Rev. Dr. Ralph Quere died early this morning. Due to travel plans, I won't be able to attend the funeral taking place in the coming days. But I would like to share a little of what I learned from Ralph as a teacher, scholar, encourager, and friend.
As was true of hundreds of students over six different decades, Ralph was my Lutheran Confessions teacher at Wartburg Seminary. Drawings like this one were typical of the way he connected the theological themes of the 16th century with the life of the church today: long lectures and simple cartoons. Ralph also taught one of the most enriching classes I took in seminary, a journey through all five volumes of The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine by Jaroslav Pelikan. In some ways, Ralph was an old school professor. But his passion for his subjects always came through.
Unique for his generation of Reformation scholars, Ralph brought renewed positive attention to the contributions of Martin Luther's colleague Philip Melanchthon. This meant doing careful work with primary sources in order to free Melanchthon from the negative caricatures that have followed this important reformer over the centuries. Also unique for someone whose academic field was historical theology, Ralph was deeply committed to youth ministry and evangelism, even though--as he often admitted--these contemporary topics did not come naturally to him. To me, this stood as a good example of lifelong learning.
Along with his wife Jan, who preceded him in death, Ralph cared about building community and finding ways for people to participate and thrive. He will long be remembered for countless games of racquetball, his enthusiasm for Wartburg orange, and his love of music. Ralph was also a friend who was not shy about borrowing from the Methodists and asking, 'How is it with your soul?'
More can and will certainly be said. Though I will not be there, I join my prayers to those that will be said graveside in the beautiful cemetery of St. John's Lutheran Church in St. Donatus, Iowa, where Ralph had served:
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Ralph. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 283). Requiescat in pacem.
As was true of hundreds of students over six different decades, Ralph was my Lutheran Confessions teacher at Wartburg Seminary. Drawings like this one were typical of the way he connected the theological themes of the 16th century with the life of the church today: long lectures and simple cartoons. Ralph also taught one of the most enriching classes I took in seminary, a journey through all five volumes of The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine by Jaroslav Pelikan. In some ways, Ralph was an old school professor. But his passion for his subjects always came through.
Unique for his generation of Reformation scholars, Ralph brought renewed positive attention to the contributions of Martin Luther's colleague Philip Melanchthon. This meant doing careful work with primary sources in order to free Melanchthon from the negative caricatures that have followed this important reformer over the centuries. Also unique for someone whose academic field was historical theology, Ralph was deeply committed to youth ministry and evangelism, even though--as he often admitted--these contemporary topics did not come naturally to him. To me, this stood as a good example of lifelong learning.
Along with his wife Jan, who preceded him in death, Ralph cared about building community and finding ways for people to participate and thrive. He will long be remembered for countless games of racquetball, his enthusiasm for Wartburg orange, and his love of music. Ralph was also a friend who was not shy about borrowing from the Methodists and asking, 'How is it with your soul?'
More can and will certainly be said. Though I will not be there, I join my prayers to those that will be said graveside in the beautiful cemetery of St. John's Lutheran Church in St. Donatus, Iowa, where Ralph had served:
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Ralph. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 283). Requiescat in pacem.