Brauer, Jerald C.

Jerald Brauer, historian, minister, professor, and dean. The Jerald Brauer Papers consist of ninety-three and a half linear feet and include correspondence, memos, minutes, reports, manuscripts, notes, speeches, published materials, and audio recordings. The papers document Brauer's career as a historian, professor of the history of Christianity in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, Dean of the Federated Theological Faculties and the Divinity School, and author and editor of many scholarly books.

From the description of Jerald Brauer papers, 1925-1999 (inclusive) (University of Chicago Library). WorldCat record id: 607054895

Jerald Brauer was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1921 to Carl L. and Anna Mae (Linde) Brauer. He attended Carthage College in Carthage, Illinois, went on to receive a B.D. from Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1945. Brauer pursued advanced training at Union Theological Seminary in New York and earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1948. In 1945 Brauer married Muriel (Nelson) Brauer. The couple had two children Christopher Nelson and Marian Ruth. Brauer became an ordained minister in the United Lutheran Church of America in 1951.

Brauer began his teaching career as an instructor in church history and the history of Christianity at the Union Theological Seminary where he also served as assistant to Paul Tillich. In 1950, Brauer moved to Chicago to become Assistant Professor in History of Christianity at the University of Chicago. Associate Professor, 1954-1959. Became Professor of History of Christianity in 1959, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley professor of history of Christianity, 1969-1991, and professor emeritus in 1991.

After the establishment of the Federated Theological Faculty in 1943, Brauer served as the dean of FTF from 1955 to 1960. FTF was a formal alliance between the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, Disciples Divinity House, Meadville Theological School and the Chicago Theological Seminary. As a Lutheran, Brauer was considered by some to be an odd choice to oversee the four institutions, none of them Lutheran. When the Federation was dissolved in 1960 he became dean of the Divinity school, a position he held until 1970.

As Dean, Brauer was known for recruiting top faculty including Paul Tillich, Martin Marty, Don Browning, Clark Gilpin, and David Tracy. As the first Catholic faculty at the Divinity School, Tracy’s hiring illustrated Brauer’s commitment to increasing ecumenism in the Divinity School.

Brauer authored many scholarly books and articles including: Luther and the Reformation (1953) (with Jaroslav Pelikan). Protestantism in America: A Narrative History (1965), Images of Religion in America (1967), and John Nuveen: A Life of Service (1997). He also edited the collections, Reinterpretation in American Church History (1968), The Future of Religion (1966), The Lively Experiment Continued (1987), The Unrelieved Paradox: Studies in the Theology of Franz Bibfeldt (1994) (with Martin Marty), and the Westminster Dictionary of Church History (1971).

Brauer was a member of the American Society of Church History, he served as president in 1960. Brauer was the co-editor of the journal Church History from 1963 to 1998. Brauer was visiting lecturer at University of Frankfurt in 1961, and at University of Tokyo in 1966. He served as president of the board of theological education for the Lutheran Church in America from 1962 to 1968. Worked as consultant for the New York Education Department from 1969 to 1978. He was an official delegated observer for the World Council of Churches at Vatican Council II, was chairman of the Council on Religion and International Affairs from 1979-1983. He served as a trustee for Augustana College from 1964 to 1966 and at Carthage College from 1958 to 1962. He was also a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions in 1972 and 1974. Brauer was member of the board of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, serving as chairman between 1966 and 1983, and as chairman of the board of directors from 1979 to 1983.

From the guide to the Brauer, Jerald. Papers, 1925-1999, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)