Grand View University aspires to serve a diverse community of learners- students, faculty, and staff- in an inclusive and equitable environment with the goal of empowering all to achieve their fullest potential. Our objective is to sustain a campus environment that is free from the power imbalances and institutional biases that contribute to systems of oppression, while preparing our students to stand against those inequities when they leave Grand View.

Grand View University is dedicated to the goal of an inclusive campus where people of diverse identities feel welcomed and empowered to shape our culture and processes. At Grand View University we view diversity through the collective or group and we welcome and affirm the thoughts and experiences each distinct member brings to our community of learners.

To learn more about Grand View’s commitment to diversity, and to read our entire Diversity Statement, click on this link: https://www.grandview.edu/about/diversity

Overview:

The purpose of the Gerhard O. Forde Professor in Church History and Theology at Grand View University is to extend the legacy of Gerhard O. Forde, the late seminary professor, pastoral mentor, and faithful witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Forde is widely known for his “radical Lutheran” approach to the preaching and pastoral practice of the church’s public proclaimers. This approach is present in multiple written works including Where God Meets Man, Justification by Faith: A Matter of Death and Life, Theology Is for Proclamation, and On Being a Theologian of the Cross. He represents a strand of Lutheranism that took up his work attending to both church history (particularly Martin Luther and the Reformation) and analysis of contemporary ecclesial matters through a Confessional lens.

Duties:

The Gerhard O. Forde Professor in Church History and Theology shall carry out the following essential duties:

• Collaborate with campus ministry to introduce Forde’s theology to the student ministry team and the University student body;

• Teach a course load of six (6) courses* per academic year, regularly incorporating dimensions of Forde’s work;

• Publish materials and offer speaking engagements that include explicit and implicit aspects of Forde’s approach to theology and Christian life;

• Collaborate with others to create and implement online and other resources to broaden the wider church’s theological fluency as well as support and enhance the ongoing proclamation of preachers who identify with Forde’s radical Lutheranism; and

• Assist the president and campus pastor of Grand View University in defining, maintaining, and promoting a Lutheran identity at the University.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Hold an earned doctorate in church history, theology, or Bible;

• Be an active member of a Lutheran congregation;

• Be adept at articulating a Fordean theological approach;

• Have a proven track record of publishing and speaking that presents Forde’s theological approach; and

• Have a proven history of advocating for distinctive Fordean teaching, including the theology of the cross as opposed to that of glory, the hidden and revealed God, proclamation as theology’s purpose, justification by grace through faith as the criterion of sound doctrine, sanctification as a process of becoming used to one’s justification, such that grace and not law defines the Christian life, law and gospel as death and life that brings salvation, an ecclesiology in which the church is identified by the presence of the Word and sacraments as opposed to any hierarchy or ecclesial structure, and a “low anthropology,” that highlights sinners’ absolute need for God’s mercy.

Desired/Preferred Qualifications:

A commitment to teaching excellence, an active program of scholarship appropriate for a Liberal Arts institution, and prior successful teaching at post-secondary level. Experience leading curriculum is a plus.

Applications:

Review of applications opens March 1, 2024. Position will remain open until filled. All applications must include a letter of application, curriculum vitae, statements of teaching philosophy and scholarly interests that address the above minimum and desired/preferred qualifications, and copies of all transcripts that include relevant course work. Three to five reference names must be provided, at least a couple that could speak about teaching abilities.

All applicants must apply through our online application system.

Grand View University is an equal opportunity employer. The University has a strong commitment to the principles of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates, including women, members of minority groups, and people with disabilities.

A pre-employment background check is required.