Donald G. Bloesch

Who is Donald G. Bloesch?

Donald G. Bloesch was a noted American evangelical theologian. For more than 40 years, he published scholarly yet accessible works that generally defend traditional Protestant beliefs and practices while seeking to remain in the mainstream of modern Protestant theological thought. The ongoing publication of his Christian Foundation Series, has brought him recognition as an important American theologian.

He characterized himself a "progressive evangelical" or "Ecumenical orthodox" criticizing the excesses of both the theological left and right. He often decried the abandonment of traditional values among liberals, but also the ugly, reactionary habits of some conservatives.

His own denomination, in which he was an ordained minister, is the United Church of Christ. He was raised in the Evangelical and Reformed Church, now merged with the UCC, in which his father and both his grandfathers were also ordained ministers. The "E and R" was a representative of evangelical pietism, a movement that emphasized personal piety, a discerning, educated laity, a reliance on Scripture, and an acceptance of the mystical side of Christianity.