Allen Jorgenson
Professor of Systematic Theology; Assistant Dean
I received my PhD in theology from St. Michael’s University College at the University of Toronto in 2003.
I joined Martin Luther University College (formerly Waterloo Lutheran Seminary) in 2005. Prior to that, I taught at Luther in an adjunct capacity and served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada for 14 years.
Please feel free to check out my Meet the Prof @LutherWaterloo video.
My research interests include studies in the theology of Martin Luther, the famed church reformer of the sixteenth century, and the theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher, the nineteenth-century theologian sometimes called the Father of Modern Theology. Additionally, I explore how contemporary theology can be informed by Indigenous worldviews and the manner in which religious pluralism informs modern theology.
Research / Areas of Expertise
- Theology of Martin Luther.
- Theology of Friedrich Schleiermacher.
- Comparative theology and theologies of religious pluralism.
- Co-recipient with Laura MacGregor (lead investigator) of a Louisville Research Project Grant entitled “Beyond Saints and Superheroes: A Phenomenological Study of the Spiritual Care Needs of Parents Raising Children with Disabilities.”
- Recipient of Wabash Project Grant for a proposal entitled “Teaching a Theology of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples."
- Recipient of Laurier Travel Grant for presentation of paper at Aarhus University, Denmark, 2015.
- Association of Theological Schools Theological Research Grant 2011/2012.
- Recipient of Laurier “Travel Grant” for presentation of paper in Helsinki Finland, 2012.
- American Academy of Religion /Luce Summer Fellow in Comparative Theology and Theology of Religious Pluralism, 2010/2011.
I am willing to supervise graduate students in the areas of systematic theology and historical theology.
- 2022. Edited with Kris Kvam. The Crux of Theology: Freedom, Justice, Peace. Lexington/Fortress.
- 2021. “Embodying Truth in Ecclesial Practices.” In Ecclesiologies of Resistance. Edited by Christine Helmer. Lexington/Fortress.
- 2020. Indigenous and Christian Perspectives in Dialogue: Kairotic Place and Borders. Lexington. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793619679/Indigenous-and-Christian-Perspectives-in-Dialogue-Kairotic-Place-and-Borders
- 2020. Translation with Iain G. Nicol of FDE Schleirmacher, Jesus’ Life in Dying: Pre-Easter Reflections to the Community of the Redeemer. Cascade – an imprint of Wipf and Stock Press.
- 2020. “Contextual Theology in Canada: Between Covenant and Treaty.” In Theology after Christendom: Engaging the Thought of Douglas John Hall. Edited by Pamela McCarroll and Patricia Kirkpatrick. Lexington/Fortress.
- 2019. “From ‘The Common Good’ to ‘Common Goods’: Unearthing a Community Chest of Cosmological Consequence.” In The Alternative Luther: Lutheran Theology from the Subaltern. Edited by Else Marie Petersen. Lexington/Fortress.
- 2019. “Decolonizing and Indigenizing Liberation Theology.” In Post-Christian Interreligious Liberation Theologies. Edited by Hussam S. Timani and Loye Sekihata Aston. Palgrave-Macmillan.
- 2019. With Gyeong Kim. "Theology of “Person” with a Focus on Mental Health," Consensus: Vol. 40 : Iss. 2 , Article 3.
- 2018. “Immigrants as Terra Nullius: On the Need for a Comparative Theology of Decolonization.” In The Meaning of My Neighbor’s Faith. Edited by Alexander Y. Hwang and Laura E. Alexander. Lexington/Fortress.
- 2017. With Daniel Maoz, “Teaching Exodus Inter-Religiously.” In Teaching Interreligious Encounters. Edited by Alexander Y. Hwang and Marc Pugliese. Oxford University Press.
- 2017. “Martin Luther in Scandinavian Creation Theology.” In Reformation Theology for a Post-Secular Age: Løgstrup, Prenter, Wingren and the Future of Scandinavian Creation Theology. Edited by Niels Henrik Gregersen, Bengt Kristennson Uggla and Trygve Wyller. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
- 2017. Article: “Concerning the Jews and their Lies.” in Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Rowman and Littlefield Pub.
- 2017. Article: “The Person of Christ.” In Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Rowman and Littlefield Pub.
- 2016. Article: “The Great Commission.” In The Encyclopedia of the Bible and it Reception, Volume 10: Genocide – Hakkoz. DeGruyter.
- 2016. Edited with Cameron Harder. “Journeying Together toward Truth and Reconciliation.” Consensus: A Canadian Journal of Public Theology. Vol. 37 No. 1.
- 2015. “Luther on Reserve: Reading ‘The Torgau Sermon on Christ’s Decent into Hell and the Resurrection’ in North America.” In Lutherrenaissance: Past and Present. Edited by Bo Kristian Holm and Christine Helmer. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
- 2015. Edited with Hussam S. Timani and Alexander Y. Hwang. Strangers in this World: Multireligious Reflections on Immigration. Fortress Press.
- 2015. “Theology, Immigration and First Nations Foundation.” in Strangers in this World: Multireligious Reflections on Immigration. Edited by Hussam S. Timani, Alexander Y. Hwang, and Allen G. Jorgenson. Fortress Press.
- 2012. Translation with Iain G. Nicol of FDE Schleiermacher’s On the Doctrine of Election. Louisville: John Knox Westminster Press.