Dr. Robert Schultz was a Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was born in Faribault, Minnesota, the son of George E. and Martha L. Schultz. He was educated at Concordia Academy and College, Saint Paul, Minnesota and at Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, Missouri. He studied Systematics and the History of Theology at Friedrich-Alexanders Universität in Erlangen, Germany, graduating magna cum laude in 1956. He later pursued post-doctoral studies at Harvard Divinity School (1961-62) and studied Pastoral Care and Counseling at The Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas (1966-67).
He was Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, Indiana), where he was recognized and appreciated as an extraordinary teacher. In 1959, he initiated a dialogue between theologians at Notre Dame and Valparaiso Universities. These talks became a precursor and model for the Roman Catholic - Lutheran Dialogue that followed the Second Vatican Council. In 1967, he 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 from 1969-71. 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, he 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 theological 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, he was actively engaged in editing and translating a book by Werner Elert, with whom he studied at Erlangen. Throughout his career, he also served as pastor or interim pastor at numerous Lutheran congregations throughout the United States.
Robert Schultz was appreciated by many as a thoughtful counselor, a tireless solver of problems, and a loving husband and father. He died in Seattle after a short illness at the age of 90, surrounded by his family and friends. He will be dearly missed. He is survived by his wife, Ruth (nee McRee) and their four children Martin, Stephen (Muriel), Jonathan, and Susanna (John).
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, April 6th, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington. Memorial donations may be made to Compass Housing Alliance, 68 S. Washington Street, Seattle, Washington 98104.