Joseph Haroutunian

Joseph Haroutunian (born September 18, 1904 in Maraş , Ottoman Empire , † November 15, 1968 in Chicago ) was an Armenian-American Reformed theologian.

life and work

He studied at the American University of Beirut (1919–1925), Columbia College (1924–1926), and Union Theological Seminary (1930). In 1932 he received his PhD from Columbia University and then taught at Wellesley College (1932–1940), later at McCormick Seminary (1940–1962). From 1962 to 1968 he was Professor of Systematic Theology at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago .

His dissertation Piety Versus Moralism: The Passing of the New England Theology , which revived the interest in the writings of Jonathan Edwards in Reformed circles, but also in literary studies, proved to be very influential . In this and other writings, Haroutunian spoke out vehemently against liberal tendencies in contemporary theology and called for a return to the "theocentrism" of Calvin and his Puritan heirs.

Works

• Piety Versus Moralism: The Passing of the New England Theology . H. Holt, New York 1932. New edition: Wipf & Stock, Eugene OR 2006, ISBN 9781597529471 .
• Wisdom and Folly in Religion: A Study in Chastened Protestantism . Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1940.
• Lust for power . Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1949.
• God with Us: A Theology of Transpersonal Life . Westminster Press, Philadelphia 1965.

Secondary literature

• Stephen Crocco: Joseph Haroutunian: Neglected Theocentrist . In: The Journal of Religion 68: 3, 1988, pp. 411-425.