Burkholder, John Richard "J. R." (1928-2019)

J. R. Burkholder, 2010.
Goshen College photo

John Richard "J. R." Burkholder: professor and peace activist, was born 19 December 1928 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA to Clarence A. Burkholder (7 November 1905-17 December 1992) and Blanche Elizabeth Herr Burkholder (26 December 1905-26 March 1982). He was the oldest in a family of three sons. J. Richard was baptized as a teenager into the Mellinger Mennonite Church. On 6 June 1952, he married Susan Elizabeth Herr (1930- ), daughter of Harry E. Herr (26 September 1899-2 June 1990) and Mary Elizabeth Witmer Herr (29 June 1900-2 August 2000). J. Richard and Sue had three daughters and two sons. John Richard Burkholder died on 20 December 2019 at Greencroft Healthcare in Goshen, Indiana. He is buried in the Violett Cemetery in Goshen, Indiana.

Richard, as he was known earlier in life, graduated from East Lampeter High School in 1946. he attended Eastern Mennonite College in Virginia and graduated from Goshen College in Indiana with a BA in English in 1952. He earned a BD degree from Goshen Biblical Seminary in 1955 after also studying at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a PhD from Harvard University in 1969. His dissertation was entitled, "Religion in the First Amendment: a social theory approach to constitutional interpretation."

Richard was ordained as a minister at the Sunnyside Mennonite Church on 1 August 1954 in preparation for missionary service in Brazil. Richard and Sue Burkholder arrived in Campinas, Brazil at the end of October 1954 and served until 1957 when they returned to the United States for Richard to recover from hepatitis. In 1958-1959 Burkholder pastored the Second Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also worked part-time for the Fellowship of Reconciliation in their regional office. In 1960 Burkholder began his graduate studies and worked as an administrator for Mennonite Central Committee.

J. Richard Burkholder taught for 22 years at Goshen College, from 1963 to 1985, and another 12 years at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana. His teaching fields included social ethics, peace and conflict studies, church history, and theology. Burkholder helped to launch the College's Peace Studies Program in 1975. He served as founding director of the Dallas Peace Center (1982-84), board member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, and was a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation National Council (1966-1972). From 1990-1993, he served as part-time coordinator of of peace and social concerns for the Mennonite Board of Congregational Ministries.

He was an active participant and contributor to the mid-to-late-20th Century movement in Mennonite peace theology, moving from non-participation in war (nonresistance) to active witness for peace and justice. Keith Graber Miller, the editor of a 2010 volume of selected writings by Burkholder, said "In his modeling and teaching, J. R. inspired scores of students and colleagues toward peacemaking vocations."

Bibliography

Burkholder, John Richard, and Keith Graber Miller. "Chronology of the life of J. R. Burkholder." In Prophetic Peacemaking: Selected Writings of J.R. Burkholder. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2010.

"J. R. Burkholder, professor emeritus of religion, dies at 91." Goshen College. 21 December 2019. Web. 16 February 2022. https://www.goshen.edu/news/2019/12/21/j-r-burkholder-professor-emeritus-of-religion-dies-at-91/

"John Richard Burkholder." Goshen News 25 December 2019. Web. 16 February 2022. https://obituaries.goshennews.com/obituary/john-burkholder-1078149967.

"John Richard 'J. R.' Burkholder." SAGA (Swiss Anabaptist Genealogical Association) Genealogical Website. Web. 16 February 2022. http://69.197.190.243/getperson.php?personID=I287551&tree=kidron.

"Ordination." Gospel Herald 47, no. 33 (17 August 1954): 780.

Books/Booklets by/about J. R. Burkholder

Burkholder, John Richard. David Landis and Emma W. Hess Burkholder: A Family Record. Pinchpenny Press. Goshen, Ind.: Pinchpenny Press, 1975.

Burkholder, John Richard, and Calvin Wall Redekop, eds. Kingdom, Cross, and Community: Essays on Mennonite Themes in Honor of Guy F. Hershberger. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1976.

Burkholder, John Richard. Mennonite Social Ethics: Continuity & Change. Akron, Pa.: Mennonite Central Committee. Peace Section, 1977.

Burkholder, John Richard, and John. Bender. Children of Peace. Elgin, Ill: Brethren Press, 1982.

Burkholder, John Richard. Mennonites in Ecumenical Dialogue on Peace and Justice. MCC Occasional Paper, 7. Akron, PA: Mennonite Central Committee and MCC U.S, 1988.

Burkholder, John Richard, and Barbara Nelson Gingerich. Mennonite Peace Theology: A Panorama of Types. Akron, Pa.: Mennonite Central Committee Peace Office, 1991.

Burkholder, John Richard, and Keith Graber Miller. Prophetic Peacemaking: Selected Writings of J.R. Burkholder. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 2010.

Author(s)	Samuel J Steiner
Date Published	February 2022

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MLA style

Steiner, Samuel J. "Burkholder, John Richard "J. R." (1928-2019)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2022. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Burkholder,_John_Richard_%22J._R.%22_(1928-2019)&oldid=173137.

APA style

Steiner, Samuel J. (February 2022). Burkholder, John Richard "J. R." (1928-2019). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Burkholder,_John_Richard_%22J._R.%22_(1928-2019)&oldid=173137.

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