In Memoriam

Klaus Bockmuehl was born in Essen, Germany on May 6, 1931 and died in Vancouver on June 10, 1989, aged 58.

He studied theology, philosophy, and sociology at universities in Germany (Wuppertal, Tübingen, Göttingen), Switzerland (Basel), and the UK (London School of Economics). His PhD (Dr. Theol.) was completed at Basel in 1959 as a student of Hendrikus van Oyen and Karl Barth. After serving as Jürgen Moltmann’s teaching assistant at Wuppertal and briefly as assistant pastor in a Reformed Church in Düren, he returned to Switzerland in 1962 for a post-doctoral fellowship at Basel. From 1965 he worked as a lecturer at St. Chrischona Theological Seminary near Basel, initially part-time alongside pastoral appointments at Heidelberg and Schmieheim, Germany, and then full-time from 1971.

He joined Regent in 1977, where he taught systematic and historical theology and Christian ethics. As a classroom teacher, he is remembered fondly for his practice of sharing personal insights from his daily Bible readings as well as for his thoroughness, rigour, and passion for Christ. His wife, Elisabeth, was an active participant in all of Klaus’ ministry at Regent, and often attended his class sessions.

His English-language books include: The Challenge of Marxism: A Christian Response; The Unreal God of Modern Theology: Bultmann, Barth, and the Theology of Atheism; Living by the Gospel: Christian Roots of Confidence and Purpose; The Story of Modern Protestant Theology; Listening to the God who Speaks: Reflections on God's Guidance from Scripture and the Lives of God's People; and The Christian Way of Living: An Ethics of the Ten Commandments. An edition of his Collected Works in German was published by Brunnen Verlag in nine volumes (1998-2015).

Klaus’ life and work were celebrated in a memorial volume, Gott lieben und seine Gebote halten, Loving God and Keeping His Commandments: In Memoriam Klaus Bockmühl, edited by Markus N.A. Bockmuehl and Helmut Burkhardt (1991). His thought has been examined in a monograph by Annette Glaw, Holy Spirit and Christian Ethics in the Theology of Klaus Bockmuehl (2014).