • Carl E. Braaten , seminary professor and author. Wrote Christian Dogmatics (1987) with Robert W. Jensen.
  • Marva Dawn, theologian and author; wrote Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down (1995) and other works
  • Franz Delitzsch (1813-1890), German scholar and seminary professor; co-author (with C. F. Keil) of the classic 10-volume Commentary on the Old Testament.
  • Werner Elert , German professor of theology and author of numerous works, including The Structure of Lutheranism.
  • Robert G. Hoerber , Pastor & professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1974-1989). Worked as a biblical translator and as the general editor of The Concordia Self-Study Bible, a Lutheran revision of The NIV Study Bible.
  • Robert W. Jensen , seminary professor and author. Wrote Christian Dogmatics (1987) with Carl E. Braaten.
  • Johann (C.F.) Keil (1807-1888), German scholar and seminary professor, co-author (with Franz Delitzsch) of the classic 10-volume Commentary on the Old Testament.
  • Richard Charles Henry Lenski (1864-1936), Prussian-born American scholar. A prolific writer and editor, Dr. Lenski today is best remembered for his classic conservative "Interpretation of..." New Testament commentary series.
  • Martin Moller (1547-1606), German pastor and author of Thesaurus Precationum.
  • Francis Pieper (1852-1931), Prussian-born American theologian, professor and president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, author of the classic work of systematic theology Christliche Dogmatik.
  • Hermann Sasse , theologian and author; Australian seminary professor.
  • Edmund Schlink , German seminary professor of systematic theology and scholar of the Lutheran Confessions.
  • Paul Tillich (1886-1965), German-born theologian who emigrated to America, army chaplain during WWI, seminary professor. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Rev. Tillich became one of the most foremost theologians of the first half of the twentieth century.

Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs

  • Doris Christopher , founder of "The Pampered Chef".
  • Ron Gangelhoff , founder and former president of the Chicago Cutlery Company, philanthropist, supporter of Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota.
  • Steve Jobs, Apple Computer.
  • Michael Johns, health care executive and former White House speechwriter.
  • Ed Kruse , CEO of Blue Bell Ice Cream, third largest Ice Cream Company in the USA.
  • Marvin M. Schwan , businessman; founded Schwan's Sales Enterprises, Inc. in 1952. Mr. Schwan left a charitable trust which helps benefit Lutheran institutions and entities.

Church Leaders

  • H. George Anderson , former churchwide bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1995-2001).
  • Ralph A. Bohlmann , theologian, seminary professor and president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; ninth president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Author of Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Lutheran Confessions.
  • Herbert Chilstrom , former churchwide bishop of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1987-1995).
  • James D. Ford , Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives (1979-1998)
  • Franklin Clark Fry, pastor and president of the United Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America.
  • Mark S. Hanson, current churchwide bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (2001-present).
  • Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, current president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (2001-present).
  • Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg (1711-1787), pastor and church organizer. Considered to be the father of the Lutheran Church in America.
  • Jacob Preus II , seminary professor and president; president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; noted Chemnitz scholar and translator.
  • Philipp Jakob Spener (1635-1705), German churchman and founder of Lutheran Pietism.
  • Martin Stephan (1777-1846), German-born pastor and leader of the German-Saxon immigrants to Missouri who later formed the nexus of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Deposed in 1839, he was sent upriver to Illinois, where he continued to preach and minister until his death.
  • C. F. W. Walther (1811-1887), German immigrant and American pastor; theologian, author, hymn writer, professor and president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; first (and third) president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. One of the founding fathers of the Missouri Synod and one of the greatest American theologians.
  • F.C.D. Wyneken (1810 - 1876), the second president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Comedians

  • Dana Carvey, comedian and actor known especially for his gift of mimicry. Former member of Saturday Night Live (1986-1993), where he created many numerous characters, including "The Church Lady". His film credits include the mega-hit Wayne's World and its sequel.

Composers

  • Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703), German church musician and composer. Cousin of J. S. Bach's father.
  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German church musician. One of the greatest composers of all time, known especially for his organ compositions, his chorales, the Mass in B Minor, and the Brandenburg Concertos.
  • Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), German church musician and composer. Son of J. S. Bach.
  • Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784), German church musician and composer. Eldest son of J. S. Bach.
  • Howard Hanson (1896-1981), Hanson became one of the most influential American composers, music educators, and music advocates of the last century; he was also a director of the Eastman School of Music (1924-1964).
  • Georg Friedrich Handel, Renowned composer, possibly best known for his Messiah and the famous Hallelujah Chorus.
  • Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847), German composer; the grandson of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. His many compositions include the famed incidental music to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Reformation Symphony (which utilizes the melody of Martin Luther's classic Reformation hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God.")
  • Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), German composer and church musician. An early model of J.S. Bach, his many compositions include cantatas, chorale pieces, canons, fugues, and preludes. Today he is especially known for his Canon in D (often simply referred to as Pachelbel's Canon).


Film Makers

  • Ron Maxwell , film producer whose credits include Gettysburg.
  • Ivan David Ortiz , film director.
  • Ivan Gonzalo Ortiz , film producer.
  • Paul Schrader, film director and screenwriter.
  • Rick Steves , PBS travel program host.
  • John Woo, film director whose credits include The Killer and Face/Off.

Generals & Admirals

  • Thomas Boyle , famous privateer captain during the War of 1812.
  • Lt. Gen. Roger DeKok , Vice Commander of Air Force Space Command.
  • Rear Admiral J. Floyd Dreith , first Lutheran Chief of Chaplains, US Navy (1958-1962).
  • Rear Admiral Byran Holderby , Chief of Chaplains, US Navy (1996-2000).
  • Victor Langford , U.S. Army General, pastor and chaplain.
  • Donald Muchow , Chief of Chaplains, USNavy (1992-1996).
  • John Moellering , US Army General, former West Point commandant.
  • John Peter Muhlenberg (1711-1787) pastor, U.S. Congressman, Brigadier General in the *Continental Army during the American Revolution. The eldest son of Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, he was a friend of US Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.
  • Lauris Norstad, became the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in Europe (1956-1963). He held this position during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
  • Martin Henry Scharlemann , U.S.A.F. Chaplain and Brigadier General; seminary professor and acting seminary president, Concordia Seminary St. Louis (1974); author and theologian.
  • Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army general; leader of the famed "Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm".
  • RADM Ross Trower , Former Chief of Chaplains for the Navy, later entered the pastoral ministry and reported serving as associate Pastor at St. Marks Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia.
  • General John Vessey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Historians

  • Sidney Eckman Ahlstrom , former professor of Modern Religious History at Yale University and author of the classic Religious History of the American People.
  • Paul L. Maier , professor of History at Western Michigan University; noted writer of both fiction and non-fiction.
  • Jaroslav Pelikan , religious scholar and professor at Yale; former professor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; co-editor of the American Edition of Luther's Works (55 volumes) and author of the series' companion volume Luther the Expositor. A Lutheran during most of his decades-long and prolific career, Pelikan became a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1998.
  • Leopold van Ranke , prominent 19th century German historian.

Kings and Queens

Lawyers

  • Rebecca O. Goss , Eli Lily Vice President and general counsel.
  • Justus Jonas (1493-1555) German lawyer, theologian, and reformer.
  • Daniel Joy , attorney and New York State Judge.
  • Edwin Meese III, lawyer, Counselor to the President of the United States (1981-1985), U.S. *Attorney General (1985-1988); currently holds The Ronald Reagan Chair in Public Policy at The Heritage foundation in Washington, D.C.
  • William Rehnquist, lawyer; appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by Richard Nixon in 1972; Chief Justice for the past 18 years, since September 26th, 1986.

Musicians

  • F. Melius Christiansen , founder of the St. Olaf Choir and renowned for his a capella settings of hymns.
  • Justino Diaz, opera singer.
  • Kurt Elling, jazz musician; Grammy-nominated recording artist for Blue Note Records. Kurt is a graduate of the ELCA's Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and later attended Divinity School at the University of Chicago before embarking on a career as a jazz singer.
  • Janie Fricke , country music star.
  • Hilary Hahn, young violinist.
  • Adolph Herseth , lead trumpeter with the Chicago Symphony.
  • Marta Casals Istomin , cellist; President of the Manhattan School of Music; widow of the famed cellist Pablo Casals, whose foundation she directs.
  • Jerry Hadley , Opera singer.
  • Craig Hella Johnson , singer, music director.
  • Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter, actor, Rhodes Scholar, country music icon, and former professor at West Point. Along with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, Kris formed the classic group The Highwaymen. His many film credits include A Star Is Born (with Barbara Streisand) and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea .
  • Gary Lewis , drummer, vocalist, bandleader, and recording artist. Founder of the 60's hit sensation Gary Lewis and the Playboys ; the group had 7 Top 10 hits, and by the end of the 1960s had placed 15 songs in Billboard's hot 100.
  • Lyle Pearce Lovett, singer-songwriter, recording artist, actor.
  • Kurt Masur, German classical musician and recording artist of international renown. Since 1991 served as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.
  • Peter Mayer & Jim Mayer , members of the Jimmy Buffett band.
  • John Mellencamp, musician, singer, recording artist, songwriter, painter. His many hits include "Jack and Diane," and "Small Town." With Neil Young and Willie Nelson, John founded Farm Aid, a non-profit organization for farm assistance.
  • L. David Miller - Former dean of the School of Music and choir director at Wittenberg University; recognized, along with the choir, by Congress for his efforts in being "ambassadors of good will."
  • Michael Peterson , country music star. He entered the ELCA's Pacific Lutheran University on a football scholarship, where he helped win a national championship.
  • James Thiele , for nearly 50 years he was one of the leading Lutheran organists in Australia. In 1996, he received an Order of Australia Medal for his contributions to the music of the Lutheran Church and was also involved with producing the Australian Lutheran Hymnal.
  • Stephen Werner , rock drummer.
  • Roger Williams, well known pianist. Born Louis Weertz, he is the son of a Lutheran pastor.

National Newscasters and Sportscasters

Nobel Laureates

  • Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish economist; statesman and Secretary General of the United Nations. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • Linus Pauling, American chemist who won the Nobel prize in chemisty for his work describing the nature of chemical bonds. Pauling received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 for his campaign against above-ground nuclear testing, becoming one of only two people to receive the Nobel Prize in more than one field, the other being Marie Curie.

Poets

  • Robert Bly, poet.
  • Jill Alexander Essbaum , poet.
  • Bill Holm , poet.
  • Francisco Molina , poet.
  • Esais Tegner (1782-1846), Swedish bishop and Swiss national poet.

Philosophers

Politicians and Statesmen (United States)

  • Bob Bergland , former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
  • John Bolton, prominent Republican politician. Served in the Reagan administration as well as both Bush administrations.
  • John Hamre , deputy director, US Department of Defense.
  • John Hanson - Regarded by some as the first President of the United States. Hanson was elected in 1781 under the Articles of Confederation, and served a one year term. His father was a Lutheran pastor.
  • Donald Hodel, served various cabinet-level positions during the Reagan administration.
  • Thomas S. Kleppe - Secretary of the Interior under President Ford.

U.S. Governors

U.S. House of Representatives (Current)

U.S. House of Representatives (Former)

U.S. Senators

Politicians and Statesmen (Europe)

  • Karl Buchsel (1803-1889), German pastor, general superintendent of Neumark and Niederlausitz . Influential in forming the Prussian Union.
  • Per Lonning , Norwegian pastor and youth leader, member of Norwegian Parliament, Dean of the Cathedral of Bergen.

Reformers

  • David Chytraeus (1531-1600), German theologian; historian and co-author of the Formula of Concord .
  • Martin Chemnitz (1522-1586), German pastor, seminary professor, defender of the Lutheran faith. His classic Examination of the Council of Trent is the definitive Lutheran response to the "Counter-Reformation" of the Roman Catholic Church. As a theologian, second in greatness only to Martin Luther.
  • Martin Luther (1483-1546), German Doctor of the Church, pastor, professor ay the University of Wittenberg, prolific author, hymn writer, Bible translator, Biblical scholar, father of the Protestant Reformation. His 95 Theses, nailed on the front door of the Castle Church at the University of Wittenberg on October 31st, 1517 ignited a firestorm which resulted in The Reformation. His importance in the history of Western Christianity and Western Civilization is immense. In the opinion of many, one the greatest theologians of all time.
  • Philip Melancthon (1497-1560), German theologian, professor at the University of Wittenberg, author, Reformation leader, and close friend of Martin Luther. A colleague and friend of Luther's, he is the author of the Augsburg Confession and the Loci Communes .

Resistance Fighters of World War II

  • Eivind Josef Berggrav (1884-1959), Norwegian Lutheran bishop, author, resistance leader against Hitler and the Nazi occupation of Norway.
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German pastor, theologian, seminary professor, author, and anti-Nazi resistance fighter. Imprisoned by the Nazis and later executed at the concentration camp in Flossenburg.
  • Rudolf Bultmann (1884-1976), German lay theologian known for his contributions to Biblical criticism and resistance to Hitler.
  • Helmut Gollwitzer (1908-1993), German theologian who became part of the Confessing Church; captured by the Soviets in 1945 and imprisoned in a Soviet gulag until 1950.
  • Kaj Munk (1898-1944), Danish pastor and author, arrested and executed by the Nazis.
  • Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984), German submarine commander in WWI who became a Lutheran pastor and was later imprisoned by the Nazis.

Scientists

  • Gerald Barney , Millennium Institute, Washington, D.C.
  • Hieronymus Bock (1498-1554), German Scientist who specialized in plants, later became a Lutheran pastor.
  • Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade.
  • Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician. His father - a Lutheran pastor with an interest in mathematics - wanted him to study Theology, but eventually agreed to his preference for studying mathematics.
  • William Foege , former executive director, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894), One of the pioneering scientists in the area of electromagnetics. His groundbreaking work paved the way for the development of wireless telegraphy and radio, among other applications. The standard unit of frequency - the Hertz - is named in his honor.
  • Grant Krafft , scientist specializing in Alzheimer's research.
  • Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), German astronomer noted for his formulation of planetary laws.
  • Donald Knuth, renowned computer scientist, who authored The Art of Computer Programming and 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated
  • Judith Larson , scientist.
  • Linus Pauling, chemist & nobel prize winner.

Sports Figures

Storytellers

  • Garrison Keillor, humorist, host and creator of Prairie Home Companion (1974-present), inductee Radio Hall of Fame (1994), author of Lake Wobegon Days (1985) and nine other titles, icon of National Public Radio.
  • Walter Wangerin, Jr. , pastor, college professor, speaker, prolific author. His award-winning tome Book of the Dun Cow brought this graduate of Christ Seminary-Seminex into national prominence.

Television and Movie characters

Sources

The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. How to see transparent copy