Paul Egertson

Paul Wennes Egertson (born 1935) was Bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1995 to 2001 and currently serves as a Senior Lecturer at the California Lutheran University.

Biography

Egertson maintained a happy upbringing, entering the priesthood during his early lifetime. In 1955 he graduated with a B.A. degree from Pepperdine University, continuing to study for a M.Th. degree which he obtained from the Luther Seminary. Egertson then spent the following years serving as a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and also studied for a Ph.D. from the Claremont School of Theology, which was awarded in 1976. [Faculty Profile - CLU. [http://www.callutheran.edu/schools/cas/faculty_profile.php?minor_id=30&profile_id=190] ]

Egertson has been active with an education role since 1972, having served as an Adjunct Professor at the California Lutheran University between 1972 and 1984. He continued his association with the same university after 1984, however timing commitments restricted his ability to remain professor, he remains on the CLU faculty currently serving as a Senior Lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences, having taught both part time and full time. Egertson's specialities are noted as: Dispute Mediation, Preaching, Persuasion and religion in America. Egertson is credited with having served as the university's Director of the Center for Theological Study, and also for his role in establishing night courses at the university. [Profile at Evening Degree Centre - CLU. [http://www.callutheran.edu/adep/about/faculty.php] ]

Time as bishop

Egertson was elected Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, with pastoral responsibilities for South California in 1994. He served in episcopal office from 1995 until 2001, when he resigned one month before the end of his term, due primarily to his controversial stance toward homosexuality, having ordained a lesbian pastor Anita C. Hill, and publicly disagreed with other prominent church officials over the matter. [ Interfaith Working Group. [http://www.iwgonline.org/ktf/archive/2001/june/ Bishop Egertson Asked to Resign] June, 2001.]

References