Timothy F. Lull (April 8, 1943 in

Fremont, Ohio Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States, located along the banks of the Sandusky River. It is about 35 miles from Toledo and 25 miles from Sandusky. It is part of the Toledo metropolitan area. The popula ...

– May 20, 2003) was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

minister, scholar and author.

Early life

Lull was born to Raymond and Ruth Cole Lull. He attended Atkinson Elementary School, Fremont Junior High School, and

Fremont Ross High School Fremont Ross High School (FRHS) is a public high school in Fremont, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Fremont City School District, and one of two high schools in Fremont, the other being Saint Joseph Central Catholic High ...

. From a young age he participated in the life of St. John's Lutheran Church and was a member of the church's

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

Troop receiving his God and Country Award. Tim was interested in astronomy, philosophy, politics, and religion. He enjoyed playing the piano and baritone, was a leader in school activities, and an accomplished student. In eleventh grade he won the Ohio State History contest at

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subsequ ...

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

. Graduating first in his high school class in 1961, Tim entered

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

where he was the recipient of the Tyng Scholarship. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams in 1965 where he was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

and the Gargoyle Society. Timothy attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where he received a Master's of Divinity and a Doctorate of Philosophy.

Ministerial life

Lull was ordained as a minister in the

Lutheran Church in America The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was an American and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press. The LCA's immigrant heritage came mostly fr ...

in 1972. He served as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

from the time of his ordination until 1977. From 1977 until 1989 Lull served as professor of systematic theology at the

Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), also known as the ''Philadelphia Seminary,'' was one of eight theological seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in North ...

. In 1989 Lull became

Academic Dean Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

and Professor of

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) is a private Lutheran seminary in Berkeley, California. It is affiliated with California Lutheran University and is a member school of the Graduate Theological Union. History Pacific Lutheran Theolo ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. Dr. Lull was elected president of the seminary in 1997 and held that position until his death from complications of surgery on May 20, 2003.articles.sfgate.com/2003-05-29/bay-area/17490523_1_pacific-lutheran-theological-seminary-final-service-berkeley. Accessed April 10, 2011. Timothy Lull was a prolific writer and widely sought speaker. His particular area of interest was the life and work of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Luther ...

. He was the author of several books including ''Called to Confess Christ'' and ''My Conversations with Martin Luther''. He edited ''Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings'' for

Augsburg Fortress 1517 Media, formerly Augsburg Fortress Press, is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), also publishing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as ''Augsburg Fortress Canada''. Headquarte ...

. He was a frequent contributor and columnist for ''

The Lutheran ''Living Lutheran'' is the primary publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The editorial offices are at the Lutheran Center at 8765 West Higgins Road in suburban Chicago, Illinois with the denominational offices. While c ...

'' magazine. A strong advocate, interpreter, and participant in the ecumenical dialogs and agreements of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxi ...

, Dr. Lull served as co-chair of the Lutheran-Reformed Committee for Theological Conversations, 1988–1992, which in ''A Common Calling'' formally proposed full communion between the ELCA and the

Presbyterian Church USA The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

, the

Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reforme ...

, the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximate ...

. He received the Joseph A. Sittler Award for Theological Leadership posthumously from

Trinity Lutheran Seminary Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University is an Evangelical Lutheran seminary in Columbus, Ohio. History In 1830, the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary (ELTS), was f ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. Dr. Lull married Mary Carlton O'Neal in 1969 and was the father of two sons, Christopher Lull and Peter Lull.

References

Sources

*''The News-Messenger'', May 31, 2003 *''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'', May 23, 2003 *''

'', June 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lull, Timothy F. 1943 births 2003 deaths People from Fremont, Ohio 20th-century American Lutheran clergy Lutheran writers Yale Divinity School alumni